The Australian Institute of Physics News

2026 AIP Awards - nominations extended to 8 April

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Nominations are now open for the 2026 AIP Awards, celebrating excellence across research, leadership, education, communication and service to physics in Australia.

Senior Research Awards

Walter Boas Medal
Harrie Massey Medal and Prize (biennial)
Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry (biennial)

Early Career & Student Awards

Ruby Payne-Scott Award for Excellence in Early-Career Research
Bragg Gold Medal
TH Laby Medal

Service, Leadership, Communication & Education Awards

AIP Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia
Women in Leadership Medal (biennial)
AIP Women in Physics Lecturer
Physics Communication Award (biennial)
AIP Education Medal (biennial)

Help recognise the researchers, educators, communicators and leaders shaping Australia’s physics community.

Nominations must be submitted online.

The 2026 closing date has been extended to 8 April. Please note that no further extensions will be given.

International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition for high school and university students

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 01:29:26 GMT

The International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition is an educational science competition that enables students from all countries to test their skills in astronomy and astrophysics. Participants can receive certificates, awards, cash prizes, and global recognition.

This year’s awards include telescopes signed by astronaut Frank De Winne and Nobel Prize laureates François Englert, Gerard 't Hooft, Michel Mayor, and Didier Queloz.

The submission deadline for this year's Qualification Round is Sunday, 17 April 2026.

More information

Call for nominations: Join the DEGAP committee to contribute to a more inclusive physics community

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) National Executive invites nominations for the Diversity and Equity Group in Australian Physics (DEGAP) committee.

As an AIP topical group, DEGAP works to strengthen Australia’s physics community by increasing the engagement of underrepresented groups. Its mission is to promote equity, advocate for members, and address barriers to career progression through cultural change and policy development.

Nominations are sought for Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary/Treasurer, as well as general committee members.

While DEGAP has historically paid particular attention to gender equity, its purpose is broader—supporting all underrepresented groups in physics, including, but not limited to, those from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, First Nations communities, LGBTQIA+ physicists, people with disabilities, and those across varied career paths.

Serving on the committee offers the opportunity to shape initiatives, influence change, and contribute to a more inclusive and representative physics community.

Expressions of interest and informal enquiries are welcome.

Thank you for supporting a more inclusive future for physics.

AIP National Executive

executive@aip.org.au

Women in Condensed Matter Physics Award (WiCMP) at Wagga/AC2MP 2026

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 03:45:24 GMT

Wagga2026 was held jointly with the 6th Asia‑Pacific Conference on Condensed Matter Physics (AC2MP2026) as Wagga/AC2MP 2026, a residential meeting at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga (9–13 February 2026). The combined event brought together over 100 researchers from Australia and abroad.

With support from Professor Yun Liu (ANU) through the ARC Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship the Organising Committee launched the Women in Condensed Matter Physics Award (WiCMP). The award supported women PhD students and women early‑career researchers (within five years post‑PhD, with career interruptions considered) by covering full residential registration (including accommodation and meals) within the overall funding cap; seven awardees were supported.

Awsaf AlSulami (University of Melbourne) wrote: “The meeting also enabled me to network with researchers across Australia and internationally, including participants from Taiwan, China, and Japan. I particularly appreciated meeting many more women in the field than I would typically encounter in my day-to-day academic environment.”

Hanh Duong (CSIRO) similarly emphasised the value of connection and collaboration: “One of the most rewarding aspects of attending Wagga/AC2MP was the opportunity to connect with both established researchers and early-career scientists. I had several productive discussions that may lead to future collaborations, particularly in the areas of superconducting device fabrication and quantum sensing applications.”

The WiCMP award proved to be a valuable initiative, helping to lower barriers to participation and strengthen pathways for women HDR and early-career researchers. We sincerely thank the ARC Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship scheme for making this inaugural award possible.

Recipients of the Women in Condensed Matter Physics Award: pictured above, left to right: Hanh Duong, Awsaf AlSulami, Qurat Ul Ain, Simone Cunzolo, Maria Sanchez, Juliana Avtarovski, and Lei Chen.

Wagga 2027

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 19:52:38 GMT

The annual AIP Condensed Matter and Materials Conference, colloquially known as “Wagga”, has been held most Februarys since 1977. While usually held in Wagga Wagga Australia, it has travelled to New Zealand as recently as 2020.

The 49^th Wagga will be held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland from 8-12 February 2027. It will be held in conjunction with the 12th International Conference on Advanced Materials & Nanotechnology (AMN12) hosted by the MacDiarmid Institute. Wagga 2027 will bring condensed matter sessions and the great tradition of a trivia night to Auckland.

Roughly 420 people attended AMN11 in 2025. Abstract submissions will close 23 August 2026. Save the date for the 49^th Wagga meeting!

More information is to come on the CMM website and the AMN website.

How Australia’s investment in research and infrastructure is forging global quantum leadership

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:14:18 GMT

Australia’s emergence as a global leader in quantum technology is the result of sustained investment in both fundamental research and the national research infrastructure needed to translate theory into real-world capability.

Over the past two decades, the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) has played a central role by funding specialised facilities, data platforms and expert staff that enable scientists and industry to work at the cutting edge of discovery and innovation. From quantum computers to advanced sensors and medical imaging, these capabilities are helping transform scientific breakthroughs into sovereign commercial technologies.

Across the country, NCRIS-supported infrastructure underpins quantum innovation. Researchers are developing silicon and diamond-based quantum computers, precision atomic clocks for navigation without GPS, and next-generation medical technologies such as portable brain scanners and improved diagnostic imaging. Facilities such as the Australian National Fabrication Facility, Heavy Ion Accelerators, Microscopy Australia, and the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre provide the specialised equipment and expertise required to fabricate quantum devices, analyse materials at atomic scale and integrate emerging technologies with advanced computing.

This national ecosystem, linking universities, infrastructure providers and industry, has enabled Australia to move rapidly from theoretical research to commercial innovation. Companies such as Silicon Quantum Computing, Diraqand Quantum Brilliance have grown from this environment, attracting international investment and partnerships. As quantum technologies expand into navigation, healthcare and secure communications, sustained support for NCRIS infrastructure will remain critical to maintaining Australia’s leadership in the quantum era.

Read the full article from NCRIS.

Invitation to participate: Survey on lived experiences of women doctoral candidates in Physics programs in Austalia

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 02:23:49 GMT

Dr Jessy Abraham (Western Sydney University) and Associate Professor Helen Georgiou (University of Wollongong), are currently conducting a research study exploring the lived experiences of women doctoral candidates in Physics programs in Australia.

The study is open to participants who:

Are currently enrolled in a PhD program in Physics or a closely related field (e.g., Astronomy, Biophysics, interdisciplinary Physics)
Are enrolled at an Australian university or research centre
Self-identify as women

The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Ethics approval has been obtained from Western Sydney University (Approval Number: 16165), and all data will be handled in accordance with institutional research ethics guidelines.

More Information

IUPAP prizes and medals 2026

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:23:28 GMT

Nominations are open for the following awards by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics:

2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Computational Physics
2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in the field of Symbols, Units, Nomenclature, Atomic Masses and Fundamental Constants
ICPE Medal – C14 for contributions to physics education should have extended over a considerable number of years;
Sunamco Medal – C2 to recognise senior persons or laboratories for outstanding contributions in physics

Find out more at IUPAP Calls for Nominations.

Wagga-AC2MP2026 Meeting wrap up

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:12:36 GMT

The 48^th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Conference (known as the Wagga meeting) in conjunction with the 6^th Asia-Pacific Conference on Condensed Matter Physics (known as AC2MP) was held as a residential conference at the Charles Sturt University campus, Wagga Wagga NSW, from 9^th to 13^th February. The conference attracted around 110 delegates including trade exhibitors. This included international researchers from twelve countries (Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, India, Hong Kong, China and Bangladesh, UK, Germany, USA, and NZ), plus Australian-based scientists from all states and territories except WA and TAS.

The scientific program for the week encompassed 70 talks including five plenaries, plus 30 posters accompanied by two invigorating poster slam sessions. Topics covered included superconductivity, magnetism, ferroelectrics, 2D, topological, amorphous and nano materials, devices and fabrication, as well as aspects of spectroscopy. On the social side, Wagga-AC2MP 2026 featured activities such as the trivia night, wine tasting, plus excursions to the local Halocell photovoltaic manufacturing facility, Wagga zoo and botanic gardens… and endless rounds of table tennis on the patio (a professor emeritus from Los Alamos National Lab was a particularly strong player). To cap the week off, there was the conference dinner. Dr Zoe Burdikis (an Aussie condensed matter alumna who studied at UWA) from Nature Publishing gave an entertaining after-dinner speech titled The whys and hows of scientific publishing, which prompted a very lively Q&A!

The condensed matter community came together over lunch for a wonderful careers panel discussion, which featured speakers working in academia, scientific instrumentation, vacuum science and technology, photovoltaics, and scientific publishing. Furthermore, around a dozen early-career researchers and students were supported to attend the conference with thanks to the ARC Georgina Sweet Laureate Fellowship, the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies Division of Condensed Matter Physics, and the Australian Academy of Science Theo Murphy Amplify Initiative. The organising committee would like to thank all sponsors and supporters of Wagga-AC2MP 2026: it was a fantastic week of physics and materials science! A more detailed report on this successful event will be published in future editions of Australian Physics and the DCMP Newsletter.

Australian-based names among the international Quantum 100

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 23:02:33 GMT

At the end of 2025, the Quantum 100 list was announced. This was one of the last activities by the international steering committee of Unesco’s International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

According to their website: “Representing people at every stage of their professional journey, the Quantum 100 spans academia, industry, education, art, culture, journalism, and policy, reflecting a breadth of skills and specialization.”

The list promotes the wide range of jobs related to quantum science, including intellectual property lawyers, education specialists, technologists, engineers and researchers.

The Australian Institute of Physics congratulates the many physicists in the Quantum 100 on their important honour.

People on the Quantum 100 list that are based in Australia include:

Kerstin Beer, Macquarie University – quantum neural networks researcher; rural outreach expert

Michael Biercuk, Q-CTRL – CEO and founder of company with quantum navigation applications

Andrew Dzurak, Diraq – founder and CEO of quantum computing company

Lachlan Rogers, University of Newcastle – quantum diamonds researcher and lecturer; Clear As Quantum podcaster

Jacquiline Romero, University of Queensland – quantum entanglement academic; diversity champion

Image: Dr Lachlan Rogers speaking to a sell-out crowd during National Science Week 2025 (Newcastle, NSW).

Invitation to support UK particle and high-energy theory research

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:59:55 GMT

On behalf of colleagues in UK particle and high-energy theory, we invite members of the Australian Institute of Physics to consider supporting an open letter to UK ministers and funding bodies urging reconsideration of government funding decisions affecting particle physics, astrophysics and nuclear physics - significant cuts are anticipated.

The reductions would affect the full spectrum of the field, from collider phenomenology and cosmology to astroparticle physics and formal string theory. You can view and sign the open letter here.

Call for Nominations - 2027 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Mathematical Physics

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:19:34 GMT

IUPAP Commission C18 (Mathematical Physics) calls for nominations for the IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize, formerly known as Young Scientist Prize, in Mathematical Physics.

The prize recognizes exceptional achievements in mathematical physics by scientists at relatively early stages of their careers. It is awarded triennially to at most three young scientists satisfying the following criteria:

• The recipients of the awards in a given year should have a maximum of 8 years of research experience (excluding career interruptions) following their PhD on January 1 of that year (in this case that is 2027).

• The recipients should have performed original work of outstanding scientific quality in mathematical physics.

• Preference may be given to young mathematical physicists from underrepresented groups and geographical regions.

The awards will be presented at the ICMP in August 2027 in Da Nang (Vietnam). A nomination should include a brief description of the achievements of the candidate that support the nomination, a CV, and a list of publications (or current links to that information online).

The deadline for nominations is October 15, 2026.

More information

Deadline extended - IUPAP C11 Early Career Scientist Prize - Nominations for 2026

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:15:01 GMT

The 2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize has been extended to March 1st, 2026, at 12:00 PM CET. Please submit nominations to https://iupap-ecsp.desy.de/

The Commission on Particles and Fields (C11) of IUPAP solicits nominations of outstanding young experimental or theoretical particle physicists for the two 2026 Early Career Scientist Prizes.

The prizes, each consisting of an IUPAP medal and a cash (CHF1000) award, will be presented at the 43rd International Conference on High Energy Physics, Natal, Brazil, on July 30th - August 5th, 2026.

Candidates for the prize should have a maximum of 8 years of research experience (excluding career interruptions) following the PhD.

Nominations for the IUPAP Particles and Fields Early Career Scientist Prizes:

• can be made by experimental or theoretical particle physicists who know the work of the nominee well and include a citation statement.

• should consist of a minimum of two and a maximum of three letters explaining the nominee's qualifications and scientific achievements, a complete CV, and a list of publications. In addition, if the nominee is a member of a large international experiment with a long list of publications signed by all or a large part of the collaboration, a list of up to 20 papers that demonstrate the work the candidate has done either as a leader or strong participant should be provided.

• must include a proposed award citation of 50 words or fewer describing the contributions of the nominee.

Recipients of IUPAP Awards are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Nominators should include a statement saying that, to the best of their knowledge, there are no concerns that IUPAP should be aware of regarding the nominee satisfying this expectation.

Nominations for the David Syme Research Prize are now open

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:06:45 GMT

Nominations are now invited for the 2025 David Syme Research Prize. The Australia-wide prize recognises the best original research in Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Geology produced* in Australia during the past two years (1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025).

*Produced – e.g. published, received patents

The David Syme Research Prize is managed by the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne.

Summary details are:

Value: approx. $10,000, and a medal

Closing date: 30 April 2026

The prize is made by nomination only. Senior members of the academic or research community such as co-authors or co-researchers, heads of department or deputy vice-chancellors (research) are invited to nominate eligible colleagues. Self-nominations are not accepted.
Researchers associated with any Australian university and researchers without university connections are eligible for nomination, noting that the following are not eligible:

- Professors or researchers who will have attained the position of professor at the time the award is made;

- Researchers outside universities who will have attained a level of seniority comparable to a university professor at the time the award is made (LEVEL E);

- Researchers who have not spent the equivalent of at least 5 full years of the last 7 in Australia.

The award is made on the basis of the research quality within the discipline and its likely impact and value in the industrial and commercial interests of Australia.

Full details and the nomination form are available at: https://ricunimelb.smartygrants.com.au/DS25

Enquiries should be directed to: science-research@unimelb.edu.au

For a list of past recipients please visit: https://science.unimelb.edu.au/research/awards-grants-and-support#david-syme-research-prize

Nuclear and Particle Physics Summer School

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:59:02 GMT

Over 50 postgraduate students from nuclear and particle physics came together in January for the NUPP Postgraduate Summer School, which returned to the AIP events schedule for the first time in two decades. Hosted at the UNSW Kensington campus, with thanks to the UNSW Nuclear Innovation Centre as Platinum Sponsor. Students attended a week‑long program of lectures and workshops delivered by Australian experts across topics in theory, experiment, technology and simulations.

As part of the program, participants also travelled to ANSTO for an immersive full‑day excursion that showcased some of Australia’s world-class nuclear technology. Guided by the ANSTO Discovery Centre team, students toured major facilities including the OPAL reactor, Mo-99 Manufacturing Facility, Neutron Scattering Hall and Centre for Accelerator Science. The visit offered a rare behind‑the‑scenes look at how large‑scale nuclear capabilities support research, medicine and industry nationwide.

Beyond the classroom, the summer school focused on fostering a strong sense of community. Students networked with peers from institutions across the country, exchanged research ideas, and met with early career researchers and established leaders in the field. Social events, including a welcome reception and a student‑led poster session, created an inclusive environment that encouraged collaboration and future research partnerships.

The successful return of the NUPP Postgraduate Summer School highlights the growing momentum of Australia’s nuclear and particle physics community and its commitment to supporting the next generation of researchers.

Image credit: Georgia Barrington-Smith, Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Call for Nominations – Join the AIP Executive!

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The AIP Executive is seeking enthusiastic members to join our leadership team. We’re currently seeking to fill the role of Honorary National Secretary.

The Honorary Secretary helps guide the AIP’s strategic direction and is a company Director of the AIP. Supported by our Operations Manager, who oversees day-to-day tasks such as membership queries, this role involves coordinating executive and branch meetings including the annual Council meeting and Annual General Meeting (AGM), managing governance reporting, and liaising with key partners such as STA, AAS, IUPAP and AAPPS. Whilst the Secretary role does not have a constitutionally limited tenure, it is expected that secretaries will usually perform this role for around 2-3 years.

If you’d like to make a difference and help shape the future of physics in Australia, we’d love to hear from you!

Submit your nomination or expression of interest (with a brief statement about your background and motivation) to executive@aip.org.au by COB Friday 13 February.

The AIP Executive

Poster abstracts and travel awards for Wagga/AC2MP 2026

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:37:35 GMT

The poster abstract submission deadline has been extended to 5 December 2025.
There is still time to submit your abstracts for the 48th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting (CMM) and the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Condensed Matter Physics (AC2MP), taking place 9–13 February 2026 at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW.

We are pleased to share that AC2MP2026 presentation awards will be offered. Outstanding presentations by students and young researchers will receive an AC2MP Award, which includes a certificate and a travel award (AUD 200–500). Young researchers are strongly encouraged to participate.

The Wagga/AC2MP 2026 organising committee now have some travel grants and ECR scholarships available! Please find the details, eligibility criteria and application forms at this website: https://www.aip.org.au/CMM-scholarships The closing date for applications is 15th December.

The list of plenary and invited speakers is now available on the conference website, featuring leading researchers from across Australia, New Zealand, and the broader Asia–Pacific region.

Early-bird registration is open until 31 December 2025

Speakers, registration & abstract submission: www.aip.org.au/CMM-Conference

The future of Australian physics: Summer Meeting forum

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 01:00:43 GMT

The recent downsizing of physics departments at universities and national labs is a concerning trend with some universities reducing or removing physics education entirely.

We want to hear your ideas at the Summer Meeting on how physics may be recognised for its critical importance to Australia today and into the future.

Students, schoolteachers, academics, and industry partners are encouraged to engage in this conversation. The ‘Future of Australian Physics’ forum will be hosted by Prof Martin White, University of Adelaide, on 2 December at the Summer Meeting. Read more.

If your group would like to arrange a lunchtime meeting (e.g. your topical group AGM), please email the organisers with your preferred day and expected number of participants by 15 November to secure a room.

UWA undergrad designs more efficient quantum state preparation

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:55:18 GMT

Josh Green was presented the 2025 Thomas H Laby award for his thesis addressing the challenge of encoding information in the amplitudes of quantum systems.

He explored how tensor networks and machine learning can help prepare these quantum states efficiently.

Josh received his prize from Ben Travaglione, WA Branch Chair, at a recent Centre for Quantum Information, Simulation and Algorithms (QUISA) meeting before moving to the UK for a Masters in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at the University of Cambridge.

Josh was a research associate at QUISA.

The other AIP 2025 awards will be presented at the Summer Meeting in Wollongong on 3 December.

The QUISA meeting where Josh Green was presented his Thomas H Laby award.

