Three members of the Australian Research Council (ARC) reviewed more than 45 research projects underway at Central Queensland University (CQU) during a fact-finding mission Tuesday (11 June) that assists in establishing the current and future trends in Australian regional research. .

"It's wonderful chatting with researchers first-hand," said Professor Vicki Sara, CEO of the ARC. "To stop and ask questions. It's the first time in ages I've been able to do that." .

The exhibit, arranged by the CQU Office of Research and conducted at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre in Rockhampton, allowed researchers to creatively display their methodologies and results.

Professor Sara and the ARC's Bill Sawyer and Doug McEarchern met with leading researchers from each CQU faculty to discuss current investigations and applied technologies including CQU's industry-leading fruit grading and classification system; Ross River Fever studies; clean coal development; on-time, reliable transportation systems; and cutting edge education techniques. CQU Heads-of-Campus Alex Grady (Bundaberg) and Bob Prater (Gladstone) explained the university's emphasis on regional research and its commitment to working with industry partners and local government.

Tony Ward of CQU's Faculty of Business & Law spoke about his current research on Customer Service in the retail sector that rates the performance of staff against the expectations of customers and the outcomes of services provided. "We expect to use this model in the tourism industry, too," said Ward.

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"I'm seeing new trends, new discoveries, new directions.... This is memorable," said Sara, about the depth and breadth of CQU Research.

CQU's Partnerships with the ARC is vital if CQU is to consistently respond strategically to the needs of the industries and communities it serves, according to Rhondda Jones, acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Research. .

"ARC's contributions to CQU support our capacity to strategically invest in research that is of the highest quality and greatest potential benefit to our regional communities," said Megan Barrett of CQU Office of Research.

"We wanted to increase awareness and understanding among research the community of the outcomes and benefits of CQU research and to demonstrate to the ARC that significant research occurs in regional universities. I think we were successful." .

PHOTO: Professor Vicki Sara, CEO of the ARC, with CQU Associate Dean Russel Stonier, Associate Dean, Research, CQU Faculty of Informatics and Communication. Stonier's research interests includes the paradigms of "artificial intelligence" with the application of neural networks, genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic to develop controls for collision-avoidance problems.