The 2021 Howitt Lecture Presented in partnership with the Geological Society of Australia (Victoria Division). Our coast is a dynamic system. As the protective boundary between the land and sea it absorbs the constant energy it receives from waves and tides and in doing so creates the landforms on which people recreate and build. The…
The Science Nation is celebrating National Science Week with Spot the Bull S…cience, a contest of intelligence, interrogation and deceit. Spot the Bull Science is a contest of intelligence, interrogation & deceit. The premise is simple – Australia’s best and brightest scientists will present three scientific ‘facts’; the catch is, only two are correct! Your…
Discover how Professor Veena Sahajwalla is repurposing the fundamental molecules and elements within post-consumer waste products to revolutionise recycling science. Professor Veena Sahajwalla is revolutionising recycling science. She approaches our growing waste problem as a commercial opportunity with real market value to help drive behaviour change. Last year her SMaRT centre opened the world’s first…
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.
Of our eight finalists, only four will win the first prize of $1,000 for their respective categories, with the runners-up receiving $500. To foster and recognise excellence in Victoria’s early career scientists, the Royal Society of Victoria has established four prestigious competitive prizes open to Victorian students in their final year of doctoral candidature, in…
For over 65,000 years, the night’s sky has served as a map for Indigenous peoples all around the world. Aboriginal Australians plotted the absence and presence of stars to develop celestial maps for navigation to survive the harsh Australian landscape. In doing so, Aboriginal Australians built complex knowledge systems using signals from the sky and…
Spoiler: we really do have gut feelings. Food is something we find ourselves always thinking about and there’s a good reason for that. We have a ‘second brain’ in our gut that regulates the digestion and movement of our food from one end of the gastrointestinal tract to the other. Our gut brain and main…
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.
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…
We are witnessing an explosion of Citizen Science activity as technology makes it possible for citizens to take part in science and deliver unprecedented levels of quality data across the globe. This talk and the associated discussions will explore whether we are ready to take the next step as Global Citizen Scientists and develop the integrated programs that will prove the value of Citizen Science at the global level. It will also explore the leading role that Australia could play in that process as the lessons learnt in running Citizen Science Programs on the Australian Continent are shared with the global community.
In large part, racism stems from the human brain’s tendency to engage in prejudice, a process that allows us to make millisecond judgments based on visual information. These preconceived opinions about other people are instinctual — and they have a basis in neuroscience. Why does the brain do this? Can we use what we know…
To foster and recognise excellence in Victoria’s early career scientists, the Royal Society of Victoria has established four prestigious, competitive prizes, open to Victorian students in their final year of doctoral candidature. Eight finalists will compete across all areas of the Biomedical & Health Sciences, Biological Sciences (non-human), Earth Sciences and Physical Sciences, based on demonstration…