Little g, the Roulettes and roller coasters – physics in March, 2013

From Rob Robinson, President of the Australian Institute of Physics

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In this bulletin:

VIC:     Roller coasters and the Roulettes – VCE Physics Days at Luna Park
Tuesday 5 – Thursday 7 March – student excursion

VIC:     AIP Vic Branch Education Committee meeting
Tuesday 12 March, 5pm – for teachers
Kew High School (non-members welcome)

QLD:    AIP QLD Branch Committee meeting
Friday 22 March, 4pm
Griffith University

NSW:   To PhD or not to PhD: that is the question – Prof Deb Kane, Macquarie University
Tuesday 26 March, 6pm – NSW Branch public lecture
University of Sydney

Australia’s 2011 physics Nobel Laureate, Professor Brian Schmidt, will launch the AIP’s 50th anniversary national science project tomorrow, Friday 1 March.

Brian will introduce Year 9 students at Albert Park College, Melbourne, to a classic experiment first performed by Galileo, and together they’ll make the first contributions to a new dataset that may even be able to tell you where in Australia you should go if you want to weigh less.

The experiment is called ‘The BIG little g project’ and is open to people around Australia to participate—all you need is a home-made pendulum, a tape measure and a stop watch. We’re inviting primary and secondary school children (and their teachers) and the general public to make a pendulum, do the test and submit their results online.

Andrew Greentree, the AIP’s Special Project Officer for the anniversary, will compile all the data to build one of the most accurate maps of Australia’s gravitational field yet made. “The most sensitive maps of little g are made with NASA satellites,” says Andrew. “They get down to a resolution of around 100km, but we’d like to measure Earth’s gravitational field to resolutions of around 100m where we can get lots of results coming in.” To do this, they need lots of citizen scientists from all across Australia.

If you are in Melbourne tomorrow, feel free to pop by and have a look. The launch will go from 9.00 until 10.30am at 83 Danks St, Albert Park. Please RSVP to margie@scienceinceinpublic.com.au

Details of the project are online at http://www.aip.org.au/littleg  and you can also find out more from Andrew on andrew.greentree@rmit.edu.au

We’re looking for a woman who has made a significant contribution in a field of physics, and who can give engaging presentations to school students and the public, to be the 2013 AIP Women in Physics lecturer.

The AIP Women in Physics Lecture Tour celebrates the contribution of women to advances in physics. Our last Women in Physics lecturer, astrophysicist Tamara Davis from the universities of Queensland and Copenhagen, revealed the dark secrets of the Universe and how physicists confirmed that dark energy is real, when she talked at schools and public events in 2011.

Previous lecturers have included Elizabeth Winstanley from the UK, Christine Charles from ANU and Tanya Monro from the University of Adelaide. These impressive women are fantastic role models for girls who are thinking about whether science could be a career for them, as well as presenters of interesting talks about great science.

Nominations are now open. The successful nominee will present lectures across Australia in 2013, both to expert and non-expert audiences.

Details are at http://www.aip.org.au/info/?q=content/women-physics-lecturer and nominations close 28 March, 2013.

The Tasmanian Branch elected a new Vice Chair on Tuesday. Member of the Tasmanian regional Committee Dr Stanislav Shabala has taken up the position. He is contactable on stanislav.shabala@utas.edu.au.

John Macfarlane, the book review editor for Australian Physics, is seeking reviewers for the journal to write a short review (300-500 words). If your review is accepted for publication you may keep the book for your own use.

There are three books available for review:

Guesstimation 2.0 – Solving Today’s Problems on the Back of a Napkin by Lawrence Weinstein

Icon in Crisis – The Reinvention of CSIRO by Ron Sandland and Graham Thompson

Star-Craving Mad – Tales from a Travelling Astronomer by Fred Watson

Contact John at jcmacfarlane@netspace.net.au if you are interested in reviewing a book or have a suggestion of another book to review.

Other physics news and events

ACT

Exploring the last frontier: Australia’s pioneering work in astronomy –
Australia’s physics Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt, ANU
Tuesday 5 March, 5.30-7pm – public lecture
The Shine Dome, Australian Academy of Science
This lecture (6pm onwards) will also be streamed live at http://www.science.org.au/livestream/

New South Wales

The particle at the end of the Universe: the Higgs Boson and the future of physics – Sean Carroll, California Institute of Technology
Thursday 28 March, 6-7.30pm, University of Sydney – public lecture

Launch of Star-Craving Mad, Tales from a Travelling Astronomer, Fred Watson’s journey through time and space – public book launch, on the following dates:
Monday 4 March – Bathurst Book Club
Thursday 7 March, 1pm – ABC Ultimo, Sydney
Monday 25 March, 7pm – Mosman Library, Sydney
Wednesday 3 April – Bowral Supper Club

