Events List

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.

Join us for the July 2019 meeting of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Citizen Science Association. This meeting will focus on citizen science and education. The meeting will commence with three presentations, which will be followed by break-out group discussions. There will also be plenty of time for sharing your project stories, networking and developing our community of practice. Speakers include Sandra McCullogh from Earthwatch Australia, Julian O Shea from Unbound, and Edmond Lascaris from the City of Whittlesea.

Dr Jeff Cooke will discuss recently announced astronomical events, including a direct image of a supermassive black hole, gravitational waves from merging black holes and neutron stars, and other exotic phenomena, including fast radio bursts. Donation goes to the Royal Children’s Hospital. There have been several major announcements in astronomy recently, including a direct image…

One evening in May 2017, Stephen Slater got an unusual email from the US National Archives. NASA had left a trove of untouched Apollo 11 specific film reels sitting in cold storage, the message read. And he could access them. Slater, an archival producer and self-confessed space nerd, was “stunned.” He was at his home…