Much has changed in the field of surgery in the past 50 years; new technology is changing the way surgeons operate. While surgery has traditionally been a speciality characterised by hand skills and, at times, ‘educated improvisation’, it is now becoming a field where robots, computer guidance, 3D printing and bio-printing are changing the way surgeons…
You are invited to attend the launch of the STEMpowered Exhibition on Thursday November 8. The exhibition will be held in Ballarat from Monday 5th - Wednesday 28th November at the Ballarat Tech School. STEMpowered features a range of great women working in STEM today. Their work showcases the diversity of careers, approaches, ideas and industries…
Presentations & Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion What's in a picture? Almost 50 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1968, US astronaut William Anders took a photo aboard the Apollo 8 mission that became known as ‘Earthrise.’ This ground-breaking image transformed our view of our unique planet, and the place of our home in the cosmos. Apollo 8…
Diseases of the small circle of life: why mitochondrial donation is important Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, Newcastle University (UK) Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell and uniquely contain their own genetic material called mitochondrial DNA. Diseases caused by mutations in this mitochondrial DNA are increasingly being recognised and may present with illness at any…
The Ballarat STEM Network and Inspiring Victoria are pleased to invite you to hear from Australian writer and comedian Craig Reucassel, best known for his work on ABC’s The Chaser and for going through your bins on The War on Waste. Craig and a group of satirical comedians founded The Chaser newspaper, which led to…
Dr Natalie Gunn and Dr Stefan Maetschke IBM Research Australia Loss of vision has a profound impact on a person’s life: financially, economically and socially. The incidence of eye disease is increasing with a global ageing population. It is estimated that vision loss costs the Australian economy $16B a year, and that does not include…
The Robogals Science Challenge is an Australia-wide science competition for girls. It enables participants to learn more about science and engineering by conducting projects or experiments with a friend, parent, or another mentor. Entries to the competition are submitted online in the form of videos, photos and writing in three age categories. The competition will…
We are delighted to once again bring together the National Science Week program for Victoria in 2019, and warmly invite everyone interested in being a part of our state-wide celebration of all things Science to come along to our information and networking session at the Royal Society of Victoria.
As editor in chief of a science magazine for six years, I’m not sure how I missed the gene therapy revolution. Yes, we did the odd news report on gene therapy, but mostly we were blinded by the deluge of CRISPR publications – a cheap, precise new technique of gene editing that was transforming the ability to genetically modify plants, insects, animals and maybe one day humans. As it turns out this happened in China last November .But it wasn’t just me who missed the gene therapy revolution. It seems most people I speak to about it – including many medical people – hadn’t noticed. The most dramatic example has biblical dimensions. In 2017, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a gene therapy trial for children born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). These kids normally develop paralysis and die by the age of two. Instead most were sitting and rolling; some were walking and talking. Is this just a fringe thing? Big Pharma doesn’t think so. Novartis recently paid $US 8.7 billion to purchase – AveXis, the start-up company behind the SMA trial. In this talk, allow me to guide you through the gene therapy revolution and how it is set to disrupt the way medicine is delivered.
Write a short essay on ‘Not-so-smart technology’ and you could win a fantastic set of prizes, including publication in Australia’s top science magazines, a $500 UNSW Bookshop voucher, a subscription to the Australian Book Review and a trip to the Bragg Prize award ceremony and book launch of The Best Australian Science Writing 2019 in Sydney in November. Best of all, every…
With engineers, anything is possible! To celebrate Engineers Australia’s 100th birthday, we are encouraging Australians to think about how engineering has helped them in all parts of their lives. So, if anything is possible and you had unlimited time, money, help, and skill, what would you engineer? Show us your creation, and you have a…
Consciousness remains one of the biggest mysteries of the human brain. Our perception of what exists as well as our thoughts, feelings, imaginings and dreams has attempted to be understood by philosophers through conceptual analysis and thought experiments. Neuroscientists have sought to describe it as a biological process of neuronal activity captured by measurable tests of brain activity. Increasingly, philosophers and neuroscientists are joining forces, but consensus is elusive. Do we experience consciousness only while we are awake? Do other animals experience consciousness? Does it fade after brain damage? Are intelligent computers conscious? Is consciousness a process? What is it for? We have invited a neuroscientist and philosopher to share their research and perspectives on consciousness and to provide some guidance on these questions.
