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ISS2007: The Lecturers
Jump to: Prof. Barry Brook | Dr Mark Curran | Dr Mahananda Dasgupta
Prof. Hugh Durrant-Whyte | Dr Karl Kruszelnicki | Prof. Ian Lowe | Dr Victoria Metcalf
Dr Graeme Pearman | Dr Rhian Salmon | Prof. Fred Watson | Prof. Lord Robert Winston
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Speaker |
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Prof. Barry Brook
Foundation Chair of Climate Change at The University of Adelaide
Topic: Extinction — Past and Present;
The Future of Biodiversity in a Changing World
Extinction occurs when species fail to adapt to a changing environment. Understanding the mechanisms underpinning this evolutionary breakdown is the key to successful conservation of biodiversity, and for predicting the impact of human activities on wildlife and habitat. In my first lecture, Extinction - past and present, I will describe what scientists know about ancient and recent extinctions, and how this information guides understanding of the current biodiversity crisis. In the second lecture, The future of biodiversity in a changing world, I will discuss the ways in which we, as current and future scientists, can provide innovative, practical, knowledge-based solutions to mitigate or halt extinctions in the twenty-first century and beyond.
Bio: Professor Brook completed his PhD at
Macquarie University in 1999 before
moving to Charles Darwin University
in northern Australia. He has rapidly
established a reputation as an
international research leader,
publishing prodigiously (two books
and over 75 scientific papers to
date) in many the world's most
respected forums (such as Nature,
Science, Cambridge University
Press), and securing over $3 Million
in competitive research grants. In
2002 he spent six months as a
visiting fellow at Kyoto University. In
2006, aged 31, he won the
Australian Academy of Science Fenner
Medal for distinguished research in biology, was
appointed to the Australian Research Council College of
Experts, and was awarded a personal research Chair
(Professor). In 2007 he was appointed as the Foundation
Chair of Climate Change at The University of Adelaide.
The principal motivation for his research is to identify
ways and means of reducing current and future
extinctions.
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Dr Mark Curran
Australian Government Antarctic Division and ACE CRC, Tasmania
Topic: Secrets from Antarctic Ice: Past Climate change through the study of Ice Cores
Antarctica is a mysterious magical place — and that is just on the surface! Deep in the ice sheet our climate history is locked away in the ice in the form of dissolved chemicals, particles and air bubbles. Drilling ice cores in Antarctica provides access to past climate information releasing old 'secrets from the ice' — almost like a time machine! Wouldn't it be nice to go back in time, say to the pre-industrial period, and find out what the natural state of out planet was ... well, we can! This lecture will be an introduction to Antarctic ice core research, and will cover topics including a basic understanding of ice cores, running a drilling expedition, analysing ice cores, and producing climate records back through time. Two research examples will be used to convey the concepts, including looking at past changes in Antarctic sea ice, and a question about the influence of frost flowers on the salt content of Antarctica!
Bio: Dr Curran completed his undergraduate and post
graduate studies at James Cook University in North
Queensland between 1988 and 1996.
His PhD studies on biogenic sulphur
production in the surface ocean took
him from the Great Barrier Reef to
Antarctica. On completion of his PhD,
he pursued his Antarctic research
interests through the Australian
Government Antarctic Division as an
ice core chemist. His researched has
encompassed paleoclimatic
reconstruction from the chemical
records contained in Antarctic ice
cores. He has participated in six
expeditions to Antarctica and three to
Greenland. In his spare time he enjoys
squash and golf!
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Dr Mahananda Dasgupta
Department of Nuclear Physics, Australian National University
Topics:
Stardust all around us: fusion and element formation
We take the elements around (and within) us for granted — oxygen in water and in the air we breathe, silicon in sand and in computer chips, carbon in plastics and racing bikes, the list goes on and on. Have you ever thought how these elements came about? Can we make atoms of elements not found on earth? Our quest to find answers to these questions will take us on a fascinating journey where we encounter the sun, supernovae, nuclear fusion, particle accelerators and quantum tunnelling.
