Monthly Archives: September 2011

Visit to Adelaide for National Science Week 2011

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The ASC South Australia branch, had a busy National Science Week. I missed their contribution to the launch event, but arrived in Adelaide in time to see Science Alive, the huge local Science Week event. I met a number of ASC members who were involved in exhibit stands and talks at this enormous undertaking, which filled a large pavilion at the Adelaide showgrounds. The event attracted around 24,000 people over 3 days. I’ve heard Science Alive will be offered even more space for next year.

The day after Science Alive closed, ASC SA hosted the book launch of Dinosaurs in Australia, a CSIRO publication, and attracted a full house of 120 people to this fun evening.

They held this event in association with RiAus. I look forward to a continued close relationship between the branch and RiAus which is now being led by its new director, Paul Willis.

Jesse Shore

National President

Member Profile: Dr Maia Sauren

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Dr Maia Sauren

Victorian National Representative

As a stubborn six-year-old, Maia Sauren heard about the scariness of bees (‘your whole hand gets huge! and then they DIE!’), so she decided to find out for herself. She resolutely stalked a poor, helpless creature and poked it until it duly gave its life for science. As an adult, Maia is a little more gentle with her experimental subjects.

A few years ago, Maia heard about this amazing job description called ‘know cool things about science and find ways to tell people how incredible they are’, so she joined the ASC list and is the current Victorian National Representative.

Just last week, Maia became the rather awesome-sounding Dr. Sauren, Electrical Engineer. She’s not quite sure what to do with all her freedom now the Ph.D. is behind her, but she’s considering reverting to using the first person when referring to herself. Her thesis was on the radiation safety of mobile phones, and she thinks they’re quite safe to use now!

International Conference Energy & Meteorology (ICEM) 2011

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Dear Colleague,

I am pleased to send you an update on the provisional programme for the International Conference Energy & Meteorology (ICEM) http://www.icem2011.org) 2011. The programme can be downloaded at: http://www.icem2011.org/ICEM2011_Programme_latest.pdf

ICEM 2011 will be held from 8 – 11 November 2011 at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (Pre-Conference Seminar Energy & Meteorology: Fundamentals and Challenges on 7 November 2011).

New keynote speakers have been confirmed:

  • Prof. Roberto Schaeffer, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Mr Peter Cowling, GE Ecoimagination, Australia
  • Dr Giovanni Pirovano, Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico, Italy

The updated programme also includes details of accepted abstracts for oral presentation. There will be 4/5 parallel sessions for 90 minutes each day, many interesting topics will be covered and a wide variety of exciting presentations to listen to.

In addition, ICEM 2011 will provide a premium forum to discuss key issues such as:

  • An international framework for the exchange of information between the weather & climate community and the energy industry
  • Training the next generation of experts: Plans for an Energy & Meteorology Degree

Networking is also an important part of this busy week, with social events including the Welcome Reception, Happy Hour and Conference Dinner, in addition to an exhibition.

For more details about the provisional programme, keynote speakers’ bios, social events and/or to register, please visit http://www.icem2011.org, where you can also register online (credit card payment required).

We look forward to welcoming you to ICEM 2011 in November.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the event manager:

Aurélie Favennec
ICEM 2011 Manager
Tel: +61 2 9431 8632
Email: info@icem2011.org

Best regards
Alberto Troccoli (ICEM 2011 Convenor)

——
Dr Alberto Troccoli
Ph:   +61 (0)2 6246 5759
Email: alberto.troccoli@csiro.au

Grants to realise big ideas from young rural innovators

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Information provided by Lara Cole, Events Coordinator ABARES
(Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences)

Grant applications are now open for the 2012 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. If you’re 18-35, this is your chance to apply for up to $22,000 to fund your project on an innovative or emerging scientific issue to benefit Australia’s primary industries.

The Awards aim to encourage science, innovation and technology in rural industries and help to advance the careers of young scientists through national recognition of their research ideas. Project recipients can undertake groundbreaking research and innovation with the objective of keeping Australia’s rural industries sustainable and profitable. The Awards have already helped more than 150 young Australians make their ideas a reality and showcase their talent to the world.

Visit the website for information on applying for the Awards, tips and advice from Award partners, the application form and details on the successful 2011 recipients and their projects. Applications close 5pm AEDT Friday 18 November 2011.

Social Media’s growing interest in Science: Aust. science followers top half a million

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We all know how important social media is for any communications today. But what about science communications? It seems that social media interest in science is an exciting and growing area which all science communicators can tap into.

