Researchers present new therapies for epilepsy to major advances in fuel cell electric vehicles

Feb 08, 2007

The Australian Research Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science is currently hosting a three-day international symposium addressing developments and applications in the areas of bionics and energy. The symposium is being conducted from 7-9 February.

Among the key presentations are:

• A paper delivered by Professor Zi Feng Ma of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, on strategies and progress on the development of fuel cell electric vehicles in China. Major advances have been made in this field using devices to power vehicles with zero emissions into the atmosphere. The University of Wollongong recently signed a collaborative research agreement with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

• A paper delivered by Professor Mark Cook (St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne/University of Melbourne). Professor Cook is a neurologist specialising in the treatment of epilepsy which is the commonest serious neurological disease afflicting the population. Attention has now turned to promising new methods of polymer-based drug delivery systems to neural tissue. St Vincent’s is working in collaboration with University of Wollongong researchers.

The symposium also involves an overview of advances in electromaterials from the Executive Research Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Professor Gordon Wallace; a session on the latest in nanostructured (extremely minute) electronic devices; and papers on “An electronic polymer nanofibre composite for artificial muscles”; “Nanocomposite materials for use in lithium rechargeable batteries’; and “Artificial photosynthesis: Nanostructured materials for light harvesting”.

The symposium has attracted specialists in electromaterials science from the USA, China, Japan, England, Germany, Ireland, Korea and Australia.