Welcome to the Knowledge and Adoption showcase page
What is Knowledge and Adoption?
The overarching objective of the knowledge and adoption project is to increase the uptake and impact of TRaCK research outcomes.
The philosophy is that TRaCK can improve the likelihood of our research being used through the way we manage our research, our relationships with stakeholders, and the resulting outputs and knowledge.
The K&A team works to provide links for information and knowledge to be shared and applied. It does this through:
- Working directly with TRaCK stakeholders - from local people in the catchments to policy makers in the capital cities - to identify how the research can be made relevant and useful to them. TRaCK is committed to working with Indigenous people across northern Australia;
- Working to integrate and synthesise the research findings and other information in order to answer the questions of relevance and interest to stakeholders/end users;
- Developing and maintaining communication materials and tools, such as the website and newsletters;
- Assisting the TRaCK project teams to plan how they can get their message out and work effectively with stakeholders ;
- Planning for the legacy of the knowledge, information and networks established during the life of the program.
Our Team
Members of the K&A team are spread across Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.
Ruth O'Connor is our Knowledge and Adoption Coordinator, Brisbane, Qld.
Kate Golson is our WA Regional Coordinator, Broome, WA.
Bill Sokolich is our QLD Regional Coordinator, Cairns, Qld. 
Kathy Carter is our Administative Officer, Brisbane, Qld.
Events:
≈ TRaCK Consortium Workshop, Griffith University, April 2009
≈ Merrepen Arts Festival, Daly River, May 2009
≈ Laura Dance Festival, Ang-Gnarra Festival Grounds, June 2009
TRaCK Consortium Workshop 2009
TRaCK held its annual planning workshop in April at Griffith University. The annual workshop is our one opportunity a year to get representatives from all projects together. Over three days we had 48 TRaCK researchers participate. We used this opportunity to build on and identify integration opportunities and report on progress.
The focus in 2009 was also on our State and Federal partners and getting their feedback about how we best deliver to them. On our showcase day 19 representatives (primarily from Commonwealth and State departments) participated.
An outline of findings to date was developed and is available here.
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| Attachment | Size |
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| TRaCK 2009 Project Updates - Consortium Workshop | 1.94 MB |
Laura Dance Festival 2009
TRaCK at the Laura Dance Festival
The Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival is a thirty year old tradition to celebrate both traditional and contemporary culture of Aboriginal peoples in Cape York. The Festival is highly revered as one of the most important cultural events in the region. In the 2009 event, approximately 5000 patrons embarked on the Ang-Gnarra Festival Grounds during the three-day event held between the 19th - 21st June.
The Mitchell River Watershed Management Group (MRWMG) held a stall for community engagement to inform patrons on the presence and activities of the research organisation Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) in the catchment. Activities to raise awareness on the issue of the pest fish Tilapia in the Mitchell River catchment were also run (supported by the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research).
Merrepen Arts Festival - 2009
Ngan’gi language speakers know that when yerrwire (Darwin woollybutt) starts flowering, akerre (the native honey bee) will be attracted to its flowers and soon you will find yerrwire-flavoured fungguli (native honey) in tree hollows, old ant nests and in ground hives… If you know where to look! Now, this seasonal knowledge has been immortalised in the Ngan’gi Seasons Calendar.
Eight Ngan’gi-speaking women from Nauiyu Nambiyu on the Daly River, worked with TRaCK researcher Emma Woodward to document the interconnections between weather and bush resources that tell the story of the Ngan’gi seasons. ‘It is much easier to recall information about seasonal change and indicators of change when you are in that season, so it was fortuitous that we had a reasonable time period for collecting information.’ After nine months of work the Ngan’gi seasonal calendar was produced and launched for the Merrepen Arts Festival in May.
‘Ecological knowledge contributor and Nauiyu resident Patricia Marrfurra McTaggart was keen to have this information documented before it was lost,’ Emma explained. ‘Patricia and the other contributors are really pleased with the calendar and hope it can be used to educate local children about the Ngan’gi names for the plants and animals that they eat and see around them every season.’
The Ngan’gi seasonal calendar is a vibrant and beautiful photographic display as well as an important record of Indigenous seasonal knowledge. The calendar proved popular with residents, tourists and schools at the Merrepen Arts Festival where it was launched as part of a TRaCK stall. Eleven TRaCK researchers and staff presented TRaCK’s research and community engagement program in the Daly River region over the Festival weekend in May.
Over 200 people turned out at the TRaCK stall at the Festival, where TRaCK’s research and community engagement program was promoted. People at the stall showed a wide range of interest from browsing, collecting cards and brochures, to participating in the interactive water bug displays and asking in-depth questions of TRaCK staff.
For further information on the Ngan’gi Seasons calendar contact Emma Woodward at CSIRO on 08 8944 8409 or by email Emma.Woodward@csiro.au.
For more information on community engagement in the Northern Territory contact Rose Jubber at TRaCK on 08 8946 7444 or email Rose.Jubber@cdu.edu.au.