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Macquarie University's Indigenous Bioresources Research Group facilitates economic and social development within Aboriginal communities, and develops and applies ethically sound research protocols governing collaborative research with Indigenous people. Programs include:

• Research into bush medicines
• Educational activities
• The best practice initiative
• Science outreach.

The Indigenous Bioresources Research Group brings the biology, chemistry, environmental law, health and chiropractic and Indigenous studies disciplines together with Aboriginal communities around Australia. The key people involved are Drs Joanne Jamie, Jim Kohen and Subra Vemulpad. Dave Harrington is the senior research assistant for the Group.

Education Activities

The education program which has arisen from the broader, five-year, bush medicine project was developed in collaboration with several Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC) from the NSW North Coast. At the workshop 'Research Partnerships in Indigenous Knowledge' held in September 2004, LALCs from Bundjalung and Yaegl country met to discuss intellectual property rights issues, the establishment of cooperative working relationships with Macquarie University and the establishment of in-kind support strategies aimed at providing recompense for the transmission of customary information. This workshop was very successful and led to both the establishment of a formal cooperative relationship and a commitment by Macquarie University to collaborate with the local communities in providing educational outcomes to local Indigenous youth. More

Since September 2004 the IBRG has seen significant success in satisfying the key goals defined at this meeting:

• to engage with Aboriginal students and encourage them to complete high school
• to consider further education
• to experience university life and develop an interest in science
• to promote positive images of Indigenous youth in rural communities by publicising all activities in the local press.

The outcomes of this initiative are:

• The Siemens Science Experience, January 2005. Fourteen Indigenous representatives including 11 Year 9, 10 and 11 students attended the Siemens Science Experience at Macquarie University. They participated in a three-day hands-on science education program and other activities including ice skating, movies and a tour of Sydney sights. The group was accommodated on-campus, with the generous assistance of the Macquarie University Environmental and Life Sciences Outreach Committee. All the students who were involved enjoyed the activity and commented that it gave them a new perspective on university life and an impetus to finish high school. Of the 11 students, seven went on to Years 10 and 11 and three have since completed their HSC. More>>
• The Macquarie University Open Day, August, 2005. Two Indigenous students attended the Macquarie University Open Day at the request of the Environmental and Life Sciences Outreach Committee. They assisted in the "Science 4 Kids Tent", providing instruction to some of the over 1000 members of the public who participated during the day. In addition they were given a guided tour of the campus. The two young women commented that the experience gave them a new perspective on university life in general and both were eager to undertake tertiary education after their HSC. This activity received media coverage in the Richmond River Express Examiner.
• The Travelling Chemistry Show, September, 2005. At the request of local Aboriginal communities and with the cooperation of Maclean and Casino High Schools, the Macquarie University IBRG initiated a new activity aimed at giving the students who attended the 2006 Siemens Science Experience an opportunity to demonstrate their skills to their classmates. A set of five experiments were developed, using commonly found household chemicals, to be undertaken by students within a standard 40-minute lesson. IBRG staff travelled to northern NSW, trained Indigenous students to present the experiments and then assisted during the classroom session. During the week-long activity over 300 year 9 students participated. This event was publicised in the Richmond River Express Examiner. Both schools were eager to have the IBRG repeat the event in 2006.
• The Siemens Science Experience, January 2006. Eleven Indigenous representatives were involved in the Siemens Science Experience in 2006, including seven high school students. In addition one of the students involved in last years Siemens Science Experience participated as a volunteer student advisor, through the Young Scientists Australia. All the students involved enjoyed the activity and several were enthusiastic to return as volunteers in 2007. Accommodation and other costs were generously met by the Environmental and Life Sciences Outreach Committee and the Faculty of Science. More>>
• Digital Video Editing workshop, January, 2006. Macquarie ICT Innovations Centre generously donated their time and expertise to the IBRG Education initiative in the form of a one-day digital video editing course and the loan of several video cameras. The students attending the Siemens Science Experience used these cameras during the week and edited the resulting footage into a DVD presentation to be taken back to their schools. In addition, Bill Twyman of ICT Innovations Centre filmed much of the week's activities for inclusion in a documentary. More>>
• All of these activities have been developed with the generous in-kind and financial assistance of Rotary Australia, the Siemens Science Experience, Young Scientists Australia, Yaegl and Casino/Boolangle Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC), Nungera Aboriginal Corporation, Eastern Suburbs PCYC, the Macquarie University Faculty of Science and the Macquarie University Environmental and Life Sciences Outreach Committee. We would also like to thank ICT Innovations Centre for their help in 2005 and 2006.

Future plans

In 2006 the IBRG will be continuing to develop new education initiatives with our partner communities in NSW and the Kimberley region of WA and establishing new partner communities other LALCs and High Schools. One of our key goals for the year is to facilitate an exchange between Indigenous youth from northern NSW and the Kimberley, centring on a range of on-campus activities at Macquarie University. An exchange of this kind is eagerly sought by our partner organisations. We will be:

• encouraging a new group of students to attend the Siemens Science Experience in 2007
• taking the Travelling Chemistry Show back on the road
• visiting high schools and engaging in Science Week activities in rural NSW
• developing locally specific Aboriginal Studies curricula using video recordings of local elders
• assisting our partner Land Councils with youth at risk groups
• facilitating cultural revival
• developing sustainable economic activities using traditional resources.

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