Wagga2026-AC2MP2026 —Abstract Deadline Extended & Registration Open

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 02:49:38 GMT

Registration is now open for the 48th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting (CMM), co-hosted with the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Condensed Matter Physics (AC2MP). The meeting will be held from 9–13 February 2026 at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW.

This year’s joint meeting will bring together Australia’s condensed matter and materials physics community with colleagues from across the Asia-Pacific region for five days of science, networking, and collaboration — in true Wagga style!

Key Updates:

Abstract submission deadline extended to 15 November 2025
Registration now open

Submit your abstract and register here: www.aip.org.au/CMM-Conference

Propel: Australian Submarine Scholarship Program — Applications now open

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 02:14:31 GMT

Applications for the 2026 Propel program are currently open Propel will award 3,000 two-year undergraduate scholarships, providing students with access to education and career opportunities associated with AUKUS.

Propel provides:  

Financial support to study tertiary studies in priority STEM subjects
Connections and engagement with students, the Australian Submarine Agency, and the Nuclear Powered Submarine enterprise
Awareness of ASA and Defence entry-level workforce programs

Applicants are required to meet three eligibility criteria:  

Be enrolled as a domestic student at an Australian university. 
Be studying one or more STEM bachelor (undergraduate) degrees, as listed in the application guidelines.
Have at least 2 years of full-time or equivalent study remaining in their degree.

Applications close at 11:59am (AEDT) Monday 10 November 2025.

More information

AMSI Female Specialist Maths High School Scholarships available - closes 14 November

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 02:07:08 GMT

The AMSI Female Specialist Maths Scholarships for 2026/7 are now open to current year 10 female students Australia-wide, who intend to study Specialist Maths in year 11 in 2026 and year 12 in 2027.

This program aims to address the persistently low participation rates of female students in specialist mathematics by providing these scholars with vital resources and mentoring support. Scholarships are for two-years (valued at $3000 per year).

Closing at midnight, Friday 14 November 2025.

Learn more and apply

Student travel awards for Summer Meeting

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:59:18 GMT

The AIP is offering a limited number of travel awards for students presenting papers at the Summer Meeting in Wollongong in December. Read more and apply by 31 October.

The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) are also sponsoring flights for students to attend the meeting. Apply by 9 October.

The presentation types have now been allocated and the early bird registration has been extended to 9 October to accommodate this.

Each university may nominate one student to compete for the NSW Branch 2025 Annual Postgraduate Awards held at the AIP Summer Meeting on 3 December. Students will make a 20-minute presentation on their physics research. Two $500 prizes are available. Nominate by 11 October.

2026 CSIRO Alumni Scholarship in Physics – open for applications

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:31:05 GMT

Applications are now open for the 2026 CSIRO Alumni Scholarship in Physics.

The $6,000 travel scholarship aims to connect the brightest young physicists or mathematicians to a leading research centre overseas or in Australia.

Research in physics and mathematics is fundamental for Australia’s future. The founders of this scholarship know that early experience in leading overseas laboratories greatly benefits the graduate embarking on a research career and Australian science.

Applications close: Friday 28 November 2025

Apply Now

Read about our former winners

Wagga2026 – AC2MP2026 — Registration Opens 20 October

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:24:14 GMT

Registration opens 20 October 2025 for the 48th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting (CMM), co-hosted with the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Condensed Matter Physics (AC2MP). The meeting will be held 9–13 February 2026 at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW.

Known as “Wagga,” this flagship meeting brings together the condensed matter and materials physics community — and in 2026 will also welcome colleagues from across the Asia-Pacific region.

Key Dates

Abstract submissions close: 1 November 2025
Registration opens: 20 October 2025
Registration closes: 8 December 2025

Expect an exciting scientific program plus socials in true Wagga style, including wine tasting, a trivia night, and a site visit to Halocell Energy.

Details, abstract submission, and registration: www.aip.org.au/CMM-Conference

AIP expresses concerns about proposed changes to Physics at the University of Newcastle

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:13:07 GMT

The AIP has expressed their deep concerns to the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle (UON) about proposed changes which would see Physics removed as a stand-alone discipline at UON.

Our Open Letter to Prof. Alex Zelinsky AO, UON Vice-Chancellor and President, is available to read here.

For further information, please contact the AIP Special Project Officer for Advocacy, Prof. Stephen Rachel.

AIP Summer Meeting - Student Travel Awards close 31 October

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 05:28:39 GMT

Applications for AIP Student Travel Awards to attend the 2025 AIP Summer Meeting are now open. To apply, you must have been a financial member of the AIP for at least six months prior to the application deadline. Applicants must be presenting a paper (oral or poster) at the Summer Meeting.

Applications close on 31 October 2025.

More Information

Please note that travel grants are not available to (free) Student Associates. Join or upgrade to full membership now to ensure that you are eligible for support to attend future events. Financial members of the AIP are also eligible for discounted registration to AIP events, receive physical copies of Australian Physics magazine, voting rights and many other member benefits.

Join or upgrade

Long-term decline in high school physics participation: Year 12 Physics Participation Report Card

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 23:24:59 GMT

The 2025 Year 12 Physics Participation Report Card, released today by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) and the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP), reveals a long-term decline in secondary school physics participation across Australia, and persistent gender gaps.

Key findings:

The proportion of students studying physics at Year 12 level has dropped to 12.1%, the lowest level recorded.
Male and female participation in physics have both declined. Over the period 2015 – 2023, male participation declined from 23.5% to 18.9%, while female participation declined from 7.0% to just 5.8%.
No progress has been made in closing gender gaps. One quarter of Year 12 physics students are female, a ratio which has remained unchanged for many years.

These concerning trends mirror patterns observed in Year 12 advanced-level mathematics, which is of foundational importance for the physical sciences.

Physics underpins occupations as diverse as engineering, defence, finance, healthcare and advanced computing, and helps develop critical analytical and problem-solving skills. The ongoing decline in Year 12 physics participation is expected to exacerbate skills shortages in areas essential for Australia’s economy.

Media release: https://www.aip.org.au/resources/Documents/Advocacy/Y12_Physics_report_media_release.pdf

Full report: https://www.aip.org.au/resources/Documents/Advocacy/year-12-participation-physics-2025.pdf

Accelerating science (and everything else) with AI

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 04:42:53 GMT

Toby Walsh to give public lecture at the Summer Meeting.

Laureate Fellow and AI author, Scientia Professor Toby Walsh, will be giving the public lecture for the AIP’s Summer Meeting in Wollongong. Walsh will be presenting on the impact that AI will have on future science research. Please share widely and register for this free public event here.

The Summer Meeting will be held from 1 to 5 December. Early bird registration has been extended until 24 September. Before registering, check out the “choose your own adventure” options for Wednesday 3 December. They include a visit to ANSTO, a physics in industry day, and a grant writing workshop.

Call for articles from Year 12 students for Australian Physics magazine

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 04:34:05 GMT

The AIP publishes one or two outstanding Year 12 articles in the final issue of Australian Physics each year.

If you know a Year 12 physics student, please encourage them to submit an engaging research article or essay that demonstrates excellent critical thinking and research skills. One will be published in the Oct-Dec 2025 edition.

For more info or to submit an article, please contact the editors by 19 September: editors@aip.org.au

The AIP is also offering free back issues of Australian Physics magazine to schoolteachers who wish to recognise and reward students who excel in or are passionate about physics. Read more.

AIP members can contribute a technical article to Australian Physics any time of the year by emailing editors@aip.org.au.

Image: CC0 from https://www.maxpixel.net/Education-School-Physics-Student-Mathematics-Learn-1996845

AIP expresses deep concern about suspension of enrolments into the Physics Major at University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 02:41:30 GMT

The AIP has expressed their deep concerns to the Vice-Chancellor of UTS regarding the news that the leadership of UTS has temporarily suspended enrolments into the Physics major in the Bachelor of Science.

Our Open Letter to Prof. Andrew Parfitt, UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, is available to read here.

For further information, please contact the AIP Special Project Officer for Advocacy, Prof. Stephen Rachel.

COMBS Summer Internships Program open for applications

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:28:18 GMT

The COMBS Summer Internship Program is now open! This is a six-week paid internship for Australian and New Zealand second or third year Undergraduate students in physics, engineering, science or other relevant disciplines.

Students have the opportunity to work in the labs of our researchers for six weeks for AUD$750 per week
The internship will end with a fully paid, two-day program for all the interns in Sydney at the end of the summer
Applications close: Friday 22nd August 2025

More Information

Watch our video from our 2024/2025 interns here.

Lasers, Legacy and a Life-Long Love: The Donna Strickland National Tour

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 02:59:09 GMT

Article written by Gabrielle Green, UNSW.

A love of learning and a strong sense of belonging at school shaped Professor Donna Strickland’s extraordinary career. Decades later, her pioneering work in laser physics earned her a Nobel Prize and, more recently, brought her to Australia for a national speaking tour. This was part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, energising the physics community and audiences in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Sydney.

The tour’s venues were as distinguished as our guest speaker, ranging from Melbourne’s iconic Capitol Theatre and Canberra’s Shine Dome to the State Library of Queensland and UNSW’s Leighton Hall. Each city hosted a public evening lecture alongside student-focused daytime events, including a digital poster session in Brisbane, Q&A panels in Sydney and Melbourne, and a fireside chat for early-career researchers at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Across the country, students and audiences alike were encouraged to embrace curiosity and pursue their passion for physics. They were reminded that with perseverance and perhaps a little luck, they too could one day follow in Professor Strickland’s footsteps.

The Scientist

At age ten, Donna Strickland’s father took her to see a laser. “It is the way of the future,” he said. Whether that early experience was the defining moment is uncertain; however, Professor Strickland found maths enjoyable, physics a natural progression, and once she entered the laser labs at the University of Rochester, there was no turning back

During her PhD in Professor Gérard Mourou’s lab, Professor Strickland developed chirped pulse amplification (CPA), a technique that packs petawatts of power into laser pulses less than a femtosecond in length, which is a millionth, billionth of a second. In the following decades, CPA opened up new frontiers in a huge range of applications, from laser eye surgery to materials processing and earned Professor Strickland and her supervisor, Professor Morou, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Chirped Amplification

The development of Professor Strickland’s doctoral research on CPA was a three-page paper titled ‘Compression of amplified chirped optical pulses’ and published in Optics Communications, 56, 3 (1985). It would go on to make history. At the Australian National University, students were given a copy as a reminder that a short, well-executed paper can have a lasting impact.

A popular question during the tour was: ‘Why chirped? What does ‘chirped’ in CPA refer to?’ As Professor Strickland explained on stage at Melbourne’s Capitol Theatre, ‘chirped’ is a playful way of describing ‘stretched.’ The term evokes the changing pitch of a bird’s song and has since become widely adopted in physics.

“When we hear a bird chirp, it is producing a burst of sound, the pitch of which changes from the start of the sound to the end.”

CPA enabled scientists to expand the understanding of how light interacts with matter, which laid the foundation for a new era in physics. Just as lasers transform manufacturing, imaging, and our manipulation of the physical world, quantum technologies promise to revolutionise how we compute, communicate, and measure.

It is an evolution of the same spirit of discovery that CPA exemplified. Professor Strickland’s reflections resonated strongly with audiences during her tour as part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. They were not just learning about the impact of her past research; they were directed to think about what is next.

Professor Strickland carefully balanced the promise of new technologies with a caution that overhype and underdelivering in science can harm and undermine public trust. “A general public audience can interpret a prediction of results as a promise, and it does the field no favours”.

While speaking to Tegan Taylor at Leighton Hall, UNSW’s Centre for Ideas, Professor Strickland argued that “One of the things we do wrong is overhype, or with AI, it’s not just overhyping, it’s over-scaring,” she continued. “We shouldn’t do either of those things. We need to be careful about how we communicate the implications of science.”

Doing What You Love

While Professor Strickland’s reception across Australia was met with excitement, her reflections on her remarkable achievement often turned to something quieter: a lifelong love of learning, the joy of being in the lab, and the importance of simply doing what you love.

“I liked being in school (university),” she said. “Lasers were just fun.” That sense of excitement that first sparked when she saw a laser lab has never left her. It’s exactly what she passed on to the students, researchers, and enthusiasts she met during the Australian Institute of Physics National Tour.

Professor Strickland now travels between stages and VIP events. She describes herself as someone who prefers solving puzzles in a lab to being in the spotlight. The overnight transition from academic to public figure was, as she put it, overwhelming. She frequently recalled the absurdity of her dinner plans becoming newsworthy from the day following her Nobel Prize announcement.

She remains grateful for the recognition the Prize brought. In her Nobel Lecture, which was delivered to the public in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and a final student group at the University of Sydney, she not only credited her collaborators but highlighted the many researchers whose work deserved equal attention. Not everyone who achieves remarkable research can win a Nobel Prize, and as she discussed at her first student Q&A held at RMIT, luck played a role in placing her on that stage.

But what does remarkable research combined with luck bring? In Professor Strickland’s case, it meant not just global recognition but a complete shift in her career. The Nobel Prize opened doors to speaking engagements, formal events, and unexpected meetings, from prime ministers to pop stars. Yet, behind the glamour lies a demanding schedule, long flights, packed itineraries, and a life increasingly removed from the lab. The transition from researcher to public figure is a reward, but it comes at a cost. Still, through it all, Professor Strickland’s enthusiasm for her work remains the consistent theme of her speaking tour.

Physicists in the Spotlight

The excitement surrounding her visit was evident at every event. High school and university students, researchers, and members of the general public asked to take selfies and questions, many left momentarily tongue-tied in her presence. A reminder that even the most accomplished among us are still capable of being starstruck, and better yet, it can be achieved by a physicist.

Consistent themes emerged through question times. How can physics be thought of as a career? Her response was along the lines of, “Growing up, all the exciting role models were either doctors or lawyers,”. There was little else on television to suggest alternative careers. Ignoring the pressure, Professor Strickland stayed in school to do what she loved in a place she loved to be.

Somewhat reluctantly, Professor Strickland acknowledged the positive influence of the popular television series The Big Bang Theory. While the show still portrayed scientists as geeks, she noted, it at least brought physicists into the mainstream spotlight.

Donna herself doesn’t identify as a geek and actively challenges the stereotype that science is only for the nerdy.

The Legacy

How did Professor Strickland find her way to Australia for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology? The short answer: volunteers. Her visit was made possible by the dedicated efforts of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology Executive Committee, in partnership with the Australian Institute of Physics, Science in Public, researchers, and professional staff from universities and Centres of Excellence nationally.

What began as two lectures for the University of Sydney’s Harry Messel International Science School quickly grew to six, and one city became four. The conversations, collaborations formed, and inspiration ignited remind us of what is possible when science is shared openly and with passion. Watching this tour unfold, it became clear how a Nobel Prize can energise an entire community.

Donna Strickland’s visit didn’t just bring a Nobel Laureate to our stages; it brought the physics community together. Her infectious narrative became a catalyst for others to share their own stories.

This tour has offered a rare view of how science and celebrity may intersect. A Nobel Prize shifts researchers into the public eye, and Professor Donna Strickland spoke about her hope that more public figures, particularly athletes, might one day discuss the science of their field. Bringing science into everyday conversations is key to changing how it is perceived. Even when limited to lecture halls and universities, her visibility had the power to shift perceptions. Still, she acknowledges the limits of what she alone can achieve and hopes to encourage more people to see science as something they too can be part of.

That first glimpse of the fun she could have in a laser lab built a career. Decades later, she continues to inspire, not only through her pioneering research but through the worldwide curiosity to meet a Nobel Laureate. Professor Donna Strickland brings conversations and a sense of wonder wherever she goes.

Acknowledgements

Now that the tour has concluded, it is important to acknowledge that none of this would have been possible without the support of our National Tour Partner, Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). From the outset, DSTG has been a strong supporter of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology through the Australian Institute of Physics. This partnership has brought science to audiences across Australia.

The dedication of our organising partners in each state, the Australian Academy of Science, RMIT University, the University of New South Wales, the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC) and networking partner Quantum Australia. Their collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of the tour and enabled the scale of impact we were able to achieve.

During The Australian Institute of Physics, Professor Donna Strickland’s National Tour for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology:

1,475 attended a lecture either in-person or online
8 participating universities
6 lectures, 1 livestreamed
4 breakout student events
2 sold-out venues - Melbourne and Sydney
1 Nobel Laureate

Announcing the 2025 AIP Awards

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 02:54:09 GMT

Congratulations to the following members who have been recognised with AIP Awards for outstanding accomplishments in research.

Prof Yuerui Lu (The Australian National University) has been awarded the Walter Boas Medal for making remarkable contributions to the development of novel optoelectronic and quantum photonic devices based on two-dimensional quantum materials.

Dr Claudia Reyes (UNSW) has been awarded the Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence in Physics, recognising the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics or its applications by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Asteroseismology of Giant Stars”.

Dr Sam Scholten (The University of Melbourne) has been awarded the Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence in Physics, recognising the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics or its applications by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Development of Widefield Defect Microscopy with Electron Spins in Diamond and Hexagon Boron Nitride”.

Josh Green (The University of Western Australia) has been awarded the Thomas H Laby Medal, recognising the most outstanding Honours or Master’s thesis in physics by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Efficient Quantum State Preparation”.

These awards will be presented at the AIP Summer Meeting in Wollongong in December.

The Australian Institute of Physics is looking for an Event Manager

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 09:40:35 GMT

The AIP runs 3 significant conference and runs a number of other events to foster, promote and showcase Physics in Australia, including

AIP Congress (every 2 years)
AIP Summer Meeting (every 2 years)
CMM Conference (every year)
Women in Physics lecture tour, including the Marie Curie lecture series
National careers fair

This contract position will primarily co-ordinate and organise the conferences (act as PCO - professional conference organiser) on behalf of the AIP and the event organising committees.

This would be a contract position, expected to deliver high-quality conferences, events, communications and publicity.

Desired skills:

Conference and event organization
Communications
Basic finance admin
Website maintenance

To find out more, or to arrange a discussion, please contact: secretary@aip.org.au .

Open until filled.

Applications for the Enrico Fermi Fellowships (EFF) are now open!

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 01:36:16 GMT

The second call for applications for the Enrico Fermi Fellowships (EFF), managed by the Center for SpaceTime and the Quantum (CSTQ), is now open!

Application Deadline: October 19, 2025, at 23:59 Marseille (CET) time
Start date: Flexible timing between end of April 2026 and January 2027
Length: 1-2 years
Amount: up to EUR 105,000 per year
Purpose: Theory & Experiment Cross-Training in Fundamental Science
Website: cstq.org/eff

About the Enrico Fermi Fellowships: The EFF program, managed by the Center for SpaceTime and the Quantum (CSTQ) and funded by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF), supports exceptional graduate students worldwide who are interested in fundamental scientific questions and eager to work across both theoretical and experimental approaches. Fellows receive competitive funding (up to EUR 105,000 per year) for 1-2 years, including salary support, travel allowances, and research funds for supervisors, along with mentoring and networking opportunities.

Vale Emeritus Professor Ronald Bruce Gardiner FAIP (1934-2025)

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:40:27 GMT

The AIP has been informed of the passing of Em/Prof Ronald Gardiner in June. Gardiner began his academic journey in the United Kingdom, where he excelled as a pilot in the University Air Squadron.

