Prof Alan Cooper, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide

Genetic information recovered from ancient biological material is giving a unique insight into evolutionary processes. By analysing DNA from large numbers of individuals, it is possible to genetically characterise ancient populations & cultures, and to examine the timing & effects of past extinctions, colonisations and hybridisations.

This month Prof Alan Cooper, from The University of Adelaide, will talk about recent discoveries of preserved bacterial DNA found on ancient teeth that have opened the way to detailed studies about the evolution of disease and the impacts of dietary & cultural transitions.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Monday the 21st of November
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside
• Arrangements: Doors open at 6pm. No need to book – just show up!
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where Prof. Alan Cooper will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? For any further information please contact Andrew.

Prof. Alan Cooper was awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship award in 2004, and established the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) in 2005, which is an international standard research facility providing the specialist equipment and ultra-sterile working environment required for the study of minute traces of preserved genetic material.

Prof. Cooper specialises in using ancient DNA to record and study evolutionary processes in real time. His work ranges over timescales of hundreds of years old (eg museum specimens) to material well beyond the 60,000 year range of carbon-dating, such as permafrost-preserved bones of mammals and sediment dating to over 300,000 yr.

Prof. Cooper’s current research features studies of Australian megafaunal species, permafrost preserved material from the Arctic and Antarctic, ancient human DNA (modern human, Neandertals and Flores hominids), and DNA from sedimentary deposits (marine, terrestrial and freshwater). Recent research highlights include the use of Ice Age mammal populations to record the effects of environmental change, the first complete mitochondrial genome sequences of any extinct species (two New Zealand moas), and the study of how evolutionary rates change over time.

Prof Howard Wiseman, Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University

In the movie “The Matrix”, the human population lives not in the real world but inside a computer simulation called the Matrix. They are blissfully unable to detect their predicament, except for the fact that certain people can transcend the normal rules of physics.

This month, Prof Howard Wiseman will explain how this is eerily similar to the world we live in. Certain people (quantum physicists) can transcend the normal rules by doing things that “should be” impossible. While not as visually impressive as dodging bullets and leaping tall buildings, these abilities are central to the emerging field of quantum information technology. But even quantum physicists do not agree about what this reveals about the nature of the Matrix.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Monday the 24th of October
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside
• Arrangements: Doors open at 6pm. No need to book – just show up!
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where Prof. Howard Wiseman will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? For any further information please contact Andrew

Professor Howard Wiseman obtained an Honours degree in physics, and did his PhD on quantum measurement and feedback theory, at the University of Queensland.  As a postdoc at the University of Auckland he established adaptive quantum measurements as a vital research field. Since returning to Australia his work has included quantifying entanglement, and formalizing the Einstein-Podolosky-Rosen paradox as a quantum information task. He has over 150 refereed journal papers, with more than 3500 citations. He has won the Bragg Medal of the Australian Institute of Physics, the Pawsey Medal of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Malcolm Macintosh Medal at the Prime Minister’s Science Awards. He has been Director of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics at Griffith University since 2007, and was elected as a Fellow of the AAS in 2008.

Dr Tamara Davis, School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland

Observations of the universe over the last few decades have thrown us some curve balls. We thought we had the basic picture—the universe is expanding, and all the structure we now see formed thanks to gravity out of little over-dense clumps in the hot, dense, early universe. Well that was all true, but we’ve realised that that’s not the end of the story. There’s a dark side to the universe that we don’t usually see, and it seems that everything we thought we knew makes up only 5 per cent of the universe! Dark matter and dark energy make up the rest.

In her talk Tamara will explain why we are so certain of such a seemingly ludicrous proposition, and what we can hope to learn by studying these wild and wonderful phenomena.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Wednesday the 19th of October.
• Venue: Parnell Building (7), Room 234, The University of Queensland.
• Arrangements: No need to RSVP – just show up!
• Refreshments: Refreshments will be served prior to the talk starting at 6:10pm
• Questions? Contact Joel.

Superbugs  and the machine that goes ‘ping’

Prof Matt Cooper, Institute of Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland

Bacteria are everywhere.  Most are harmless or even beneficial to humans, but ‘superbugs’ are a force to be reckoned with.  Sadly our inappropriate use of antibiotics over the last 50 years has led to the global spread of bacterial resistance.  At UQ, Matt Cooper’s group is developing new ways of detecting bacteria and new drugs to treat infections.  In this talk, Matt will show how physics, chemistry and biology are used in our battle against the superbugs!

