Acram Taji
About Acram Taji
Acram has been involved in tertiary teaching in a number of universities in Australia, in the University of the South Pacific in Fiji (and its Tonga and the Solomon Islands Centres), the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, at Osaka Prefecture University in Japan and in the University of California-Davis. Currently, she holds the position of Professor of Horticultural Science at the University of New England in Australia. During the 15 years of her professional life Acram has been honoured by a number of international and national research and teaching awards including "The Lecturer of The Year" in the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, the Japanese Prime Minister Senior Research Fellowship for Foreign Specialists, the prestigious inaugural Australian Award for University Teaching, the Australian Society of Plant Physiologists' prize and the Australian College of Education and NSW Minister for Education and Training Quality Teaching Award. Awarded the International Association in Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology award for excellence in research. In 2006 she was awarded Flinders University Distinguished Alumni. She is the author of over 200 articles and author or editor of 6 books. Acram is passionate about her job and feels privileged and honoured for the opportunity to be a university teacher. Her philosophy underpins her teaching. She believes that education is not just about job skills but about teaching people to be good global citizens, is about building cohesive societies and is about caring for the environment and for each other.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Agricultural Science, First Class Honours, University Medal- University of Tehran, Iran, 1972
Graduate Diploma in Horticultural Science (pass with High Distinction), The University of Sydney- 1975
PhD in Plant Physiology- Flinders University, 1979
Certificate in Higher Education Management, Harvard, 2002
Teaching responsibilities
Agricultural Ecology and Crop Physiology (AGRO 223) -Unit Coordinator
The unit consists of two modules. The Crop Physiology module covers physiology of plant growth and development at whole plant level and relates that to the morphology and structure of plants with emphasis on important agricultural plants. Topics include factors affecting seed dormancy, germination, and seedling development, hormone physiology, transpiration, photosynthesis, stress physiology and mineral nutrition. In the Ecology module the principles of ecological theory and the application to specific problems in agriculture are covered. Examples to illustrate principles are drawn from natural environments and agriculture ecosystems with an emphasis on Australia. On the completion of this unit students will have a good understanding of fundamental agriculture ecology and crop physiology. This unit is offered externally in even numbered years in semester two.
Horticultural Science and Plant Biotechnology (HORT 420) - Unit Coordinator
The unit consists of three major parts: Horticultural Physiology encompassing a study of growth and development of plants with specific reference to tree crops; horticulture environment deals with environmental factors which influence the productivity of horticultural crops and biotechnology in horticulture, covering basic theory and practice of plant tissue culture. Laboratory work and field trips are integral parts of this unit. Assessment will consist of submission of a lab logbook (15%), one essay on a selected topic (20%), student's symposium (20%- for internal students only), Field trip write up (20 % for external students only), and the final examination (45%). This unit is offered both externally in odd numbered years in Semester one.
Advanced Horticulture (HORT 510)- Unit Coordinator
This unit is offered to students undertaking Master of Agriculture, Master of Science in Agriculture and as part of SCI 700 of the Professional Doctorate. It is a special program of study on selected topics in horticulture, tailored to meet the needs of individual students. The unit is designed to promote self-directed learning. The aim is to give students the skills to become life-long learners and to be able to access, retrieve, critically appraise and use the relevant information in this era of information explosion.
Honours in Agronomy and Soil Science (AGRO 400) - Unit Coordinator
The unit comprises of: (a) a research component, in which the students carry out an individual research project under the supervision of a senior academic staff member and present oral and written reports including a thesis of 20, 000 to 30,000 words; (b) a program of study designed by the supervisor to meet the needs and interests of the individual student. Intending students should seek detailed advice from the Unit coordinator during the final semester of their degree course in relevant areas of sciences.
Rural Science Honours Project Report (RUSC 490) - Unit Coordinator
In this unit students undertake a research project and present a thesis incorporating a literature review and reporting results of their research. The maximum length o the thesis is 14000 words (excluding tables, figures, and references). As part of this unit students will present a seminar on their research organised as a forum in October or November of each year.
Other Units taught
Acram Taji also teaches into the following units:
Biology II (BIOL 120)
Crop and Pasture Management for Sustainable Agriculture (AGRO 321)
Viticulture (VITI 301/501)
Applied Animal and Plant Genetics (GENE 251/351)
Coordinator of Professional Doctorate
In recent years, the government has been stressing the need for postgraduate education and training to focus not only on research skills, but also on a wider range of skills related to economic, social and employment requirements. The policy paper on Higher Education Research and Research Training (New Knowledge, New Opportunities - 1999) argued that some employers are seeking doctoral graduates from broader, workplace-orientated program than those graduating from the traditional PhD.
The Faculty of The Sciences at the University of New England has taken the lead and has developed the new degree of Professional Doctorate in some of the vocational and applied areas of its teaching and research. This Doctorate program addresses the specific needs for communication, interpersonal, presentational and leadership skills which are so sought after by employers. The program is particularly suited to professionals who are looking for a program specifically orientated to their employer's needs, rather than those looking for a full research training program.