His career led him to The University of Queensland, as a senior lecturer in physics. Gardiner worked his way up to Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) at QUT, where he pioneered Peer Assisted Study Sessions and lead the Academic Staff Development Unit.

His long and distinguished service to higher education was acknowledged with Emeritus Professor Status by the QUT board in 1996, and Fellowship of the AIP.

Read more about Gardiner’s life on page 4 of the Inside QUT newspaper.

The Gardiner family have invited the AIP community to attend Ronald’s memorial service:
11 am Friday 11 July
QUT Garden Theatre, Brisbane.
Web link for service: https://qut.zoom.us/j/82259872596?pwd=PG6TDSCojsexQeVCMHbTCFcNi6chhg.1
Password: 331 718

Physics underground: Lucas Heights tour and lecture

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:30:00 GMT

AIP members toured ANSTO’s Low-Level Radiation labs in Sydney, where A/Prof Tony Hooker gave a presentation on low-dose radiation exposure.

Tony also talked about two of the quietest places on Earth: the 1 km deep Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) in Victoria, and Canada’s 2 km deep SNOLAB. These labs are so isolated that the smallest signals can be measured as scientists search for the secrets of dark matter, develop quantum technologies, and study life in extreme environments.

The Beauty of Physics - Submit your entries now to the ACT Branch's 2025 Photography Competition

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:44 GMT

The ACT Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics is once again inviting photographers of all levels (and all branches across Australia) to participate in our photography competition celebrating the awe-inspiring beauty of physics.

Closing date is 30 September 2025. Details of how to enter are here.

Winners of the 2024 competition and descriptions of the physics behind each image are here.

Closing soon - International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition for high school and university students

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 02:49:55 GMT

The International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition is an educational astronomy competition open to students from around the world. In three rounds, students use their problem-solving skills and expand their knowledge through diverse astronomy and astrophysics problems. Since its launch in 2019, IAAC has reached over 28,000 students and involved 1,400 educators from more than 120 countries.

This year's prizes include telescopes signed by the astronaut Frank De Winne and Nobel Prize laureates François Englert, Michel Mayor, Gerard 't Hooft and Didier Queloz.

The submission deadline for this year's Qualification Round is Friday, 4 July 2025

More information

Join Prof Jagadish and Prof Angstmann at the AIP Summer Meeting

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 03:00:00 GMT

Abstract submission is open and registration will open 7 June.

The AIP has a stellar line up of plenary speakers for its Summer Meeting.

Distinguished Professor Chennupati Jagadish is the President of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and was recently elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Prof Jagadish will speak on "Semiconductor Nanostructures for Optoelectronics Applications".

Professor Elizabeth Angstmann won the Universities Australia Award for University Teaching and the Australian Institute of Physics Education Medal. This year, she has an ACDS fellowship with the project “Beyond Grades: Embracing Competency-Based Assessment for Enhanced Learning”. Prof Angstmann will present on Physics Education.

View the full list of Plenary speakers here.

Join a conversation at the teachers’ breakfast on 4 December on how collaboration between schools, universities, and the broader physics community can support and sustain student engagement in physics.

The Panellists are:

Russ Taunton, STEM Project Officer, Corrimal HS & Lake Illawarra HS & Warrawong HS. A local teacher shares insights into curriculum delivery and student engagement.

A/Prof Helen Georgiou, School of Education, University of Wollongong. An academic discusses transition challenges and outreach successes.

Georgia Watson, Coordinator of The LIFT Project, iAccelerate, University of Wollongong. A representative highlights how industry supports physics education beyond the classroom.

Read more about the AIP Summer Meeting here.

Wagga condensed matter conference joined by Asia-Pacific delegation

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 05:28:10 GMT

The Australian-New Zealand Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Conference, colloquially known as “Wagga”, has been held almost annually at the Charles Sturt University Conference Centre, Wagga Wagga, NSW, since 1977.

In February 2026, Wagga will attract an international delegation from the Asia Pacific region. Catch up and hear recent advances in condensed matter research from Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

The AIP is a member of the Association of Asia Pacific Physics Societies (AAPPS), supporting physics research and collaboration throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2021, the AIP has also had representation on the executive committee of the AAPPS subgroup, the Division of Condensed Matter Physics.

Schools exploring quantum physics this National Science Week

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 05:24:33 GMT

The school theme for National Science Week in August 2025 is ‘Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language’.

Students and teachers across Australia are invited to delve into the mysteries of the Universe by exploring the fundamental languages of nature, including mathematics and quantum science.

Aligned with Quantum Year and the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which is being hosted in Australia, this theme serves as a bridge between basic science education and the exploration of specialised topics.

“Decoding the Universe” will empower educators to inspire and engage students by exploring the mathematics and quantum science that underpin both the natural world and the modern technologies we use every day, from photosynthesis to satellite navigation.

Read more about the theme announcement here.

Download the 2025 School Resource Book of Ideas for National Science Week here.

Australian Physics magazine: The first edition of 2025

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 05:14:22 GMT

“Ocean temperatures and stored heat are rising at an accelerating rate, which cannot be explained by current climate models. However, quantum-thermal physics provides a mechanism to explain this acceleration. This mechanism predicts that the total stored heat and near surface temperatures will cease rising at ever faster rates only once the greenhouse gas content of the atmosphere stabilises.”

This is an excerpt of an article by Emeritus Professor Geoff Smith, from the University of Technology Sydney, on the quantum phenomena responsible for ocean warming. The full article appears in the next edition of Australian Physics, on its way to Member’s mailboxes next week.

The following excerpt by Professor Jared Cole, RMIT University, Associate Professor Trevor Finlayson, the University of Melbourne, and Dr Kirrily Rule, ANSTO, reflects on the status of Australian condensed matter research.

“Research in this area is recognised for its remarkable depth and breadth, driven by a strong desire to establish Australia as a major player on the global stage of cutting-edge research. This article considers some of the ingredients that are key to the success of condensed matter physics in Australia, both historically and into the future.”

Members receive the Australian Physics magazine every quarter. Join the AIP to receive this and other benefits.

Nominations for the 2025 CN Yang Award are now open

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 22:57:55 GMT

The Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) and the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP) have jointly established the AAPPS-APCTP Chen-Ning Yang Award (C.N. Yang Award) to honor young researchers with prominent research achievements and to promote the development of leaders in physics in the Asia Pacific region.

As a member society of the AAPPS, each AIP Group may make one nomination every year to this award. The deadline for nominations is 2 June 2025.

More Information

AIP Student Travel Grants - are you eligible for up to $500 in travel support?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 03:23:28 GMT

Are you planning on attending the AIP Summer Meeting this year? Join or upgrade now to ensure you are eligible for an AIP Student Travel Grant.

Higher degree students who have been financial members of the AIP for at least six months are eligible to apply for AIP Student Travel Grants of up to $500. Applicants must be presenting a paper (oral or poster) at a national or international level physics meeting in Australia and New Zealand, or an international physics meeting held outside Australasia.

More Information

Please note that travel grants are not available to free student associates. Join or upgrade to full membership now to ensure that you are eligible for support to attend the 2025 AIP Summer Meeting! Financial members of the AIP are also eligible for discounted registration to AIP events, receive physical copies of Australian Physics magazine, voting rights and many other member benefits.

Join or upgrade

FREE Back Issues of Australian Physics Magazine for Teachers and Students

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 03:00:46 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) is proud to support and inspire the next generation of physicists. We are offering FREE back issues of Australian Physics magazine to school teachers who wish to recognize and reward students excelling in or passionate about physics.

Complete your details below to have a set of FREE back issues sent to your school.

Claim your free issues here

Please note:

Open to school teachers across Australia
Your postal address must be able to receive parcels sent via Australia Post
Issues will be randomly selected based on available stock
Free issues are limited to one set/satchel per school per year

Nominate outstanding researchers and students for the 2025 AIP awards

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 01:09:14 GMT

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Walter Boas Medal, Bragg Gold Medal and Thomas H. Laby Medal.

*NOTE: The Walter Boas Medal nominations deadline has been extended to 15 April.*

The deadline for nominations is 1 April 2025. Please note that all nominations must be submitted online to the national AIP.

More information and Nomination Forms

The Walter Boas Medal is awarded for original research that makes an important contribution to physics in Australia. This prestigious award is given for research that has been carried out in Australia in the last five years. Nominations are open to current AIP members.

The Bragg Gold Medal recognises the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics by a student from an Australian University. The Thomas H Laby Medal is awarded for the best Honours or Masters thesis from an Australian university. Nominations for student awards must be submitted by the university that awarded the nominee's degree. Nominations are first assessed by the State branches, who shortlist candidates for consideration by the national level selection panel.

AIP Summer Meeting: call for speakers, sponsors & focus sessions

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 22:00:00 GMT

The 2025 AIP Summer Meeting will be held 1 to 5 December at the University of Wollongong, showcasing the work of the Australian physics community.

You are invited to submit recommendations for the following:

Plenary and invited speakers for topical groups:

Email summer-meeting-2025@aip.org.au by 5 March 2025.

Focus sessions: showcasing emerging research topics of significant interest to the Australian physics community. Your proposal can be either on a specific emerging field or incorporate multiple fields related to a common theme.

Sessions typically consist of at least 3 speakers and can include non-traditional elements such as panel or group discussions.

Email summer-meeting-2025@aip.org.au by 15 March 2025.

Please include:

Title
Abstract
Session chair/s
Potential invited speakers with an indication that you have identified speakers to ensure diversity of gender, career stage, and location within Australia
Recent scientific highlights from the potential invited speakers

Many sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are available: Download our prospectus here. Contact us here for any further information or to discuss your ideas.

Congratulations to our AIP Member survey prize winner!

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 21:39:34 GMT

Congratulations to AIP member Dr Stephen McAndrew from NSW, who has won a free 1-year membership for contributing to our recent member survey.

Our thanks to all those who participated. Your feedback is extremely valuable in helping us to improve and grow.

Although the prize draw is now closed, you can still send us your feedback until 16 March 2025.

Send us feedback

Thank you, Nicole Bell and welcome Stuart Midgley, our new AIP President

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 06:02:13 GMT

After two years as President, Professor Nicole Bell welcomed Dr Stuart Midgley into the role at the AIP’s AGM on Monday 4 Feb.

“As I reflect on my time as President, I am particularly proud of our efforts to raise the profile of the AIP, to promote the value of fundamental research, and to work in partnership with others in the STEM sector on issues of common concern.”

“It is particularly pleasing to see the AIP play a productive role in conversations on changes at the ARC, the National Science Priorities, the teaching of high school maths, and principles for international scientific collaboration.”

“I’d like to thank all members of the AIP Executive for the hard work they have put in to make this happen.”

AIP is grateful for the excellent leadership Prof Bell and the volunteer committee provided for the past two years and excited for the next chapter with Dr Midgley who, up until recently, served as Vice President of AIP.

“2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and the AIP is leading the charge in Australia. We are well placed to take advantage of this next quantum revolution and the AIP plans to highlight the wonderful research, industry and enthusiasm for quantum in Australia.”

I encourage all members and physicists to hold, promote and engage with events around the country and help communities start their quantum journey,” said Dr Midgley

See all current committee members here.

Quantum explained: Cosmos challenge

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 02:30:00 GMT

This article was first published by Cosmos.

The quantum bee’s wings and the quantum choose-your-own-adventure are the first two winning entries of the CSIRO’s Double Helix Extra, Cosmos Magazine, and the AIP’ s challenge: Explain quantum physics to kids aged 12-14.

The judges looked for two main qualities in the entries: scientific accuracy and the ability to engage a young audience.

They said: “Quantum mechanics can often be seen as an intimidating and abstract subject, but it’s really just a different perspective on the world around us.

“The strongest submissions captured this perspective effectively, presenting the science in a way that was both clear and captivating.

“They managed to simplify intricate concepts while staying true to the facts, encouraging students to think differently and explore further.

“We were impressed by the creativity and dedication in every entry, and it’s clear that there’s a strong passion for making science accessible and exciting for young learners.”

The President of the AIP, Nicole Bell, was delighted to see the positive response to the Quantum Explained Challenge.

“We set out to challenge participants to explain quantum mechanics in a way that would resonate with school students, and the effort we saw was impressive,” Prof Bell says.

“The competition highlighted how powerful it can be to present complex science in an approachable and engaging manner.

“It’s been inspiring to see so many creative ways to make quantum physics relatable, and I’m excited to see how these ideas will help spark curiosity in young minds.”

Read more on the Cosmos website or in the CSIRO Double Helix newsletter.

Ripples in spacetime & harnessing the momentum of light: AIP Fellows recognised

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 02:00:00 GMT

A pioneer in gravitational wave theory and mathematical physics, Distinguished Professor Susan Scott’s groundbreaking work has influenced the global scientific community and inspired a new generation of researchers.

AIP Fellow Prof Scott (Australian National University) has been awarded the George Szekeres Medal of the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS).

The George Szekeres Medal is the most prestigious award of the AustMS. She is only the third woman to be awarded it, the second person (first woman) from ANU.

The medal was awarded in the opening ceremony of the joint meetings of the AustMS, American Mathematical Society, and New Zealand Mathematical Society held in Auckland in December 2024.

Read more about Prof Susan Scott and the Medal here.

Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop is a pioneer in the exploitation of the mechanical action of light: radiation pressure, photon momentum, and electrical and magnetic forces.

Her research has been a significant driver of new physics and new technologies in biomedicine.

AIP Fellow Prof Rubinsztein-Dunlop (University of Queensland) has been awarded the SPIE Gold Medal for innovations in the transfer of optical angular momentum to matter.

This Medal is the highest honour the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers bestows.

Read more about Prof Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop and the Medal here.

Join us in building Quantum Year 2025

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 01:30:00 GMT

We invite you to be part of this transformative initiative celebrating quantum science. Here’s how you can get involved:

Plan and register your events

Host your own Quantum Year event and use our branding to amplify your efforts. Register early to collaborate with others and avoid scheduling conflicts and create buzz for your event and the Year.

View events: https://quantum2025.org.au/events

Branding: https://quantum2025.org.au/resources

Join our committees

Help shape activities in your state by joining your local AIP branch’s Quantum Year planning committee. Please contact us if you’d like to get involved in local activities.

Partner with us

Support Quantum Year through sponsorship and help us deliver:

Grants, lecture tours, and industry events.
Publications celebrating Australian quantum science.

Packages start at $5,000. Learn more: quantum2025.org.au/partners.

Stay connected

Visit the AIP Quantum Year website quantum2025.org.au for updates, subscribe to the Quantum Year Bulletin, and follow AIP social media using #QuantumYear.

For sponsorship or event registration queries, contact Niall Byrne: niall@scienceinpublic.com.au or Jacqui Tyack: jacqui@scienceinpublic.com.au.

Let’s make Quantum Year an incredible success!

Tell us what you think: AIP Member survey. Win 1yr free membership

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 01:39:03 GMT

What do you know about the AIP and what do you think?

Your feedback is essential to helping us improve and grow.

We invite you to complete our AIP Member Survey.

Once completed, you will have the chance to win a year of free membership, with access to awards, scholarships, the Australian Physics magazine, and more.

The survey asks about your awareness of AIP initiatives, such as advocacy and member benefits and services, and what you would like to see from the AIP at the National and Branch level.

Deadline extended! Entries close on 16 February 2025.

Thank you for your time and good luck!

Get started now

All responses are anonymous.
The winner will be randomly drawn from all participants who submit a completed survey and opt in to the prize draw.
Winners will be notified by email.
This prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Light, lasers, and leaves: ACT Photo Competition

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The winners of the 2024 AIP ACT Photography Competition:

“Doubling Up: Reflection and Refraction”

This photo demonstrates how light interacts within a calcite crystal rhomb.

When light passes through the cleavage plane (a fracture within a crystal) it splits into two beams, creating two laser beams in the left rhomb and a double image in the right rhomb.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Dr Margaret Wegener.

“Laser Cavities for Quantum Science”

A laser cavity is an enclosed space with mirrors that can control the resonant frequency of the light beam, causing constructive interference and standing waves.

This technology is used in a variety of physics applications from spectroscopy to quantum computing.

The Second Prize was awarded to Jayne Ion.

“Surface Tension”

Water’s strong surface tension causes individual droplets to shrink to the smallest surface area possible.

This effect is more prominent when the water drop is on a hydrophobic surface, such as a waxy leaf covered in tiny hair papilla.

The Secondary Sector Award was awarded to David Stewart.

Congratulations to the winners and everyone who participated.

The annual photo competition is run by the ACT branch and open to members Australia-wide.

The winner will have their photo published in next year’s monthly newsletters.

Rise and ‘shine’: 350+ teenage girls digest physics for breakfast

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:30:00 GMT

That’s the 2024 tally of Year 10-12 students (aka NextGen science stars) who woke up extra early to join the ‘Girls in Physics Breakfasts’ initiative in six locations across Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Championed by the Vicphysics Teachers’ Network, with the support of Invergowrie Foundation, the initiative aims to inspire young women to pursue careers in physics and STEM by facilitating connections with accomplished women role models in these fields.

The 2024 program covered events in Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne, Mildura, Monash, and Traralgon. Each featured guest speakers, interactive sessions and panel discussions.

Speakers included:

Professor Emma Ryan-Weber, Swinburne University of Technology
Associate Professor Gail Iles, RMIT University
Associate Professor Kaye Morgan, Monash University
Ms Natalie Clements, GenesisCare
Professor Wendy Timms, Deakin University
Professor Bre-Anne Sainsbury, Deakin University
AIP Women in Physics Lecturer for 2024, Professor Susan Coppersmith, UNSW Sydney (whose presentation was livestreamed)

All shared insights into their educational and professional journeys, challenges faced along the way, and the rewards of pursuing a career in STEM.

The result? Students reported renewed enthusiasm for STEM and appreciated insights on career paths and diverse experiences shared by speakers.

Launched in 2016, Girls in Physics Breakfasts puts an emphasis on demystifying STEM by enabling students to share a table with – and ask questions of – women role models who are either in a career in physics or engineering or attending university.

Looking ahead, the initiative is exploring virtual sessions to reach more students, especially in regional and remote locations.

Venues and speakers for 2025 are currently being finalised. For more information, please contact: projects@vicphysics.org

Honouring the 2024 AIP Fellows

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:15:00 GMT

Fellowship of the AIP (FAIP) is an honour that recognises significant acknowledged impact over a sustained period.

Impact may be demonstrated through outstanding original research; significant contributions to education; significant development of industrial applications of physics; and leadership in government of industry, or outstanding contributions to outreach or service to physics.

Congratulations to the AIP Fellows elected in 2024:

Prof Daoyi Dong FAIP, The Australian National University
Prof Joanne Etheridge FAIP FAA, Monash University
Prof Yuerui Lu FAIP, The Australian National University
Prof Andy Martin FAIP, University of Melbourne
Prof Harry M Quiney FAIP, University of Melbourne
Prof Soumitra Satapathi FAIP, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Prof Michael Tobar FAIP, The University of Western Australia
A/Prof Muhammad Usman FAIP, CSIRO
Prof Zongyou Yin FAIP FRSC, The Australian National University

Newly elected Fellows will be presented with their certificates at the AIP Congress in Melbourne next month.

