Senator Patrick Dodson speaks in conversation with Professor Andrew Gunstone on a range of critical issues in Indigenous Affairs, including land rights, treaties, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, reconciliation and constitutional reform.
Presented by Renee Spiewak on Friday 20 September 2019. Like humans, stars often live their long lives in pairs, called binaries. At the end of their lives, they experience drastic transformations, rather than simply ending, and these transformations greatly affect their companions. In this lecture, I will take you on a journey of the many lives (and spectacular deaths/rebirths) of a massive star with a lighter companion star. The mass of a star, among other factors, determines the path it takes and the changes it experiences, and stars in binaries affect each other greatly. In a quiet stellar neighbourhood, this massive star will peacefully spend millions of years with its companion before undergoing a sudden transformation into one of the most extreme objects in the universe. Billions of years later, a second transformation will occur when the star’s companion quietly reaches the end of its life. However, under the right conditions, the pair’s story will not end there.
The experiences that we see, hear, and feel as a child affect us. But just how much? And in what ways is our brain changed by these childhood traumas? The eighth annual Barbara Dicker Oration was presented by Dr Gustavo Turecki (McGill University, Canada). Dr Turecki has devoted his life’s work to understanding how childhood harm can impair brain development and leave adults more vulnerable to psychiatric disorders. Dr Turecki is a Professor of Psychiatry; Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University; Scientific Director of the Douglas Institute; and Director of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies. His work and contributions to the field have been recognised through numerous awards and he has authored over 450 publications in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Nature Medicine, and The Lancet.
From industrialisation in the 19th century to the breakthrough of computing in the 20th, we are now seeing the dawn of a new revolution in technology. Emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, and autonomous systems are already offering new ways of doing with profound social, cultural and political implications. Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionise our lives, shape a new future and disrupt the world as we know it. But can we truly imagine all the ways that these emerging technologies will alter the human experience? Professor Genevieve Bell (Director of the 3A Institute, Florence Violet McKenzie Chair, and Distinguished Professor at the Australian National University) explores what the 21st century might bring (it’s not as scary as you think!).
Presented by Kim Ellis on Friday, 19 July 2019. This will be an informative lecture on how Australia is making a splash on the international space arena as the Australian Space Agency turns one. We will also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
Presented by Poojan Agrawal on the 21st June 2019. Beyond the twinkling dots in the night sky, there are all sorts of stars that are beautiful and fascinating their own sense. I will share the story of how we came to understand these stars as we know them today using the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the importance of the lives of these stars in the present-day astrophysical problems.
Presented by Uncle Wayne Thorpe, Krystal De Napoli and Dr Duane W. Hamacheron on Friday 30th May 2019. The Moondani Toombadool Centre and the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology are proud to host the 2019 Swinburne Annual Reconciliation Lecture. 2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, and the year Indigenous Astronomy was included in the Australian National Curriculum. These have spawned a number of activities and scholarship between astronomers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders across Australia. Join Gunnai and Yorta Yorta custodian for an open panel discussion about the many layers of Indigenous astronomical knowledge and exciting happenings in the world of astronomy and space.
Presented by Dr Daniel C Price on 22nd February 2019. Thanks to new, more powerful technology, astronomers can search the skies faster and with more resolution than ever before. In this public lecture, I will talk about two exciting fields in astronomy: the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), and Fast Radio Bursts. The SETI field has been reinvigorated by the 10-year, $100M Breakthrough Listen initiative to search for intelligent life beyond Earth. As a project scientist for Breakthrough Listen, I will introduce the program and detail how we are using new technology to run the most comprehensive search for intelligent life beyond Earth ever undertaken. I will also discuss a mysterious phenomenon known as fast radio bursts: incredibly bright but short-lived signals from distant galaxies, which escaped detection until recently. Could these signals be due to intelligent aliens, or is there an astrophysical explanation? I will give an overview of how a telescope upgrade will help us answer this question, and how Swinburne astronomers will play a leading role. Finally, I will discuss what evidence would convince us that there is indeed life beyond Earth, or that the Universe is ours alone to enjoy.
Presented by Assoc. Prof. Tara Murphy on 23 November 2018. On August 17th 2017 the LIGO-Virgo interferometer detected gravitational waves from a neutron star merger in a galaxy 130 million light years away. This was a breakthrough for physics and astronomy. What followed was a frenzy of activity as astronomers around the world worked to detect electromagnetic radiation with conventional telescopes. After this unprecedented effort the event was detected in gamma-rays, x-rays, visible light and radio waves. I will discuss this incredible scientific result and its implications, including: predictions made by Einstein; the production of gold and other heavy elements; and our understanding of black hole formation. I will also give a 'behind the scenes' perspective of how it happened, and discuss the changes in the way we do science in this era of big astronomy.
