News & Media
19 July 2010
At the recent launch of the Technique Finder: the AMMRF's Communications & Design Officer, Uli Eichhorn; AMMRF General Manager, Dr Miles Apperley; Intersect eResearch Analyst, Dr Anne Cregan; AMMRF Marketing and Business Development Manager, Dr Jenny Whiting; and AMMRF Executive Director, Prof Simon Ringer. Photo: Peter Hines, AMMRF.
A new tool to help researchers navigate their way to world-class microscopy and microanalysis capability has been launched at the Australian Conference of Microscopy and Microanalysis in Brisbane.
Developed by Intersect for the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility (AMMRF), the Technique Finder is the first of two main deliverables. The Technique Finder is a web application that enables AMMRF users to identify the techniques most suited to their research, based on a researcher-centric approach and terminology as opposed to instrument oriented jargon.
“The AMMRF offers a complete user experience involving stages of project registration, planning and training followed by data gathering, analysis, management and publication. Intersect is enabling improvement of this experience through the development of tools that enable researchers to identify, access and apply appropriate microscopy techniques quickly”, said the Executive Director of the AMMRF, Prof Simon Ringer.
This project is funded by the National eResearch Architecture Taskforce.
Technique Finder can be accessed at http://www.ammrf.org.au/techniquefinder/
For more information, see http://www.intersect.org.au/ammrf-platforms-collaboration
15 July 2010
Intersect has formalised a partner-share in Australia’s most powerful supercomputer facility, the National Facility at National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), located at the Australian National University. This makes Intersect one of the largest partners in the National Computational Infrastructure.
Intersect’s members now have access to a portfolio of HPC services beyond their institutional facilities: from the local shoulder facility (McLaren); through the partner share at NCI; and up to the national merit allocation scheme at NCI. The portfolio provides members with access to a wide range of facilities suited to a diversity of research applications via different architectures.
The partner agreement between Intersect and NCI comprises the partner share, access to associated services, such as support, training, and software and an NCI support resource hosted at Intersect for members.
Intersect is in the process of renewing its resource allocation and support procedures in collaboration with NCI.
10 June 2010
The NSW Chief Scientist, Prof Mary O'Kane has launched Intersect’s latest Innovation project at UNSW saying, “For me this is the archetypical best form of eResearch: there is so much cross disciplinary work we’ll do as we see the computing world join research. Now it’s possible and this sort of project really makes it sensible; the fact that the data can be stored, tagged, sent around the world, bringing people from around the world into a project. We are bringing together some great researchers and research opportunities with fantastic infrastructure.”
Pictured at the UNSW launch: UNSW's Prof Marc Wilkins; Intersect Chair, Prof Mark Wainwright; NSW Chief Scientist, Prof Mary O'Kane; Director of the Ramaciotti Centre, Prof Ian Dawes; UNSW's PVC(R), Strategy, Prof Margaret Harding; UNSW Dean of Science, Prof Merlin Crossley; and Intersect CEO, Dr Ian Gibson.Intersect has centralised the effort of several major institutions to make the best use of new gene sequencing instruments. One of the key benefits of the Genomic Data Analysis project is that it is designed for easy deployment at other, new sites.
Prof Marc Wilkins of the Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis said at the launch, “What I've been very excited to do has been to work in collaboration with Southern Cross University, with the Ramaciotti Centre, with Intersect to make this project possible”.
Intersect CEO, Dr Ian Gibson adds, "Projects undertaken by Intersect are available for all members to use. While this project directly supports Illumina and Roche/ 454 next generation gene sequencers, it is designed to be easily reconfigured for changing experimental methods, new tools and other disciplines. We would be very happy to talk to other research centres about their data management needs.”
Dr Ross Wilkinson, Executive Director of the Australian National Data Service, who funded part of the project said, “ANDS is terrifically supportive of this project because it ensures easy capture of rich descriptions of data at source; enabling reuse of that data by researchers, their partners and other researchers to answer new questions from existing data”.
7 June 2010
Intersect has joined the Australian Access Federation (AAF) becoming the 35th member. The Australian Access Federation, (AAF) helps the Australian higher education and research sector by allowing organisations working together to create a single sign-on to access federated web-based services. Authorised users access services in a secure way using the credentials issued by their own institution thereby eliminating the need for multiple accounts.
The key benefit to members is that the AAF will enable you to log in using the credentials issued by your own institution, accessing a wide range of resources both internal and external to your institution.
14 May 2010
A further update of the Intersect Research Data Store paper can be found here.
15 March 2010
The largest collection of schizophrenia research data in Australia has been given a technological boost with a commercial grade database worth $800,000, allowing high speed access to DNA, clinical records and brain scans for researchers.
NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research Hon, Jodi McKay MP launched the project saying, "This research bank allows for a greater level of collaboration among the many hard working researchers and clinicians across Australia who search for ways to deal with schizophrenia and for those who support people suffering from the condition".
The Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank were (left to right): Prof Mike Calford, DV-CR, University of Newcastle; Prof Mark Wainwright, Chair of Intersect; Prof Vaughan Carr, Director of the Schizophrenia Research Institute; NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Hon Jodi McKay MP; Dr Carmel Loughland, Manager, Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank; Prof Nicholas Saunders, Vice-Chancellor, University of Newcastle; and Dr Ian Gibson, Intersect CEO.
"It's a great milestone for both Intersect and the Schizophrenia Research Institute today to come together and launch this first initiative," the Minister said.
The Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank is managed by the Schizophrenia Research Institute's University of Newcastle group, and with the help of NSW peak eResearch body, Intersect, the new system is transforming the research at a national level.
Intersect CEO, Dr Ian Gibson said, "The ASRB project has been resourced by Intersect on behalf of our university members, and is a prime example of universities investing in collaborative research". This project is about enabling research that would otherwise not have been possible. The collaborative technology also means that strong regional centres such as the University of Newcastle can lead national and international research.