Please join us at a very-Melbourne celebration of physics, co-sponsored by the AIP.
Host, physics communicator Phil Dooley and half a dozen physicists will present short, entertaining views of their own field of physics.
It’s an informal, light-hearted night where physicists, astronomers, theoreticians, engineers and educators share their love of science. It’s also totally free form. There could be stand-up comics, dance, poems, acrobatics…
I’m excited to announce that Nanotechnologist Tim Van der Laan will be joining the AIP team as our new Special Projects Officer for Outreach, focusing on digital content creation. Follow the new Instagram account at @aus_physics and send through your interesting and engaging physics pictures to Tim for posting on the account. Tim is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Queensland University of Technology, and he will work on ways to connect physicists with students and the broader community. Read about his plans below.
As well as our new Jobs Corner, this month we are introducing our ‘Hidden Physicists’ section, which profiles a physicist in the workforce. Our first profile is on ANU and UWA physics graduate Stuart Midgley, who now builds supercomputers at DownUnder GeoSolutions to process seismic data for mining companies.
In other good news we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Canadian Association of Physics (CAP) in May. This is a fantastic achievement and allows AIP members to attend CAP Congresses at member rates, subscribe to CAP’s magazine and be invited to speak at CAP Congress. Congratulations to our hard-working secretary Kirrily Rule who is working to set up MOUs and reciprocity agreements with other physics societies around the world. The response has been very positive, so watch this space!
In May I had the pleasure of attending the Asian Physics Olympiad in Adelaide—the first time the event was held in Australia. Congratulations to the young physicists on the Australian team who competed in two five-hour exams – one experimental and the other theory-based. I also had the pleasure of speaking on ABC RN Breakfast Radio with Siobhan Tobin about the Olympiad, women in STEM and optics. Have a listen here and read more below.
If you’re in WA, come along to the WA Branch AIP General Meeting on Thursday 11th July. Medical physicist Pejman Rowshanfarzad will be guest lecturer, speaking about the latest advances in radiotherapy machines. More below.
Also this month: Australian Academy of Science Honorific Awards, attend the last Girls in Physics Breakfast for the year, apply for a graduate position at the Bureau of Meteorology, Jupiter’s shrinking Great Red Spot, and the last chance to be a presenter at Physics in the Pub in Melbourne.
Kind regards,
Jodie Bradby
President, Australian Institute of Physics
aip_president@physics.org.au
Join our election campaign to ‘solve it with science’. The AIP has signed up to Science and Technology Australia’s call for a science focus this election, alongside 100 other leaders from the science and technology sector. The call to action is in response to declines in research funding, falling business investment, freezes to government support of universities and insufficient STEM graduates to meet future demands. You can support the campaign by joining the conversation on Twitter at #SolveitwithScience or by writing to or meeting your local member or candidates. Read more on the STA website and in last month’s bulletin.
See Pegah Maasoumi in Queensland in August talking about the mystery of foldable mobile phones and next-gen apartment windows that can produce light. Congratulations and thank you Pegah, our 2019 John Mainstone Youth Lecturer and past Chair of our Women in Physics Group.
Our newly-elected Chair of the Women in Physics Group is nanotechnologist Victoria Coleman. Victoria has a strong interest in equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM and we’re delighted that she is taking on this role.
Last month I was lucky enough to attend the announcement of the Australian team for the Asian Physics Olympiad—eight teens who will compete against more than 200 of the region’s smartest kids in Asia’s toughest physics competition (pictured right). It’s the first time the Olympiad will be held in Australia. We wish Stephen, Benjamin, Min-Je, Alexander, Jessie, William, Simon and Rosemary the best of luck in May!
Like me, I’m sure physicists around the country were very excited about the first image of a black hole released in April by the Event Horizon Telescope team. Although there weren’t any Australians involved, the picture was the result of almost a decade of preparation and involved a global collaboration of researchers. It’s an example of the amazing, seemingly impossible things that can be achieved with collaboration. Read more about the announcement below, or for a quick recap take a look at this great comic produced by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).