Presented by Dr Duane Hamacher and Krystal De Napoli on 1st June 2018. The subject of Indigenous astronomy has skyrocketed in recent years all around the globe. A constant stream of emerging research is changing what we think we know about Aboriginal knowledge systems in Australia and the number of Aboriginal students studying astrophysics is rapidly growing. This lecture will introduce you to one of these students, Kamilaroi woman and astrophysics student Krystal De Napoli, and the research she and Dr Duane Hamacher are conducting with other Aboriginal researchers on topics ranging from Moon haloes, Sun Dogs, and supernovae to the antiquity of deep time oral traditions based on astronomical and geological evidence - even the official naming of Aboriginal stars by the IAU. This talk will explore the many ways in which Indigenous Australians encoded scientific information in their knowledge systems and some of the ways in which they pass this knowledge to successive generations.
Presented on 19 October 2018 by Dr Michelle Cluver. The more we learn about the universe, the mosre it tends to surprise us. This is one of the most exciting aspects of science - making unexpected discoveries! In this talk I will present some recent scientific discoveries I have been involved with and discuss why these and other discoveries have us so excited about the Square Kilometre Array Pathfinders, MeerKAT and ASKAP.
The Featherston Contour chair is an icon of mid-century modernist nostalgia as copies flood the market and the original chairs fetch exorbitant prices at auction. Yet its designer, Grant Featherston, had little time for nostalgia. As he saw it, the important question facing architects and designers was how to live in a post industrialised, technological and urbanised world. He fought tirelessly to make design for social need as important as design for financial profit. Hosted by the Heide Museum of Modern Art a panel of design experts will explore key social issues in contemporary design practice before taking questions from the audience. Presented on Saturday 8 September 2018.
The 2018 Barbara Dicker Oration was presented by Professor Iris Sommer. Professor Sommer is a best-selling author and Professor of Cognitive Aspects of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorder at the Department of Neuroscience at the University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands. Entitled The phenomenon of hallucinations, Professor Sommer offered a holistic view into the research and experiences of hallucinations. It’s actually more common than you might think but what happens in our brains when we hallucinate? And what does this mean for new treatments and interventions? This Barbara Dicker Oration was held on 13 September, 2018.
The 2018 Chancellor’s Lecture was presented by Professor Peter Choong on 16 August 2018. Professor Choong (St Vincent’s Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre) is a world-leading cancer surgeon and pioneer in limb-sparing surgery. Entitled 'A surgeon’s journey: Innovating cancer care through science, dreams and hope', Professor Choong offered a compassionate perspective into what it means to operate at the forefront of medical innovation that is changing lives. From bedside to breakthrough; how has technology enhanced cancer care? And what does the future look like for those affected by bone and soft tissue cancers?
With the rise of artificial intelligence and automated technologies, it’s easy to feel worried about what the future might hold for work and jobs. So how can we be ready, and can humans ever actually reach their full potential? Presented on 25th July 2018 at the State Library of Victoria.
Presented by Assoc. Prof. Jeff Cooke on 11 May 2018. When you look up a the night sky, it appears static and unchanging. However, a closer look using telescopes finds it to be wildly violent. Objects explode, erupt and burst on all time scales, from millions of years to months to milliseconds. Many of these events have been studies in great detail but the fastest have been the most difficult to catch largely because of the technological limitations. This presentation will discuss these fast bursts and our program to catch them.
Presented by Prof. Mike Hudson on 16th March 2018. Most of the matter in the Universe is dark matter: an elusive particle that is completely invisible. But we can “see” this matter by studying how it distorts the light from galaxies in the distant Universe, a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. I will give a whirlwind tour of gravitational lensing’s “greatest hits” showing how it can be used as a tool to understand some of the most mysterious things in the Universe: from black holes to the “cosmic web” of dark matter that links galaxies together.
A reflection of Swinburne's Indigenous Studies projects and programs, led by Professor Andrew Gunstone.
Presented by Dr Emily Petroff on 9 February 2018.Most things in the universe happen over millions or even billions of years but some things change on the timescales of human life and can be seen to change in a matter of months, days, or even seconds. These sources are called transients and are some of the most extreme events in the Universe, things like the collapse of a dying star, or a collision of two massive objects. Humans have been observing astronomical transients for centuries, from supernovae to gamma ray bursts and, most recently, gravitational waves, but recent advances in telescope power and technology mean we’re observing more and more transients each year and even finding new types. In 2007 we discovered a brand new type of transient called fast radio bursts (FRBs), bright radio pulses that last only a few milliseconds. Their origin is one of the newest unsolved mysteries of astronomy but it is clear they are produced in tremendously energetic processes, possibly even billions of light years away. I will tell the story of their discovery, some of our most exciting new breakthroughs, and how new telescopes in Australia and around the world are poised to answer some of the big questions about FRBs in the next few years.
The 2017 Swinburne Indigenous Studies Symposium included sessions on Indigenous teaching and learning, and research. This one-day event featured a keynote presentation from leading Indigenous academic, Mark Rose, as well as panel sessions involving a number of Swinburne staff. The Symposium contributed to the implementation of Swinburne's Reconciliation Action Plan, assisting in fostering a culture of Indigenous teaching and learning, research, and assisting staff to develop skills and understandings regarding Indigenous teaching and learning, knowledge, and research. The Symposium discusses a wide range of disciplines, including arts, business, design, education, health, humanities, law, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).