The Trust previously provided funding for up to two PhD or two Masters scholarships each year.
From 2010, in addition to the scholarship stipend additional funding up to $5000 is provided upon application to cover operational expenses.
However, because of the high cost, the Trust ceased offering PhD scholarships from 2011.
| Awarded | Candidate | University | Project Details |
| 2007 | Michelle Henry | Melbourne University | Effect of perennial ryegrass endophyte alkaloids on thermoregulation and metabolism and wool production in Merino sheep.
Note: Michelle’s application was for a top up of an APA scholarship worth $19,616 by $8384, bringing Michelle’s stipend to a total of $28,000. Although this application did not fall within the parameters originally defined by the Trust, the selection panel felt that Michelle’s project merited the additional support and decided to provide the increment for 3 years. |
| Donna Lee Taylor | UniversityNew England | The objective is to improve knowledge of pregnant and lambing Merino ewes sheltering behaviour and to investigate an alternative means of moving sheep flocks within paddocks or to protected areas.. | |
| Thesis Abstract | |||
| Will Bignell | University of Tasmania | Wool quality and growth responses of genetically divergent grazing sheep supplemented with two dietary amino acid sources. | |
| 2008 | Saniyat Islam | RMIT | Application of Nanotechnology for Wool and Wool Blends in Medical Textiles Utilizing Biopolymers.
This study aims to investigate the use of wool and wool-blend textile substrates for application in medical textiles focusing in wound dressing and wound care products. Natural biopolymers will be applied utilizing nanotechnology to achieve antimicrobial attributes, drug storage and delivery for wound healing.. |
| Jane Court | Melbourne University | The aim of the study is to investigate how sheep production systems compare for profitability, risk exposure, flexibility and environmental outcomes in different environments challenged by climate change, seasonal variability and diverse land class capabilities. In particular it aims to compare and therefore identify how and if merinos can improve value to farming systems and how best can the industry communicate to (and identify) this to the key customer. | |
| 2009 | Shaun Mcgrath | Charles Sturt University | The increased winter growth rate of dual-purpose cereals relative to pastures has reduced the traditional winter-feed shortage in systems utilising them, to the extent that producers now often consider autumn rather than winter to be their time of greatest feed shortage. As a result, many producers have shifted lambing from Spring (commonly September) to winter (commonly July), with the objective of utilising spring growth to maximise lamb growth. It is therefore becoming common for producers to utilise dualpurpose cereals for late-pregnant ewes. While many follow the mineral supplementation recommendations for young stock when supplementing ewes, the success of such an approach is unknown. Given the increased mineral requirements of pregnant ewes, the risk of mineral-related metabolic disturbances would seem far greater for pregnant ewes than for young stock when grazing cereals. The project seeks to develop recommendations for the management and supplementation of pregnant ewes grazing cereal crops with the objective of improving the profitability and sustainability of these systems, improving flock health and increasing the volume of wool and lamb produced per hectare. |
| 2010 | Sara Meales | Melbourne University | The proposed research aims to evaluate the effects of replacing grain in merino sheep rations with dried distillers’ grain with solubles (DDGS). The production of ethanol from cereal grains requires the fermentation of starch, producing a high protein by-product (DDGS). As such, the effects of replacing dietary fibre sources in merino diets with DDGS on wool growth characteristics will be examined. Additionally, this research will examine the effects of DDGS on the rumen microbial population and it is suggested that by reducing methane production, animal performance is likely to improve as a result of improved energy efficiency. This increase in energy supply should translate into greater wool production |