Nuclear Energy for Australia?
25 – 26 July 2012, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney – ATSE conference
Join in the debate: Are nuclear power stations safe? What would we do with the waste? Where would such power stations be located? How would they be cooled? Are they dangerously radioactive? Can they be the source of nuclear weapons? Is the regulatory environment adequate?
On the other hand – could they reduce emissions and help Australia meet its carbon reduction targets? Would they provide low-cost baseload power, able to charge low-emission electric vehicles at night? Would they provide high-level secure jobs – and more?
Hosted by the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

South Australia

Launch of Star-Craving Mad, Tales from a Travelling Astronomer, Fred Watson’s journey through time and space – public book launch
Saturday 16 March, 4pm – The Science Exchange, RiAus, Adelaide

Victoria

Australian Young Physicists’ Tournament(AYPT) at Melbourne High
Friday and Saturday 8-9 March – student tournament

The lives of stars: from birth to death – Sarah Maddison, Swinburne University
Friday 22 March, 6.30pm – public lecture
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

Anna Sippel, Swinburne: Title TBA
Wednesday 17 April, 6.30pm – public lecture
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

Launch of Star-Craving Mad, Tales from a Travelling Astronomer, Fred Watson’s journey through time and space – public book launch, on the following dates:
Sunday 17 March, 6.30pm – Monash University, Melbourne
Monday 18 March, 12pm – Ballarat Observatory, Ballarat
Tuesday 19 March, 2pm – Scienceworks, Melbourne

The “Gran Telescopio de Canarias” (GTC): first light of the largest optical telescope on Earth – Rafael Guzman, University of Florida
Friday 3 May, 6.30pm – public lecture
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

Jonathan Whitmore, Swinburne University: Title TBA
Friday 17 May, 6.30pm – public lecture
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

Professor Brian Schmidt will put his teaching skills online in 2014 as part of Australian National University’s inclusion in edX, a year-old internet teaching platform established by Harvard and MIT.

Known as a MOOC, or massive open online course, the concept is revolutionising higher education. MOOCs deliver courses online from the worlds’ most esteemed professors and the world’s best institutions at no charge.

Professor Schmidt will teach his ANU first-year physics course with long-term colleague Paul Francis.

The Australian’s Higher Education section reported the news last week.

Prizes

Fresh Science nominations extended: boosting communication skills for young scientists

Nominations for Fresh Science have been extended to next week, closing Thursday 7 March 2013 at 5pm.

If you know any early-career researchers who have made a discovery and want to practise talking about it to the media and the public, encourage them to nominate for Fresh Science 2013.

Sixty young scientists will gain the skills and confidence to about their work to any audience. Here’s what one of last year’s Fresh Scientists said:

“Last Friday I was at a pub and meeting many new people who had an interest in what I did…I was amazed how easily I could think, OK I will give them 20 seconds, and be able to get across what I do that quickly! A big part was the exposure to people from the media, the mock interview both on TV and radio at the state finals was very different to ‘pretending’ to be on camera… I have more confidence in my personal style of communication.”

Applicants can be researching in any field of science – from medicine to mathematics, from environmental science to computer science.

Read the selection criteria here.

Apply online here.

Please feel free to circulate this information to anyone who you think would fit the criteria.

Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – first stage nominations close 14 March 2013

Each year the Prime Minister rewards and celebrates the nation’s best scientists and science teachers through the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

The prizes for which physicists and physics educators are eligible are:

• The $300,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, awarded for an outstanding specific achievement or series of related achievements in any area of science advancing human welfare or benefitting society
• The $50,000 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientists, designed to recognise achievements of scientists at an early-mid stage of their research careers that advances, or has the potential to advance, human welfare or benefits society
• The $50,000 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools, awarded in recognition of contributions by science teachers in their commitment and dedication to effective and creative science teaching.

More info at http://www.innovation.gov.au/Science/InspiringAustralia/PrimeMinistersPrizesforScience

Nominations for World Metrology Day awards close 31 March

The National Measurement Institute is marking World Metrology Day by presenting two awards, the Barry Inglis Medal and the NMI Prize for outstanding achievement in measurement.

The value of each award is $2000. Winners will be announced on World Metrology Day, 20 May.

There are more details online here.

Three $25,000 L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowships

Nominations will open on 18 March for the 2013 L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowships.

These $25,000 fellowships are awarded to three women scientists no more than five years post-PhD, although allowances are made for maternity leave.

Past Fellows have used their fellowships to travel overseas, to hire research assistants and to pay for childcare.

And the prize money isn’t the only benefit – a L’Oréal Fellowship is a great line on a young scientist’s CV. Past Fellows have been invited to speak at Parliament; to join VIP dinners with decision makers; and have featured in magazine lists of influential women.

