Australian Renewable-Energy Microgrids: a Humble Past, a Turbulent Present, a Propitious Future

AAs the global energy market undergoes a wholesale transformation accelerated by the need to decarbonise, a rapid transition to renewable energy and the mass deployment of distributed energy resources, autonomous energy networks or microgrids are emerging as an attractive mechanism for the delivery of electricity to end users. Yet in Australia, at least, relatively little is known about key aspects of microgrids that are fundamental to their successful deployment, not least the more commercial and economic elements rather than the purely technical. Drawing on the extant global literature on microgrids, this paper explores the most important of these aspects including business models, ownership and investment. Identifying the ambiguity, inconsistency and uncertainty evident in many of the feasibility studies currently in train across Australia, this paper highlights specific areas for future research that need to be addressed if the full potential of microgrids is to be realised in the context of a global energy transition both domestically and internationally.

The protist community mirrors seasonality and mesoscale hydrographic features in the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea

Protists represent the majority of the eukaryotic diversity in the oceans. They have different functions in the marine food web, playing essential roles in the biogeochemical cycles. Meanwhile the available data is rich in horizontal and temporal coverage, little is known on their vertical structuring, particularly below the photic zone. The present study applies DNA metabarcoding to samples collected over three years in conjunction with the BATS time-series to assess marine protist communities in the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. The protist community showed a dynamic seasonality in the epipelagic, responding to hydrographic yearly cycles. Mixotrophic lineages dominated throughout the year; however, autotrophs bloomed during the rapid transition between the winter mixing and the stratified summer, and heterotrophs had their peak at the end of summer, when the base of the thermocline reaches its deepest depth. Below the photic zone, the community, dominated by Rhizaria, is depth-stratified and relatively constant throughout the year, mirroring local hydrographic and biological features such as the oxygen minimum zone. The results suggest a dynamic partitioning of the water column, where the niche vertical position for each community changes throughout the year, likely depending on nutrient availability, the mixed layer depth, and other hydrographic features. Finally, the protist community closely followed mesoscale events (eddies), where the communities mirrored the hydrographic uplift, raising the deeper communities for hundreds of meters, and compressing the communities above.

Innovative Adaptation of Training and Technical Assistance

The behavioral health workforce is pivotal to provide evidence-based services (EBPs) for patients with mental illnesses or substance use disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing healthcare issues for these patients and highlighted the need for a well-trained workforce. The stay-at-home orders compelled a rapid transition to delivering behavioral health services from traditional face-to-face encounters to telehealth/telecommunication services. Training and technical assistance (TTA) networks supporting the behavioral health workforce's educational needs quickly moved to virtual delivery. This shift has resulted in innovations and adaptations categorized into four areas: adapting is crucial, convening stakeholders is essential, resources (human and technological) are needed, and community involvement is integral. Future TTA efforts should focus on sharing the successful virtual adaptations to EBPs.

Clinical Skills Development in the Virtual Learning Environment

The rapid transition to distance learning in response to the unexpected SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic led to disruption of clinical skills development, which are typically conducted face-to-face. Consequently, faculty adapted their courses, using a multitude of active learning modalities, to meet student learning objectives in the didactic and experiential settings. Strategies and considerations to implement innovative delivery methods and address potential challenges are elucidated. Furthermore, integration of a layered learning approach may allow for more broad perspectives and allow additional interactions and feedback, which is especially necessary in the virtual environment.

Virtual Learning Post COVID-19

The impacts of COVID-19 on education have changed how many schools and education providers deliver education with the rapid transition to online learning environments. This research highlights the critical factors influencing student and teacher engagement while also highlighting opportunities for educators to enhance the engagement for their students, utilising results from two focus groups and qualitative surveys through a case study on school districts across South Australia. This provided an understanding of the critical factors influencing teacher and student engagement and identified opportunities for improvements to the levels of student engagements through online learning environments. This research has identified best practices within schools and across the Department of Education that can support virtual learning and digital engagement into the future. In addition, through the identification of critical factors influencing student and teacher engagement, exploration of opportunities to support students and improve overall digital engagement can be identified.

Evaluation of Universities’ Distance Education by Students and Academicians in the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Period: A Qualitative Research

The aim of the study is to evaluate the perspectives of students and academicians about distance education implemented by universities in the epidemic period and to determine the advantages and disadvantages of distance education to get an overall perspective. In the study, the data were obtained as a result of in-depth interviews with 12 students and 13 academicians. MAXQDA analysis program was used to analyze the data. The coded data were themed and analyzed. As a result of the analysis, concept maps were created and the analysis process was completed with interpretation. Conclusion of this study, the advantages and disadvantages of distance education applied by universities during the coronavirus period were evaluated. Recording the classes within the scope of distance education has given students the opportunity to review the classes. In this process, it is seen that education/training activities continue without any limitations on time and place. With distance education, it became possible to teach more than one class simultaneously. In this way, it became possible to reach more students in a shorter time. However, it has been found that the level of interaction between the academician and the student decreases in the distance education classes. As such, a decrease in motivation has been detected. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid transition to distance education was made, and this rapid transition caused infrastructure and system problems. On the other hand, it is understood that a sound measurement and evaluation cannot be made in the exams applied in the distance education process.

Teaching and research in plant health in times of COVID-19

<p>The current pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to radical changes in the teaching and research of plant health. Confinement forced us to make a rapid transition from the in-person model to virtual environments using different digital platforms such as Google, Microsoft Teams, Blackboard, Moodle. Research activities were planned based on a strict access schedule for students and academics when using research facilities. Theoretical subjects were taught in completely virtual settings, incorporating playful learning tools such as ‘flipped classroom’ and gamification. In theoretical-practical subjects, such as Introduction to Plant Pathology, new teaching schemes were designed. The most successful and innovative model was to take the laboratory to the student’s home. Students used conventional materials to isolate and identify phytopathogenic fungi through the Foldscope, a paper microscope with a resolution of up to two microns, priced less than 200 MXN. Teaching-learning innovation can improve the commonly adopted model of video conferences.</p>