Christopher John Matthews

Beyond the Rhetoric of Participatory Research in Indigenous Communities: Advances in Australia Over the Last Decade

Evidence-based approaches to health care have been difficult to achieve in Indigenous populations across the world, a situation which has contributed to the significant health disparities found in this group. One reason for the inadequacy of evidence-based health interventions is that empirical knowledge tends to be organized around professional disciplines that are grounded in Western ways of knowing. In this article we describe events that have led to more appropriate research methods in Australia, and the resulting changes in the research community. The principles that have guided Australian research policy development might not yet be fully matured, but the improvements we have experienced over the last several decades have gone a long way toward acknowledging the significant disparities that affect Indigenous people and the role of researchers in addressing this issue.

A MATLAB method of lines template for transport equations

Abstract Many environmental problems involve diffusion and convection processes, which can be described by partial differential equations (PDEs). This paper will describe the development of a MATLAB template that generates a numerical solution to PDEs using the method of lines. The template will be applied to various unsaturated flow problems within soil physics to demonstrate the versatility of the method. In particular, the template will generate solutions for three cases (1) one-dimensional Richards’ equation for vertical infiltration; (2) coupled one-dimensional Richards’ equation and solute transport equation for horizontal water and contaminant flow; and (3) two-dimensional Richard’s equation for unsaturated flow over a complex geometry. Where possible, the results from the template will be compared against analytical solutions to determine the accuracy of the numerical solution. In addition, the paper will provide a discussion on possible extensions to the template and future directions.

The Place of Indigenous Knowledge in Tertiary Science Education: A Case Study of Canadian Practices in Indigenising the Curriculum

In Australia, Indigenising the curriculum is increasingly acknowledged as a possible avenue for addressing Indigenous under-representation in tertiary science education in a culturally appropriate and relevant manner. While no Australian university has implemented such a program, there is much to be learnt about the inherent complexities of Indigenising curriculum before it is pursued. In Canada, however, innovative university programs have been implemented that imbed Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum. This paper details key findings from research that sought to learn from Canadian practices in Indigenising tertiary science curriculum, by exploring the practices and experiences of two Canadian programs: Trent Universitys Indigenous Environmental Studies program, and Cape Breton Universitys Integrative Science program.

Retaining indigenous students in tertiary education: lessons from the Griffith School of Environment

Low retention of Indigenous peoples in all Australian universities has been identified as a problematic issue by the Australian Federal government. Griffith University (GU), Queensland, Australia, provided funding to examine the factors affecting Indigenous retention in higher education, with the aim of developing innovative participation and retention strategies specifically for Indigenous students. This paper focuses on research conducted within the Griffith School of Environment that questioned the possible links between the provision of information to commencing Indigenous students and their retention. It essentially examines to what extent current university structures support Indigenous enrolments and retention, via the information they receive upon enrolling. From interviews conducted in an informal discussion format with currently enrolled Indigenous students in the Griffith School of Environment, critical deficiencies were identified in the information Indigenous students receive during the early transition phase of university entrance. A key finding of this study, and which is the subject of current research, was the support amongst the students for the development of an Indigenised curriculum in science as a strategy for improving the attraction and retention of Indigenous students. This paper details the research project and its findings.

Analysis of polymeric quaternary ammonium salts as found in cosmetics by metachromatic polyelectrolyte titration

Metachromatic polyelectrolyte titration was investigated as a means of analyzing polymeric quaternary ammonium salts (polyquaterniums) of relatively low charge density used as ingredients in cosmetics. They are of possible toxicological concern, but little is known of their environmental fate and behavior. With o-toluidine blue as the indicator, determination of the concentration of a range of polyquaterniums of commercial importance and cosmetic origin was possible. Using a visual endpoint, normalities as low as 3 × 10−5 N could be determined, while with a spectrophotometric endpoint, the technique was effective to approximately 3 × 10−6 N. The concentrations (g L−1) to which these normalities correspond depend on the charge density of the polymer. Polyquaterniums are frequently used in association with anionic surfactants in cosmetic formulations and the presence of an anionic surfactant even in excess did not affect results although the color change was less stable. Titration in the presence of prepared humic acid was also possible.

Handling the water content discontinuity at the interface between layered soils within a numerical scheme

In general, the water content (θ) form of Richards’ equation is not used when modeling water flow through layered soil since θ is discontinuous across soil layers. Within the literature, there have been some examples of models developed for layered soils using the θ-form of Richards’ equation. However, these models usually rely on an approximation of the discontinuity at the soil layer interface. For the first time, we will develop an iterative scheme based on Newton’s method, to explicitly solve for θ at the interface between 2 soils within a numerical scheme. The numerical scheme used here is the Method of Lines (MoL); however, the principles of the iterative solution could be used in other numerical techniques. It will be shown that the iterative scheme is highly effective, converging within 1 to 2 iterations. To ensure the convergence behaviour holds, the numerical scheme will be tested on a fine-over-coarse and a coarse-over-fine soil with highly contrasting soil properties. For each case, the contrast between the soil types will be controlled artificially to extend and decrease the extent of the θ discontinuity. In addition, the numerical solution will be compared against a steady-state analytical solution and a numerical solution from the literature.