Read more about the Fellowships and the nomination process at: http://www.scienceinpublic.com.au/loreal

Australian Academy of Science awards

Honorific awards

A number of the 2014 AAS 2014 awards, fellowships, and conference supporting funds are of open to physicists, including the following:

• the early-career Pawsey Medal for research in physics (closing 29 July 2013)
• the Selby Travelling Fellowship, which is awarded to distinguished overseas scientists to visit Australia for public lecture/seminar tours and to visit scientific centres in Australia (closing 31 August 2013)
• Elizabeth and Frederick White Research Conferences in the physical sciences.

New South Wales

CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), Marsfield

Wednesday 6 March – Capability of wide-band polarimetry for probing the intergalactic magnetic fields, Shinsuke Ideguchi (Kumamoto University)

Wednesday 13 March – 50 years since the discovery of quasars, Dave Jauncey

Wednesday 20 March – Roving the hills of Mars, Shoshanna Cole (Cornell University)

School of Physics, University of New South Wales

No seminars currently listed, check the website for updates

School of Physics, University of Sydney

No seminars currently listed, check the website for updates

Queensland

Physics colloquia, University of Queensland

No seminars currently listed, check the website for updates

South Australia

School of Chemical and Physical Science, Flinders University

Tuesday 12 March – Semiconductor nanowires for optoelectronic device applications, Chennupati Jagadish (Australian National University)

Tuesday 26 March -– Susanne Blum (University of California, Irvine, USA)

Victoria

Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University

Thursday 7 March – Aaron Dotter (ANU)

Tuesday 12 March – Rebecca Allen, Swinburne: 6-month review

Thursday 14 March – Tyler Evans, Swinburne: 30 month review

Thursday 21 March – Jakob Walcher (AP Postdam)

Tuesday 26 March – Genevieve Shattow, Swinburne: 18 month review

Thursday 28 March – Elisa Boera, Swinburne: 18-month review

Tuesday 16 April – Andrew Johnson, Swinburne: 6-month review

Thursday 18 April – Anna Sippel, Swinburne: 30-month review

Monash Centre for Astrophysics, Monash University

Tuesday 5 March – Sara Lucatello (Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Italy)

Tuesday 12 March – Eli Bressert (CSIRO)

Wednesday 13 March – Pamela Vo (University of Minnesota)

Tuesday 19 March – Extrasolar planets: the state of the art, Rosemary Mardling (MoCA)

Tuesday 26 March – Daniel Jontof-Hutter (NASA Ames)

Tuesday 9 April – The cosmic dawn: physics of the first luminous objects, Ken Chen (ASIAA)

Tuesday 23 April – John Eldridge (University of Auckland)

Department of Physics, University of Western Australia

Tuesday 5 March – A peek into Earth’s deepest secrets through a diamond window, Jackie Li

2nd Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposium on Fundamental and Applied Science
8 – 12 Apr 2013, Canberra, ACT

2nd Geant4 School and Monte Carlo Workshop
19 – 24 Apr 2013, University of Wollongong, NSW

17th International Conference on the Use of Computers in Radiation Therapy
6 – 9 May 2013, Melbourne, Vic

CRCA Collaborate | Innovate | 2013 Conference – the Cooperative Research Centres Association conference
15 – 17 May 2013, Melbourne, Vic

6th Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference
11  – 14 Jun 2013, Istanbul, Turkey

NEW 12th Asia-Pacific Physics Conference
 14 – 19 July, Chiba, Japan

NEW Nuclear Energy for Australia?
25 – 26 July, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

21st International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry (ISPC 21)
4 – 9 Aug 2013, Cairns, Qld

NEW 4th World Conference on Science and Technology Education (World STE)
29 Sep – 3 Oct, Sarawak Malaysia

Joint International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions 2014
21 – 26 Sep 2013, Academy of Sciences, Canberra

Please get in contact if you have any queries about physics in Australia:

• Rob Robinson, AIP President  aip_president@aip.org.au
• the AIP website for more information is www.aip.org.au (note this is a new site – don’t get stuck in the old one at aip.org.au)
• membership enquiries to the Secretariat aip@aip.org.au
• ideas for an article for Australian Physics to the Editor, Tony Farmer, on  tony.farmer@csiro.au; or the Chair of the Editorial Board, Brian James, on b.james@physics.usyd.edu.au
• contributions to the bulletin (e.g. activities, conferences and announcements) to Georgina Howden-Chitty from Science in Public on georgina@scienceinpublic.com.au or call (03) 9398 1416, by the 23rd of the month prior
• the AIP Events Calendar to check what’s on, and also to submit your own physics-related events (any queries to Georgina, as above)
• to receive these bulletins, please email Georgina, as above (you don’t need to be a member of the institute).

 

——————————————————————-

Dr Rob Robinson

President of the Australian Institute of Physics
Phone: +61 (2) 9717-9204
Email: aip_president@aip.org.au

(Sent by Niall Byrne, Science in Public, on behalf of the Australian Institute of Physics, www.aip.org.au)