Also don’t forget to follow ASC (@auscicomm) on TWITTER!

[Press Release from Science Alert]:

Aust. science followers top half a million

Science from Australia and New Zealand has attracted half a million followers on the global internet phenomenon Facebook.

Australasian science news reported on www.ScienceAlert.com.au this month topped 500,000 Facebook fans worldwide for the first time.

“We’re finding there is a wonderful appetite among young people worldwide to learn more about Australian and NZ science via Facebook,” says ScienceAlert managing director Chris Cassella. “From a short item on Facebook, they can click right through to the full story on ScienceAlert, or to the university or science institution where it originated.

“Science Minister Kim Carr has encouraged us all to ‘inspire Australia’. Well, thanks to Facebook we’re inspiring the world, as well Australia, with what our science is achieving, and with the science courses and jobs it offers.”

Mr Cassella said that Facebook itself now had 800 million users – and is growing rapidly worldwide, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America. “It’s clearly the coming thing in communication, replacing traditional media and even websites as the place where people get their information and share new ideas.

“For half of the 18-34 year old users, Facebook is the first thing they check when they wake up in the morning. Half of them do it on their smartphones, before even getting out of bed.”

In another milestone, ScienceAlert’s following has overtaken the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in popularity among Australian Facebook sites. “That was pretty remarkable, considering the huge boost which Australian tennis gained from Sam Stosur’s win at the US Open,” Mr Cassella says.

“On Facebook at least, Australasian science now ranks ahead of the tennis, rugby league, Cricket Australia, our World Cup soccer bid and popular rock ‘n roll station Triple J.

“You can see the rankings on http://www.famecount.com/facebook/sciencealert”

“In our view, this underlines the remarkable power of social media to increase awareness of Australasian science and technology – and to expand the global reach of our university courses and research positions.”

He added “In another remarkable development Sciencealert is presently ranked 14th in the world among news sites, in terms of its Facebook following.

“This means Australasian science has more followers on Facebook than news icons like The Wall St Journal, TIME magazine, The UK Financial Times, The Washington Post, and the popular online newspaper the Huffington Post.” www.famecount.com/facebook-rank/Worldwide/News

“It’s not just about how many fans you have, though. Each of these fans has hundreds of friends, who in turn have hundreds of friends, and information disseminates exponentially among them. This is what makes social media different from all other kinds – the information tree keeps growing more branches and twigs.”

ScienceAlert founder Julian Cribb said it was very pleasing to find such a large and enthusiastic audience for Australian and NZ science via Facebook. “When I started ScienceAlert, the aim was to share the good news about our research achievements freely with a wider audience. That was achieved through the website, but social media have added an entirely new dimension.

“The fact that Australasian science now attracts a larger audience among this segment of young people internationally than any other science publication in the world holds considerable promise for the future, if we can keep it up. The next generation will grow up with a keener awareness of Australasian science and what it has to offer the world.”

More information:

Chris Cassella, Managing Director, ScienceAlert, 02 6100 4307
chris.cassella@sciencealert.com.au
Julian Cribb, founder, ScienceAlert, 0418 639 254.
Web: www.sciencealert.com.au
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/sciencealert

News and opinions: editor@sciencealert.com.au
Advertising inquiries: adsales@sciencealert.com.au

ASC National Conference 2012

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The Sydney Masonic Centre has been selected as the venue for the ASC conference. It has impressive facilities and is well located. The dates for the conference are 27-29 February 2012. Very shortly Rod Lamberts will issue the call for papers for the research stream of the conference.

Rod has lined up a significant keynote speaker and I expect that we can build some important sessions around this dignitary. I’ll leave it to Rod to make the the relevant announcements soon.

I’m looking forward to a thought provoking three days. Be sure to mark it in your diaries and attend what I anticipate will be a terrific group of sessions.

Jesse Shore

National President

Tall Poppy Awards – Judging now underway

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The Science Excellence Awards is South Australia’s premier event to recognise and reward outstanding scientific endeavour, including its application in industry and the advancement of science and mathematics education.

New categories for Awards

This year’s Awards are being launched with an exciting new set of categories focussed on high achievers in the early stages of their careers, including PhD graduates and early career STEM professionals and educators.

Judging is now underway. Finalists will be announced mid October and a Gala Dinner will be held at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on November 3rd. All eight 2011 SA Tall Poppies will be invited to the event where the TPoY will be announced and awarded.