Also this month: apply for the Women in STEM early career grant and paper writing retreat, take part in a survey for ECRs to help improve job satisfaction, read more physics-related jobs in the new Jobs Corner section and put yourself forward to be a presenter at Physics in the Pub in Canberra or Melbourne.
Kind regards,
Jodie Bradby
President, Australian Institute of Physics
I’m pleased to announce the nominated ticket for the Executive for the AIP for 2019. Read on for more information and the process for election.
The NSW AIP Branch is calling for nominations for its annual NSW Community Outreach to Physics Award, worth $500. The Award recognises an individual who is a role model to the physics community, promotes student interest in physics, and is an effective physics educator. Nominations close Friday 12 October.
If you know an outstanding physics teacher in Queensland, nominate them for the very first Outstanding Physics Teacher Award. The AIP Queensland Branch is inviting you to nominate high school physics teachers that have made a significant impact to physics education.
This month brings a lot of exciting news. There will be more on the Nobel Prize for physics―just awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland for work in laser physics. Donna Strickland is the first woman in 55 years to be honoured for the Nobel Prize for physics. Stay tuned to our Twitter account for updates. The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science will also be announced later in October. This year mathematics and technology teachers are eligible for nomination in the Science Teaching Prize for the first time.
If you’re in Brisbane on Thursday 11 October, head to Phil Dooley’s Physics in the Pub event. It’s a great opportunity to support local physicists in a friendly, informal environment. Contact Phil directly if you’d like to get involved, or register on EventBrite.
Nominations for the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Awards are closing this month on Friday 26 October. Even if you applied last year and were unsuccessful, try again, or encourage others to apply. More information below.
Last month we learned of changes to the HSC physics syllabus in NSW. The new syllabus focusses on physics and its modern uses, rather than its history and development, but the changes have also meant that women and contributions to physics by women have been entirely removed.
As Kathryn Ross and Tom Gordon pointed out in an article in The Conversation, the new syllabus mentions 25 scientists by name and all are men. The danger here is ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’: students will find no female role models in the syllabus, and may come away with the idea that physics is not a field for women. The AIP is committed to gender equity through initiatives like the Women in Physics lecture tour, and we will continue to strive for gender balance in Australian physics. I have written a letter to the NSW Minister for Education expressing these concerns.
Kind regards,
Andrew Peele
President, Australian Institute of Physics
aip_president@physics.org.au
Meet the Global Inspiring Experts and Speakers at our Materials Physics and Materials Science conference to talk about latest research in physics and Science. Materials Physics and Materials Science not just make a phase to exchange estimations to the enormous social occasion of individuals, yet also endeavour to spread concentrated and research advances. It happens to be more feasible for everyone to put in the photograph with novel research and to perceive the degree and noteworthiness of specific research runs in the field of science and physics.
The main theme of the conference is “Accentuating Novel Research in Materials Physics and Materials Science”
Conference Highlights:
Materials Physics
Experimental Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Astrophysics and Cosmology
Theoretical and Computational Materials Physics
Atomic and Molecular Physics
Soft Condensed Matter Physics
Novel Materials Physics
Quantum Materials
Plasma Physics
Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science and Engineering
Bio-Physics
Medical Physics
Mechanics, Characterization Techniques and Equipments
Physics and Chemistry of materials
Emerging Smart Materials
Applied Science
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Polymer Science and Technology
“Dear Colleagues,
Allied academies welcome you to attend International Conference on Laser, Optics and Photonics during Aug 23-25, 2018 at Paris, France.
With the prime theme of “”Exploring the boundless escalation in Laser, Optics and Photonics”” International Conference and Expo on Laser, Optics and Photonics enables its participants to network with the best in field of Laser Technology and unwind their newest research trends. The focal point are Laser Systems, Fiber Laser Technology, Laser Safety, Surface Enhanced Spectroscopy,Optical Imaging and Sensing,Advancements in Photonics, Optics and Lasers in Medicine, Technologies in Lasers, Optics and Photonics, and more.
