Curtin University

Australia

Curtin University is Australia’s most collaborative higher education provider and a prominent name in the Nature Index. Established in 1986 in Western Australia, a state rich in land, minerals and biodiversity, the university has campuses across Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. It leads major international projects in astronomy, sustainability and interconnec-tivity, with a particular focus on solving real-world problems.

Curtin is renowned for minerals and energy research. Groups from across the university undertake fundamental and applied research into mining, materials, fuel technologies and mineral economics.

Curtin is a key partner in the world’s biggest astronomy projects. The Curtin-led Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a low-frequency radio telescope capable of reaching deep into space and far back through time, making the night sky visible with better resolution than ever before. The array is a precursor project to an even larger telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), to be built in Western Australia and in South Africa. When completed, the SKA will give scientists a better understanding of the nascent Universe.

Fast and effective communication is a major challenge for large data-intensive projects like the MWA. Together with the Cisco Internet of Everything Innovation Centre, a partnership between Cisco, Curtin University and Woodside Energy, Curtin is constructing a direct data-transmission line from the radio telescope’s remote location to central Perth. The partners are also building a long-range, low-power network of sensors that can provide farmers with essential information for improved crop management.

Agriculture and sustainable development are critical research programmes for Curtin University. In April 2016, Curtin joined an initiative to establish the world’s first zero-carbon solar-powered neighbourhood.

Committed to urban renewal, the university’s Greater Curtin Master Plan will transform its 114-hectare Perth campus into a major Asia-Pacific innovation precinct by 2030. The plan will drive collaboration and commercialisation, positioning Western Australia at the forefront of the knowledge economy.

As Curtin heads towards 2020, we will position ourselves as a leading global university. For more information on our Strategic Plan for 2017-2020, please visit our website.

1 March 2016 - 28 February 2017

Region: Global
Subject/journal group: All

The table to the right includes counts of all research outputs for Curtin University published between 1 March 2016 - 28 February 2017 which are tracked by the Nature Index.

Hover over the donut graph to view the WFC output for each subject. Below, the same research outputs are grouped by subject. Click on the subject to drill-down into a list of articles organized by journal, and then by title.

Note: Articles may be assigned to more than one subject area.

AC	FC	WFC
311	41.76	25.14

Outputs by subject (WFC)

Subject	AC	FC	WFC
Physical Sciences	244	23.43	6.81
Chemistry	27	9.23	9.23
Earth & Environmental Sciences	32	8.14	8.14
Life Sciences	11	1.30	1.30

Highlight of the month: Curtin University

Scientists throw cold water on the existence of Martians

Data from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity mission indicates that for millions of years the surface of Mars has been too dry to support life, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

An international team of scientists, including researchers from Curtin University, examined meteorites at Meridiani Planum — a plain close to the planet's equator — on the surface of Mars for the presence of liquid water, requisite for life.

To establish the dryness of the planet’s surface, the researchers measured how long it takes for rust to form — which depends on moisture levels — from the iron in the meteorites, to determine current chemical weathering rates.

Estimating the meteorites were exposed to weathering for millions of years, they found weathering rates were one to four orders of magnitude slower than for similar meteorites from Antarctica, the driest place on Earth, indicating Mars was too arid to support life during this period.

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