Unstable atoms as detectives
Unstable atomic nuclei exist naturally in the air, in the earth's crust and even in us (yes, we are radioactive!). Their radioactive decay to form another element occurs through quantum tunnelling and the weak interaction, with lifetimes ranging from seconds to billions of years. Since the number of atoms decreases with time, counting them provides us with clocks which have run for up to billions of years! They are thus a powerful tool to date events in the recent and distant past when no humans were there to record events. The only problem is that we have to distinguish one unstable atom from 10^15 stable atoms — equivalent to finding one grain of sugar hidden in a stadium filled to the brim with salt! Enter the particle accelerator, which enables this by accelerating the atoms to 100 million km/hour ... telling us about a range of issues such as archaeology, climate change, and the global environment.
Bio:
Dr Dasgupta's interest in physics
was sparked by her high school
teacher, and her decision to pursue
a career in science was due to
experiencing the excitement of
research as a summer scholar at a
leading research institution. Dr
Dasgupta went on to complete her
PhD from the Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research in Bombay
(now Mumbai), India. Her
postdoctoral research interests took
her to Australia where she worked in
the Department of Nuclear Physics
at the Australian National University.
She was subsequently awarded a Queen Elizabeth II
Fellowship, and currently holds a continuing position. Dr.
Dasgupta received the 2006 Pawsey Medal from the
Australian Academy of Science for her contributions to
understanding the tunnelling of composite objects
through precision measurements of nuclear fusion.
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Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte
Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney
Topics:
The Robots Are Coming!
Robots represent the next great step in the fusion of machines,
computing, sensing and software to create intelligent systems
capable of interacting with the complexities of the real world.
Robotics challenges researchers to create intelligence and apply it
in a useful form in machines that make our lives easier, more
productive and safer. In this chapter I aim to explain exactly what a
robot is and what are the main scientific challenges in developing
useful intelligent robots. I will describe the leading position
Australian researchers have achieved in developing robotics for
applications in mining, agriculture, marine and air application
domains. I will also took a look into the future and to see what the
next 50 years will hold for robotics: Are robots ready to do useful
things? Can we really build intelligent robots? Why don't real robots
look like those in Hollywood films? Will robots take over the world?
Bio: Hugh Durrant-Whyte received his
B.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering from
the University of London, U.K., in
1983, and the M.S.E. and Ph.D.
degrees, both in Systems
Engineering, from the University of
Pennsylvania, USA, in 1985 and
1986, respectively. From 1987 to
1995 he was a Senior Lecturer in
Engineering Science at the
University of Oxford. From 1995 to
2002 he was Professor of
Mechatronic Engineering at
University of Sydney. In 2002 he
was awarded an Australian
Research Council (ARC) Federation Fellowship. He also
now leads the ARC Centre of Excellence in Autonomous
Systems. His research work focuses on autonomous
vehicle navigation and decentralised data fusion
methods. His work in applications includes automation
in cargo handling, mining, defence, and marine systems.
He has published over 300 technical papers and has
won numerous awards and prizes for his work.
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Dr Karl Kruszelnicki
Julius Sumner Miller Fellow, The University of Sydney
Topic: Great Moments in Science
Karl's "Great Moments in Science" celebrate all sides of science; from sublime moments of deep thought to the most arcane and bizarre research imaginable. The universe is a strange and wonderful place and, in his Great Moments, Karl has scaled the highest peaks as well as turned over the pebbles to see what's underneath.
Bio: Karl Kruszelnicki used to be a "proper pukka scientist, engineer and doctor", but is currently an author and science commentator on radio and television. He is the, Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at the University of Sydney, in the Science Foundation for Physics. Away from the media, he has worked as a physicist, labourer, roadie for bands (including Bo Diddley), car mechanic, filmmaker, hospital scientific officer, biomedical engineer (when he designed and built a machine to pick up electrical signals from the human retina), TV weatherman, and medical doctor at The Kids Hospital in Sydney. In the media, he was a writer and presenter for the first series of Quantum, and has been a science reporter on TV ever since (The Midday Show, Good Morning Australia, and is currently a regular on Channel 7's Sunrise etc). In radio, he speaks on-air for about 4 hours every week. This includes a national weekly, 1-hour science talkback show on Triple J — which attracts up to 300,000 people (about 1.5% of the Australian population). This show sometimes "crashes" the switchboard, when the number of incoming calls reaches 7,000 per 15 minute window. He has written 22 books. Karl's latest book, 'It Ain't Necessarily So...Bro' was launched by rocket at Bondi Beach, Australia, in November 2006 |
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Professor Ian Lowe
President, Australian Conservation Foundation
Topic:
Renewable Energy
Technologies: Key to
Sustainable Futures
The case for increased use of renewable energy rests on three
foundations: the depletion of petroleum reserves, global climate
change, and the need for a secure, equitable world. Together these
make an irresistible case for using renewable energy. There are,
however, some serious issues that we have to confront. I will first
outline the case for making greater use of renewable energy
technologies, then discuss their limitations and possible negative
consequences.
