Dear {Contact_First_Name},

The Australian Government has released its draft revision of the National Science and Research Priorities. Our response to this important guiding document is outlined in a joint statement with the Astronomical Society of Australia, submitted last week.

In particular, we have highlighted gaps in the draft in not including discovery research as a fundamental underpinning enabler, and in overlooking certain technologies crucial for Australia’s future prosperity.

I’m thrilled to congratulate our 2023 Walter Boas Medal winners: Professor Mahananda Dasgupta and Emeritus Professor David Hinde from ANU. We recognise them jointly for their inspirational work on understanding the synthesis of superheavy nuclei.

Finally, a quick reminder: if you’ve not yet registered for the AIP Summer Meeting, do so by 15 October to take advantage of early-bird rates. I hope to see you there.

Best wishes,

Nicole Bell
President, Australian Institute of Physics
president@aip.org.au

 
 

AIP responds to Science Priorities

The Australian Institute of Physics and the Astronomical Society of Australia have collaborated on a joint response to ‘Australia's draft National Science and Research Priorities’. Our response identified gaps related to critical technologies, and a failure to highlight the role of fundamental, discovery research as an underpinning priority.

Read the full response.

 

Revealing how superheavy elements form – 2023 Boas Medal winners

Professor Mahananda Dasgupta (ANU) and Emeritus Professor David John Hinde (ANU) have been jointly awarded the 2023 Walter Boas Medal for Excellence in Research for ‘elucidating the crucial roles and mechanisms of nuclear structure in the synthesis of superheavy nuclei’.

Read more.

 

60th Anniversary Lecture Tour: ‘Most of our Universe is Missing!'

Adventure into the dark side of the cosmos with Professor Geraint Lewis on a national lecture tour celebrating 60 Years of the AIP.

We’ll explore observations hinting to the true nature of dark matter and dark energy, and delve into the current experiments separating truth from science fiction.

Catch his upcoming lecture in Melbourne on 11 October.

More tour dates will be posted on the AIP events board.

 

News and opportunities

Early bird registrations to attend the 2023 ANZCOP-AIP Summer meeting are open until 15 October. Read more.

Dr Karen Livesey’s Women in Physics Tour comes to Brisbane on 12 October followed by a final lecture in her hometown of Newcastle on 25 October. Read more.

Closing soon: AIP’s NSW branch is calling for nominees for their Postgraduate Awards, Best Graduating Student award and Community Outreach to Physics award. All award nominations are due by 7 October. Read more.

Submit your abstract to be part of the 46th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting in Wagga Wagga. Submissions close 15 November. Read more.

Applications for the CSIRO Alumni Scholarship in Physics are now open, offering postgraduate scholarships of $6,000, which can be used to fund travel costs to visit and/or conduct research overseas or interstate. Apply by 1 December. Read more.

AIP photography competition: Calling all physicists, shutterbugs, and cosmic creators! Do you have a photo that showcases a physics concept that you've been dying to show off more widely? Enter it in our photography competition for a chance to have your photo featured on our homepage and our emails in 2024. Your image will be linked to a description and credited. Submit your images to aip@aip.org.au by 1 November. See the article in COSMOS about last years’ winner – ‘Frozen bubble’ by Chad Clark.

Speakers for Girls in Physics Breakfasts: The VicPhysics Teachers’ Network is inviting women in physics or engineering to be a speaker at one of the Girls in Physics Breakfasts happening around Victoria in the first half of 2024. Apply by 23 October. Read more.

                 

                From particle physics to cancer biology

                Dr Nadia Davidson, Lab Head at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

                “I was drawn to bioinformatics for many of the same reasons I pursued physics — it combines science, mathematics, statistics and computer science. The biological sciences, especially sequencing technologies, are producing vast amounts of data that we're still trying to fully understand.”

                Read more about Nadia’s journey from particle physics to cancer biology.

                Do you know someone with training in #physics who has followed an interesting career path outside of academia? We would love to profile them for our #PhysicsGotMeHere career profiles, which explore all the places your physics training can take you. Get in touch.

                 

                Upcoming events

                RACI/AIP Annual Presidents’ Dinner | Concord | 6 Oct

                ANA2023 Conference - Choices in Nuclear | Sydney | 9 Oct

                Most of our Universe is missing – 60th Lecture Tour | Melbourne | 11 Oct

                9th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology | Kingscliff, NSW | 16-20 Oct

                Women in Physics National Lecture Tour | Dr Karen Livesey | Brisbane | 13 Oct

                Women in Physics National Lecture Tour | Dr Karen Livesey | Newcastle | 25 Oct

                Australasian Radiation Protection Society Conference | Gold Coast | 29 Oct to 2 Nov

                6th International Conference on Quantum Error Correction | Sydney | 30 Oct to 3 Nov

                AIP NSW 2023 Annual Postgraduate Awards | Concord | 14 Nov

                Gordon Godfrey Workshop on Spins, Topology and Strong Electron Correlations | Sydney | 20-24 Nov

                Asia-Pacific Condensed Matter Physics Conference 2023 (AC2MP 2023) | Taiwan 26-29 Nov

                International Conference on Quantum Energy | Melbourne | 4-6 Dec

                ANZCOP–AIP Summer meeting | Canberra | 4-8 Dec

                8th CYGNUS Workshop on Directional Recoil Detection | Sydney | 11-15 Dec

                46th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting | Wagga Wagga | 6-9 Feb 2024.

                Victorian Physics Teachers’ Conference 2024 | Melbourne | 23 Feb

                Are you running an event? Email the details to your branch chair or events@aip.org.au so it can be posted on the AIP website. Some of the events are profiled in our monthly newsletter and shared through the AIP social media accounts.

                   

                  Australian physics in the news

                  What has the Nobel Prize in Physics ever done for me? (The Conversation)

                  Ask me anything: Cathy Foley – ‘I have lots of balls in the air on multiple projects’ (PhysicsWorld)

                  How tiny magnets can be used for cancer treatment, Dr Karen Livesey, theoretical physicist (ABC Sydney, skip to 1h 22min)

                  Astronomers reveal cosmic ribbon around rare galaxy (CSIRO)

                  World-first fusion device to be built at UNSW Sydney (UNSW)

                  Did the Oppenheimer movie choose art over science? (COSMOS Magazine)

                  Gravitational Waves: from theory to discovery (The Random Sample podcast featuring Prof Susan Scott)

                  Dr Karen Livesey chats about nano-magnets (ABC Hobart, skip to 2hr 17min)

                                   

                                  Jobs corner

                                  Senior Optical Specialist, Identified (Female) Position

                                  Undertake optical research and development activities within the Imaging Science team, and provide specialist technical support in the area of Optics.

                                  Read more

                                  Are you looking for a new career opportunity? See our Jobs Links section (best viewed on desktop) for a list of selected physics-related jobs now open including: Nuclear Materials Modeller, Biosensor Scientist, Commercialisation Manager, Physics/Science Teacher, Research Scientist in Quantum Algorithms and Applications, and many more.

                                  Each year, Physics World publishes Physics World Careers, a guide aimed at helping those with a physics background make informed decisions about their career path. Download a copy of Physics World Careers 2023 .

                                  We can provide a free link to your physics-related job or PhD opportunity. If you would like to advertise your job, we can feature more details and a picture for a small cost. Email Michael Schmidt for more information.

                                  Need help? Contact aip@aip.org.au.

                                  Contact us

                                   

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