Read more about nominations for Fellowship of the AIP.

Australian nominees elected to IUPAP commissions

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:05:00 GMT

The 33rd General Assembly of IUPAP (The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics) was held in October.

The following Australian nominees were elected to roles on IUPAP commissions for 2025-2027:

A/Prof Yvonne Wong (UNSW Sydney):
C4, Commission on Astroparticle Physics

Dr Carla Verdi (The University of Queensland):
C10, Commission on Structure and Dynamics of Condensed Matter

Prof Nicole Bell (The University of Melbourne):
C11, Commission on Particles and Fields

Prof Manjula Sharma (The University of Sydney):
Chair, C14, Commission on Physics Education

Prof Jan de Gier (The University of Melbourne):
Vice-Chair, C18, Commission on Mathematical Physics

Prof Derek Leinweber (The University of Adelaide):
C20, Commission on Computational Physics

AIP members visit the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The AIP VIC branch ran a field trip to the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) on 25 October this year.

This major new facility – the only underground science lab in the southern hemisphere – is located 1km beneath the surface, in the Stawell Gold Mine in regional Victoria. SUPL is designed to host dark matter experiments and other science projects that require an ultra-low radiation environment provided by a deep underground lab.

Twenty AIP members made the journey underground, including students, professors, high school teachers, and physicists in industry. They saw the new infrastructure and heard commentary from SUPL Facility Manager Kim Mintern-Lane and AIP President (and dark matter physicist!) Prof Nicole Bell.

Plans for Quantum Year are coming together

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:30:00 GMT

Plans for Quantum Year are coming together around the country including:

Quantum Australia 2025: which will come to Brisbane in March 2025, coinciding with the World Science Festival
National Science Week: Students across the country will learn to decipher “nature's hidden language” for the National Science Week Schools Theme 2025
University sponsorship: we’re currently inviting universities to partner with us to develop Quantum Year. RMIT are our first University Gold Partner. We’re also keen to talk with industry.

In other quantum news: Australia’s Chief Scientist, Cathy Foley AO ASM, gave a plenary at the Quantum World Conference in September, Quantum Brilliance founder Andrew Horsley won a Prime Minister’s Science Prize, and we have links to a host of other recent quantum science stories.

Please let us know what you’re planning locally, in your state, or across the country. Email us at quantum2025@aip.org.au.

If you or your organisation would like to partner with the AIP to deliver Quantum Year for Australia please also get in touch at quantum2025@aip.org.au.

Read more about Quantum Year.

Quantum news around the country

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:25:00 GMT

Q-CTRL bolstered by $88 million investment (Forbes reporting; SMH reporting; press release), while Q-CTRL's founder and EQUS chief investigator Michael Biercuk made the Australian's Top 100 Innovator's list.
Silicon Quantum Computing is readying its first product for launch, with founder Michelle Simmons tipping SQC in the 'quantum race' at SXSW Sydney
CQC2T announces the successful entanglement of two electrons bound to two different phosphorus atoms across a single silicon chip
Quantum Brilliance have been busy, snapping up a partnership to build a mobile quantum computer and announcing a collaboration with the Oak Ridge National Lab
Diraq gets their qubits in synch in research published in Nature Communications led by UNSW PhD student Ingvild Hansen (press release, blog)
The Queensland government has awarded $10 million to the Quantum Decarbonisation Alliance - a consortium including the CSIRO, the University of Queensland, and many others - to investigate the potential of quantum technology to curtail and reverse carbon pollution
The Centre of Excellence for Biotechnology (QUBIC) has received $4.7 million from the Queensland government to develop quantum technologies for the upcoming Brisbane Olympic Games, including catching cheats with quantum sensors.
EQuS researchers are partnering with NASA to bring a space-age heart monitoring technology down to Earth - using quantum sensing to monitor heart health safely and non-invasively.
Expert commentary on the PsiQuantum partnership in The Conversation and latest coverage on the ABC.
Infleqtion Australia are expanding their quantum software capability (SuperStaq) in the growing Victorian and Asia-Pacific markets. They were awarded Phase II of the Australian Army’s Quantum Technology Challenge (QTC)
Andrew Horsley from Quantum Brilliance wins Prime Minister’s New Innovator Prize.

Please let us know what you’re planning for Quantum Year, and look out for information soon about briefings in Perth, Brisbane, and at the AIP Congress in Melbourne.

Read more about Quantum Year.

University partnerships for Quantum Year

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:20:00 GMT

Would your university like to partner with the AIP to use the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology? With your support we can:

encourage today’s school and university students to take up the physical sciences;
address the skills gap that threatens to hold back developments in quantum science, defence, AUKUS priorities, AI and other fields;
build recognition of the decades of fundamental research funded by the ARC in universities and Centres of Excellence that has led to Australia’s leadership in quantum science.

The AIP, as the peak body for physics in Australia, has the knowledge and networks to bring Quantum Year to life – with your help.

A successful Quantum Year will benefit every Australian university with physical science-based courses and research. You’ll be able to use the Year as a theme throughout your marketing to students, parents, and researchers.

Your financial support will help us ensure that the Year has the widest possible impact.

Your support will also open up opportunities for you to demonstrate and promote your role as leaders in quantum science in Australia.

Three levels of support are available:

Gold Quantum Year Foundation Partner: $20,000, one per state
Silver Quantum Year Foundation Partner: $10,000, two per state
Bronze Quantum Year Foundation Partner: $5,000, up to five per state.

We need your support now, to set up the foundations for the year: website, communication, briefings, newsletters, banners etc. With your help we will be able to reach industry, government, and cultural organisations to ensure that Quantum Year is memorable and impactful.

If you or your organisation would like to partner with the AIP to deliver Quantum Year for Australia please also get in touch, email me at quantum2025@aip.org.au.

Read more about Quantum Year.

Australia at the Quantum World Congress

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:15:00 GMT

Australia took top billing at Quantum World Congress last month with Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley addressing a full plenary on quantum technology in the Indo-Pacific.

"You've probably seen quite a few Australians there at the Congress," said Cathy in her remarks. "That's a consequence of decades of patient investment in fundamental work and research."

Cathy spoke at a roundtable event alongside other scientific leaders from India, Japan, the United States, and Australia, the four 'Quad' nations, who have a semi-formal alliance for regional stability.

The speakers agreed that government support for quantum has to be broad, deep, and sustained if the technology is going to play its part in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"You can't turn away from quantum," said Cathy. "This isn't something you can dabble in. You've got to be all-in."

You can find Dr Foley's remarks here, and here's a full playlist of the conference.

Read more about Quantum Year.

Students to “decode the universe” in 2025

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:10:00 GMT

Students across the country will learn to decipher “nature's hidden language” as the Australian Science Teachers Association announces its National Science Week Schools Theme for 2025.

The new theme, Decoding the Universe - Exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language, invites students and teachers to "delve into the mysteries of the Universe by exploring the fundamental languages of nature", with a special focus on "the groundbreaking field of quantum science".

The theme, inspired by Quantum Year, will also coincide with Australia's hosting of the 2025 International Maths Olympiad, providing an opportunity to connect foundational STEM skills with the cutting edge of deep tech.

Executive Director of ASTA, Guy Micklethwait, says the new theme reflects "a forward-thinking approach to STEM education, encouraging students to explore the unknown and decode the mysteries of our universe through the powerful lenses of science and mathematics."

"ASTA invites all educators, students and STEM enthusiasts to join in this exciting journey of discovery."

Grants of up to $500 will be available to schools to integrate the theme into their National Science Week programs, with applications opening in March 2025. ASTA will also distribute a resource book packed with information, lesson plans, experiments, and more.

Read more about Quantum Year.

Quantum Australia conference coming to Brisbane

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:05:00 GMT

The Quantum Australia 2025 is coming to Brisbane in March

Running from 24 to 27 March, just a few months into the Year of Quantum - it will be four days to bring together the Australian quantum community, from researchers to entrepreneurs and policymakers.

Next year's event will be the first to be run by the new unifying body for quantum science and technology in Australia: Quantum Australia. Established by a Federal Government grant of $18.4 million, Quantum Australia's mission is to bring together the Australian quantum industry and extend its reach, both at home and abroad.

"Quantum Australia gives muscle and momentum to the national quantum strategy," says founding director Stephen Bartlett.

"Its arrival is a signal that industry, government and academia can work together to further press Australia's quantum advantage."

Registrations for Quantum Australia 2025 will be opening soon: follow the event on LinkedIn to stay informed.

Read more about Quantum Year.

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Women in Physics Lecturer

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 04:52:48 GMT

Nominations are now open for the 2025 WIP Lecturer. The award is made annually to recognise and publicise significant contributions by a woman to advancing a field of physics and to inspire future physicists.

The Women in Physics Lecture Tour was established nationally in 1997 to promote the work of outstanding women in Physics and was initiated by the South Australian Branch. In South Australia it is known as the Claire Corani Memorial Lecture. In 2009 a Federal Medal was established to honour the women who had been selected to undertake these national tours and to recognise them for their time and dedication to communicating their research to academics, students and the general public.

Nominations must be received by 15 November 2024.

Apply Here

The lecture tour is expected to include presentations suited to a range of audiences, including school lectures, public lectures and research colloquia (subject to negotiation with the various AIP branches and their contacts). School and public lectures are expected to be of interest to non-specialist physics audiences, and to increase awareness among students and their families of the possibilities offered by continuing to study physics. University lectures will be presented at a level suitable for the individual audience (professional or graduate).

Find out more: 2024 WiP Lecture Tour

Quantum Explained Challenge - can you explain quantum to a middle secondary school audience?

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 03:53:51 GMT

In 2025, to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, COSMOS Magazine and the Australian Institute of Physics will showcase all things quantum, inspiring the next generation of quantum pioneers. We want quantum to be understood by everyone, the challenge is how to explain quantum physics to the younger generation as they embrace this collaborative STEM field.

Why not share your knowledge and passion for quantum through our QUANTUM EXPLAINED CHALLENGE. Imagine you have 90 seconds or 250 words to explain your topic to a middle secondary school audience (12 – 14 years old). Focus your content on either ‘Quantum Made Clear’ or ‘Quantum in Action’ as you share your expertise using ‘everyday language’, to help those who aren’t experts further their understanding.

COSMOS Magazine and the Australian Institute of Physics will select the best entries for inclusion in a ‘Quantum Explained’ education resource collection to be shared through COSMOS Magazine and Double Helix publications across 2025.

How to be involved:

Select a focus area linked with ‘Quantum Made Clear’ or ‘Quantum in Action’.

Quantum Made Clear - share the science that underpins quantum, help those who aren’t experts understand how quantum connects to the science around them.
Quantum in Action - share the ways in which quantum is shaping our world and solving global challenges, include examples of the impact quantum can bring to our lives.

Create and submit a 90 second video or a 250-word article. All submissions must be in English.
Find out more and submit your content using the link below. Please include your Name, Organisation, Role Title, and Contact Details.
Submissions must be received no later than 5pm, Monday 2^nd December 2024.

Submit Entries Here

Participants must:

- be over 18 years of age at the time of content creation
- work and/or study in a field connected with quantum science and technology (scientist, STEM educator/teacher, researcher, science communicator)
- hold the rights to all images, sound and music included in content
- acknowledge that all judging decisions by COSMOS Magazine and the Australian Institute of Physics are final

Winners of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Matthew Bailes heads Australia’s research into fast radio bursts (FRBs) and gravitational waves, both of which are leading to important breakthroughs in astrophysics and cosmology. He and his team discovered the first FRB, a massively energetic flash of radiation from a distant galaxy.

Congratulations Professor Bailes, Swinburne University of Technology and ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), for receiving the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.

Dr Andrew Horsley founded Quantum Brilliance, making quantum devices with diamonds. He and his team conducted research to address the key barriers to using synthetic diamond for room temperature quantum computing. He has unlocked pathways for quantum computing to become an everyday technology.

Congratulations Dr Horsley for receiving the 2024 Prize for New Innovators.

Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma has developed new technologies including a floating device that uses solar energy to produce hydrogen from seawater, and a way of turning carbon dioxide into fuels such as ethanol. His research is supporting Australia’s transition to clean energy and net zero.

Congratulations Professor Ma, RMIT University, for receiving the 2024 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year.

More about the 2024 PM's Prizes winners here.

Announcing the winner of the Massey Medal

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 03:30:00 GMT

Congratulations to Professor Michael Edmund Tobar, The University of Western Australia, who was awarded the Harrie Massey Medal and Prize.

Michael created and undertook numerous new precision measurement techniques and experiments in the field of time and frequency, and low temperature quantum physics, with the goal of solving some of the biggest questions in fundamental physics. These led to several translational outcomes.

The Massey Medal is a gift of the Institute of Physics (UK) to the AIP. It will be presented at AIP Congress in December by IOP President Elect Michele Dougherty.

The biennial Award recognises outstanding contributions to physics made by an Australian citizen working anywhere in the world, or by an Australian resident for work carried out in Australia.

More about the award.

Announcing the 2024 AIP Awards

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:47:59 GMT

Congratulations to the following members who have been recognised with AIP Awards for outstanding accomplishments in research, leadership, communication, and industry.

Professor Joanne Etheridge (Monash University) has been awarded the Walter Boas Medal for Excellence in Research, recognising her “development of electron scattering methods to determine the structure of condensed matter at the atomic scale and the application of these methods to understand structure-property relationships in functional materials.”

Associate Professor David Simpson (University of Melbourne) has been awarded the Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry. A/Prof Simpson’s award recognises his work in the “industry translation and commercialisation of diamond quantum sensor technology.”

Dr Judith Pollard (University of Adelaide) has been awarded the Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia, recognising her “outstanding work as the Australian Institute of Physics Honorary Treasurer and for services to Australian physics”.

Professor Jodie Bradby (Australian National University) has been awarded the Women in Leadership Medal, recognising her“leadership at the Australian Institute of Physics including strategic advocacy and community building at the national level and for her long-standing work in gender equity.”

Associate Professor Suzie Sheehy (University of Melbourne) has been awarded the Physics Communication Award, recognising her “narrative-based, human-centric approach to engage millions of readers, viewers and listeners throughout her career-long commitment to physics communication, raising the profile of physics with audiences of a diverse range of ages and backgrounds in Australia and internationally”.

Dr Cullan Howlett (University of Queensland) has been awarded Ruby Payne-Scott Award for Excellence in Early-Career Research, recognising “his development, leadership, and analysis of the largest galaxy surveys in the world, leading to new insights into the fundamental ingredients and forces that make up our Universe.”

Dr Matthew Berrington (Australian National University) has been awarded the Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence in Physics, recognising the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics or its applications by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Optical studies of magnetically ordered erbium crystals.”

Sophie A. Young (University of Tasmania) has been awarded the Thomas H Laby Medal, recognising the most outstanding Honours or Masters thesis in physics by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Free-Free Absorption in Young Radio Galaxies”.

These awards, plus the Harrie Massey Medal (to be announced soon), will be presented at the AIP Congress in December.

Early bird discounts for the Congress have been extended one week and close Friday 6 September. Register here.

Perfectly imperfect diamonds become quantum sensors: 2024 Alan Walsh Medal winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:46:17 GMT

Associate Professor David Simpson(University of Melbourne) has been awarded the Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry. A/Prof Simpson’s award recognises his work in the “industry translation and commercialisation of diamond quantum sensor technology.”

He currently leads the development of diamond-based magnetic microscopy techniques to explore the magnetic properties of biological systems at the single cell level. In 2013, Dr Simpson was part of the team awarded, The University of NSW Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Research, for work on quantum probes in biology. His broader research interests include quantum measurement, nanoscale magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the material properties of diamond.

Making physics real for university students: 2024 Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:44:21 GMT

She is a past winner of the AIP’s Education Medal, in recognition of her achievements in improving physics education at universities in Australia. Judith’s emphasis has been on making physics real for university students.

Accelerator physicist turned TED talker: 2024 Physics Communication Award winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:42:34 GMT

Associate Professor Suzie Sheehy(University of Melbourne) has been awarded the Physics Communication Award, recognising her “narrative-based, human-centric approach to engage millions of readers, viewers and listeners throughout her career-long commitment to physics communication, raising the profile of physics with audiences of a diverse range of ages and backgrounds in Australia and internationally”.

When she’s not developing new particle accelerators for applications in medicine, she is communicating science to the masses. Her 2018 TED talk has been viewed over 1.8M times and she has been an expert TV presenter for a number of Discovery Channel shows including four seasons of Impossible Engineering. Suzie has shared real-life demonstrations and experiments with hundreds of thousands of audience members. In 2022 she published her first popular science book: The Matter of Everything: Twelve Experiments that Changed Our World (Bloomsbury).

Mapping millions of galaxies to understand our Universe: 2024 Ruby Payne-Scott Award winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:40:31 GMT

Current observations suggest 95% of our Universe consists of elusive dark matter and dark energy. These are detectable by the influence they have on the light from galaxies, stars and that permeates the background Universe itself, but they don't emit light themselves and we are yet to understand what they are. Cullan Howlett’s research seeks to uncover these using the largest galaxy surveys in the world.

Making bright young galaxies: 2024 Thomas H Laby Medal winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:38:35 GMT

The distant Universe is packed with radio galaxies emitting intense bursts of synchrotron light from supermassive black hole jets. Most of them are young, small and difficult to study.

Sophie Young created a theoretical sample of these radio galaxies that can now be used to help study them in real life. She showed how they will influence their neighbourhood by injecting energy, and momentum into the gas clouds between stars.

News ways to “see” at the atomic scale to find useful materials for clean energy: 2024 Walter Boas Medal winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:34:50 GMT

Her research focuses on the development of new methods for determining the structure and electronic structure of materials at the atomic scale using electron microscopy and diffraction. She applies these methods to investigate structure-property relationships in functional materials, including materials for sustainable energy applications.

Strategic advocacy for women in science: 2024 Women in Leadership Medal winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:29:49 GMT

Professor Jodie Bradby (Australian National University) has been awarded the Women in Leadership Medal, recognising her “leadership at the Australian Institute of Physics including strategic advocacy and community building at the national level and for her long-standing work in gender equity.”

Jodie Bradby is a professor at the Research School of Physics and Engineering at the Australian National University where she leads a group on high pressure physics. She is a past President of the Australian Institute of Physics (2019 – 2020) and was the second woman to be elected to the role. She has actively contributed to a wide range of gender equity initiatives and policy reviews that that will support women in physics and other sciences.

Rare earth crystals for microwave-optical conversion: 2024 Bragg Gold Medal winner announced

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:13:50 GMT

His work has focused on optically studying various rare earth crystals, to identify a system suitable for microwave-optical conversion, and to study the optical effects typical of these systems. This work could help enable the integration of disparate quantum information technologies, paving the way for distributed quantum computing and a worldwide quantum internet.

AIP ACT Branch photo comp – open to all

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 06:30:00 GMT

Let your lens bring the captivating world of physics to life. The AIP ACT Branch invites photographers of all skill levels around Australia to participate in the AIP ACT photography competition.

Celebrating the awe-inspiring beauty of physics.

Submit your photos or images by 31 August for a chance to win one of three cash prizes:

$100 Grand Prize
$50 School Student Prize
$50 University Student Prize

The images of past winners have featured on the AIP website and in the AIP bulletins.

