Scientists' Stories - a parent and student evening
Thursday 28 July 2011
Year 10, 11 and 12 students and their parents are invited to attend an evening of intrigue. The Australian Academy of Science and the Academy of Technology, Science & Engineering offers a rare opportunity to hear from four inspirational Fellows.
Location
Hosted by UNSW at the Tyree Room, The John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW Kensington campus
Time
6.00 pm - Registration
6.30 pm - Presentations
8.00 pm - Refreshments
Speakers
Our reproductive future
Laureate Professor John Aitken FRSE, FAA
Bachelor of Science, University of London
Master of Science, University of Wales
PhD, University of Cambridge
ScD, University of Cambridge
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Fellow of the Australian Academy
My area of expertise is cell biology and biotechnology with particular emphasis on reproductive science. I am Director of the Priority Research Centre in Reproductive Science, at the University of Newcastle. In recent years my focus has been on the cell biology of mammalian germ cells, particularly the male. This interest extends from the fundamental molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of male germ cells in the testes to the development of clinical improvements in our capacity to diagnose and treat male infertility. My laboratory has pioneered the proteomic analyses of spermatozoa and oocytes and has just released the first inventory of proteins comprising the human sperm proteome into the public domain. We have also been instrumental in developing techniques for the identification of spermatogonial stem cells and in defining key elements of the developmental niches that both preserve stem cell status and drive some of the daughter cells to differentiate into spermatozoa. The functional maturation of spermatozoa in the epididymis and their subsequent capacitation in the female tract have also been a key point of interest for our laboratory. In the course of these studies we have proposed novel models for the control of mammalian sperm function based on the selective the partitioning of key proteins into lipid rafts on the sperm plasma membrane. Clinically, we have pioneered the notion that oxidative stress plays a key role in the aetiology of defective sperm function as well as DNA damage in the male germ line. These studies have lead to new developments in the treatment of such patients that are now beginning to enter clinical practice.
Can food science prevent world hunger
Emeritus Professor Ken Buckle
BSc, PhD NSW, FTSE, FIAFoST, FAIFST, FIFT
Emeritus Professor Ken Buckle (Food Science and Technology Group, School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW) has research and teaching interests in food preservation and processing, food storage and stability, traditional food processing technologies, food safety and food regulations. He was Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology and School of Applied Bioscience, and Associate Dean (International) for the Faculties of Life Sciences and Science. He is a former President of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST) and of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST), and a recipient of the AIFST President’s Award, AIFST Award of Merit, and the Centenary Medal from the Australian Government for services to society in food science and technology. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), IAFoST, AIFST and the [US] Institute of Food Technologists.
Recycling waste plastics and rubber tyres as a resource for steelmaking
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla
Director Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT@UNSW)
ARC Future Fellow, University of New South Wales
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the leader of research into Sustainable Materials as the Director of Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) at the University of New South Wales. She is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Veena’s research interests include sustainability of materials and processes with an emphasis on environmental and community benefits. Through this interest, Veena has invented an environmentally friendly process of recycling plastics and rubber tyres in steelmaking. Veena is an international award winning scientist and engineer who has presented on her research and experiences throughout the world. She has collaborated with Australian companies and overseas companies/institutions. She has established excellent working relationships and a deep knowledge of industrial processes and issues/problems. She has published in excess of 200 papers in journals and conference proceedings.
As the Director of UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Materials and Research and Technology (SMaRT), she has provided leadership in the research programs on sustainable materials a strong emphasis on the skills and knowledge that are urgently needed to enhance sustainability. Central to this have been her insights into the fundamental theory of high-temperature reactions, from the molecular level to industrial-scale applications, and the strong collaborative relationships she has established with industry in Australia and internationally.
In 2005, she received Eureka Prize for Scientific Research. She also received the 2006 Environmental Technology Award from Association of Iron & Steel Technology in the United States for her research into recycling waste plastics in steelmaking. She was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in 2007.
In 2011, she received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award given by the Government of India for her outstanding achievement in the field of Science and in recognition of her valuable contribution in promoting the honour and prestige of India. She received BTech, Metallurgical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India; MASc, Metals and Materials Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada and PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, USA.
She is passionate about science and engineering. She encourages young people to consider science and engineering as a career path; and is very active in communicating her ideas to students. She is one of the judges on the ABC TV show, “The New Inventors”.
The future of computing: manipulating atoms
Scientia Professor Michelle Y. Simmons, FAA
Director, Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology
Australian Government Federation Fellow
School of Physics, University of New South Wales
Professor Michelle Simmons is the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, a Federation Fellow and a Professor of Physics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. In the 1990s she was a Research Fellow working with Professor Sir Michael Pepper FRS at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, UK, in quantum electronics, where she gained an international reputation for her work in the discovery of the “0.7 feature” and the development of ‘hole’ transistors. In 1999, she was awarded a QEII Fellowship and came to Australia where she was a founding member, and now the Director of the Centre of Excellence.
Since 2000 she has established a large research group dedicated to the fabrication of atomic-scale devices in silicon using the atomic precision of a scanning tunneling microscopy. Her group has developed the world's thinnest conducting doped wires in silicon and the ability to manipulate and electronically measure devices with atomically precise dopant placement. She has published more than 300 papers in refereed journals (with over 4000 citations), published a book on Nanotechnology, five book chapters on quantum electronics, has filed four patents and has presented over 60 invited and plenary presentations at international conferences. She has been the Chair of the Australian Research Councils Expert Advisory Committee for Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience. In 2005 she was awarded the Pawsey Medal by the Australian Academy of Science and in 2006 became the one of the youngest elected Fellows of this Academy.
She is currently Chair of the Australian Academy’s National Committee for Physics, an Associate Editor of IEEE Journal for Nanotechnology and has recently been recognised by the Bulletin and Cosmos Magazine as one of Australia’s top ten scientific minds under the age of 45. In 2008 she was awarded a second Federation Fellowship by the Australian Government.
There will be the opportunity to speak with our guest speakers, Fellows of the Academies, and UNSW Faculty of Science staff.
Further enquiries please contact Laura Jiew T: 02 9385 7788 E: laura.jiew@unsw.edu.au.
Registration
Registration for this event has closed.
