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Media Bulletin - 29 August 2006
In this bulletin - Going out today:
- Why can we see what our cameras can’t? - video cameras learn from insect eyes
- Coming up tomorrow:
- Creating a better leaf: re-inventing nature for cheaper solar power
- Mercury Rising! Offices to stay cool and save dollars
Also tomorrow we will announce that physics in Australia is booming and more students needed to meet demand
The stem cell debate continues. We have a guru to guide you through the science behind the debate.
Could bacteria eat through the toxic soil threatening Sydney’s Botany Bay? One of the Eureka Prize winners returns to Australia this week – he missed his moment in the spotlight last week but his story is still very topical.
Aboriginal art to get laser cleaning: Australian treasures including Aboriginal paintings and funerary poles could soon be getting a state-of-the-art clean thanks to the latest laser technology developed by the 2006 Women in Physics lecturer
Finally, if you know scientists in need of a little guidance, we are running workshops to help scientists learn to work with media.
Here are the details: _____________
Why can we see what our cameras can’t? - Video cameras learn from insect eyes
The bane of all wedding videos—that picture of the bride in front of the window where her face so dark that you can’t see the features—may soon be a thing of the past.
By mimicking how insects see, an Adelaide researcher can now produce digital videos in which you can see every detail. The technique solves a critical problem for surveillance cameras, where the clarity of images is everything.
Full story: www.scienceinpublic.com/sciencenow/2006/russell.htm
IMAGES: Russell has short videos demonstrating the difference his technology makes.
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Creating a better leaf: Re-inventing nature for cheaper solar power
A research team in Sydney has created molecules that mimic those in plants which harvest light and power life on Earth.
Full story available on embargo Tuesday 29 August 10am: www.scienceinpublic.com/sciencenow/2006fresh.htm
Also visit http://www.chem.usyd.edu.au/public/facilities/molecular_electronics. _____________
Mercury Rising! Offices to stay cool and save dollars
A research team in Sydney has developed a modified ventilation system for commercial buildings that maximises the use of any available renewable energy. They hope that the new system will reduce the consumption of mains electricity by 15 to 20%.
Full story available on embargo Tuesday 29 August 10am: www.scienceinpublic.com/sciencenow/2006fresh.htm
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Physics in Australia booming - more students needed to meet demand
Students looking for wide career opportunities, good pay and a chance to be at the cutting edge of discovery should enrol in a university physics course.
That’s the message from David Jamieson, President of the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP), who is keen to attract tomorrow’s university students into physics.
“Physics in Australia is booming,” says Jamieson. “We have an unprecedented number of very high profile projects in Australia with physics at their core.” _____________
Aboriginal art to get laser cleaning
Australian treasures including Aboriginal paintings and funerary poles could soon be getting a state-of-the-art clean thanks to the latest laser technology.
Deb Kane, professor in the physics department at Macquarie University in Sydney, is using short pulsed lasers to clean contaminants from the surface of some of Australia’s unique heritage.
She’s on a national tour promoting women in physics, at a time when physics is booming, and industry is desperate to attract more physicists.
This year’s Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) ‘Women in Physics’ lecturer, Professor Kane has for some time been using lasers to clean the surface of very small objects such as optical materials.
“At the sub-micron level particles can become strongly adhered to surfaces,” says Professor Kane. “Removing such contaminants, without damaging the properties of the underlying material, can be very tricky and raises fundamental questions about how materials work at small scales.”
Now Professor Kane has won seed funding which will enable her to use her understanding of materials to help conserve Australian artwork.
Professor Kane is the tenth annual AIP Women in Physics lecturer. She will be giving a public lecture on Wednesday 23 August at the University of Melbourne in the Elizabeth Murdoch Theatre A – 6pm for 6.30 pm.
Full story: www.scienceinpublic.com ________________________
Behind the stem cell debate
Elizabeth Finkel is willing and able to guide your audience through the science behind the stem cell debat. Elizabeth’s book “Stem Cells - Controversy at the Frontiers of Science” was released by ABC Publishing last year.
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“The Oscars of science”
Twenty prizes, $200,000 for Australia’s top scientists, science leaders, educators and journalists
Over $200,000 were presented to 29 winners at the 17th annual Australian Museum Eureka Prizes dinner at Sydney’s Royal Hall of Industries on the night of Tuesday 22 August. Highlights include:
- How dirty is the bottom of the Harbour? A Sydney CSIRO team has given us the tools to provide the answer for sediment everywhere.
- Aussie snakes fight back against invading toads. Rick Shine says that snakes are tougher and more caring than we think. And they are fighting back against the cane toad invasion.
- Could a crossword a day keep dementia at bay? Michael Valenzuela’s landmark research at the University of New South Wales suggests that mental exercises in the elderly might help prevent dementia.
- Oceans model proves the value of getting the drift. Matthew England and his colleagues at the University of New South Wales have created a computer model that can reliably predict ocean circulation. And it’s already highlighting the role of ships in spreading invasive ocean pests like jellyfish.
- Animals and humans breathing easier. How toxic is the air we breathe? Traditionally, this question is answered by having animals breathe contaminated air. Now, a team led by Amanda Hayes at the University of New South Wales has found a better, more humane and cheaper way to test for toxicity, by using human lung cells growing on a membrane.
- Spooky action guarantees unbreakable quantum code. Researchers at the University of Queensland and the Australian National University have created a new way of encrypting information using quantum physics.
- From astrophysics to successful drug company. In 1988 Graeme Blackman listed the Institute of Drug Technology (IDT) on the Australian Stock Exchange. Today, IDT Australia employs over 200 people and exports active pharmaceutical ingredients to some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies.
- Harnessing bugs to clean up Australia. Mike Manefield is intent upon cleaning up Australia–with the help of hungry bacteria with an insatiable appetite for hydrocarbons. Our pollution problem is their breakfast.
- Scientist’s leadership drives Qld biotech revolution. In less than 20 years John Mattick has helped transform biotechnology in Queensland, leading to the creation of a series of institutes, while also pursuing his own investigations into the role of so-called junk DNA and non-coding RNA.
Full press releases are available online.
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