Shaping a sustainable
future — an outline of
the transition
Sustainability has become a significant public issue only in the last
twenty years. Its intellectual genesis was probably the first report of
the Club of Rome, Limits to Growth, in 1972. Though this book was
widely condemned in public, most of the criticism was based on
misleading reports that the study concluded we would face
resource depletion or environmental collapse within a decade. What
Limits to Growth actually said was that if the existing trends of
exponential growth in population, resource use, industrial output,
agricultural production and waste generation were to continue, we
would reach limits within a hundred years (my emphasis). This
study was important because it questioned the assumption that
perpetual growth was possible in a closed system. This questioning
was seen as tantamount to heresy by most economists and
politicians.
Bio: Ian Lowe AO FTSE FQA is emeritus
professor of science, technology
and society at Griffith University. He
directed the Australian Commission
for the Future in 1988 and chaired
the advisory council that produced
the first national report on the state
of the environment in 1996. In 2000
he received the Queensland
Premier's Millennium Award for
Excellence in Science and the Prime
Minster's Environmental Award for
Outstanding Individual
Achievement. He wrote a weekly
column for New Scientist for 13
years and received the 2002 Eureka
Prize for promotion of science and technology. He is
President of the Australian Conservation Foundation
and has refereed several global reports on major
environmental issues.
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Dr Victoria Metcalf
School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Topic:
Fishy Tales From Antarctica
It is not only IPY that brings our awareness and focus to Antarctica
in 2007. The overwhelming evidence suggesting that anthropogenic
global climate change is upon us means that we now think of or
hear about this icy wonderland more and more. Yet there is still so
much we don't understand about Antarctica. This chapter
introduces you to the icy continent, and explains why this extreme
continent is so important in a global context. We explore the fish
that reside in Antarctic waters, find out why they are so unique and
why the study of Antarctic marine organisms is important in a global
context. You are taken into the life of a scientist working in
Antarctica and shown how field work such as catching fish through
the ice is performed. The ecological niches that Antarctic fish
inhabit and their role in the complex Antarctic food web are
described and you will find out how little we still know about the
basic biology of these fish. Finally, we will briefly look at the
ecological problems associated with the Antarctic fishing industry.
Extreme Living in Antarctica
In this chapter we focus on extreme living in the Antarctic
environment. How do the animals that reside there survive? We will
find out what scientists have learned through genetic, biochemical
and physiological studies about the adaptations of Antarctic fish to
their environment. The development of antifreeze has been pivotal
for these fish, but it brings with it a number of problems in their
cardiovascular system, that have had to be compensated for. We
look at how these fish have achieved buoyancy without a swim
bladder. We discuss the little we do understand about their
metabolism and consider how research will help us understand how
these fish will cope with global warming in the future?
Bio: Dr. Victoria Metcalf has made five trips to the Antarctic
to date, either for research purposes or in another role
moonlighting as a cruise director/lecturer on ship-based
ecotourism ventures. Her current research interests
centre on investigating the genetics and biochemistry of
Antarctic fish to learn more about how they have
adapted to their environment. In the
long term this research may also
help in understanding how
organisms will cope with the
increased temperatures predicted
with global warming. Victoria has
won a number of prestigious awards
in the last year, including the SCAR
Fellowship, Antarctic Science
Bursary as well as the ZONTA
Science Award for the top all-round
early-mid career woman scientist in
New Zealand. These awards are
enabling her to spend most of 2007
working with collaborators in a
number of overseas laboratories
before returning to the ice for two
months of field work at the end of the year. |
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Professor Michael Oppenheimer
Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences
and International Affairs, Princeton University
Topic: How Warm is Too Warm?