The genomic architecture of animals

Prof Bernie Degnan, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland

What does it means to be an animal? To answer this question the science of genomics has been used to resurrect a deeply ancient, long-extinct ancestor from which evolved all contemporary animals, from sea sponges and corals to butterflies and humans.  The recent sequencing of the genome of one of the simplest of living animals, the marine sponge, has allowed scientists to peer into our deep pre-Cambrian past.  Prof Degnan will present his research into the genome, which has radically changed the way we view animal evolution and complexity, and is dissolving the inveterate divide between complex (e.g. humans) and simple (e.g. sponges) animals.

• Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm (doors open at 6pm), Monday the 12th of September.
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside.
• Arrangements: Please note that you must RSVP for this talk by the 5th of September.
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where Prof. Cooper and Prof. Degnan will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? Contact Lynelle.
• For more information on UQ Research Week please visit the website.

Professor Peter Sarnak , School of Mathematics, Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton, USA

Like many problems in number theory, the questions that arise from packing the plane with mutually tangent circles are easy to formulate but difficult to answer. Prof Peter Sarnak, from the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton, will explain the fundamental features of such packings and how modern tools from number theory, algebra and combinatorics are being used to answer some of these old questions.

• Time: 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Tuesday the 23rd of August
• Venue: The Physiology Lecture Theatres (building 63), room 348, The University of Queensland.
• Arrangments: No need to book – just show up!
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where Prof. Peter Sarnak will be available to answer any questions

A/Prof Kent Kirshenbaum, Department of Chemistry, New York University

Most people cook-but do you understand the chemistry and physics behind what you do in the kitchen? Have you ever made stretchy ice cream, mango caviar, liquid smoke, or an exotic hybrid dessert topping/floor wax?

Join A/Prof Kent Kirshenbaum of New York University as he demonstrates the chemistry and physics of food, and pushes the boundaries of your culinary imagination using polymer chemistry, materials science, protein structure and molecular neuroscience.

Celebrate the International Year of Chemistry with Kent by engaging your sight, taste, touch and smell senses in a fascinating BrisScience that will teach you to innovate new recipes, enhance your cooking skills, and understand the reasons behind dietary choices and to catalyse the development of your culinary creativity.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Monday the 22nd of August
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside
• Arrangements: Doors open at 6pm. No need to book – just show up!
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where A/Prof. Kent Kirshenbaum will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? Contact Andrew (a.stephenson@uq.edu.au)

Prof. Aidan Byrne, Dean of Science, The Australian National University

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor 25 years ago was a turning point in the history of nuclear power that saw the near abandonment of nuclear as an energy source in many countries. Since then the world has begun exploring energy sources that are low in CO2 emissions, and nuclear power has returned as an option.

The present situation in Japan provides a fascinating example of our response and preparedness in dealing with a major nuclear accident and it raises the question as to whether the nuclear industry will survive the challenge.

This month Prof Aidan Byrne will compare and contrast the accidents at the two facilities, examine what we have learned over the past 25 years and explore the likely lessons.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Monday the 6th of June
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside
• Arrangments: Doors open at 6pm. No need to book – just show up!
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where Prof. Aidan Byrne will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? Contact Andrew (a.stephenson@uq.edu.au)

Professor Aidan Byrne completed a BSc and MSc degrees at the University of Auckland before commencing a PhD degree at the ANU in 1981. Following the completion of the degree in the Department of Nuclear Physics he held positions with the University of Melbourne and spent over two years in Bonn, Germany as a von Humboldt fellow. He returned to the ANU in 1989 as a Research Fellow and in 1991 commenced a joint appointment between the Department of Physics, in the Faculty of Science and the Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Prof Byrne was Head of ANU’s Department of Physics from 2003 to 2007, and is currently the Dean of Science at the ANU and the Director of the ANU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Fundraiser for Camp Quality!

On Saturday the 28^th of May the UQ Demo Troupe is holding a fund raising Science Day at the University of Queensland. Between noon and 4pm this family-friendly event will allow participants to explore all the weird and wacky wonders science has to offer while supporting Camp Quality, who have been helping families and children cope with cancer since 1983.