Details on how to enter can be found on the photo comp flyer.

Below are some examples of previous winning photos. See all 2023 winners here.

Birefringence by Ivan Toftul, 2023

Frost bubble by Chad Clark, 2022

Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting: AIP represented

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 06:00:00 GMT

AIP member, Sarah Lau, reflects on the 73^rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting of 2024 at Lake Constance, Germany.

It was a whirlwind three weeks. Along with 10 other young scientists, I was selected to attend the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting of 2024, focused on physics.

We came from different disciplines – spanning from quantum optics to oceanography, radio astronomy through to computational fluid dynamics – and turned up to the beautiful island on Lake Constance refreshed and ready to meet 600 other young scientists, as well as to engage with over 30 Laureates who had nominated to join the meeting.

We hit the ground running and were warned in the opening ceremony to prepare for long days filled with inspiring discussions and the making of many connections.

It did not disappoint. The program was filled with insightful lectures, talks, and panel featuring the Laureates, and we were also able to join open exchanges with them every day where the young scientists were free to ask whatever question they would like in a group setting.

I found these sessions most interesting, especially with glimpses into their experiences, motivations and future goals.

One universal takeaway was to pursue work that is of interest to us, especially as we’ll spend many hours on the topic and interest will motivate perseverance in the face of hurdles that are bound to come.

Another challenge that was mentioned several times was the desire to push the frontiers of science without funding of fundamental research, where the latter usually leads to new technologies or techniques required to do the former.

I was particularly inspired by Saul Perlmutter’s push for scientific thinking for all, especially scientific optimism where we have the perseverance and belief that problems are solvable, and that this is exactly what we need to grapple with the challenges in our immediate global future.

On the agenda were also talks from select young scientists at the meeting, including Australia’s own Claire Yung and Grace Tabi, both students from the Australian National University, as well as opportunities to sign up for closed events such as sponsored breakfasts and dinners, or a smaller Lunch or Science Walks around the island with a Laureate.

Evening festivities included a Bavarian Night, Grill & Chill by the lake with host families, and an International Evening – this year sponsored by Texas A&M University who gave us all ‘cowboy hats’ and brought a mechanical bull to boot!

The week ended with a boat trip to Mainau Island, where 30 Laureates signed the 2024 Mainau Declaration on Nuclear Weapons. It was a warning in light of expiring arm control agreements and spread of nuclear weapons that “there is a significant probability that, either by accident or deliberate act, these horrible weapons may be used – with the likelihood of the end of human civilisation as we know it.

We the undersigned scientists of different countries, different creeds, and different political persuasions, call on the people and leaders of the world to heed our warning and act to prevent this catastrophe.”

This echoes the 1955 Mainau Declaration with the same warning. The only other Mainau Declaration came in 2015 on climate change, with a call to action for rapid action.

It was a privilege and pleasure to attend this meeting, thanks to the SIEF grant mediated through the Academy of Science. This enabled us to partake in the Berlin Innovation Tour before the meeting (thank you to Hans Bachor and Elaine Sadler for taking us around!), as well as organise various lab tours relevant to our research.

Additional thanks also to the ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems who supported my initial nomination back in 2020, and to the Lindau Committee for pushing my in-person attendance back to this year.

It was an enriching experience which I recommend to all young scientists, and encourage supervisors to promote to their students.

Nominate for the AIP National Executive

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:30:00 GMT

Nominations for positions in the AIP National Executive open until 21 Aug 2024

Help lead Australia’s premier society for the promotion of physics in research, education, industry and the community by joining the AIP National Executive team.

Every two years the AIP elects a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Registrar and Awards Officer. Any financial Member, Fellow or Honorary Fellow can be nominated for these positions.

If you’d like to submit a nomination, it should be accompanied by signed endorsements from two financial Members, Fellows or Honorary Fellows, as well as a letter of consent from the nominee.

Note that under the institute’s constitution, the current president and vice president cannot seek re-election for the same position.

To nominate, please send the documents via email to aip@aip.org.au, or by mail to AIP, PO Box 73, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.

The current Executive has put forward the following nominations:

Stuart Midgely (as President)
Susan Coppersmith (as Vice-President)
Michael Schmidt (as Honorary Secretary)
Stephen Collins (as Honorary Registrar)
Dongchen Qi (as Honorary Treasurer)
Muhammad Usman (as Awards Officer)

If there are further nominations*, elections will be held in October. The new Executive will take office at the Annual General Meeting of the AIP in February next year.

Invite to share: Women’s experiences in STEMM

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:30:00 GMT

Women aged 18 and above who are working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or medicine, and living in Australia, are invited to share their experiences in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine).

The study involves completing an anonymous online survey, which takes approximately 15-20 minutes.

Data collection will continue until late July.

To participate or find out more: https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_6LqZtOAamWWTvrE

This study has ethical approval from Deakin University (HEAG-H 04_2024).

Astro prizes won by AIP members Dr Sara Webb and Sophie Young

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:15:00 GMT

"We are the Universe, so we should get to know it better.”

Congratulations to AIP member Dr Sara Webb of Swinburne University of Technology for winning the 2024 David Allen Prize for exceptional achievement in astronomy communication.

Sara is not only chasing gravitational wave counterparts, hunting for fast radio burst progenitors, cataloguing the fastest flare stars in the galaxy and building AI tools to help astronomers work faster. She has also built an impressive outreach presence across multiple forms of media, with over 17 million social media views, and a reach of tens of millions annually through traditional media.

Making bright young radio galaxies:

Congratulations to AIP student associate Sophie Young of University of Tasmania for winning the Bok Prize 2024 for outstanding research by an honours student or eligible masters student.

The distant universe is packed with radio galaxies emitting intense bursts of light from supermassive black hole jets. Most of them are young, small, and difficult to study. Sophie created a theoretical sample of these radio galaxies that can now be used to help study them in real life. She showed how they influence their neighbourhood by injecting energy and momentum into the gas clouds between stars.

Read more about all six winners of the Astronomical Society of Australia’s awards here.

Australia joins UN celebration of the first 100 years of the quantum era

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:00:00 GMT

Celebrating and revealing the beauty of the science that we use daily to connect with the world, light our homes, fight disease, and scan our groceries.

The United Nations has declared 2025 to be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

Australia’s physicists are inviting scientific, cultural and industry organisations across the country to join them in a national celebration of the impact of quantum science.

“Quantum science is both fascinating and beautiful. It only seems mysterious because it’s far from our everyday experience and intuition,” says Professor Nicolas Menicucci, a quantum physicist at RMIT and Chair of the Australian Institute of Physics’ Quantum Science and Technology Topical Group.

“The Quantum Year will showcase the impact of once-esoteric fundamental physics on our everyday lives,” says Professor Nicole Bell, President of the Australian Institute of Physics.

The laws of quantum mechanics were discovered in 1925, allowing scientists to explore Nature at the subatomic scale, where fundamental particles behave as both waves of energy and particles of matter.

“During the Quantum Year, we invite all Australians to learn how this fascinating branch of science has transformed our understanding of Nature and the Universe – and how the technologies built on these principles continue to transform our world,” Professor Menicucci says.

We use quantum science every day in devices that are central to modern life, including:

The LEDs that light our homes and our TV screens in the 21st Century
The lasers that scan our groceries and correct our vision
The microchips at the heart of every smartphone, computer and modern car
The medical imaging devices that have saved countless lives in the fight against cancer and other diseases
The solar panels and batteries that will enable us to live at net zero

Today, Australia is at the forefront of the race to develop new quantum technology that will enhance our lives. We’re developing navigation systems that don’t require satellites. We’re creating miniaturised sensors that can detect disease, monitor metal fatigue and find critical minerals. We’re inventing cheaper and more efficient solar and battery technologies, and racing to create quantum computers.

“2025 will be a year where we, as scientists, hope to share and illuminate the beauty of quantum physics, and inspire the public with what new promising technologies quantum physics could enable in the next 100 years,” says Dr Xanthe Croot, a researcher and Lecturer in Quantum Science at the University of Sydney.

Advances in quantum technology will enable new computing and communication models with the potential to accelerate innovations in materials science, medicine, and cybersecurity, among other fields. In this way, quantum science and technology is poised to help address the world’s most pressing challenges — including the need to rapidly develop renewable energy, improve human health, and create global solutions in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“This second quantum revolution is leading to breakthroughs in using quantum effects like superposition and entanglement for new applications,” said John Doyle, Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics at Harvard University, co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative, and president-elect of the American Physical Society. “When these phenomena can be applied broadly to control and engineer matter at the level of single quanta, and even single atoms, they will spark transformations in a multitude of technologies.”

“Over the coming months, the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) will hold briefing events across Australia, starting in Canberra and Sydney in July, about the exciting events to come during the Quantum Year of 2025. The AIP will run our own program of events, and we invite museums, artists, media, industry and others to celebrate the Quantum Year in your own unique way – with events of born of your own imagination and excitement about quantum science and technology,” says Professor Menicucci.

To find out more about plans in Australia for the Quantum Year or to get involved, visit quantum2025.org.au.

Join the national AIP Executive

Fri, 31 May 2024 02:30:00 GMT

Would you like to grow your network across the Australian physics community and make connections with those working in many physics sub-disciplines?

The Australian Institute of Physics is looking for a new volunteer to join the national AIP Executive.

AIP Executive is making strategic decisions to grow the Australian physics community.

Each member of the AIP Executive focuses on one area, ranging from industry engagement, advocacy, the development of policy statements, to AIP finance and the day-to-day running of the AIP.

It is expected that Executive members would perform this role for 2 to 3 years, attend national Executive meetings (currently virtual and monthly), and take on the responsibility for one area.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us at executive@aip.org.au today.

Meet our new Operations Manager: Dr Karen Siu

Wed, 15 May 2024 10:00:00 GMT

We welcome Dr Karen Siu to the role of AIP Operations Manager.

Karen holds a PhD in X-ray physics and has been an avid user of synchrotrons across Europe, Japan, the UK, and USA. More recently, she has been working in research strategy and support across industry and academia.

Karen takes over the Operations Manager role from Nicole Reynolds, who recently finished her work with the AIP after four years of dedicated service.

"I am very much looking forward to engaging with the physics community again on a daily basis and supporting the Institute in all its endeavours."

The Southern Lights across Australia

Tue, 14 May 2024 09:21:33 GMT

We cannot predict when solar storms or flares will occur.

The recent intensification of the aurora australis in Earth's atmosphere over the weekend of 11/12 May 2024 caused much conversation and photo sharing.

The AIP's solar physicists and space science researchers have written a number of explainers:

Why are auroras so hard to predict? And when can we expect more? (The Conversation)

Will we see more intense auroras this year? The science of solar storms explained (ABC News)

Expert Commentary: What caused so many auroras this weekend, and could we see more? (CSIRO)

C. N. Yang Award with US$1000 closes 3 June

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 03:35:00 GMT

The submission deadline for the C. N. Yang Award 2024 is 3 June 2024. Submissions must be made to the secretary of AAPPS and the administrative office of APCTP at award@apctp.org.

The C. N. Yang Award has been established to honour young researchers with prominent research achievements and to promote the development of leaders in physics in the Asia Pacific region.

Each division chair from each member society with divisional structure is invited to nominate one (1) candidate who has obtained a Ph.D. in physics or an equivalent degree for no more than 10 years. The president of each member society without divisional structure is invited to nominate up to three (3) candidates.

Nominees should demonstrate a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication and cooperation with scientists in physics in the Asia Pacific region.

Please visit the C. N. Yang Award website for more details, including:

Eligibility
Channels of Nominations
Nomination Package
Prize
Procedure for the final selection process
Information on past winners

The AIP’s first Annual Careers Fair

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 03:30:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics is kicking off a new event this year, our annual National Careers Fair. This event will be scheduled to run concurrently across our branches at 6:30pm AEST on 29 May.

Events will be run in-person in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, ACT and Queensland. State branches will provide more details in the coming weeks regarding plans for local events.

We are excited about this opportunity to showcase the incredible career prospects for physicists to our student cohort and increase awareness of the important role physicists play in industry.

There are still opportunities to advertise roles (current or upcoming) at both the state and national level. If you would like to be involved, please reach out to outreach@aip.org.au.

Images are from AIP SA Branch’s local job fair in 2023.

Vale Professor Bob Dewar, giant in plasma physics

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 03:15:00 GMT

It is with sadness that we share the news that Emeritus Professor Robert “Bob” Leith Dewar FAA, FAPS, FAIP passed away this April. A long-time AIP member (since 1974) and AIP fellow, Bob made a significant impact on the physics community, locally and abroad.

Bob was a giant in the field of theoretical plasma physics, with important contributions in Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and in dynamical systems. These include MHD equilibrium and stability, MHD ballooning modes, Taylor relaxation and Hamiltonian maps. Bob worked closely with computer simulation and with experimentalists and has made important contributions to magnetic fusion research and to astrophysics.

Recently he has been instrumental in the development of a multiple region relaxed MHD model to describe general stellarator fields, and he was presently working on a generalisation of such models to systems that preserve magnetic helicity with a weak ideal Ohm’s law constraint.

He initiated several major collaborations across physics and mathematics, including the National Plasma Fusion Research Facility, the Australian Research Council Complex Open Systems Research Network, and led the ANU’s plasma theory and modelling group until retirement in 2011. Perhaps most importantly, he has left a legacy in both research and teaching, spanning 5 postdocs, 16 PhD, and many Masters and Honours students. Many of these now hold prominent positions in the field.

Read more about Vale Professor Bob Dewar’s life and tributes made in his honour on the tribute page. Information about a service or a research symposium celebrating his contributions will also be included on that site as details come to light.

AIP Congress registrations open soon

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 03:10:00 GMT

Registrations for the Congress open on 20 May. Early bird registrations close 28 August. The abstract submission deadline is 7 June.

We will be calling for Focus Session suggestions in the coming weeks. We encourage all delegates to engage in this process, so that we can provide focused sessions aligned with the interests of the community.

Stay in the Congress loop by subscribing for the latest notifications at
aip-congress.org.au, or directly via this link.

Women in Leadership Medal application deadline extended to 30 April

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:12:50 GMT

The Women in Leadership Medal application deadline has been extended to Tuesday 30 April. Nominate yourself or someone you know to recognise excellent contributions to Australian physics.

XVIth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Physics Conference: Abstract submission deadline 29 April 2024

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 05:30:00 GMT

Second Circular : XVIth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum Conference

We are pleased to announce that the "XVIth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum Conference” will be held between 19-24 August 2024 at the Cairns Convention Centre in Queensland, Australia. Please see the linked conference poster for more details.

Conference web sites

The important dates and the list of conveners for the scientific program, as well as additional information on travel, accommodation and the conference social program can be found at the conference webpage: www.confinement24.org.au and this page is regularly updated. The Indico webpage for the conference can be reached at https://indico.cern.ch/event/1293041/

Scientific Topics

Session A: Vacuum Structure and Confinement

Focus Subsection: “Topology and confinement at borderlines of particle physics and condensed matter: emergent confinement in cold atoms and Anderson criticality in the QCD deconfinement transition”

Session B: Light Quarks

Session C: Heavy Quarks

Session D: Deconfinement

Session E: QCD and New Physics

Session F: Nuclear and Astro-particle Physics

Session G: Strongly Coupled Theories

Session H: Statistical Methods for Physics Analysis in the XXI Century

Registration and abstract submission are now open

Abstract submission opening:	29 January 2024
Abstract submission deadline:	29 April 2024
Abstract acceptance notification:	13 May 2024

Registration opening:	29 January 2024

Deadline for paying early registration fees:	03 June 2024
Registration deadline:	01 July 2024

Deadline for student support applications:	03 June 2024
Decisions on student support applications:	10 June 2024

Registration and conference fees

Registration for the conference is through the conference website https://indico.cern.ch/event/1293041/registrations/101933/.

Registration fee type	Early Registration	Late Registration
	until 03 June, 2024	until 01 July, 2024
Full	AU$1150 ~ €690	AU$1300 ~ €790
Student	AU$900 ~ €540	AU$1060 ~ €650
Accompanying Person	AU$200 ~ €120	AU$200 ~ €120

The full and student Conference registrations include: Welcome Reception, Conference Dinner, morning and afternoon teas, lunch on Monday-Friday inclusive, poster session, public lecture and a concert, proceedings, printed programme, and the conference pack. The fee for accompanying persons includes the conference social dinner and welcome reception.

Support for students

There will be a finite capacity for providing partial financial assistance for student attendance at the Conference. Please note that this is indeed limited to students - it is not possible to provide support for general participants. Support is intended only for students who will be making a presentation (either oral or poster).

Applications for student support can be submitted by sending an email to

ayse.kizilersu@adelaide.edu.au and cc it to cssm@adelaide.edu.au by 3^rd of June 2024.

Please make sure your email contains the following information:

email subject line
- QCHSC2024 student financial support application - YOUR NAME - YOUR INSTITUTION
email body
- First name
- Surname
- Institution (i.e. your affiliation)
- Submitted talk type (oral or poster)
- Talk/poster title
- Talk/poster abstract
- A reference letter
- Additional information that you feel is relevant

If you apply for a student support please postpone payment of your fee until a decision is made, by 10th June 2024.

Accommodation

Conference participants are requested to book their accommodation individually. A variety of hotel options are available in the Cairns city centre within pleasant walking distance of the conference venue.

Reduced rates have been negotiated for the conference participants and those

special accommodation deals for QCHSC2024 are listed at the conference webpage https://confinement24.org.au/#accommodation

Conference Excursions

We offer three conference excursion options – “Outer Reef”, “Oldest Rainforest”, and “Rainforest with Aboriginal Experience” on Saturday August 24th. As a conference participant, you and your accompanying guests are able to choose one of these three during the registration process.

The details of all excursions and their costs are available on the webpage at https://confinement24.org.au/#conference_excursions and your preferred trip should be selected at registration.

Please note that some options have limited capacity and we apologise in advance if your preferred excursion is not available.

Social Programme

The welcome reception will be held in the evening of Monday, the 19^th of August. There will be a public talk and a concert on Tuesday, the 20^th of August. The poster session will take place on Wednesday, the 21^stof August. The conference dinner will be on Thursday the 22^nd of August.

Travel

Cairns Airport is one of Australia’s leading tourist destinations, providing air links to a range of domestic and international locations and is just 7 kilometres from the centre of Cairns.

Cairns Airport has direct flights from Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Bali, Auckland and Port Moresby. There are also seasonal flights from Shanghai and Seoul.

Detailed travel information can be found on the conference website https://confinement24.org.au/#information

Cancellation Fee and Refund Policy

For delegate registrations:

Before 10th June, 2024: Full refund minus $30 administration fee;
After 11^th June, 2024: 50% of payment refunded;
After 4th August, 2024: no refund.

For accompanying person registrations:

Before 3^rd August, 2024: Full refund minus $20 administration fee.;
After 4^th August, 2024: no refund.

Visa information

All travellers to Australia need a valid passport. Visas are required by all visitors travelling to Australia except for New Zealand passport holders.

We advise all international travellers to consult the link below or contact the Australian Consulate in your country to organise the visa that best suits your travel plans.