Avoiding Dangerous Climate
Change
Global warming is the most serious environmental problem of the
21st century and potentially the largest issue that nations face
overall. Consequently, it has risen to prominence on the agenda of
policy makers in most countries of the industrialised world, and is
also the subject of increasing attention in developing countries.
Some of the challenging characteristics of global warming are the
long lag times between the emissions of greenhouse gases and the
consequences they cause; the fact that, short of exhaustion of
fossil fuel reserves, no physical limit on the warming has been
identified; and most challenging, the difficulty of reversing changes
once they have occurred, partly because several of the greenhouse
gases, once emitted, have long lifetimes in the atmosphere. Many
approaches to solving such a problem have been proposed. But
previous human experience does not lead inexorably to one choice
over the other.
Bio:
Michael Oppenheimer is the Albert G.
Milbank Professor of Geosciences
and International Affairs at Princeton
University. He is also the Director of
the Program in Science, Technology
and Environmental Policy (STEP) at
the Woodrow Wilson School, and
Associated Faculty of the Princeton
Environmental Institute and the
Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences
Program. He joined the Princeton
faculty after more than two decades
with Environmental Defense. His
interests include science and policy
of the atmosphere, particularly
climate change and its impacts. His
research explores the potential
effects of global warming, including the effects of
warming on ecosystems and on the nitrogen cycle; and
on the ice sheets and sea level in the context of defining
"dangerous anthropogenic interference" with the climate
system. He served as a lead author of the Third
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, and is also a lead author for the Fourth
Assessment. He was a member of the National
Research Council's Panel on the Atmospheric Effects of
Aviation, and currently is a member of the NRC's Panel
on Climate Variability and Change. |
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Dr Graeme Pearman
Consultant and Interim Director, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University
Topics:
The Warming Planet
The Earth is warming as a result of human activities, primarily the
combustion of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas). Scientific
investigations over a long period of time have lead to these
conclusions, and open up significant issues for future generations.
What kind of climate will we, our children and grandchildren have to
contend with? How do we join a global action to ensure that such
warming does not occur too quickly or exceed limits that threaten
the existence of our societies and the communities of organisms
with which we share the planet? How do we manage the
development of policies to respond to climate change that reflect
the still existing uncertainties, the potential risk that lie within these
uncertainties and the various aspirations of wealth generation,
social security, environmental protection and intergenerational
equity? What is the role of science in addressing these questions?
Climate Change:
Impacts and Adaptation
In the previous chapter, we learned how the climate of the Earth is
changing as a result of human activities, primarily the combustion of
fossil fuels, but also through agriculture and land-use changes.
These changes are leading to "small" changes to global-average
temperatures and consequent changes to the way the Earth's
atmosphere and oceans circulate and thus to our climate. But how
do such changes impact on the world? Are they really that
important? Do they bring the promise of positive or negative
outcomes? What is the imperative to respond to the issue of
climate change by actions designed to slow the onset of climate
change and/or to take advantage of, or manage these changes
through adaptation? How can we maximise our resilience in the
face of these changes?
Bio:
Dr Graeme Pearman was trained as a
biologist at the University of Western
Australia. He joined CSIRO, in 1971
where he was Chief of Atmospheric
Research, 1992-2002. He
contributed over 150 scientific
journal papers primarily on aspects
of the global carbon budget. In 2004
he left CSIRO to run his own
consultancy company. He is
currently Interim Director, Monash
Sustainability Institute, Monash
University and consults to both
private and public sector
organisations.
He was elected to Fellowship of the
Australian Academy of Science (1988), the Royal
Society of Victoria (1997) and the Australian Academy of
Technological Sciences and Engineering (2005). He was
awarded the CSIRO Medal (1988), a United Nations'
Environment Program Global 500 Award (1989),
Australian Medal of the Order of Australia (1999) and a
Federation Medal (2003). He was recently science
adviser to the Hon Al Gore during his visit to Australia.
