Previous Fellows

The project aims to explore innovative strategies for research station design, technology integration, and community engagement.

Anticipated outcomes are that Queensland’s research capabilities will be boosted by the knowledge exchange and connection between two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage sites - Panama's Bocas Del Toro Research Station and Queensland's K'gari Research Station (run by UniSC).

Hosted by: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

The project will review journals of colonial naturalists who travelled through tropical Queensland with the aim of illuminating historical perspectives on environmental changes across continents. Expected outcomes arecritical new understandings that address contemporary environmental challenges, present-day conservation efforts, and society’s appreciation of the natural environment.

Hosted by: National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of African Art

The project aims to address a critical gap in marine biodiversity research by using DNA to assess baselines of cryptofaunal diversity in the Great Barrier Reef and Australia.

Anticipated outcomes are that Queensland will benefit from the critical training and access to advanced technology provided by the Smithsonian, enabling monitoring of environmental changes, ocean acidification, and the potential spread of invasive species.

Hosted by: National Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian Learning Lab – Discover, create and share: Unpacking the collections to integrate into teaching.

The findings assist tomorrow’s science teachers by providing guidelines on how to access and utilise the Smithsonian’s digital resources for teaching science. The Fellow applied for a Digital Literacy School Grant focussed on the Smithsonian Learning Lab and its implementation in schools in Queensland.

Hosted by: Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, Washington DC.

Protecting our coastal biodiversity through education.

The fellowship enhanced the quality of training available to staff at the Boyne Island Environmental Centre to enable them to better develop and deliver environmental education programs.

Hosted by: Smithsonian Environmental Center (SERC), Maryland.

New culture city: Strengthening Gold Coast City Gallery within the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct to play a leading role for cultural tourism and engagement with the arts.

The findings assisted the development of innovative ways for the Gold Coast community to access the Gold Coast City Gallery, including the use of digitised collections.

Hosted by: National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC.

Cenozoic fossil floras from the volcanoes of southern Queensland provide new insights into the history and evolution of the modern Australian flora.

The classification of fossil plants from northern Australia is poorly understood, and the fellowship assisted in addressing this deficiency. Understanding the vegetation of the past allows researchers to understand how ecosystems in the past have adapted to changing climates and environmental change. We can also use these insights to predict how vegetation and environmental systems will also change in response to climate changes in the future.

Hosted by: National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC.

Intellectual property and the post-war household in Australia and the United States.

The project provided an understanding of the historical mechanisms of commercialisation of arts and craft after World War II. Understanding the development of commercialisation provides insight into economic possibilities of new cultural practices; and protection of IP.
By studying reference material at the host institutions, the Fellow learned details of the cultural history of intellectual property; and developed an understanding of how Queensland homes were influenced by American intellectual property holders. This work highlighted the difficulties for design laws to cover the basic protection that furniture designers seek, i.e. ‘originality’ and ‘authenticity’ covered by some form of legal ‘protection’.

Hosted by: Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Washington DC, USA)

The influence of cultural partnerships on a new form of innovation inquiry within education for highly capable students in Queensland State schools - putting STEAM into STEM.

The fellowship developed a new strategy for the Queensland School Academies by introducing principles from Arts education into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) - to become STEAM.
The Fellow advocated within DETE for the development of a collaboration between State schooling and the scientific/museum sector to deliver an ongoing program of learning experiences that will support improved learning outcomes for students and teachers in Queensland including those in regional areas.

Hosted by: Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (Washington DC, USA)

Strengthening Queensland's capacity in pest fruit fly taxonomy and diagnostics: a focus on New World fauna.

The fellowship builds Queensland's capacity to identify species of pest fruit flies - some of which are very difficult to identify.
This has implications for the Queensland horticulture industry, and reduction of crop loss.

Hosted by: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC, USA)

Growth and interspecific competition in mangroves: The potential effects of climate change on community composition of mangroves.

The information gained is assisting in the current understanding of how coastal wetland communities respond, and potentially change, as a response to elevated CO2 levels. This enables better planning for future scenarios such as increased storm activity, loss of habitat and rising sea levels.

Hosted by: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Maryland) & Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)

Building community engagement with the Queensland Museum's digital archive.

This Fellow outlined a series of recommendations on how the Queensland Museum could implement a adopt the latest digitisation practices. This assists the Queensland Museum develop and connect early archives, cultural and natural heritage three dimensional objects, and research datasets to communities across the State using digital technology.
The Queensland Museum currently has digitised around 157,000 assets, against a 2018-19 target of 90,000.

Hosted by: Smithsonian Institution Archives (Washington DC, USA)

Improving the capacity to monitor and model the effects of land use change on Queensland's aquatic ecosystems.

