MINISTER for Science and Innovation Troy Buswell has officially opened the new wing of Curtin University of Technology's Resources and Chemistry Precinct, the new home of ChemCentre.

A HOST of distinguished guests and honoraries descended on Curtin University for the official opening of the Curtin Resources and Chemistry Precinct last Friday, in one of the grandest moves forward for science and industry in the State.

WESTERN Australia’s ChemCentre will have a team on the ground when a simulated chemical and biological attack is launched in the Boston subway later this year.

PERTH researchers are working to mimic the way salts and fluids pass through the cells of the human body in order to develop better and cheaper ways of making drinking water through desalination.

THE viscosity of syrup and honey is related to traffic jams and the movement of sand dunes in the desert.

WANRI brings together all the major strengths in nanochemistry in the State. It creates a critical mass of expertise, equipment and facilities, and establishes a cohesive and coherent research focus to facilitate the development of nano-based research and industries. Capability in nanochemistry will be integral to future scientific endeavour and industry development, and WANRI will support the development and introduction of nano-scale technologies into the State's industrial base.

MMI Technology and Geochemistry Research Centre, located in Technology Park Bentley, specialise in low-level chemical analysis of soils. MMI Technology is a world-wide service available to the mineral exploration business which uses trace concentrations of elements in soils to predict the location of sources (mineral deposits) beneath the surface.