21/04/2023
AGSA Chair's Welcome

I am pleased to welcome you to the third AGSA Newsletter of 2023. I extend warm wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling time ahead and hope you will continue engaging with AGSA's various activities.

I would like to invite you to attend the upcoming 73rd Australasian Grain Science Conference, which will be held in Rockhampton, Queensland, from 26th to 29th September 2023.

As part of our commitment to supporting students in their academic pursuits, students are encouraged to apply for the Student Travel Awards, which are an important component of our AGSA Scholarship Program.

We have this month's newsletter highlights:

  • Introduction to our keynote speakers
  • Announcement of the Conference Committee
  • Abstract submission opening
  • Details on accommodation bookings
  • Program overview
  • Sponsorship and exhibitor packages
  • AGSA pre-conference survey
  • Student travel awards
  • Obituary for Don Phillip Law

Wishing you all the best.

Yours Sincerely,

Sushil Dhital
AGSA Chair

The planning for the 73rd AGSA conference in Rockhampton is progressing smoothly. The conference organising committee is pleased to announce Professor Yong-Cheng Shi (Kansas State University, USA), Professor Stefan Kasapis (RMIT University, Australia), Professor Flavio Augusto Santos (University of São Paulo), Dr Laura Dixon (University of Leeds, UK), Professor Graeme Batten (Sydney University, Australia), Emeritus Professor Mike Gidley (The University of Queensland, Australia) and Dr Paul Luckman (Manildra Group) as confirmed Keynote speakers. To find out more about our speakers and their expertise, please click this link. You can also view the previous newsletter for more details.

We are pleased to announce the Conference Committee as follows
  • Dr Mani Naiker - CQUniversity, Australia  (Chair)
  • Dr Sushil Dhital - Monash University, Australia
  • Mr Philip Downie - Wheat Quality Consultant, Australia
  • Mr Joel Johnson - CQUniversity, Australia
  • Dr Mike Sissons - Department of Primary Industries, NSW, Australia
  • Assistant Professor Haydee Laza - Texas Tech University, USA
  • Dr Michael Netzel - The University of Queensland
  • Professor Kerry Walsh - CQUniversity, Australia
  • Dr Daniel Broszczak - Queensland University of Technology, Australia
  • Dr Tieneke Trotter - CQUniversity, Australia
  • Dr Karen Harper - The University of Queensland
  • Professor Chris Blanchard -  Charles Sturt University, Australia
  • Mr Ryan Batley -  CQUniversity, Australia

The venue for the conference will be the North Rockhampton Campus of Central Queensland University. Delegates travelling outside Queensland can connect their flight from Brisbane to Rockhampton. Air travel to Rockhampton from Brisbane can be booked through Qantas or Virgin Airlines on a daily basis. In addition, a new airline, Bonza also has direct flights from Melbourne to Rockhampton, which will be worth checking out! We strongly advise delegates to plan ahead and book their air travel early, as prices may increase closer to the travel date.

Accommodations for the conference can be booked via the following links:

Abstract and short paper submission is now open and closes on 15th May. Key dates as follows

  • Closing date for submission of abstracts: 15 May 2023
  • Notification of acceptance: 20 June 2023
  • Early Bird registration closes: 30 June 2023

Tentative Conference Program:

Student travel award (AGSA Scholarship Program): Please follow the guidelines and submit the completed application to The Chair AGSA Awards Committee via email awards@ausgrainscience.org.au.

Sponsorship and Exhibitor Packages: If you have a connection to the grains industry or are employed by a company within that field, you may be interested in learning more about sponsorship and exhibitor packages. To do so, you can reach out to Dr Cassandra Walker at Cassandra.Walker@agriculture.vic.gov.au for additional information.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Rockhampton in September.

Mani Naiker
2023 Conference Chair

AGSA Pre-Conference Survey

We value the opinions and suggestions of our AGSA members. We would appreciate it if you can find time to provide your feedback for the upcoming conference using this link. The survey will only take approximately 6 minutes to complete.

AGSA Student Travel Awards

For graduate and undergraduate students who are undertaking or have completed a research project in grain science, applications is open now for our Student Travel Awards to assist you in attending our 73rd Annual Australasian Grain Science in Rockhampton.

The Association supports students to attend and participate in the AGSA annual conference and is committed to fostering education and training in grain science via scholarships for travel to attend our annual Australasian Grain Science conference.

The award provides funds to assist students to attend the annual Australasian Grain Science Conference. To be eligible for the award, a student must present an oral or poster paper at the annual Australasian Grain Science Conference.

A minimum of five travel awards of $500 will be available to assist students to attend this years’ conference in Rockhampton. To be eligible, students must submit a title and abstract which is endorsed by their supervisor along with a brief CV.

Applications close on the 2nd of June 2023.

For more information about the Association’s awards and guidelines;
http://www.ausgrainscience.org.au/awards

Please email your questions and applications to the Awards Committee Chair, Dr Joe Panozzo at awards@ausgrainscience.org.au

Obituary

Don Phillip Law, M. Sc. (Manitoba), B. Sc. (Qld), Dip. Bus. Admin., 1940-2022.

Don Law passed away in November last year in Noosaville, Queensland. Don was a giant of the cereal chemistry world as a leading chemist and innovator. Don was at the forefront of the adoption and use of NIR technology in Australia in cereal chemistry and in the feed and fodder industries.

Don was a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, a member of the Cereal and Grains Association and the Association of Analytical Chemists. Don served the Cereal Chemistry Division of the RACI as Vice Chairman (1981-82), Chairman (1983-84) and Treasurer (1994-97). Don was the first Chairman of the Cereal Division’s NIR sub-committee and served on the committee from 1981-85 and was co-chair of a ground-breaking one-day symposium dedicated to promoting the application of NIR technology at the 1984 Cereal Chemiatry conference. Don was a regular attendee and presenter at annual conferences. In 1998, Don was awarded the Divisions Founders Award in recognition of his contributions to industry and the Division.

Don will be greatly missed by all who knew and him and were influenced by his knowledge and leadership in industry. Heartfelt condolences to his wife Mary Ann.
Tas Westcott, Di Miskelly, Bob Cracknell, Joe Panozzo and Peter Flinn