The fellowship increases Queensland's understanding of water quality and the ecological effects of catchment development.
Findings relate to nitrogen loads to the Great Barrier Reef from applications of urea in cane farms.
Research also related to evolutionary biology of particular fish species.

The Fellowship provided access and skill development in cutting edge water analysis approaches just emerging in the US. Cross-laboratory discussions now possible, influencing methodology in TropWater (JCU) is helping streamline and improve efficiencies in urea analyses at JCU and this is impacting the Paddock-to-Reef research program of DSITI.
Ongoing collaborations and connection with SERC will provide ongoing access to SERC datasets and methodologies, benefiting ongoing water quality monitoring initiatives for GBR.

Hosted by: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Chesapeake Bay, Maryland USA), and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC, USA)

Polarisation Vision in Fiddler Crabs.

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama

Identifying international threats and impacts to Queensland’s migratory shorebirds.

Host: Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre

The potential effects of climate change on salinity tolerance in plants.

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama

South east Queensland rainforest DNA barcoding project.

Host: National Museum of Natural History

Host: Smithsonian Marine Station (Fort Pierce, Florida)

Develop and trial innovative ways of assessing the economic, cultural and audience impact of oral history and digital story telling programs at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, held each summer in Washington DC.

Host: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (Washington DC)

Investigate the diversity of bees and flower flies in rainforests areas in the tropics.

Host: National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Develop and validate methods for analysing reproductive and stress hormones in dugongs to enable the development of population models for the species.

Host: Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian National Zoological Park (Virginia)

Host: Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Share and develop knowledge and expertise in museum based, early childhood education programs with Smithsonian educators.

Host: Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Washington DC)

Assess the consultation, design and recruitment processes of the National Museum of the American Indian and other Smithsonian museums.

Host: Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs (Washington DC)

Researched the origin, diversity and ecology of wild sugar cane in Panama to determine the potential environmental risk associated with the introduction of genetically modified sugarcane.

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)

Research and develop strategies to engage students from marginalised communities, particularly Indigenous communities, in science education.

Host: National Science Resources Center (Washington DC)

Studied the operations of several Smithsonian museums to develop an innovative business plan and entrepreneurial strategies that will help QM become a Museum of the 21st Century.

Host: Smithsonian Office of Policy and Analysis (Washington DC)

Developed methods for identifying all species of peacock mites, which are of major economic importance due to the damage they cause to crops (e.g. citrus and avocados).

Host: National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Examined links between the carbon dioxide produced by terrestrial plants and aquatic microbes to account for the difference between the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by the world’s major forests and the amount returned to the atmosphere.

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama),
Center for Tropical Forest Science (Massachusetts), and
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (Massachusetts)

Researched innovative Indigenous engagement strategies that can be applied by SLQ to support cultural heritage preservation, Indigenous knowledge transfer and skills development, and reconciliation through public programs.

Host: National Museum of the American Indian (Washington DC)

Studied the representational capacities of orangutans, gorillas and gibbons as part of ongoing research into the evolution of mind.

Host: Think Tank, Smithsonian National Zoological Park (Washington DC)

Researched NSRC strategies for engaging school districts in science education and outreach and assessed the applicability of these strategies to Queensland.

Host: National Science Resources Center (NSRC) (Washington DC)

Host: National Museum of American History (NMAH) (Washington DC)

Researched, developed and implemented a long-term loans and staff exchange program between the two galleries.

Host: Arthur M Sackler Gallery (Washington DC)

Researched the integration of new media technologies in developing communication methods for interactive cultural experiences. This led to ongoing collaboration.

Host: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (New York)

Shared expertise in the field of scientific insect illustration and developed skills and experience in using new digital technologies.

Host: National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)

Undertook research into the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and other American folk and community festivals.

Host: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Washington DC)

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama) &
National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Host: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)

Host: Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History & Harvard University (Massachusetts)

Host: National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Host: Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre (Maryland)

Host: Arthur M Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art (Washington DC)

Researched the Smithsonian’s museum schools programs and the adaptation of these programs to a Queensland school.

Host: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (Washington DC)

Host: National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC)

Host: National Museum of the American Indian (Washington DC)

Host: Smithsonian Archives (Washington DC)

The project evaluated the biodiversity of wet tropical forests and established a collaboration with Queensland partners to address methods involved in estimating biodiversity in tropical wet forests and to evaluate the utility of the methods for assisting in conservation efforts.

Host: The University of Queensland and Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management

Researched the demography and population genetics of exploited reef fishes in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific.

Host: CRC Reef Research Centre and James Cook University