Join the Vicphysics Teachers' Network (VicPhys) livestream  from the Girls in Physics Breakfast in Melbourne:

Wonders of the Quantum World: From Stars to Computers

Dr Danielle Holmes

The University of New South Wales, Sydney

There are many ways for schools to make use of this live-streaming from the simple to the grand. Ideas and tips are provided via the link below.

Dr Danielle Holmes makes ‘qubits’ using individual atoms in silicon chips. These qubits are the building blocks of quantum computers, new technology that will revolutionise humanity’s problem-solving abilities. 

She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Cambridge, before exploring the technologies used to build quantum computers during her PhD at the University of Melbourne. Now at UNSW as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer, Danielle is a passionate science outreach communicator. She shares her love for quantum physics well beyond the laboratory- having even performed at the Sydney Comedy Festival!

Wonders of the Quantum World: From Stars to Computers

Tiny particles, such as atoms and electrons, behave in unexpected ways and require entirely different laws of physics – quantum physics – to explain their behaviour. Despite the miniscule scale of the quantum world, it has huge and fascinating consequences on the world around us, such as explaining why stars shine and birds don’t get lost. In this talk, I will take you on a journey to visit these surprising wonders of the quantum world. I will then reveal how scientists like me are now harnessing quantum physics to develop revolutionary computers that will solve problems that are currently out of reach, such as designing new medicines to fight disease and developing new materials to combat climate change. I love quantum physics for its power to explain the world around us and to shape its future. Come along and find out how I became a quantum physicist and what they actually do in a typical day.