More information:http://www.scienceawards.sa.gov.au/

New look for ASC Website & Scope

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A big thanks to James Hutson for putting a lot of (volunteer) effort into reviving the ASC website – the new look is fresh and clear – we love it!

Also, our new Scope editors, Sally Miles and Silvia Piviali, have given our newsletter a new look. Sally, Silvia and I welcome suggestions from members for content and further ideas for making Scope more valuable.

I like the section listing Internet sites of interest. This is one area where members can surely contribute new or refreshed websites that they have come across, that address science communication and related areas.

Given the growing flood of information, it’s useful to have many eyes to help pick the plums from the orchard.

Jesse Shore

National President

Victorian Branch

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VICTORIA

The Victorian Committee of the ASC promotes and supports science communication by organising professional development and networking events for local ASC members. We invite knowledgeable and relevant professionals to speak on current issues relating to science communication.

Previous Events

The Brain That Repairs Itself?
Tuesday September 13 2011

Dr Clare Parish and Dr Lachlan Thompson, from the Florey Neuroscience Institutes, gave a special talk to ASC members about the latest treatments for neurological conditions including stroke, motor neuron disease, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Stem cell therapy offers a contemporary way forward for people seeking treatment for these neurological conditions.   Clare and Lachlan are trying to stop brain degeneration by placing genetic material directly into a cell, delivering signals to tell the cell to stay alive.

Novel sci-comm activities targeting adults
Tuesday 2 August 2011
The Victorian re-science team ( www.re-science.org.au ) has been piloting novel events in unusual venues and everyday environments which target adult audiences. Whether it is scientists presenting at the local fruit ‘n’ veg market or a drama & science performance at Melbourne Anglican Cathedral these ideas are novel experiments in science communication.

Communicating science in a crisis
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Ed Sykes from the Australian Science Media Centre and Dr Mark Quigley, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch to discussed how scientists, science communicators and the media dealt with this year’s natural disasters. What are the lessons for future reporting?

Science Centric 2010
Bring along your colleagues and friends for a social evening, a chance to meet Melbourne’s leading science communicators and to find out about ASC future activities and plans.

What do the public really think?
How easy is it to conduct a survey? What can surveys reveal? And how can we use them to better direct our communication efforts. A discussion on public surveys, polls and focus groups with speakers from the academic, private and government sectors.

Bushfire Science: communicating in an emotionally charged environment
Using the Black Saturday bushfires as a case study, panellists discussed the role of scientists, science communicators and the media in communicating science in an emotionally charged environment.

Brochures, banners and budgets. Oh my!
A designer, a publisher and a typographer provided insights about design matters and the sometimes complex journey in producing printed resources such as public brochures, banners and annual reports.

 

Web 2.0: A practical info session for science communicators
A fascinating discussion on the world of Web 2.0 with experts and academics speaking about the possibilities for science communicators.

Science Centric 2009
A “meet up” for science communicators and their mates held at the Three Degrees Bar and Brewery in central Melbourne.

Movember – Science communication and men’s health
Health communicators, scientists and staff from ‘Movember’ led a panel discussion on how we might better communicate the science of men’s health issues.

ASC Victorian Committee (2010–2011)

President: Ian Muchamore  vic_president@asc.asn.au

Vice President: Laura Miles

Treasurer: Jason Major

State Representative to National ASC Council: Maia Sauren

Committee Members: Niall Byrne, James Hutson, Adrienne Jones, Vivienne Lee, L.E. Ohman

Updated September 2011

 

15th Annual Kenneth Myer Lecture by Prof. David Attwell

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The Florey Neuroscience Institutes presents the 15 Kenneth Myer Lecture Brain Power” by Prof David Attwell

Have you ever wondered how our brains have evolved over the years? Or why it is still not possible to do a brain transplant?

This year’s lecture will feature leading British neuroscientist Professor David Attwell, an inspiring speaker and world expert in brain signals, who will  be talking about how electrical signals are used to think, how these signals are used to represent information in the brain, and how they can fail in brain disease.

This free public lecture is in memory of Kenneth B Myer, one of the founding benefactors of the Howard Florey Institute.

Since 1992, the Florey has invited many internationally distinguished scientists to speak to the Melbourne community

 Date: Tuesday 4th October 2011

Time: 6pm

Venue: The Plenary

                Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

                1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf

                Melbourne 3006

 Places are limited. Please call Jade on 03 9035 8629 or email jade.sarna@florey.edu.au to reserve your seat/s.

Alternatively you can register to attend online at www.florey.edu.au

For more information on transport and parking please visit www.mcec.com.au