Website Details: http://laser-tech.alliedacademies.com/
Please share the information to concerned people in the department
Regards and Thanks,
Luna Emilia
Program Manager
Laser Tech 2018
Contact No: +44-203-769-1755
Mail id: lasertech@alliedconferences.org”
Join us as we head down to one of Sydney’s great pubs at The Orient Hotel. Catch up with other physicists and engage in conversation in a relaxed social setting. This is a free event; however, attendees will need to cover the cost of their own food and drinks.
Local scientists will give eight-minute presentations about their research, the colourful history of physics and quirky phenomena that pique their interest.
FORMAT OF THE EVENING:
From outlandish inventions to the charismatic cosmos to graphic life-saving operations, physicists will join us from all over the town.
Your MC Your Host
Phil Dooley will steer you through standup, demos, songs and poems.
Cyntia Franco (Uni of Sydney) is a star builder – she’ll teach you how, and you can take one home to Mum and Dad that’s virtually indistinguishable from a real one.
Casey Edwards (Westmead Hospital) is part of a team that’s pioneering surgery on chilled out humans. Literally. Although their patients’ temperatures are so low you’d think they’re dead, the team perform extraordinary operations that save lives – she’ll explain the physics of their techniques.
In 2018 we farewelled Stephen Hawking. Retired lecturer Ian Bryce will pay tribute to the work of the wheelchair-bound genius.
Ed Simpson (Nuclear@ANU) discussed carbon-dating, polonium-210 and bananas with a customs official. It didn’t go well.
Heather Catchpole (Refraction Media) is inspired by the poetic side of physics. Bring your artistic thoughts – she’ll be improvising some poetry on the spot.
Playing with shadow puppets is a profession for Jesse Van de Sande (Uni of Sydney) – it helps him visualise the 3D shape of distant galaxies based on their silhouette.
Graeme Melville (UNSW) wants to know if 40,000 volts is a lot – sit in the front row to get a great view of his live experiments to find out. Or perhaps don’t…
Patent attorney Phil Burns (Wrays) will take us on a tour of inventions such as antigravity machines, patented by physics greats such as Einstein, Tesla and Michael Jackson.
Schrodinger’s cat was thought up to show how confusing quantum mechanics is. But now the cat’s got a few words to say, says Phil Dooley (Phil Up on Science)
Petr Lebedev (Uni of Sydney) is studying science communication, so he knows what not to do. Or does he?
For more information please contact:
Dr Phil Dooley (philuponscience@gmail.com) or
Dr Frederick Osman (fosman@trinity.nsw.edu.au)
Director, Australian Synchrotron
In this edition of the AIP’s monthly email bulletin, we extend a very warm welcome to the committee members elected at recent the recent state branch AGMs.
The AIP is active through its branches, and a wide network of volunteer physicists keep the business of the Institute moving smoothly. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming our new committee members, as well as acknowledging everyone who has worked to keep the AIP moving from strength to strength in 2017.
Speaking of volunteers, they are also running the first AIP Summer Meeting now underway. A good turnout from students is already making the meeting a success and I look forward to returning to Sydney on Wednesday to hear more about the latest developments in physics across Australia. More on that below.
National meetings like this are a great way for students (as well as those of us who are no longer students) to make connections, and to find out about employment prospects around the country. Not coincidentally, the Summer Meeting is held at the time of year that universities start thinking of recruiting, and to help that process there are plenty of job opportunities in this bulletin.
Finally, we offer our congratulations to Professor Judith Dawes on her appointment to the role of Treasurer of Science & Technology Australia (STA). We also extend our sincere thanks to outgoing STA President Professor Jim Piper, Walter Boas medalist and long-time stalwart of the Australian physics community, for his unfailing and enthusiastic advocacy of Australian science throughout his Presidency.
And read on to find out how you can make use of the AIP’s association with STA to get your voice heard in the “Halls of Power” in Canberra next February.
Regards,
Andrew Peele
President, Australian Institute of Physics
aip_president@physics.org.au