His current interests and activities include: energy
futures; sustainability and sustainability science;
scientific capacity building; public communication of
science; and the role of science in modern societies. |
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Dr Rhian Salmon
Education and Outreach Coordinator, International Polar Year
Topic: The Poles & the Planet — International Polar Year
Many physical and biological systems on the Earth appear to be
experiencing substantial recent changes, beyond the expected
range of natural variability. Many of these changes show most
clearly, and appear to happen most quickly, at the poles. Between
2007 and 2009, thousands of physical, biological and social
scientists from more than sixty nations will study the polar regions
as part of a large internationally-coordinated research effort known
as the International Polar Year (IPY).
This talk, and chapter, will visit the 125 year legacy of IPY and
introduce urgent present-day topics including shrinking snow and
ice, polar-global connections, and the impacts of change on Arctic
residents. Addressing these critical issues requires an
interdisciplinary approach to understanding land, air, oceans,
people, ice, and space.
Bio: After completing aPhD in
Atmospheric Chemistry, Rhian spent
three summers and one winter
working in Antarctica with the British
Antarctic Survey. Upon return, she
was overwhelmed by the beauty of
the continent, convinced by the
importance of polar research,
anddisappointed by the huge gulf
between scientific knowledge and
public awareness of issues of global
concern.
She now works as Education and
Outreach Coordinator for the
International Polar Year 2007-8, an
unprecedented opportunity to
demonstrate earth system science in
real-time.
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Professor Fred Watson
Astronomer in Charge, The Anglo-Australian Observatory
Topic: Dark Secrets: Dark Matter, Dark Energy
and Dark Skies
Dynamics
Perhaps the single most embarrassing aspect of modern astronomy
is that we don't know what most of the Universe is made of. The
great American amateur astronomer, John Dobson, once described
the Universe as 'mostly hydrogen and ignorance', but he was
wrong. In fact it's mostly dark matter and dark energy — and
ignorance. The hydrogen only accounts for about four percent of
the contents of the Universe.
So what are dark matter and dark energy? That simple question
encompasses two of the most puzzling problems in contemporary
astrophysics. The mystery is deepened by the fact that between
them, these two invisible components of our cosmic environment
make up an overwhelming 95 percent of the mass-energy budget of
the Universe. You can see why astronomers are embarrassed ...
Bio: Professor Fred Watson says he has
spent so many years working in large
telescope domes that he has started
to look like one. He is Astronomer in
Charge of the Anglo-Australian
Observatory at Coonabarabran,
where his main scientific interest is
gathering information on very large
numbers of stars and galaxies. He is
also an adjunct professor at the
Queensland University of
Technology and the University of
Southern Queensland. Fred is the
author of "Stargazer - the life and
times of the telescope", and is a
regular broadcaster on ABC radio. In
2003, he received the David Allen
Prize for communicating astronomy to the public, and in
2006 was the winner of the Australian Government
Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science.
Fred has an asteroid named after him (5691
Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth it won't be
his fault ...
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Professor Lord Robert Winston
Chancellor, Sheffield Hallam University; Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies, Imperial College London
Topic: Manipulating Genetics — Threat or Promise?
Bio:
Professor Lord Robert Winston is one of the world's most respected medical academics and researcher of the human reproductive system. Chancellor Elect of Sheffield Hallam University Lord Winston is best know as the presenter of the Human Body and Super Human television series, but he also heads up a world leading human fertility research team. A major contributor to the development of gynaecological microsurgery in the 1970's Lord Winston was a prime figure in the enormous progress in the fields of IVF and reproductive genetics. His group's research enabled families with a history of a particular genetic disease to have children free of fatal illnesses. This particular field of research has earned Lord Winston international recognition, awards and honours. His latest ground breaking investigative research has pioneered techniques in transferring germ cells from the testes of one male into the testes of another. It means males will be able to act as surrogate fathers carrying another males sperm and fathering offspring that are not genetically their own. As Winston explains the work has important implications for males undergoing x-ray treatments for cancer - which kill off sperm cells. A great philanthropist his Queen Charlotte's Appeal recently raised over 13 million pounds to build and equip the most advanced reproductive research centre in Europe, with space for 130 scientists and doctors working to improve the health of women and babies. Lord Winston, previously Robert Winston, was created a life peer in 1995. As Government Whip he plays a very active role in the House of Lords participating in debates on education, science, medicine and the arts.
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