For centuries artists from many cultures have been inspired by the Moon, the most prominent feature of our night sky. The exhibition includes historical works created when the Moon could only be viewed from afar, works from the era of the 1960s space race, and more contemporary responses informed by the imagery and scientific knowledge acquired through space exploration.
Saturday 20 July, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first time humans walked on the Moon.
This remarkable event was a watershed in human history and a technological achievement of astounding proportions: the mission went to the Moon and back with less computing power than a modern smart phone.
Celebrate this feat of human ambition and ingenuity with our special event featuring expert talks, Planetarium shows, VR experiences of the ISS, an Apollo 11 photography exhibition, telescope viewing (weather permitting) and more.
Bioelectronics is the concept of interfacing directly with the body's own nervous system to monitor physiological signals and, as needed, modulate the electrical activity within the nervous system to alleviate symptoms of diseases. The first generation of bioelectronic systems are now treating a number of disorders, with perhaps the most familiar being cardiac pacemakers that aim to maintain a healthy heart rhythm. Pacing systems are deployed in hundreds of thousands of patients today, and reinforce the potential for bioelectronic medicine to restore health.
Expanding bioelectronics to neurological disorders like epilepsy, chronic pain and dementia is an exciting but challenging opportunity. Despite the clinical success in treating symptoms of diseases like Parkinson's, existing bioelectronic systems have several attributes that currently limit their adoption. For example, currently a skilled neurosurgeon is required to place the implant, and the device's output is relatively inflexible in contrast to the rapidly changing and reactive activity of the nervous system. Resolving these issues requires the complementary pursuit of technological innovation and scientific discovery.
Every day, scientists in the field balance the excitement and danger of collecting data from some of the wildest and most hostile environments on the planet in the pursuit of knowledge. For the Victorian launch of National Science Week, we're bringing together a dream team of science adventurers to share their journeys and discoveries! Join us at the Melbourne Museum, and explore the science galleries after the talks.
Professor Veena Sahajwalla is revolutionising recycling science. Rather than take up arms against a sea of big polluters, Professor Sahajwalla approaches the problem as a commercial opportunity with real market value to help drive behaviour change. Last year her SMaRT centre opened the world’s first e-waste micro-factory to process old computers, phones, televisions, and all the electronic junk that ends up in landfill. The waste is sorted and dismantled by robots, then mined for its precious elements. Circuit boards are stripped of metals such as gold, copper and tin, while glass and plastic are converted to industrial-grade ceramics and plastic filaments for use in 3D printing. Join us to explore how repurposing the fundamental molecules and elements within post-consumer waste products is reinventing the way we treat - and perceive - these largely untapped commodities.
Inspire and get a head-start in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) open toy play and help your child develop these skills at home, preschool and school. Hear from local child educators on approaches to introduce STEM open play for pre-school to Grade 3. Members and non-members welcome. Guest speakers are from: Monash Public Library…
Join Merri Creek Management Committee’s Waterwatch Coordinator and Dr Natalie Catalynd, frog researcher from Canine Ecological, to learn about the different types of local frogs. Meet a dog that “sniffs” out frogs and learn about frog species and populations via the fun, free and easy frog census app. Older children welcome.
Registrations essential.
With COVID-19 now shaking the fabric of every society without discrimination on the basis of gender, race or faith, the world has become even more reliant on technology and data for sustaining the social order. We now compensate for social distancing with virtual connections and Zoom's boxes have replaced human interactions as the COVID-19 normal. Meanwhile, the history of our global civilisation is marked by racial, gender and economic divides. A product of human intelligence, Artificial Intelligence has been shown to exacerbate our human biases. It is time to re-evaluate our increasing dependence on technology and AI and question what it means for diversity and inclusion.
We've asked four scholars, scientists and seekers of a better world: What's keeping you off the streets, and up at night? The unsurprising answer is that a life of enquiry is never short of things to do! Throughout Victoria's 2020 pandemic lockdowns, our speakers have dauntlessly continued their labours, producing scientific work for the public good, campaigning for a brighter future informed by scientific knowledge, or dutifully preserving the beautiful legacy of scientific instrumentation from earlier times, holding something of the story of long-gone people rising to the challenges of their own times.
What if we could reverse climate change, increase biodiversity and feed everyone? Does that sound like a win-win-win scenario for people and the planet? Join Dr Samantha Grover as she explores the possibilities of soil carbon.
Dr Nisa Salim develops multifunctional materials inspired by nature, which offer a promising approach to solving human challenges.
Industry 4.0 will be an enabler for the re-shoring of Australian manufacturing in a way that is cost effective and globally competitive. It will enhance our sovereign manufacturing capabilities and, where the COVID pandemic has revealed gaps in our vital supply chains, we will now have the capability to plug these gaps. This is where Australia has an opportunity to make the most of technology transfer from the mining sector to our manufacturing sector.
