Jonathan Plett wins Research Impact Competition
Winner of this year’s Research Impact Competition Dr Jonathan Plett from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment receiving his award from competition judge and NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte
Dr Jonathan Plett from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment has won the 2022 Research Impact Competition, presenting his impressive research project, ‘Million Dollar Fungi – Using our Fungal Wealth to Support Forestry Health and Tackle Climate Change’.
As one of the flagship events of Western Sydney University’s Research Week, this year’s Competition saw 15 finalists compete to present – in 5 minutes and with one slide – the positive impact or potential impact of their research, beyond academia, in addressing a wide range of societal issues and real-life challenges.
Dr Plett’s presentation highlighted the significant impact of his work on both forestry companies and the environment.
“I work with mycorrhizal fungi, which grow in tree roots where they feed their plant partners with nutrients and boost their health. This means these trees need less fertiliser and fungicide treatment to grow well. In return for this benefit, mycorrhizal fungi are fed carbon by plants, which means that these fungi are major carbon sequesterers,” said Dr Plett.
“What our research is trying to do is domesticate these fungi to help us in commercial forestry. Forestry companies from four states have funded a million-dollar collaborative project with my group to identify the best mycorrhizal fungi to use in their nursery production and refine management strategies that will foster seedling health through symbiosis with these fungi.
“This will save the industry money and improve their sustainability by reducing their chemical inputs. At the largest scale, work in this area will promote the conservation and better management of Australian microbial biodiversity, will foster sustainable ecosystems, and will increase the carbon sequestration of our forests.”
Dual runner’s-up in the Competition were Dr Tendai Chikweche from the School of Business with his presentation, ‘Women's Empowerment via Partnership - Addressing Mobility Crisis in rural Zimbabwe through a Shared Community Multipurpose Electric Vehicle Solution’ and Dr Anthony Butera from the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment with his presentation of ‘C02 Concrete’. The People’s Choice Award winner was Dr Deep Bhuyan from the NICM Health Research Institute with his presentation, ‘Harnessing the power of gut microbiome to fight cancer.’
Participants were judged by an expert panel which included Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Barney Glover AO, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte and business leader and Western Sydney University Board Member, Georgia Lee.
Other finalists included:
- Dr Jim Basilakis (School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences)
- Dr Erin Mackenzie (School of Education)
- Dr Sarah Kennedy (School of Health Sciences)
- Dr Michelle Catanzaro (School of Humanities and Communication Arts)
- Dr Jason Donnelly (School of Law)
- Dr Mugdha Joglekar (School of Medicine)
- Dr Sheeja Perumbil Pathrose (School of Nursing and Midwifery)
- Dr Jay Bose (School of Science)
- Dr Melissa Phillips (School of Social Sciences)
- Dr Sukhmani Khorana (Institute of Culture and Society)
- Dr Joyce Siette Ng (MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development).
Dr Plett said he was very humbled to win the Competition.
“The breadth, quality, and impact of the research being done across Western as presented on the day was phenomenal, and it was very encouraging to me and my group to be chosen as the winner this year,” said Dr Plett.
“The Research Impact Competition, especially the mentoring beforehand and the interactive feedback with the other participants, was extremely helpful in crystalising how to communicate research impact across disciplines and beyond academia. I think it is also a beautiful means of showcasing the cutting edge and innovative research at Western.”
ENDS
16 November 2022
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