BEES MAY HOLD KEY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF UAVs
Published Thursday, 23 August, 2007 at 11:45 AM
JOINT STATEMENT
Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Peter Beattie
Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
A Queensland researcher will use a $1.25 million Smart State Fellowship to explore possible links between aggressive honeybees and the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, from The University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute, was awarded the prestigious Smart State Premier’s Fellowship to continue his two-decade long research into how flying insects, such as bees, detect, chase and intercept moving targets.
The Fellowship, which is part of the Innovation Skills Fund, is worth $250 000 a year for five years, with the University of Queensland to provide matching funding.
Premier Peter Beattie said Professor Srinivasan was a recognised scientific leader who’d moved to Queensland with his team from the Australian National University earlier this year to continue his research.
“Professor Srinivasan is part of an elite group of science professionals,” Mr Beattie said.
“He’s routinely received NASA and US military grants for his work and last year he won the Prime Minister’s prize for science.
“We’re proud to have him working here in Queensland and contributing to the State’s brain ‘gain’.”
Mr Beattie said Professor Srinivasan joined an exclusive list of Queensland’s scientific leaders, which includes last year’s inaugural recipient Professor Ian Frazer, co-founder of the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine.
“Professor Srinivasan’s research is innovative because it’s using biology to address challenging tasks in engineering technology,” Mr Beattie said.
Minister for State Development John Mickel said Professor Srinivasan’s study of aggressive bees was expected to provide novel insights into the operation of their highly effective visuomotor system that’s been honed to perfection by millions of years of evolution.
“His aim is to understand how bees see, navigate and track moving objects by investigating how their small brains perform rapid, accurate and reliable computations,” Mr Mickel said.
“He will use that information to design UAVs that can be deployed to detect, track and intercept moving objects with biologically inspired robotics.
Mr Mickel said Professor Srinivasan’s research would help to advance Queensland’s profile in cutting-edge neurobiology as well as strengthen the State’s growing engagement in the aerospace industry.
“Professor Srinivasan’s unique marriage of biology and engineering will help to put Queensland on the map at a time where enhanced surveillance and security are key priorities for governments and leaders around the world,” Mr Mickel said.
“Professor Srinivasan’s work could also revolutionise the exploration of other planets in our solar system by improving the responsiveness of unmanned probes moving around the planet’s surface.”
The Smart State Premier’s Fellowship was made available under Round Two of the $200 million Smart State Innovation Funds.
Mr Mickel said the Government’s commitment to innovation in Queensland was a crucial step in developing a knowledge-based economy that would guarantee the State’s future prosperity.
“Investing heavily in the Smart State’s foundations is where it all begins. And this includes building world-class research facilities, attracting and retaining top-quality scientists and stimulating cutting-edge research,” Mr Mickel said.
Media contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
University of Queensland: Fiona Kennedy 3365 1088 or 0413 380 012
Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, from The University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute, was awarded the prestigious Smart State Premier’s Fellowship to continue his two-decade long research into how flying insects, such as bees, detect, chase and intercept moving targets.
The Fellowship, which is part of the Innovation Skills Fund, is worth $250 000 a year for five years, with the University of Queensland to provide matching funding.
Premier Peter Beattie said Professor Srinivasan was a recognised scientific leader who’d moved to Queensland with his team from the Australian National University earlier this year to continue his research.
“Professor Srinivasan is part of an elite group of science professionals,” Mr Beattie said.
“He’s routinely received NASA and US military grants for his work and last year he won the Prime Minister’s prize for science.
“We’re proud to have him working here in Queensland and contributing to the State’s brain ‘gain’.”
Mr Beattie said Professor Srinivasan joined an exclusive list of Queensland’s scientific leaders, which includes last year’s inaugural recipient Professor Ian Frazer, co-founder of the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine.
“Professor Srinivasan’s research is innovative because it’s using biology to address challenging tasks in engineering technology,” Mr Beattie said.
Minister for State Development John Mickel said Professor Srinivasan’s study of aggressive bees was expected to provide novel insights into the operation of their highly effective visuomotor system that’s been honed to perfection by millions of years of evolution.
“His aim is to understand how bees see, navigate and track moving objects by investigating how their small brains perform rapid, accurate and reliable computations,” Mr Mickel said.
“He will use that information to design UAVs that can be deployed to detect, track and intercept moving objects with biologically inspired robotics.
Mr Mickel said Professor Srinivasan’s research would help to advance Queensland’s profile in cutting-edge neurobiology as well as strengthen the State’s growing engagement in the aerospace industry.
“Professor Srinivasan’s unique marriage of biology and engineering will help to put Queensland on the map at a time where enhanced surveillance and security are key priorities for governments and leaders around the world,” Mr Mickel said.
“Professor Srinivasan’s work could also revolutionise the exploration of other planets in our solar system by improving the responsiveness of unmanned probes moving around the planet’s surface.”
The Smart State Premier’s Fellowship was made available under Round Two of the $200 million Smart State Innovation Funds.
Mr Mickel said the Government’s commitment to innovation in Queensland was a crucial step in developing a knowledge-based economy that would guarantee the State’s future prosperity.
“Investing heavily in the Smart State’s foundations is where it all begins. And this includes building world-class research facilities, attracting and retaining top-quality scientists and stimulating cutting-edge research,” Mr Mickel said.
Media contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
University of Queensland: Fiona Kennedy 3365 1088 or 0413 380 012