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Enduring Engineering

This is an ongoing project to provide Aboriginal Engineering knowledge through online and storytelling formats for use in developing curriculum and to share the knowledge with interested community members and groups

Background

Engineering has been part of the Australian landscape as long as humans have walked here.

For the first 60,000 years or more, Aboriginal engineering practices shaped the landscape, enabling sustainable living environments in a manner closely attuned to the needs of the land. In the last 250 years, a very different form of engineering has been imposed on the land, generating wealth, growth and employment, but at a high cost to the natural environment.

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#thismymob: Digital land rights and reconnecting Indigenous communities

A national-scale Indigenous-led digital project will help to reconnect Indigenous communities, thanks to a $473,000 grant under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Indigenous scheme.

The ARC will be providing $4.6 million for 11 new research projects under the Discovery Indigenous scheme, announced on 1 November 2016 as part of the ARC Major Grants Announcement.

As part of this project, Assoc. Prof. Christopher Lawrence and his team of researchers are designing a new app called #thismymob that will enhance social and health and wellbeing outcomes, and improve the connectedness of Indigenous Australians. It will be unique in its use of participatory design methods and its engagement with remote participants from design through to implementation.

“This collaborative research project, developed at The University of Melbourne and now in partnership with the University of Technology, Sydney, will improve Indigenous digital literacy and build Indigenous entrepreneurship through technology start-ups,” said Dr Lawrence.

“We thank the Australian government for their support and investment in this unique project that will see Indigenous research turned into innovation.”

The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides funding to Administering Organisations to support research programmes led by an Indigenous Australian researcher and build research capacity of higher degree research and early career researchers.

The objectives of the Discovery Indigenous scheme are to:

  • support excellent basic and applied research and research training by Indigenous Australian researchers as individuals and as teams
  • develop the research expertise of Indigenous Australian researchers
  • support and retain established Indigenous Australian researchers in Australian higher education institutions
  • expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability.