Issue 12 Oct/Nov/Dec 2013 NEWSLETTER A joint venture of WCHRI and the University of Adelaide incorporating the CENTRE OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE Foods for Future Australians Seasons Greetings Page 1 What a year! Some years seem more of a struggle than others but Maria and I think that this year was exceptional. We have seen the complete transformation of WCHRI from a totally independent research institute into a ‘controlled entity’ within the University of Adelaide. The negotiations to make this happen in order to ensure the future of WCHRI and FOODplus were extremely complex. Then Maria was appointed as Theme Leader of Healthy Mothers, Babies and Children in the new South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). Combining this into the new WCHRI required more negotiations but the final result was that Maria will combine the SAHMRI role with Directorship of WCHRI which will ensure a solid future for WCHRI and FOODplus. We know that each of you has faced your own challenges dur- ing the past year but we are all finishing the year with a sense of pride in a job well done. Students have complete PhD and Honours degrees, data collection has been completed, subjects have been enrolled in trials and we have all acted in the most professional way. Most of all, each and every one of you has grown. How do we know? Because our outputs are better than ever and when we talk with you we see confident, professional people who are proud of their roles. Yes, we are pleased with the reports and publications, but mostly we are pleased to see how this wonderful team continues to grow. But now its time to take a break and recharge our batteries. Summer beckons. The beaches, the slow lazy days, the eve- nings with friends and family and the joy of not having to fight rush hour traffic. Thank you for all your hard work during the year. We wish you the very best for the summer break. Please stay safe and enjoy! Bob and Maria Don’t forget to follow FOODplus on twitter and keep an eye on the website (www.adelaide.edu.au/foodplus) for upcoming exciting news and events 2013 Public Event Thank you to all who attended the Public Event on “Early Life Nutrition” in October. With a turnout of over 160 people it’s fair to say it was a huge success! The evening was very informative with a touch of humour thanks to the wonderful MC, Amanda Blair. If you were unable to attend we have the audio of the event located on the FOODplus website http://www.adelaide.edu.au/foodplus/news-events/public/. From left to right: Maria Makrides, Carmel Collins, Jodie Dodd, Amanda Blair, Claire Roberts, Sarah Robertson and Debbie Palmer. IMPORTANT DATE Issue 12 Oct/Nov/Dec 2013 NEWSLETTER A joint venture of WCHRI and the University of Adelaide incorporating the CENTRE OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE Foods for Future Australians Page 2 Waite Analytical Services 2013 A new digestion laboratory was the highlight of the year. We have had a lot of comments on how good it looks and it works well. The downside was the reduction in hours for element laboratory staff. The Element laboratory processed around 28,300 samples and the fatty acids laboratory 3,900 so unfortunately still below capacity, so please take every opportunity to promote the excellent service we provide. We have a new string to our bow, with the method and protocols for analysis of Iodine in Breast Milk now perfected. Lyndon Palmer and Dao Huynh have worked hard to iron out the bugs. The analysis of total lipids using bloodspot cards collection is un- derway for the N3RO study and very soon the ORIP projects. The fact that moisture has been taken out of the equation has prompt- ed the thought that the method may be adapted to handle whole blood and serum samples coming into the lab. Research is underway. 2013 CRE and FOODplus End of Year Celebration Thursday 19th December 4:30pm Urrbrae House, Waite campus The stockings are stuffed and Christmas is near, so let’s have a party to celebrate the year! RSVP to Renae Jordan renae.jordan@adelaide.edu.au 4 years, an MSc and PhD later, Lilik Kartikasari has left Australia to head back to her home country, Indonesia. Lilik will begin her Research career as a Post Doc in Sebelas Maret University in Central Java. Lilik was an invaluable member of the FOODplus team and she will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best! Lilik’s Farewell Welcome Jennifer Saville has commenced her role as a Post- Doctoral Fellow in mass spectrometry in Lipidomics. She will be based at the Waite campus and work under the direction of Dr Maria Fuller and Bob Gibson using the new LC-MSMS machine. Media FOODplus PhD student Kanch Wickramarachchi was interviewed on the University of Adelaide’s ‘101.5fm Radio Adelaide’ station. She spoke during the Waite Research Institutes Harvest program about what keeps her motivat- ed during the long 3 years of study for a PhD degree. Congratulations FOODplus PhD student Jess Gugusheff won the 2013 Young Investigator Award! Jess demonstrated how a mother who has a junk food diet during pregnancy alters the development of the opioid reward pathway in the brain of the baby, making it less sensitive. Judges particularly recognised Jess’ ability to convey the complex nature of her research in simple language that could be understood by the general public. Well done Jess! Updates and Achievements