UNSW scientists are heading to the South Pacific to assess the impact of the regional tsunami that struck Samoa, American Samoa and surrounding islands.
UNSW's internationally recognised research in biofuels has been given an added boost with a $3 million infrastructure upgrade funded by the state and federal governments.
A huge flesh-eating eagle that became extinct in New Zealand only 500 years ago was an efficient hunter that could attack prey 10 times its size, UNSW research has found, lending credibility to a Maori legend about a giant man-eating bird.
Researchers are closer to creating a micro-aircraft that flies with the manoeuvrability and energy efficiency of an insect after decoding the aerodynamic secrets of insect flight.
Breakthrough work on crash-proof computers, the genetics of toxic algae and space-based radar have won recognition for three UNSW researchers at the NSW Scientist of the Year awards.
Terry Tao, the Australian whiz kid who became a UCLA maths professor at 24, will reveal the mysterious world of prime numbers in a free public lecture at UNSW.