With demo shows starting every hour and workshops running throughout the afternoon there is plenty of fun to be had by all. Activities include: seeing fire tornados, eating food that’s at minus 200 degrees Celsius, lying on a bed of nails, having a tug-of-war against air, seeing lightning indoors, walking on water and much, much more! Cost is $5 per person or $12 per family (kids under 4 are free). All money goes to Camp Quality.

• Time: 12:00 pm to 4:00pm
• Venue: Parnell Building (7), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia
• Cost: $5 per person, $12 per family
• Questions? Contact Andrew (a.stephenson@uq.edu.au)

The UQ Demo Troupe is a group of budding young scientists interested in spreading their enthusiasm of science to the world. The Demo Troupe frequently visit schools to perform science demonstrations or workshops, and also reguarly present lecture demonstrations for various undergraduate subjects at UQ.

Camp Quality believes in building resilience in the lives of every child living with cancer and their family in Australia. Camp Quality creates an optimistic community for families through fun therapy and education.

Prof. Jason Spyromilio, Head of the European Extremely Large Telescope Project Office, European Southern Observatory

The science and engineering needed to make a telescope that has a primary mirror 10 times the size of world’s largest telescope is truly astronomical. Such telescopes, costing in excess of 1 billion Euro, are currently being designed in both Europe and the United States.

This month Prof. Jason Spyromilio, who heads the European Southern Observatory’s Extremely Large Telescope Project, will present the most ambitious of these designs – an optical telescope with a 42 meter primary mirror!

The European ELT will be over 10,000 times more powerful than any telescope in Australia, and be able to image planets in other stellar systems and observe the expansion of the universe directly amongst many other scientific objectives.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm (Doors open at 6pm)
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside
• Refreshments: There will be complimentary drinks and nibblies following the talk, where Prof. Jason Spyromilio will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? Contact Andrew (a.stephenson@uq.edu.au)

Jason Spyromilio completed his PhD at Imperial College London then took a SERC research fellowship (1989-1991). He joined the AAO (now the Australian Astronomical Observatory) in 1991, where he was the instrument scientist for a number of AAT instruments (and is remembered for augmenting one of them with a Lego train set). He moved to ESO in 1994. He has headed the European Extremely Large Telescope Project Office since 2006 and was the director of ESO’s La Silla Paranal Observatory 2005-2007. Prof. Spyromilio’s main research interest is supernovae (exploding stars), but he has also worked on comets, brown dwarfs and other cosmic phenomena.

Dr Kathy Townsend, Moreton Bay Research Station, The University of Queensland

Moreton Bay is home to a staggering biodiversity of marine animals, including dolphins, corals, dugong and sea turtles. However, living next to Australia’s fastest growing city has its consequences for the 20,000 sea turtles who visit Moreton Bay.

In the last 20 years, floating marine debris has become an increasing concern due to the risk it presents to sea turtles. Records show that rubbish floating in the sea has caused 20% of turtle standings in Queensland by either entanglement or ingestion. However, in some areas of the world the rate is substantially higher, with up to 100% of stranded turtles containing plastics within their digestive systems.

This month, Dr Kathy Townsend from the Moreton Bay Research Station will discuss the plight of the sea turtles found in Moreton Bay and what humans can do to help.

• Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm (Doors open at 6pm)
• Venue: Long Room, Customs House at Riverside
• Refreshments: Complimentary wine and cheese will be served following the talk, and Dr Townsend  will be available to answer any questions
• Questions? Contact Andrew (a.stephenson@uq.edu.au)

Dr. Kathy Townsend is a marine biologist and the Manager of Research and Education at The University of Queensland’s, Moreton Bay Research Station (MBRS). Based on North Stradbroke Island, Kathy has been working and living on tropical research stations for over 15 years.

Kathy is a marine biologist with eclectic professional interests, which include marine ecology, animal behaviour, conservation and  human impacts on the marine environment. She has published in both international and regional journals and regularly presents at scientific conferences.

Kathy is a great believer in bridging the gap between academia and the general community. Kathy has established multiple community orientated research programmes involving scientist, industry and community contributions: recently winning the prestigious Peter Doherty Award for Science and Education in 2010.

As co-director of the Marine Pollution Research and Response Unit at UQ, Kathy is untangling the impact that discarded rubbish has on Moreton Bay’s sea turtle population. Through her work, it has been found that over 35% of the animals found within this region are dying due to eating the discarded marine rubbish. In 2009, she was awarded the prestigious Earthwatch/Goldring Marine Emerging Scientist Fellowship for her work in this area.