Courses and workshops
The Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity delivers short courses and workshops for staff and students working in plant biosecurity or biosecurity-associated industries, to improve and upgrade Australia's capacity in plant biosecurity.
Course participants come from State Agencies, private agronomy and landcare companies, grower and farmer associations, nurseries, local councils, and other plant biosecurity-associated industries.Topics include surveillance, risk analysis and diagnostic technologies, and are delivered by specialists within each field.
Recent workshops:
International Master Class in Plant Biosecurity - June 2008
Karnal bunt diagnostics - March 2008
The current diagnostic protocol for Karnal bunt involves the tentative identification of the spores based on morphology followed by germination of the spores and a molecular protocol to confirm the identity. Microscopy and spore germination are very rate limiting and labour intensive. This workshop demonstrated the new PCR methods that have been developed to improve the problems associated with the previous protocol.
PaDIL - December 2007
PaDIL uses images rather than keys to help recognise exotic and endemic pests and is at being used by a broad audience. PaDIL has a wide coverage of pest species (1,000 at present, including EPPs) ranging from timber, stored foods pests to horticultural and marine pests and the geographical pest coverage is world wide. These workshops will provided an overview and introduction on How to Use PaDIL, demonstrating the features that the library has to offer and its potential use in raising awareness of emergency plant pests within industry.
Evaluation of surveillance systems: the use of non-survey data sources to demonstrate freedom from disease
This course was aimed at being able to describe, interpret and apply a general method for analysing the (negative) results of all types of surveillance process for detection of disease. Learning outcomes included the ability to analyse surveillance data for demonstrating freedom from disease, for comparing the efficiencies of different surveillance processes in detecting disease, for designing surveillance for disease control programmes, and for economic assessment of surveillance activities.
Run with Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases in July 2006
Applied quantitative risk analysis in agriculture
Run in August 2006, this course covered basic principles of quantitative risk analysis in agriculture and the most important risk modelling principles, methods and techniques available. The course focussed on how to conduct accurate and effective quantitative risk analyses, including best practices of risk modelling, selecting the appropriate distribution, using data and expert opinion, and avoiding common mistakes.
Run with Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases
