Project Leaders and Program Leaders have been asked to submit their Final and Annual Reports by 30 May 2010 so final project payments can be processed and the final audit and tax returns submitted prior to the deregistration of the original CRC SIIB entities.

This is a significant challenge for us all as it is critical that we archive our entire R&D.  Additionally, our website is being geared up to remain in place for another four years and will include references to all of our achievements.

As many of your know, CRC SIIB presentations were made this month at the R&D Symposium on 5-6 May and again at the ASSCT conference in Bundaberg 11-14 May.  My sincere thanks to all of our presenters. These were our final public events. Thanks to the commitment of our staff and students who helped ensure these events were a big success.

The Wind-Up Deed is the culmination of almost six months of negotiations between the parties to arrive at a position suitable to each of them. In the course of this process we have now seen the registration of Sacron Innovation Pty Limited as a pre-cursor to the completion of the wind- up process.

The Directors of Sacron (Ian McMaster, Gary Pace and Rob McInnes) will meet this week to start the challenging process of commencing the company which is charged with the role of commercialising CRC SIIB intellectual property.

During 2009/10 an international consortium of researchers from Brazil, USA, France, South Africa and Australia commenced work on the generation of the sugarcane genome sequence. The goal of Karen's Fellowship is to support the Australian component of this international consortium and to use the results of her research for the benefit of the Australian sugarcane industry.

Analysis of complete genome sequences is a rapidly expanding field at the forefront of modern biology. The sugarcane genome sequence has lagged behind that of other species because of its large and complex nature.

Karen aims to identify some important regions of the sugarcane genome that contain genes that are of agronomic importance to Australian sugarcane breeders. These regions will then be sequenced and will be contributed to the consortium, also enabling Australia to access information from other consortium partners.

Karen plans to visit the Plant Genomics Resource Centre at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA). This centre maintains the sugarcane BAC library and the resources for screening to identify the clones that contain genes of agronomic importance. This project will also enhance the collaboration between CSIRO Plant Industry and INRA, one of the leading research institutes in Europe.

What are you doing now that you have left the CRC?
Working at Griffith University on the Gold Coast as a senior research assistant while completing my PhD part time.

What do you aim to do long term?
I had my heart set on becoming a lecturer but now I'm nearing the end of my PhD I'm really enjoying the research gig. The project I'm working on is a lot more qualitative so I'm enjoying learning in greater depth something I touched on lightly in my PhD. I'm thinking now a post-doc somewhere in the world is becoming more of a possibility.

How did the CRC help you to progress your career?
I thank my lucky stars every day that I had a chance to be part of a CRC that was able to provide not only the financial and material support I needed to complete my PhD but also the access to experts in science who were able to provide content and knowledge support. The CRC also reinforced the reality that science today is very much a collaborative process and that I was lucky to work and befriend so many awesome people. Many of the opportunities I have had to link into key networks through attending conferences, workshops, and scientific and government department meetings have been invaluable both personally and professionally. I would have to say the friendships and professional links I have made as being a member of the CRC-SIIB are my most treasured gift from the CRC.

Congratulations to the award winners at the CRC Symposium:

• Best Presentation award - Kalani Eggington
• Best communicator of CRC outcomes - Graham Bonnett
• Greatest contribution to CRC commercialisation - Myrna Deseo
• Most collaborative researcher -Phil Jackson
• Most collaborative research assistant/technician - Annette Hilton
• Most creative CRC experience or memory - Lygia Romanach & Chermaine Lung

Highlights of the conference were presentations from Peter Twine and John Manners middle and  on the CRC research programs, and Graham Bonnett, Marguerite Renouf and Suzanne Morris on their respective research projects. An additional conference highlight was the CRC SIIB hosted guest speaker Professor Erik Mirkov, from Texas AgriLIFE Research, who spoke about the success of GM sugarcane and sugar beet in the United States.

Students congratulations to Kerry Vinall and Karl Pioch who recently submitted their theses. Congratulations also to Annette Hilton and Cassie Trent whose PhD theses were accepted.
   
Follow authorder^®
Stay up to date with authorder^® happenings post CRC SIIB by one of these means

• Sign up for 'Authorship News' at www.authorder.com
• Follow 'Avoid authorship pitfalls with authorder^®' on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=170625312221)
• Tweet with 'authorder' on Twitter (http://twitter.com/authorder)

---

Come and Talk Technology
Want to know more about emerging technologies and their associated issues? Then this page is for you.

'Talking Technology' provides balanced and factual information on enabling or emerging technologies to inform public debate and encourage greater community engagement with debates on such technologies. The page is managed by Suzanne Morris and Jason Major (of www.technyou.edu.au fame). Check it out at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=101522716557087#!/pages/Talking-Technology/101522716557087