Professor Andrew Wood

PhD candidate and honours supervision

Higher degrees by research

Accredited to supervise Masters & Doctoral students as Principal Supervisor.

Honours

Available to supervise honours students.

Honours topics and outlines

1. The possible effects of mobile phone radiation on heart rate variability: Concerns on possible health effects of mobile handset radiofrequency radiation have largely centred on brain cancer risks. However, with increasing use of smart phones typically held at chest height possible effects on heart rhythm should be considered. We will compare heart rate variability with a modified handset in ‘maximum transmit’ mode with zero output mode in double-blind, balanced design.

2. Accuracy of smart-phone based monitoring of physiological functions with wearable transducers and wireless transponders: There now on the market several wrist-worn devices for recording step activity, heart rate (with chest-worn electrodes), sleep patterns, elevation and global position and so on. Data is usually downloaded to a smart phone etc. The accuracy of such data depends on several factors. The project will compare these data with that gathered using more traditional and well- characterised methods

3. Can humans sense electrical current flowing in wires?: There is anecdotal evidence from electrical workers that some individuals have the ability to detect whether current is flowing in insulated cables by a mere touch of the insulation surface. This will be investigated using a cohort of electrical workers versus general public with several levels of ac current flowing (including zero) in a double-blind design.

Can humans sense the Earth's magnetic field?: Wheras birds, and other organisms have a magnetic sense, humans do not appear to. In the case of birds, there is evidence that visual pigments have a role. Humans are able to sense light polarisation via a phonomenon called 'Haidinger's Brush'. Whether there is a connection to magnetic sense needs investigation