Visa Information at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship

Depending on the country of issue of your passport, you may be eligible to apply for an eVisitor or ETA via the internet. Please see the following link for more information.

Online Applications at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship

It is also important to note that Australia is an island of immense ecological diversity and takes customs very seriously. To protect its natural ecosystems and agriculture interests, Australia employs strict customs regulations. Organic items such as plants, food, animal products, timber and anything contaminated with dirt or sand may be restricted or even prohibited. Before you set out to Australia, it may be useful to check up on these restrictions at the link below.

Customs Information at the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

If you require a Letter of Invitation for the conference, please contact us via email.

Please address requests to ayse.kizilersu@adelaide.edu.au and cc it to cssm@adelaide.edu.au

We are looking forward to seeing you at CONFINEMENT2024!

Sincerely yours,

The local organising committee:

Ayse Kizilersu (University of Adelaide, Chair) and Nora Brambilla (TU Munchen, Co-chair)

Anthony W. Thomas (University of Adelaide, Senior Adviser and organiser)

Derek B. Leinweber (University of Adelaide)

Wally Melnitchouk (JLAB & University of Adelaide)

Martin White (University of Adelaide)

Farewell to Nicole Reynolds

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 11:00:00 GMT

We say farewell to Nicole Reynolds, who has been the AIP Operations Manager for the past four years. We are sad to lose her. We are grateful to Nicole for her dedicated service, and the many valuable initiatives she proposed and implemented to improve the AIP. We wish her the best for her future endeavours.

“I would like to thank the AIP members, volunteers, and stakeholders for making my time at the AIP so fun and engaging. It has been a gratifying experience.”

Calling for an ECR representative on the AIP Executive

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) is looking for an early career researcher (ECR) representative to join the national AIP Executive.

The term of the role is for one year, with the possibly of extension. Responsibilities include:

Attend national Executive meetings (currently virtual and monthly).
Provide advice on matters related to physics students and postdocs.
Work to increase the AIPs engagement with physics ECRs.
Assist with creating content for communications to the physics community.

Please send expressions of interest to aip@aip.org.au with the subject line: ECR representative – “your name”. Please include a paragraph outlining your interest in the role, and a two-page CV.

$10,000 David Syme Research Prize closes 30 April

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Nominations are now invited for the 2023 David Syme Research Prize. The Australia-wide prize recognises the best original research in Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Geology produced* in Australia during the past two years (1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023). *Produced – e.g. published

The David Syme Research Prize is managed by the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne.

Summary details are:
Value: approx. $10,000, and a medal
Closing date: 30 April 2024

The prize is made by nomination only. Senior members of the academic or research community such as co-authors or co-researchers, heads of department or deputy vice-chancellors (research) are invited to nominate eligible colleagues. Self-nominations are not accepted.
Researchers associated with any Australian university and researchers without university connections are eligible for nomination, noting that the following are not eligible:
- Professors or researchers who will have attained the position of professor at the time the award is made;
- Researchers outside universities who will have attained a level of seniority comparable to a university professor at the time the award is made (LEVEL E);
- Researchers who have not spent the equivalent of at least 5 full years of the last 7 in Australia.
The award is made on the basis of the research quality within the discipline and its likely impact and value in the industrial and commercial interests of Australia.

Full details and the nomination form are available here.

Enquiries should be directed to: science-internalfunding@unimelb.edu.au

Deadline for AIP awards extended to 15 April

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 04:40:28 GMT

The deadline to nominate yourself or someone you know for the following awards has been extended to Monday 15 April:

Nominate a colleague now, to recognise excellent contributions to Australian physics.

The Australian Institute of Physics is looking for an Operations Manager

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 00:14:13 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics is looking for an Operations Manager.

This is a part-time, work-from-home role, with flexible hours.

Desired skills:

Administration
Communications
Answering membership enquires
Basic finance admin
Website maintenance

To find out more, or to arrange a discusison, please contact: executive@aip.org.au

UNSW researchers perform four quantum control methods in one atom

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:00:00 GMT

UNSW researchers have demonstrated multiple ways to write quantum information in silicon for more flexible quantum chips design.

Quantum computing engineers Irene Fernandez de Fuentes and Scientia Professor Andrea Morello. Sydney Quantum Academy

Quantum computing engineers at UNSW Sydney have shown they can encode quantum information – the special data in a quantum computer – in four unique ways within a single atom, inside a silicon chip.

The feat could alleviate some of the challenges in operating tens of millions of quantum computing units in just a few square millimetres of a silicon quantum computer chip.

In a paper published recently in Nature Communications the engineers described how they used the sixteen quantum ‘states’ of an antimony atom to encode quantum information. Antimony is a heavy atom that can be implanted in a silicon chip, replacing one of the existing silicon atoms. It was chosen because its nucleus possesses eight distinct quantum states, plus an electron with two quantum states, resulting in a total of 8 x 2 = 16 quantum states, all within just one atom. Reaching the same number of states using simple quantum bits – or qubits, the basic unit of quantum information – would require manufacturing and coupling four of them.

Lead author Irene Fernandez de Fuentes says the team, under the guidance of Scientia Professor Andrea Morello, drew on more than a decade’s work that had established different methods of quantum control to show all were possible within the same atom. The antimony atom was implanted in the chip by colleagues at the University of Melbourne, using facilities of the Heavy Ion Accelerators at the Australian National University.

“First, we showed that we could control the antimony’s electron with an oscillating magnetic field, similar to the breakthrough in 2012 which was the first time a qubit had ever been demonstrated in silicon,” she says.

“Next we showed that we could use a magnetic field to manipulate the spin of the antimony’s nucleus. This is the standard magnetic resonance method, as used for example in MRI machines in hospitals. The third method was to control the nucleus of the antimony atom with an electric field, something that was discovered by lucky accident in 2020.

Artistic depiction of the 16 quantum states of the antimony atom, and all the different ways in which one can climb between them. UNSW Sydney

“And the fourth way was to control both the antimony nucleus and the electron in opposition to each other, using an electric field using so-called flip-flop qubits, which was demonstrated by this team last year.

“This latest experiment shows that all four of these methods can be used in the same silicon chip using the same architecture.”

The advantage of having four different methods is that each method gives computer engineers and physicists more flexibility when designing future quantum computing chips.

For example, magnetic resonance is faster than electric resonance, but the magnetic field spreads widely in space, so it may also affect neighbouring atoms. Electric resonance, while slower, can be applied very locally to select one specific atom without affecting any of its neighbours.

“With this big antimony atom, we have the complete flexibility of how we integrate it with a control structure over a silicon chip,” Prof. Morello says.

Why this matters

The quantum computers of the future will have millions, if not billions of qubits working simultaneously to crunch numbers and simulate models in minutes what would take today’s supercomputers hundreds or even thousands of years to complete. While some teams around the world have made progress with large numbers of qubits, such as Google’s 70 qubit model or IBM’s version which has more than 1000, they require much larger spaces for their qubits to work without interfering with one another.

But the approach that Prof. Morello and other colleagues have taken at UNSW is to design quantum computing using technology already in use to make conventional computers. While progress may be slower in terms of numbers of working qubits, the advantage of using silicon will mean being able to have millions of qubits in a square millimetre of chip.

“We are investing in a technology that is harder, slower, but for very good reasons, one of them being the extreme density of information that it'll be able to handle,” says Prof. Morello.

“It's all very well to have 25 million atoms in a square millimetre, but you have to control them one by one. Having the flexibility to do it with magnetic fields, or electric fields, or any combination of them, will give us lots of options to play with when scaling up the system.”

Back to the lab

Next, the group will use the large computational space of the antimony atom to perform quantum operations that are much more sophisticated than those afforded by plain qubits. They plan to encode a ‘logical’ qubit within the atom – a qubit built upon more than two quantum levels, to get enough redundancy to detect and correct errors as they occur.

“This is the next frontier for practical, useful quantum computer hardware” says Prof. Morello. “Being able to build an error-corrected logical qubit within a single atom will be a tremendous opportunity for scaling up silicon quantum hardware to the point where it becomes commercially useful”.

This article was published by UNSW Sydney Newsroom.

Last chance to nominate for an AIP award

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:30:00 GMT

This is your last chance to nominate yourself or someone you know for the following awards closing 1 April:

Nominate now.

2024 Australia Day Honours

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 23:00:00 GMT

The Order of Australia awards recognise and celebrate Australians, meritorious awards, and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service. The AIP would like to congratulate the following AIP members for their accomplishments.

Revealing how collisions with rocks shape planets:

The 2022 AIP Women in Physics Lecturer A/Prof Katarina Miljkovic OAM was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for "service to science as a researcher". Katarina was Scientist of the Year in 2019 and UNESCO Women in Science Fellow in 2018.

X-ray scattering guru and a 'godfather' of the Aus synchrotron:

AIP Life Member Emeritus Prof Dudley Creagh AM was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia “for significant service to science, and to tertiary education”, including contributions to X-ray scattering and the development of the Australian National Beamline Facility at Tsukuba, Japan, and the planning of, and the design of the Spectroscopy beamline for, Australian synchrotron.

The art and science of sundials:

Former AIP member Dr Margaret Folkard OAM was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to gnomonics, and to the community. Margaret was a research physicist while co-founding and co-directing Sundials Australia, designing and constructing sundials across Australia.

Former AIP member John Ward OAM was awarded an (Honorary) Order of Australia Medal for service to gnomonics, as co-founder and co-director of Sundials Australia with Dr Margaret Folkard OAM.

(Photo credit: Khama Reid)

AIP award nominations open now

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 01:30:00 GMT

Each year, the AIP recognises excellence in research, leadership, and outreach.

If you have recently completed postgraduate research, are a woman in leadership, are furthering physics education, or have made outstanding contributions to physics in other ways, consider nominating for the 2024 AIP Awards.

The closing dates and awards available for 2024 are:

Walter Boas Medal for Excellence in Research – 1 April 2024
Thomas H Laby Medal for Excellence in Physics – 1 April 2024
Harrie Massey Medal and Prize – 1 April 2024
Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry – 1 April 2024
AIP Education Medal – 1 April 2024
Ruby Payne-Scott Award for Excellence in Early-Career Research – 1 April 2024
Women in Leadership Medal – 1 April 2024
Physics Communication Award – 1 April 2024
Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence in Physics – 1 May 2024
AIP Women in Physics Lecturer – 1 June 2024
C. N. Yang Award – 3 June 2024
AIP Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia – no deadline

Nominate now.

Winners announced for the 2023 AIP ACT Photography Competition

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 03:00:00 GMT

The 2023 AIP Photography Competition, run by the ACT branch but open to entries Australia wide, concluded in October.

The winners have been decided! Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who participated.

Grand Prize and University Student Prize: Ivan Toftul

The Grand Prize was awarded to Ivan Toftul for a work on birefringence. Looking through a linear polariser, you see cuts of tape stuck on a laptop screen in the shape of a heart. Because plastic molecules are elongated, the tape exhibits birefringent properties: ordinary and extraordinary rays exit the plastic in or out of phase depending on wavelength and thickness resulting in eclectic colours that form an image.

The University Student Prize was also awarded to Ivan Toftul for a depiction of the nanostructure of a metamaterial via diffraction. Structuring material on a nanoscale opens up great possibilities in modern photonics. While it is not possible to see the actual design with the naked eye, the clusters of different metasurfaces create beautiful diffraction patterns.

Outstanding Photo Award: Jared Landau

Jared's photo won The Outstanding Photo Award, featuring the planets imaged from his own backyard. This image shows Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus scaled according to their apparent sizes as seen from Earth.

This was captured from Jared’s backyard in suburban Melbourne with an 8" Newtonian telescope. It highlights the incredible capabilities available to modern astronomers. This type of detail would have been unthinkable to amateur observers even a few decades ago! The fact that high-quality astrophysical data can be collected from the comfort of your own home (with relatively modest equipment) was a huge motivator in Jared’s decision to study physics.

School Student Prize: Kate Kristiansen

The School Student Prize was awarded to Kate Kristiansen, who photographed capillary waves on water.

Kate chose to photograph waves because of how important they are in physics. They come up in light waves, sounds waves and even in the foundation of quantum mechanics and string theory. Kate wanted to capture one of the simplest forms of waves – and understand the foundation of waves – before learning the depth and complexity of more intricate waves.

ASTRO 3D achieved gender parity in astronomy in just five years

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 02:48:00 GMT

… all while discovering how the Universe evolved, how galaxies form and where the elements come from.

Around the world, research agencies are struggling to achieve gender parity.

A paper published in Nature Astronomy reports how a national Australian astronomy centre achieved equal numbers of women and men using science.

“We used research in sociology and psychology to develop evidence-based strategies, and to create a supportive and positive culture in our Centre,” says Professor Lisa Kewley, the founding director of ASTRO 3D, the Australian Research Council Centre for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions, and the lead author on the paper. Professor Kewley now leads the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.

“Our success offers a model to other organisations, especially in the physical sciences where participation rates for women continue to be well behind the biological sciences, and where gender equality has remained stubbornly low,” says Professor Emma Ryan-Weber, the current Director of ASTRO 3D.

“Astronomy is a gateway science,” says Professor Ryan-Weber. “Students are fascinated by the question of what’s out there in space and how the elements that fused inside stars end up being the oxygen we breathe. I am proud that our centre is providing a diverse range of role models for the next generation – encouraging them to take up maths and physics, which opens up career opportunities not just in astronomy but across the physical sciences and a range of technical industries, such as data science.”

“Astronomy is regarded as leading in gender equity in the physical sciences. But when we established ASTRO 3D in 2017, I looked at the numbers and realised that on current trends it would take more than 60 years to reach gender parity,” says Professor Kewley.

Across Australia, women make up 30 to 35% of PhD astronomy students, and less than 20% at the highest professorial level. “And women are more than three times more likely to leave the profession. Sixty-two per cent of women and 17% of men leave astronomy at the junior postdoctoral levels. We had to do better,” Professor Kewley says.

“Our program was implemented between December 2017 and January 2023. In that time, ASTRO 3D went from 38% women to 50%,” she says.

The key steps included:

setting diversity targets with regular monitoring of progress
selecting a diverse set of team leaders
in-person diversity training for all organisation members
ensuring 50% women on postdoctoral selection committees
ensuring 50% women on postdoctoral short-lists.

“Diverse leadership is crucial for improving the diversity within teams,” says Professor Stuart Wyithe, Director of the Research School for Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Australian National University.

“Women-led teams recruited and retained more women postdoctoral researchers, attracted more women students, and worked with more women collaborators, while the converse was true for men-led teams,” he says.

“The ASTRO 3D program reached a tipping point when there were 40% women in the organisation as supervisors, mentors and role models for students. After that, student enrolments by women in the Centre accelerated. The gains were not made at the expense of men, as the membership grew over this period,” Professor Kewley says.

Recruiting women is one thing, but retaining them is just as important and ASTRO 3D introduced a range of policies to make sure their staff felt welcome and valued. These included a focus on leadership development, promotion of work-life balance, partner recruitment, as well as pathways for reporting misconduct.

In all categories, larger percentages of women were retained than men.

Among students, 55 to 58% women were retained compared with 37 to 48% men and a larger percentage of women postdoctoral researchers were retained in the Centre (67 to 70% women and 55 to 69% men).

“This suggests that the presence of women supervisors and role models is critical for attracting and retaining women.”

Professor Ryan-Weber , who is also an astronomer at Swinburne University of Technology, says the paper clearly paves the way for other research centres to achieve similar results.

“Our researchers have made phenomenal discoveries in understanding how elements, stars, galaxies and the gas that surrounds them evolved from the early Universe to today. Their skills have translated to international success in academia and to solve real-world problems in industry.

“But the greatest legacy of ASTRO 3D may be as a role model for better diversity in research,” she says.

(Story from ASTRO 3D).

IUPAP C11 Early Career Scientist Prize - Nominations for 2024

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 23:00:47 GMT

The Commission on Particles and Fields (C11) of IUPAP solicits nominations of outstanding young experimental or theoretical particle physicists for the two 2024 Early Career Scientist Prizes.

The prizes, each consisting of an IUPAP medal and a cash (€1000) award, will be presented at the 42nd International Conference on High Energy Physics, Prague, Czech Republic on July 18 - 24, 2024.

Candidates for the prize should have a maximum of 8 years of research experience (excluding career interruptions) following the PhD by February 1, 2024.

Nominations for the IUPAP Particles and Fields Early Career Scientist Prizes:

• can be made by experimental or theoretical particle physicists who know the work of the nominee well and include a citation statement,

• should consist of a minimum of two and a maximum of three letters explaining the nominee's qualifications and scientific achievements, a complete CV, a list of publications, and

• include a proposed award citation of 50 words or less describing the nominee's contributions.

The nominator should collect the material and upload it at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/26608

All material should be submitted before February 1, 2024, at 12:00pm CET.

Attend Science Meets Parliament 2024 as an AIP delegate

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 00:35:43 GMT

Apply by 31 January 2024

Science and Technology Australia (STA) has announced that its Science Meets Parliament 2024 program will be held on 20–21 March 2024, in person at Australian Parliament House, Canberra.

As a STA member organisation, the AIP will be sponsoring two selected delegates to attend the program.

We encourage early career researchers to apply to attend, as well as those more senior.

Science Meets Parliament offers science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals a program of bespoke training to help forge deeper connections between federal Parliamentarians and the STEM community.

If you are interested in attending, please send an expression of interest to AIP Secretary Michael Schmidt at secretary@aip.org.au. Please include:

your CV, no longer than one page
a statement, no longer than one page, indicating why you would like to attend and what you hope to gain from the experience.

The AIP will cover your registration for the event.

Please send your expression of interest to secretary@aip.org.au by 31 January 2024.

The AIP executive team will assess each application, taking into account gender balance, research area balance and geographic coverage.

More information about Science Meets Parliament can be found at: https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/science-meets-parliament-about

Shaping science superstars – STEM Enrichment Academy

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 22:45:00 GMT

Over 150 Year 9 girls gathered at Flinders University for the 2023 STEM Enrichment Academy from 25-27 October, offering opportunities for the students from South Australia and the Northern Territory to engage with the world of STEM.

AIP President Professor Nicole Bell opened the event with a plenary on ‘The hidden universe – neutrinos and dark matter’.

Dr Stephen Warren-Smith and Dr Darryl Jones from the AIP SA branch led high school girls through experiments on 'mind-bending light', which included activities such as bouncing laser light around inside a 'jelly waveguide'.

Over the 3 days, the girls perform science in newly-built labs, engage with scientists, walk and talk with women-in-STEM role-models, and explore STEM opportunities at Flinders University.

The program will return in 2024 with dates to be announced soon. In the meantime, you can register your interest via the website.

(Photos by Brenton Edwards)

Record-breaking fast radio burst offers path to weigh the Universe

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 02:14:39 GMT

(Story adapted from Macquarie University).

An eight-billion-year-old burst of energy has been discovered, demonstrating that we can detect and measure matter between galaxies. The discovery opens a path to using fast radio bursts to explore the expansion of the Universe and ultimately even ‘weigh’ the Universe.

But it will require even more powerful telescopes.

In a paper published in Science, a global team led by Macquarie University’s Dr Stuart Ryder and Swinburne University of Technology’s Associate Professor Ryan Shannon, report on their discovery of the most ancient and distant fast radio burst located to date, about eight billion years old.

