Recent Events

What's happened recently?

The Universe at Light Speed

Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Ben Eggleton and Bryan Gaensler, three of the School's Federation Fellows, presented new areas of breakthrough research being carried out by their teams in a three man show on Thursday 27 March. They discussed the exciting technological future that these discoveries can deliver and sparked interesting questions and discussions. The presentation will be likely to make an encore appearance as part of the Sydney Science Forum in the near future.Their presentation was followed by the Physics Alumni Dinner in the Women's College.

The Dinner also saw Mrs Louise Davis hand over the reigns as President of the Science Foundation to Mr Trevor Danos. Mr Danos is an ISS alumnus and an avid supporter not only of the Foundation but also of science.

Music & the Cosmos

Below are some images from Music & the Cosmos, a joint presentation of the School of Physics and the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, held at the Conservatiorium on 3 October.

Tim Bedding, Geraint Lewis and Peter Tuthill joined forces to give a memorable astronomical presentation on the music of the universe. The Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Imré Palló, which played Mozart’s Symphony No.41 K551 in C Major – Jupiter – to celebrate the special occasion of science meeting the arts. A stunning addition was a recital by Conservatorium and Physics student Cliff Kerr of his original work for piano Quasars, Pulsars and Black Holes.

Music & the Cosmos has been invited back for a repeat performance in 2008 – this time with Holst’s, The Planets. Stay tuned!

(left) Imré Palló and the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra take a bow.

(right) Cliff Kerr with "fans".

Eclipse of the Moon

OK, we didn't actually arrange it..... but the eclipse of 28 August was pretty amazing.

The monatge of images shown here (click on the image for a much larger version) was taken by David Tobin from his Sydney backyard, using his digital camera zoomed to 24x. This montage was one of several sets of images that came to us via students in our undergraduate classes (although David isn't a student himself).

For more information see the article in the Summer 2007 edition of the Alumni News.

ISS2007

From 1-14 July 2007, high-school students from across Australia and around the world gathered at The University of Sydney for the 34th International Science School, EcoScience - two weeks of scientific lectures, activities and social events with a focus on the environment and ecological science.

The Professor Harry Messel International Science School is a two-week residential program for talented high-school science students - a unique opportunity to meet other students from across Australia and around the world, learn from leading research scientists and expand their academic and social horizons.

Go to the EcoScience web page to hear a podcast of the lectures.

ISS Gala Reception

As part of ISS 2007 Ecoscience, The Professor Harry Messel International Science School (ISS) Gala Reception was held on Wednesday 11 July 2007 in The Great Hall, Main Quadrangle, The University of Sydney. This reception provided alumni, donors and friends with an opportunity to meet the latest cohort of ISS scholars and to attend the presentation of two awards for outstanding leadership qualities in our ISS Scholars.

The Department of Education, Science and Technology awarded the Len Basser Prize for Scientific Leadership to the ISS Scholar who demonstrated leadership skills not only academically but also in by inspiring others to actively participate in the challenge of effectively learning science. Mulpha Australia awarded the Mulpha Award for International Leadership, to the ISS Scholar who showed diplomacy and friendship and, in doing so, helped brings together the different countries and cultures that make up the Professor Harry Messel International Science School.

(At left: Adam Spencer hosted the 2007 ISS Gala Reception)

50th Anniversary of SILLIAC

Engineer P. Aplin during the construction of SILLIAC in 1956

The 50th Anniversary of SILLIAC, the first automatic computer built within an Australian university, was celebrated on Tuesday 12 September and Wednesday 13 September 2006. Two-days of events included lectures, workshops and a gala dinner.

Although the celebrations are over, if you were part of the SILLIAC era or know somebody who was it would still be great to hear from you. Contact Ms Alison Muir (Ph: 9036 5194, Fax: 9351 7726, ).

June 2006 Science Teachers' Workshop

The two-day Science Teachers' Workshop focussed on the NSW Physics syllabus, giving teachers a chance to improve their understanding of physics, share classroom tips and tricks and learn new ways to get your students excited. The STW included a lecture series covering physics concepts and ideas, plus hands-on sessions to provide practical ideas and classroom resources. The Workshop ran in Sydney on 15-16 June 2006, and also in Wagga Wagga on 20-21 July and Armidale on 31 August-1 September.

Watch out for the next STW will be in mid-2008.