Aims of the Professional Doctorate
- To provide a breadth of knowledge to allow interpretation and application of research within a professional/ industrial/ commercial context
- To provide research experience with professional and applied focus - making a significant contribution to professional practice
- To produce critical consumers of research. These individuals will have a good understanding of the research process, research policies and strategies, and a knowledge of the relationship between research and professional practice.
Research Interest
Title: Plant Biotechnology and Conservation of Germplasm
will present a seminar on their research organised as a forum in October or November of each year.
re rapidly being degraded or destroyed. With many species facing extinction, cultivation is the last resort. Maintaining extensive collections of plants under cultivation in the field, or even in containers is impractical. Preservation in vitro may be a plausible alternative, with cryostatic storage being the ultimate method.
Title: Factors affecting rapid multiplication of grapevine in vitro
Description: This is a part of a collaborative research project between UNE, Agriculture Victoria and a private nursery in Victoria. The project is aimed at factors (environmental, nutritional and hormonal) influencing the productivity of the culture system in elite lines of grapevine plants. The acclimatised plants will be used for replanting and or establishment of vineyards for wine production in various regions in Australia.
Title: In vitro Techniques and Plant Breeding
Description: Plant tissue culture includes a number of techniques for manipulating plant cells and tissues. These techniques can improve the efficiency of breeding and can solve particular problems which are difficult or impossible to overcome by conventional breeding techniques. Anther culture techniques are being undertaken in Sturt's Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) to produce haploid plants. The result of this research may be important in the production of male sterile plants for the cut flower industry.
Title: Postharvest Physiology of Australian Native Plants
Description: Australian plants are being introduced into commercial cultivation for new cut flower crops. We have a limited knowledge of the postharvest physiology of these plants. In the group's Horticulture and Biotechnology Laboratory the postharvest physiology of Sturt's Desert Pea, one of Australia's most admired flowers, is being investigated.
Title: Effect of environmental factors on acclimatisation of in vitro grown plants
Description: This project deals with systematic study of environmental factors (light intensity; sugar types and concentration; gelling agent types and concentration; temperature and pH of medium) on the acclimatisation of micropropagated plants.
Title: Effect of water stress and irradiance on root formation in Sturt's Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) Cuttings
Description: In this project the stock plants of Sturt's Desert Pea grown under two light regimes (high light and low light conditions) will be subjected to different degree of moisture stress, simulated by polyethylene glycol for different periods. The cuttings taken from these plants will be assessed for their degree of rootability. The water potential of cuttings at the commencement of experiment will be measured using a Pressure Bomb.
Books
Teaching in the Sciences - Learner Centred Approaches
Catherine McLoughlin and Acram Taji
Haworth Press, New York
Available in 2004
In Vitro Plant Breeding
Acram Taji, Prakash Kumar and Prakash Lakshmanan
Food Products Press, New York (2002)
ISBN 1-56022-907-1 (hard bound), ISBN 1-56022-908 -X (soft bound)
Email: getinfo@haworthpressinc.com
The Importance of Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology in Plant Sciences
Acram Taji and Richard Williams (Editors)
The University of New England (2002)
ISBN 1 86389 781 X
Available from United Campus Bookshop
Phone: 02 6772 3468
Fax: 02 6771 2040
Email: armidale@ucb.net.au
Plant Tissue Culture Practice
Acram Taji, William Dodd and Richard Williams
University of New England (Third Edition, 1997)
Available from United Campus Bookshop
Phone: 02 6772 3468
Fax: 02 6771 2040
email: armidale@ncb.net.au
Tissue Culture: Towards the next century
Acram Taji and Richard Williams
University of New England (1997)
ISBN 1 86389 4020.
Available from United Campus Bookshop
Phone: 02 6772 3468
Fax: 02 6771 2040
email: armidale@ucb.net.au
Tissue Culture of Australian Plants
Acram Taji and Richard Williams
UNE Press (1996)
ISBN 1 875821 35 X. (315 pages).
Available from United Campus Bookshop.
Phone: 02 6772 3468
Fax: 02 6771 2040
email: armidale@ncb.net.au
Organic Agriculture - a global perspective
Paul Kristiansen, Acram Taji and John Reganold
CSIRO Publications, 2006
Video
Basic Plant Tissue Culture
Acram Taji (1997)
ISBN 1 86389 448 9
VHS approximately 45 minutes
Available from United Campus Bookshop.
Phone: 02 6772 3468
Fax: 02 6771 2040
email: armidale@ncb.net.au
Board Membership
Editorial Board of the Journal of Crop Production
Topical Editor of the Encyclopedia of Crop and Plant Sciences (Marcel Dekker, USA)
International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology
Golden Key International Honour Society
NSW Board of Studies
Australian Flora Foundation
UNE Asia Centre
Membership of Learned Societies
International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology
The International Society for Horticultural Science
Australian Society for Plant Scientists
The Australian Society for Horticultural Science
Women in Science and Engineering Net Work
Contact Details
Professor Acram Taji
School of Rural Science and Agriculture
University of New England
Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
Phone: 02-6773 2869
Fax: 02-6773 3238
Email: ataji@une.edu.au
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