The discovery smashes the team’s previous record by 50 per cent. It confirms that fast radio bursts (FRBs) can be used to measure the “missing” matter between galaxies.

The source of the burst was shown to be a group of two or three galaxies that are merging, supporting current theories on the cause of fast radio bursts. The team also showed that eight billion years is about as far back as we can expect to see and pinpoint fast radio bursts with current telescopes.

On 10 June 2022, CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Yamaji Country was used to detect a fast radio burst, created in a cosmic event that released, in milliseconds, the equivalent of our Sun’s total emission over 30 years.

“Using ASKAP’s array of dishes, we were able to determine precisely where the burst came from,” says Dr Ryder, the first author on the paper. “Then we used the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to search for the source galaxy, finding it to be older and further away than any other FRB source found to date, and likely within a small group of merging galaxies.”

Named FRB 20220610A, the fast radio burst has reaffirmed the concept of weighing the Universe using data from FRBs. This was first demonstrated by the late Australian astronomer Jean-Pierre ‘J-P’ Macquart in a paper in Nature in 2020.

“J-P showed that the further away a fast radio burst is, the more diffuse gas it reveals between the galaxies,” says Dr Ryder. “This is now known as the Macquart relation. Some recent fast radio bursts appeared to break this relationship. Our measurements confirm the Macquart relation holds out to beyond half the known Universe.”

About 50 FRBs have been pinpointed to date – nearly half using ASKAP. The authors suggest we should be able to detect thousands of them across the sky, and at even greater distances.

“While we still don’t know what causes these massive bursts of energy, the paper confirms that fast radio bursts are common events in the cosmos and that we will be able to use them to detect matter between galaxies, and better understand the structure of the Universe,” says Associate Professor Shannon.

And we will soon have the tools to do so. ASKAP is currently the best radio telescope to detect and locate FRBs. The international SKA telescopes now under construction in Western Australia and South Africa will be even better at allowing astronomers to locate even older and more distant FRBs. The nearly 40-metre mirror of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in the high, dry Chilean desert will then be needed to study their source galaxies.

The project was a world-wide effort with researchers from ASTRON (Netherlands), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile), Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Japan), SKA Observatory (UK), Northwestern University, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz (USA).

Australian participants were Macquarie University, Swinburne University of Technology, CSIRO, ICRAR/Curtin University, ASTRO 3D, and University of Sydney.

Current methods of estimating the mass of the Universe are giving conflicting answers and challenging the standard model of cosmology.

“If we count up the amount of normal matter in the Universe – the atoms that we are all made of – we find that more than half of what should be there today is missing,” says Associate Professor Shannon.

“We think that the missing matter is hiding in the space between galaxies, but it may just be so hot and diffuse that it’s impossible to see using normal techniques.

“Fast radio bursts sense this ionised material. Even in space that is nearly perfectly empty they can ‘see’ all the electrons, and that allows us to measure how much stuff is between the galaxies.”

CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope is situated at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia, about 800 kilometres north of Perth.

Currently, 16 countries are partners in the SKA Observatory, which is building two radio telescopes. SKA-Low (the low frequency telescope) – at the same site as ASKAP – will comprise 131,072 two-metre-tall antennas, while SKA-Mid (the mid frequency telescope) in South Africa will comprise 197 dishes.

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) has four eight-metre mirrors and is operated by the European Southern Observatory, located on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Australia is a strategic partner of ESO, giving Australian astronomers access to the VLT and the opportunity to contribute new technologies to it.

Australian astronomers are also hoping to gain access to ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope when it starts operation later this decade. The ELT will be able to deliver images 15 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope.

Challenging nuclear vibrations and trapping light: 2023 TH Laby and Bragg medals

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 22:49:11 GMT

Two Australian students have been recognised with awards from the AIP for achieving outstanding results in their university research theses.

Martha Reece from the Australian National University receives the 2023 TH Laby Medal for her Honours thesis: ‘Challenging nuclear vibrations with particle-gamma spectroscopy’.

Martha’s honours research advances our technical capability to study collective features of atomic nuclei through Coulomb excitation. Using this method, she demonstrated that the collective behaviour of tellurium-124 does not conform with expectations derived from the nuclear shell model.

Dr Kirill Koshelev from the Australian National University receives the 2023 Bragg Gold Medal for his PhD thesis: ‘Advanced trapping of light in resonant dielectric metastructures for nonlinear optics’.

Kirill’s PhD research develops pioneering concepts of resonant metaphotonics and metasurfaces, opening the door to new nanodevices capable of computational signal processing using light.

The compact nanodevices developed through Kirill's work pave the way towards photonics, which is smaller and faster technology that uses laser light instead of electronics.

To achieve efficient data processing in photonics, light must be trapped in a small space and held there for a long period of time. Until now, physicists had only achieved this with objects larger than the wavelength of light.

Kirill's work also has wide-ranging potential application in medicine, surgery and industry; including improved hair removal devices, laser printers, and night-time surveillance technology.

Both the TH Laby Medal and Bragg Gold Medal will be presented at the ANZCOP-AIP Summer Meeting in Canberra in December.

Australian Academy of Science seeking responses to nuclear science capability survey

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:34:16 GMT

The Australian Academy of Science is hosting a fundamental nuclear science roundtable, to assess Australia’s current and future capability requirements.

The roundtable will be held on 9 November 2023, and will bring together Australia’s leading experts in the field.

Prior to the roundtable, the Academy is seeking responses to a sector-wide survey, which will identify current and future capabilities, knowledge gaps, challenges and opportunities.

The survey is one of several lines of evidence culminating in the roundtable.

The survey can be found here and will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The QR code below can also be used to access the survey.

The survey will be open from 17 October 2023, until 10 am AEDT on 23 October 2023.

If you or your colleagues have any questions regarding the survey or roundtable, please contact the project lead.

AIP responds to Australia’s Draft Science and Research Priorities

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 04:46:28 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics and the Astronomical Society of Australia collaborated on a joint response to the Australian Government’s ‘Australia's draft science and research priorities’– the document intended to shape a long-term vision for the Australian science system.

This process is being led by the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

Joint statement:

The Astronomical Society of Australia and the Australian Institute of Physics welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Priorities. As representatives of two of Australia’s peak bodies for the physical sciences, we are pleased to see the contributions of our disciplines, astronomy and physics, recognised in the draft.

While the draft Priorities capture several important challenges and opportunities, we have identified two critical gaps. Specifically, we suggest that the Priorities would be strengthened by:

1. Explicit inclusion of critical technologies in communication and positioning, timing and sensing. These are currently the only broad areas which appear in the Government’s List of Critical Technologies in the National Interest but are not included in the draft Priorities.

2. Inclusion of discovery research as a further Priority. This fundamental pillar underpins all other Priorities. If this is not possible due to the broad scope of discovery research, we suggest including an explicit statement (for example, in a preamble) to emphasize the essential role of such research in all Priorities. This needs to be the main focus of Australia’s science and research effort, with any specific initiatives being supported in parallel.

We now provide more context to these suggestions.

(1) We were surprised to find several critical technologies missing in “Priority 3: Enabling a productive and innovative economy” under “Harnessing emerging technologies at scale” and “Creating future industries”. Specifically, communications and positioning, timing and sensing are the only broad critical technology areas (from the Government’s List of Critical Technologies in the National Interest) not appearing in the draft Priorities. We advocate for correcting this, via an explicit reference in the list of emerging technologies on p. 11:

• Australia will build new industries and accelerate productivity by having sovereign knowledge and access to develop and harness impactful emerging technologies, particularly in advanced navigation, sensing and communication; AI; quantum; and biotechnology.

Australian physics and astronomy have a proud history of leading in several critical technology areas. Indeed, two explicitly listed focus areas, quantum and semiconductors, have come out of discovery physics research. Many aspects of two further areas, advanced radio and optical communications, and satellite and positioning technologies, have emerged from astronomy and physics research.

Australia currently has several competitive advantages in communications, positioning, timing and sensing. These research areas also contribute to national security. The counterfactual of not investing in these areas – as would be the case if they are not included in the Priorities – would have Australia lag behind competitor economies in building industries of the future, and not have sufficiently advanced sovereign capability.

(2) We were disappointed to not see fundamental, discovery research as a fifth, underpinning national Priority. As stated in the Terms of Reference, the Priorities are “a signal-setting tool, give clarity on the areas government considers important and help encourage activity and growth in these areas”.

Omission of fundamental research from the list sends a message that this is not a priority for Australia, with downstream consequences for translational and applied research in due time. This point was also explicitly raised in the submissions to the Priorities Taskforce by the Australian Academy of Science and Science and Technology Australia, the two organisations with the largest reach and hence best placed to speak on behalf of all Australian scientists; as well as in the peak bodies roundtable attended by our representatives.

In our own disciplines, fundamental physics research has led to quantum and semiconductor technologies. Fundamental research in astronomy has enabled accurate positioning including via GPS, minimized disruptions to vital satellite services and electrical power grids, improved medical imaging techniques, and facilitated development of smart phone cameras and WiFi networks. Research excellence by Australian astronomers has also led to direct $1.8 billion foreign investment in Australia through construction of the Square Kilometre Array. None of this would have happened without sustained investment in fundamental physics and astronomy research.

Fundamental science is also essential for inspiring people, and attracting them to STEM. An explicit focus area in the National Science Statement is to “enable and grow a STEM-skilled workforce” – but participation by Australians in STEM subjects is stagnating or going backwards. Yet Australia needs skilled professionals to fill a rapidly-growing number of STEM jobs (e.g. 1.1 million tech jobs by 2030). Discovery sciences such as astronomy and physics are often the gateway for STEM-curious minds. They also make a large contribution to training a STEM-capable workforce that benefits the nation. For example, almost one third of astronomy PhD graduates become data science specialists, contributing widely across the Australian economy in areas as diverse as energy, biotech and medical industries, defence research, supercomputing, business and non-profit enterprises. Physics graduates make similarly broad contributions. Any reduction in focus on fundamental research is likely to undermine this production pipeline, with potentially serious long-term consequences.

Finally, fundamental sciences such as astronomy and physics provide an exceptional opportunity for both international and domestic engagement. Worldwide collaborations, across cultures, are essential for advancing these disciplines. The fact that every culture has its own relation to the sky gives us an opportunity to engage on a fundamental level with other cultures and nations, especially Australia’s First Nations – the world’s oldest astronomers.

For these reasons, we strongly support the recent statement by the Academy of Science on the importance of appropriately resourced discovery research. We respectfully suggest that the Priorities should reflect this, by listing fundamental research as an underpinning pillar.

Thank you for consideration of our suggestions above, and for your stewardship of Australian science.

See the complete statement.

Revealing how superheavy elements are made – 2023 Boas Medal winners

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 06:14:35 GMT

We know explosive stellar events can form superheavy elements, but describing exactly how this happens pushes the boundaries of our understanding of physics and chemistry.

On Earth, researchers can synthesise superheavy elements at accelerator laboratories through fusion of two heavy nuclei. Understanding the many-body quantum dynamics involved is crucial for successfully forming superheavy nuclides in the lab and gives us new insight into how this may occur in cosmic stellar events.

Professor Mahananda Dasgupta and Emeritus Professor David John Hinde, both from the Australian National University, are 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’.

Dasgupta and Hinde have revealed key physics at each of the three stages in the synthesis of superheavy nuclides. They’ve achieved this through innovative measurements made on specialist instrumentation they developed for this purpose.

Their research has contributed to Australia’s leading role in nuclear reaction dynamics, drawing invitations to join international superheavy element collaborations, and attracting top research teams to Australia to run experiments.

The Walter Boas Medal was established in 1984 to promote excellence in research in Physics and to commemorate the life and work of Walter Moritz Boas, who was an AIP Honorary Fellow.

The Medal is awarded annually for original research that makes an important contribution to physics in Australia.

ARC review outcomes announced – ‘Welcome news’

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 02:03:59 GMT

The Government’s response to the Final Report of the Independent Review panel: Trusting Australia’s Ability: Review of the Australian Research Council Act 2001, was released on 20 August 2023.

“The report is very welcome news,” said AIP President Nicole Bell.

“The Government intends to implement all the key recommendations of the ARC review, including changes that the Australian Institute of Physics advocated for.”

The ARC’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms Judi Zielke PSM, said in a media release that the final report is a strong endorsement of the role and positive impact the ARC has had on Australia’s research capability over the last 20 years.

It affirms the broader reform schedule the ARC is already undertaking to restore stakeholder trust and drive excellent research for the advancement of all Australians.

“The Government’s response to the review confirms the ARC’s role in underpinning and shaping the national research landscape.

It will define in legislation our role in supporting basic and strategic basic research as well as applied research, research integrity, evaluation of the excellence, quality and impact of research in Australian universities, and the development of researchers through their career progression.”

“There is significant work already underway at the ARC to address the recommendations that do not require legislative change, such as those relating to grant guidelines improvements and reduction of administrative burden for researchers, universities and partners.

We are also consulting with Indigenous researchers regarding the establishment of an ARC Indigenous Forum,” Ms Zielke said.

Australian Academy of Science President Professor Chennupati Jagadish said in a media release that the underlying theme of the review is that of trust with a strong emphasis on the critical role of the ARC in Australia’s research system.

“The role of the ARC, its leadership and the execution of its functions should reflect our aspirations for the research landscape, for research excellence and how they can best support our national ambitions,” Professor Jagadish said.

“The recommendations in the review provide a strong basis to support this purpose and the ongoing effectiveness of the ARC.

“The Academy welcomes the recommendation that the commitment to funding basic research should be incorporated into the ARC’s purpose under the Act.

“The Academy views this as important to safeguard fundamental research that grows our knowledge base.”

The Academy also endorsed several other noteworthy recommendations to:
restore the ARC Board and populate it with members with the right combination of skills and experience
discontinue Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) and modernise ARC capacity and requirements for data collection and analysis
streamline National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) guidelines to reflect international best practice and reduce the administrative burden on academic and research organisations.

Professor Jagadish said the focus of ministerial discretion on the NCGP guidelines and funding available, rather than on individual grants, would place the recommendations and approvals in the hands of the people with the expertise to assess their merit.

“It is positive to see the recommendations to advance Indigenous Australians in research and recognition of the impact of the ARC on attracting and retaining research talent,” Professor Jagadish said.

The Report and the Government’s response can be found at: Review of the Australian Research Council Act 2001 - Department of Education, Australian Government.

Vale Emeritus Professor John White AO 1937–2023

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 02:07:45 GMT

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of John White, FAIP.

John, originally from Newcastle, studied chemistry at the University of Sydney and then at Oxford where, after gaining his doctorate, he was appointed a Fellow of St John’s College.

In 1985, John returned to Australia as Professor of Physical & Theoretical Chemistry at ANU, continuing his research on the application of neutron scattering to a wide variety of problems in chemistry.

A distinguished scientist, John was a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society of London. Additionally, in Australia he helped to establish ISCAST – Christians in Science and Technology; serving as its President from 1992 to 2006.

Read about John on Wikipedia

AIP response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 00:07:42 GMT

Last week, the Universities Accord interim report was released. In November 2022, Education Minister Jason Clare appointed a panel to conduct a review to drive lasting reform in Australia’s higher education system, to deliver a system that meets the current and future needs of the nation, and targets to achieve this.

The Australian Institute of Physics, the professional body representing Australian physicists, considers this interim report a missed opportunity to recommend the real changes that are needed to secure Australia’s future. We hope the final report will go further.

The report includes several potential proposals including significantly increasing immediate investment in the Australian Research Council, increasing PhD stipend rate, and moving NCRIS to sustainable ongoing funding. The AIP would like to see these proposals elevated to priority actions in the final report.

However, the failure to recommend a visionary scale-up of Australia’s research sector, to drive stronger job creation, is a significant missed opportunity. Only with stronger investment in research can science address the challenges of the future. This is particularly concerning in light of the latest official data (published in May 2023) that shows that Australian Government investment in R&D has plummeted to its lowest level since 1978.

We share the view of Science & Technology Australia president Professor Mark Hutchinson that “The final report should enshrine an ambitious target for Australia’s R&D investment – mirroring the 3% of GDP target the Australian Labor Party promised the Australian people before the last election – and recommend a plan and timetable to achieve it.”

Vale Jim Piper, laser physics pioneer

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:00:47 GMT

(Original text adapted from Macquarie University)

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Emeritus Professor James (Jim) Piper AM on 20 July. Jim was a Fellow of the AIP and the winner of our first Boas Medal.

A true pioneer of laser physics in Australia, Professor Piper served the University for a remarkable 38 years, including 10 years as Macquarie University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) from 2003 to 2013.

Professor Piper joined Macquarie University in 1975 following his postdoctoral period at Oxford University. In the years that followed, he established the University as a leading international centre for lasers, photonics and optics. Many of Professor Piper’s extraordinary achievements as a physicist are documented in the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation.

Professor Piper remained active in research after his retirement, securing an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant in 2020 to develop a lanthanide-doped nanomaterial for use in anti-counterfeit security inks. The Linkage program was a scheme that Professor Piper was instrumental in establishing, having served on the Australian Research Council for 10 years.

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Piper is credited with establishing the foundations for Macquarie’s trajectory as a research institution. He developed the University’s first strategic research plan and established the CORE (Concentrations of Research Excellence) program, which nurtured many of Macquarie’s current research leaders.

The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership is awarded every two years in his honour, recognising Macquarie academics who share with Professor Piper the rare combination of outstanding proficiency in both research and leadership.

In 2014, Professor Piper was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to tertiary education, particularly through research in applied laser physics”.

Despite the volume of his professional achievements, it is Professor Piper’s character for which he will be most fondly remembered by his colleagues. He was esteemed for his generosity, down-to-earth manner and sense of humour, and will be much missed by those who knew him, including the many students and colleagues who benefited from his mentorship.

We celebrate Professor Piper’s enduring imprint on Macquarie University and Australian science.

S Bruce Dowton MD
Vice-Chancellor and President

(Image credit: Macquarie University)

Opportunity to join the AIP Executive: Awards Officer

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 03:48:54 GMT

The AIP Executive is looking for an enthusiastic Awards Officer to administer the AIP’s awards, which are among our highest-profile activities.

The Awards Officer manages the administration of the AIP awards – from communicating with state Branches and recruiting selection panel members, to arranging for the awards to be presented to the winners at the AIP Congress or Summer Meeting.

The Awards Officer is a member of the AIP National Executive, attends Executive and Council meetings, and is a full participant in Executive level conversations and decisions.

The new appointee will replace Dr Joanna Turner, who will be stepping down from the role after four years of service.

“It’s a great way to grow your network across the Australian physics community, and make connections with those working in many physics sub-disciplines,” says Joanna.

It is expected that the Awards Officer would perform this role for 2 to 3 years.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us at executive@aip.org.au today.

Meet AIP Vice President Dr Stuart Midgley

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 03:50:55 GMT

“Physics is a creative and innovative discipline at the forefront of technology – nearly every technological device we have today started as an idea in a physicist's mind. As I’ve moved through my career, I've noted that physicists are often called upon to solve the hard and complex problems,” says AIP Vice President Dr Stuart Midgley.

