University plans $5m Ecological Research Facility

Jul 28, 2006

The University of Wollongong plans to construct a $5 million Ecological Research Facility (ERF) that will have far-reaching implications for a wide range of research studies from the impact of climate change on native flora and fauna to the development of vaccines to fight infectious diseases.

The planned ERF, to be constructed on University-owned land at Robsons Road adjacent to UOW’s main campus, will go on public display from early August. This area was chosen as it provides uninterrupted natural sunlight for glasshouses and experimental vegetation plots and is protected from dominant high winds during storms.

It borders a native rainforest and has been designed to be visually unobtrusive to passing traffic.

UOW’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Lee Astheimer, said the facility was urgently needed to help complement the marked increase in ecological and conservation research activities that have taken place at UOW over the past decade.

She said the proposed facility would assist researchers in a range of studies from the impact of climate change and other human-induced stressors on native flora and fauna, the effects of invasive pest species, the responses of native plants and animals to bushfires, providing the infrastructure for producing antibodies for research on infectious diseases through to developing better tools for forensic science.

The proposed facilities will also include a plant physiology laboratory with growth chambers and mossarium, outdoor aviaries, and an immunoecology laboratory and three additional on-site research labs to allow ongoing experimental work supported by the Australian Research Council and other external bodies in compliance with federal and state requirements.

“With the right equipment and infrastructure we can now look forward to having a world-class centre for Australian ecological research,” Professor Astheimer said.

The ERF will have direct benefits to 23 researchers and their students who are members or associates of a number of UOW’s research strengths – the Institute for Conservation Biology and Law, the Institute for Biomolecular Science, the GeoQuEST Research Centre and the Metabolic Research Centre.

Media please note: A high-resolution image of an artist’s impression of the planned Ecological Research Facility can be supplied on request from Bernie Goldie at bgoldie@uow.edu.au or phone 4221 5942.

For further information contact the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Lee Astheimer on 4221 3023 or email to leeba@uow.edu.au

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128