The Melbourne Newsroom

The University of Melbourne’s Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science has recently welcomed their new Head of Department, Associate Professor Gerd Bossinger, a leading expert in tree genetics, to be based at the Creswick campus. The department is Australia’s largest combined research, development and education provider dedicated to forests, forest products and forested landscapes, and is based in the Melbourne School of Land and Environment.

Electricity providers and governments need to do more to change how people think if more people are to take up green electricity, according to a new study.

A new study has revealed that lizard, snake and frog populations in Melbourne have declined dramatically since human settlement, and in order to conserve our reptiles and amphibians it is the quality, and not just the quantity of habitat that will help maintain biodiversity in our cities.

University of Melbourne mathematicians have developed a software tool to help maximize investment and minimize the cost of carbon emissions compliance.

Increased numbers of students applying for the University of Melbourne's Bachelor of Science shows that students believe science is important to the future of our society, according to the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Robert Saint.

"The dramatically increased demand for Science at the University of Melbourne tells us...that students are recognising the importance of science to the future of our society, and that they recognise the quality of science education and research going on at the University of Melbourne."

Researchers are a step closer to developing new antimalarial drugs after discovering the normal function of a set of proteins related to the malaria parasite protein, which causes resistance to the front-line drug chloroquine. The findings also provide a novel tool for studying the malarial chloroquine-resistance factor.

Leading Australian researchers have welcomed an announcement today by the Australian Government of $42M in funding for the development of a bionic eye capable of restoring vision to the blind.

Bionic Vision Australia is a consortium including the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, the Bionic Ear Institute, Centre for Eye Research Australia and NICTA. The project is also supported by researchers from the Australian National University and the University of Western Sydney.

Victorian researchers have warned that plans to extend Melbourne’s urban growth boundary could destroy important conservation areas.

Thousands of pairs of female twins are needed for a world-first cervical cancer study.

More than 7000 pairs of female twins from around Australia are needed to help explore the link between cervical cancer and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

As the 2009 United Nations Climate Change conference gets underway in Copenhagen, see below a list of University of Melbourne experts who can comment on the issues being discussed.