When most people think about ancient history, school lessons about well-known civilizations like Mayans, Incas, Greeks or Egyptians probably come to mind.
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But a prestigious new University of Wollongong (UOW) research centre hopes to change all that over the next seven years, by uncovering – and sharing – the largely undiscovered story of ancient Australia.
On Thursday, federal education minister Simon Birmingham announced nine new Australian Research Council (ARC) research hubs across the country, with $33.7 million given to UOW to establish a Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage.
Led by Professor Bert Roberts, best known for his work in discovering the ‘‘Hobbit’’ species of tiny hominid, the centre will connect leading researchers from 20 institutions and museums in Australia and overseas.
Specialising in fields like archaeology, dating, genetics, and climate science, the scientists will work in different parts of Australia – as well as Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia which were once joined to the continent – to research 130,000 years of human history.
“To me this is really about Australia’s story – it’s our human and natural history,” Professor Roberts said.
“We talk about being Australian, but we don’t really know what the history of the continent is: when indigenous people arrived, what the ramifications of that were, how the environment changed before and after people arrived, the animals that were around.”
“This is a huge area of the planet and we know almost nothing about it.”
He said filling in the “vast gulfs in our knowledge” about how early Australians migrated, adapted and changed the landscape would allow modern scientists to better predict environmental changes and adapt to future challenges.
The first of its kind in the world, the research centre will also involve an outreach program at Australian schools and museums – including the NSW State Library and Australian Museum, and has links to the prestigious London Natural History Museum and US Smithsonian Institute.
“This is research for the whole community in Australia – there’s no point keeping it to ourselves and our friends who read journals,” Professor Roberts said.
“We want to enthuse kids and get them being excited about being Australian, and also get them interest in STEM – that’s science, tech, engineering and maths – as a career.”
The $46 million centre – jointly funded by the NSW Government and participating organisations – will support 40 research positions and 50 research students.
The Australian Biodiversity and Heritage centre will be the second centre of excellence led by UOW.
For the past 11 years, Professor Gordon Wallace has led the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science in developing a new generation of bionic ears, artificial muscles, nerve repairs and the bio- batteries and bio-fuels that drive them.