“Their strong analytical skills and robust training allow them to see patterns and identify traits which are unobserved by others. Their creative minds allow them to find solutions to problems and then test and prove the effectiveness. Their desire to ‘know’ means they don’t give up until they work it out,” says Stuart.

This year the AIP Executive welcomed Stuart as Vice President, supporting President Nicole Bell.

Stuart has a PhD in computational theoretical physics from the University of Western Australia (Quantum Waveguide Theory) and has worked in academia, national computing facilities and industry.

With over 25 years’ experience in the high-performance computing sector, Stuart has been using, programming, administering, designing, building, and now ‘evangelising’ some of the largest HPC systems in the world.

He is currently Program Leader for High Performance Computing at Defence Science Technology Group.

“I see the next couple of decades as an exciting time to be a physicist!

Stuart says several significant announcements from the Australian Government have recently highlighted the need for strong physicist pipelines from all of our institutions, such as:

Defence strategic review
AUKUS, including nuclear submarines, Quantum, AI, hypersonics etc.
Quantum Strategy.

“While these announcements will lead to direct employment of physicists, the largest opportunity is in the private sector. All of these announcements have industry engagement at their heart. Solving real-world problems for immediate concerns will drive a huge uptake of physicists in industry,' he says.

“To support these announcements, the ambitions of physicists and our community, the AIP is on a course to aid and assist the transition of our members and peers from the academic environment into industry.

“As we see in the #PhysicsGotMeHere profiles, there are endless versions of what a career in physics might look like. Upcoming pieces on the careers of our life-members will show the breadth and enthusiasm the physics community even into retirement.

“We are working on a nationwide jobs fair activity to connect industry with physicists. We will continue to showcase members and their activities, highlighting where a creative mind and strong problem-solving skills can take you.

“For me, success is when ASX listed companies have a position with title “Chief Physicist” – that person to whom you take all the ‘unsolvable’ problems.”

You can contact Stuart at vicepresident@aip.org.au or

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hpcaddict @HPCAddict

Exploring Einstein's Universe – Public Lecture by Shaw Prize Winner Matthew Bailes

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 08:30:04 GMT

Join us for a Public Lecture with 2023 Shaw Prize recipient Professor Matthew Bailes at The University of Tasmania and online. Thursday 8 June, 6:30PM AEST.

In this talk, Matthew will take you on a virtual tour of Einstein's Universe, and what we've learnt about it, using neutron stars, black holes and some of the world's most powerful telescopes.

The Zoom details for this lecture are:

Topic: AIP June Public Lecture - Exploring Einstein's Universe
Time: Jun 8, 2023 06:30 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Join Zoom Meeting
https://utas.zoom.us/j/87807329707

Meeting ID: 878 0732 9707 Dial in by Phone: +61 3 7018 2005 Australia

Join by H.323/SIP
87807329707@zoom.aarnet.edu.au

Our new Secretary: Dr Michael Schmidt

Wed, 31 May 2023 05:32:31 GMT

We welcome Dr Michael Schmidt, Senior Lecturer at UNSW and Research Director of UNSW School of Physics, to the role of AIP Honorary Secretary.

Michael is a theoretical particle physicist working on physics beyond the Standard Model.

“My main research focus is the physics of neutrinos, very light fundamental particles, and their connection to other physics, like ‘flavour physics’ and early universe physics,” he says.

“My main research questions are around the origin of neutrino masses and explanations for the three-fold replication (flavours) of all matter, their masses and interactions.”

Michael takes over the secretary role from Associate Professor Kirrily Rule, who recently stepped down after six years of dedicated service in the role.

The Honorary National Secretary is a company director of the AIP, contributing to strategic decisions and helping to coordinate the Institute's day-to-day activities.

“I have a particular passion for fundamental physics, and the role of honorary secretary provides a great opportunity to engage with other physicists, advocate for physics research and development, and raise awareness of the importance of physics in society,” says Michael.

“As secretary, I look forward to enhancing member engagement, to encourage more active physicists to join AIP, and of course, to ensure the effective functioning of the AIP so it can keep being a strong voice for the Australian physics community.”

You can connect with Michael:

Email: m.schmidt@unsw.edu.au, secretary@aip.org.au

Twitter: @micha_a_schmidt

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micha-a-schmidt/

Mastodon: @micha_a_schmidt@sciencemastodon.com

Nominations open for 2024 IUPAP Early Career Prize in Mathematical Physics

Wed, 24 May 2023 03:18:37 GMT

IUPAP Commission C18 (Mathematical Physics) is calling for nominations for the IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Mathematical Physics (formerly known as Young Scientist Prize) .

The prize recognises exceptional achievements in mathematical physics by scientists at relatively early stages of their careers. It is awarded triennially to up to three young scientists satisfying the following criteria:

The recipients of the awards in a given year should have a maximum of 8 years of research experience (excluding career interruptions) following their PhD, on January 1 of that year (in this case, 1 January 2024).
The recipients should have performed original work of outstanding scientific quality in mathematical physics.
Preference may be given to young mathematical physicists from under- represented groups and geographical regions.
The awards will be presented at the International Congress of Mathematical Physics in July 2024 in Strasbourg.

Your nomination should include:

a brief description of the achievements of the candidate that supports the nomination
your curriculum vitae (CV)
a list of publications (or current links to that information online).

Please submit your nomination to:

Nilanjana Datta (secretary, n.datta@damtp.cam.ac.uk)
Simone Warzel (vice-chair, warzel@ma.tum.de)
Alain Joye (chair, alain.joye@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr)

The deadline for nominations is 30 September 2023.

See further information about the prize, including past recipients.

70 years of excellence in Australian nuclear science

Mon, 01 May 2023 00:53:57 GMT

Adapted from the Office for the Hon Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science.

Seventy years ago, Australia’s first nuclear science research facility opened at Lucas Heights.

It was a landmark moment for our scientific community and the Australian public.

Since 18 April 1953, Lucas Heights has hosted some of the most sophisticated public research work ever conducted on our shores.

It has made possible life-changing advances in the diagnoses and treatment of cancer and other diseases.

It has helped our scientists confront environmental challenges and support industry and advanced manufacturing, including when it used its own technology to find a missing radioactive capsule in mid-west Western Australia a few months ago.

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO) stewardship has led it to become one of Australia’s most recognised and respected scientific research bodies.

“ANSTO and its nuclear facilities have made an incredible contribution to Australian life,” says Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science.

“It’s estimated every Australian will have an average of two procedures using nuclear medicine throughout their lives.

“In particular, countless cancer patients have had their lives extended with radiotherapy treatments made available through ANSTO.

“For seven decades our publicly funded nuclear research has also supported our industrial growth and helped confront environmental challenges.”

AIP responds to report on 'Australian Research Council Act Review'

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 05:56:20 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) welcomes the recommendations of the ARC Review report , which reflect the major issues we highlighted in our submission to the ARC Review consultation process.

Our advocacy efforts to lobby for a modernised ARC are summarised in a recent COSMOS article.

The AIP hopes to see the implementation of these recommendations as soon as possible.

AIP partners with Royal Australian Chemical Institute for 2023 Mentoring Program

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:55:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) is excited to announce our agreement with The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) for their 2023 Mentoring Program. This opportunity is available to AIP Early Career Research (ECR) members who are looking to gain unique knowledge, insights, and advice from industry experts while developing their career paths.

We are thrilled to offer up to 10 AIP ECRs the chance to participate in this program. The AIP will cover half of the cost ($150), while the member taking part will pay the remaining half ($150).

The RACI Mentoring Program offers students and early career researchers the chance to receive regular guidance and support, career advice, and support throughout the process of finding a job. It also provides networking opportunities through facilitated networking events where mentors can introduce mentees to contacts.

The program is open to all early career AIP members and student members, including undergraduate or postgraduate students, postdocs, and ECR staff.

AIP members can apply by contacting us at aip@aip.org.au . The application deadline is 23 April, so interested parties should act quickly.

Mentoring is a two-way process, and the ideal mentee will be energetic, enthusiastic, and willing to actively participate in the mentoring process, which typically requires approximately 2-3 hours per month, as well as occasional networking events. This program is particularly well-suited for students who will be completing their studies in 2023 and are looking to get a head start on their career path.

The RACI Mentoring Program has been highly successful, with 80% of students finding a job within one month of graduation. We believe that this program can help AIP members achieve similar success and reach their full potential. Please email us to express your interest in the program, and we will provide you with all the necessary information to apply.

We look forward to hearing from you and helping you take the next step in your career.

Physicists honoured in Academy of Science awards

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 23:04:27 GMT

Congratulations to the recipients of the Australian Academy of Science’s (AAS) 2023 honorific awards.

Among them we find physicists working on gravitational waves, atomic structures of glass and the ‘world’s thinnest lens’.

From an interest sparked while watching the moon landing on television to detecting gravitational waves from the hearts of neutron stars: Prof Susan Scott, from The Australian National University, has been awarded the 2023 AAS Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal for outstanding achievements in maths and physics.

Using physics to understanding the structure of disordered solids like different types of glass: congratulations to Dr Amelia Liu, from Monash University, who was awarded the 2023 AAS John Booker Medal in Engineering Science.

"Nanotechnology allows us to do big things from a tiny world": congratulations to Prof Yuerui Lu, from ANU, who is winner of the AAS Pawsey Medal 2023 for outstanding research in physics.

See ‘Australia’s stars of science’ on the AAS website.

Nominations are now open for the 2024 honorific awards. Nominations close 1 May 2023.

We need more physicists to support our nuclear subs program

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:59:31 GMT

The AUKUS agreement about Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines is “the single biggest investment in our defence capability in our history and represents a transformational moment for our nation, our Defence Force and our economy,” according to a joint release in March from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.

AIP President Prof Nicole Bell responded to the announcement to highlight Australia’s need to build nuclear physics skills to support the program.

“Australia has a critical skills shortage in nuclear physics. We have an urgent need to develop our capabilities to support the development of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program,” says Prof Bell.

“Our universities have very few personnel with the expertise to deliver the training programs that will be required. Funding for new positions in nuclear physics is urgently needed,” says Prof Bell.

“These skills are also needed for many other applications including medicine, such as radiotherapy treatment, and in the space industry, such as developing satellites that can withstand radiation in space.”

In December, the AIP called for urgent action to train a nuclear savvy generation.

A government statement has said that as part of the Agreement, the Albanese Government and South Australia have pledged to work together to realise, “An increase in Commonwealth Supported Places to South Australia Universities over the next four years, focused on STEM disciplines in professional engineering (mechanical, electrical, chemical), computer science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, psychology and management.

“The Commonwealth will allocate an additional 800 places to South Australia Universities over the next four years, with the first 200 places commencing in 2024.” Read the full statement.

Could you be AIP’s next Honorary National Secretary?

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 02:15:44 GMT

If you’re a great organiser and would like to increase your visibility and build your network in physics, consider taking on the role of Honorary Secretary for the AIP.

The Honorary Secretary is supported by our Operations Manager who oversees much of the membership enquiries and daily tasks of the AIP.

The Honorary National Secretary is a company Director of the AIP, contributing to strategic decisions and helping to coordinate the day-to-day activities of the institute.

Tasks include responding to emails, organising executive and branch chair meetings including the annual Council meeting and AGM, governance reporting, and liaising with stakeholders such as cognate societies, STA, AAS, IUPAP and AAPPS.

After six years of dedicated service, our current Honorary National Secretary, Associate Professor Kirrily Rule, is stepping down. So, we are looking for someone to step into this organisational and communication role within the AIP.

“This role is extremely rewarding and a fantastic way to grow your network of physicists from across the country and around the world,” says Kirrily.

“It gives high visibility to the person undertaking these activities and the Secretary has their finger on the pulse of physics within Australia.”

Whilst the Secretary role does not have a constitutionally limited tenure, it is expected that most secretaries will perform this role for around 2-3 years.

If you’re interested in finding out more, contact Kirrily at aip_secretary@aip.org.au today.

60 years of strengthening physics in Australia

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 02:21:45 GMT

Over the past 60 years, the AIP, through its Council, Executive, committees, groups and branches, has been a staunch advocate of physics in Australia, including responding to governmental issues or other pressing national concerns.

Recent examples include efforts to pivot to ethical banking and drafting a new diversity and inclusion statement.

It continues to seek the provision of world-standard national research facilities and funding, and learning, such as the recent review the Australian Research Council Act, comments on changes to the school science syllabus, and advocating for the independence of the ARC at a Senate inquiry.

The AIP was established on 21 February 1963, evolving from the Australian Branch of the Institute of Physics (IOP) in the UK.

Almost 500 members of the IOP had their membership moved to the AIP, providing the new Institute with a solid foundation for establishing itself as a separate entity; with the assets of the Australian Branch of the IOP transferred to the AIP. Today, nine of those original members are still active members of AIP.

The Australian Physics magazine began in 1964, and continues to be a forum for the AIP and its members to explore advances in physics and connect with the physics community.

The AIP commenced its own congresses in 1974 – these have been held biennially ever since, except for two interruptions: industrial issues in the aviation industry and the COVID-19 pandemic. You can view the program and abstracts from 1974 and also see our most recent program from 2022 online.

The inaugural AIP Council was:

Professor Leonard Huxley (President) – later Sir
Mr Frederick Lehany (Vice-President)
Mr George Bell (Hon. Treasurer)
Dr John Dryden (Hon. Registrar)
Mr Arthur Harper (Hon. Secretary) – became Honorary Fellow
Professor John Jaeger (Chair, ACT Branch)
Dr Guy White (Chair, NSW Branch)
Dr Ralph Parsons (Chair, Queensland Branch)
Dr Francis Wood (Chair, SA Branch)
Dr Brian Spicer (Chair Victorian Branch) – became Honorary Fellow
Mr RW Stanford (Chair WA Branch)

The Tasmanian branch was formed subsequently.

Get ready: AIP award nominations coming earlier in 2023

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 05:28:05 GMT

In 2023, the AIP’s award nomination due dates are moving earlier in the year.

We encourage everyone who is considering nominating themselves or others for an award, to start thinking and preparing now for their applications. The due dates and awards available for 2023 are:

The TH Laby Medal – due by 1 April
Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence – due by 1 May
Walter Boas Medal – due by 1 April.

See the AIP website for nomination details for each medal.

For the TH Laby and Bragg Gold medals, we encourage you to get in touch with your local branch, as the award is submitted to local branches first. The branches may have specific details for submission. You can find the contacts for each branch on the AIP website.

The only award nomination date not changing is the Women in Physics Lecture Tour for 2024, which is due 1 June.

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about the awards or application process. Just email the Awards Officer at aip_awards@aip.org.au.

CN Yang Awards

The CN Yang Award is an international award that the AIP Groups are eligible to nominate a candidate for.

The Award has been established to honour young researchers with prominent research achievements and to promote the development of leaders in physics in the Asia Pacific region.

The award does not have a closing date on its website for 2023 yet, however, we have been advised the closing date will be a little later in the year this year. The AIP encourages each group to determine, earlier rather than later, if a suitable candidate is available for nomination.

As this award is not administered by the AIP, the submissions will not be sent directly AIP’s Awards Officer. You can find out more about the award from the main website, and the AIP’s website.

Attend Science Meets Parliament as an AIP delegate

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 05:24:01 GMT

Applications close 10 Feb

Science and Technology Australia (STA) is calling for nominations to attend Science Meets Parliament 2023. As a STA member organisation, the AIP is sponsoring two selected delegates to attend the program.

We encourage early career researchers to apply as well as those more senior.

Science Meets Parliament offers science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals a program of bespoke training to help forge deeper connections between federal Parliamentarians and the STEM community.

This year, STA will deliver the program in two parts:

Online: Over three days (7,8,9 March), Science & Technology Australia will deliver Science Meets Parliament training, professional development and inspiring speakers online.
On ‘the hill’: Following the online training, delegates are invited for an in-person event in Parliament House in Canberra (Wednesday 22 March) to meet with Members of Parliament, attend the National Press Club address and the Welcome Reception and National Gala Dinner.

See more info about the program, and the special additional day event – 'Building the SABRE Biosecurity Alliance'.

If you are interested in attending, please send an expression of interest to AIP Secretary Kirrily Rule at aip_secretary@aip.org.au. Please include:

A CV, no longer than one page;
A statement, no longer than one page, indicating why you would like to attend and what you hope to gain from the experience.

The AIP will cover your registration for the event.

Please send your expressions of interest to aip_secretary@aip.org.au by 10 Feb.

The executive team will assess each application, taking into account gender balance, research area balance and geographic coverage.

Travel scholarships are currently available via STA https://sta.eventsair.com/science-meets-parliament-2023/registration, also closing on 10 Feb.

More information about this year’s Science Meets Parliament can be found at https://sta.eventsair.com/science-meets-parliament-2023.

Nuclear jobs, fusion breakthrough, and quantum investment – Congress media highlights

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 05:11:35 GMT

The 2022 AIP Congress secured some high quality and high impact media coverage, with over 300 news articles around the world mentioning the Congress and/or its speakers.

Highlights of the coverage included:

Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland talking for twenty minutes on Radio National’s Drive program, and also on 5AA’s breakfast show

A call to boost nuclear science education with AJ Mitchell on RN Breakfast, ABC Melbourne Drive, and in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald

Andrew Stuchbery and Ken Baldwin talking ‘everywhere’ about the US fusion announcement, including RN Breakfast, ABC News, ABC News Breakfast and The Australian amongst 280 stories around the world, with the help of the AusSMC who picked up and recirculated their comments, referencing the Congress.

Cathy Foley with an opinion piece about investment in Australia’s quantum sector.

More story highlights from the Congress included:

See the Congress speakers in the news media, including:

Ken Baldwin on ABC News Breakfast talking about fusion energy

Andrew Stuchbery on RN Breakfast commenting on the US fusion breakthrough

AJ Mitchell on RN Breakfast and ABC Melbourne with a call to boost nuclear science education

Ken Baldwin in The Australian on the fusion breakthrough

Expert comments on fusion breakthrough via AusSMC

Cathy Foley with her opinion piece about investment in Australia’s quantum sector.

Long-term investment pays off for Australian quantum sector

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 05:07:49 GMT

Opinion article written by Professor Cathy Foley, Australia’s Chief Scientist, for the 24th Congress of the Australian Institute of Physics in December 2022.

Australia’s leadership in quantum computing and quantum science today isn’t an accident. It is the result of over sixty years of investment in the physical sciences in our universities and research agencies, and it gives us the opportunity to lead the world in new technologie

s, industries and jobs.

It’s a truism that there’s no such thing as overnight success; achievement comes from long-term commitment.

This is definitely the case of Australia’s investment and expertise in the quantum research sector. We invested early – largely because our researchers and public funding bodies recognised the promise of quantum, and the physicists were organised and had strong leadership.

We’ve had 14 Centres of Excellence over the past 20 years, devoted to various aspects of quantum research. Today, Australia has 22 quantum-related research institutions, whose researchers participate in these Centres of Excellence.

The first Australian research paper was published in 1959 on time-correlated photons, and that same year, Guy White from my old team at CSIRO published Experimental Techniques in Low-Temperature Physics, still the go-to text.

Since then, Australian researchers have made theoretical breakthroughs and pioneered many techniques, including in silicon quantum computing, photonics and cold-atom systems.

So, it’s a long history.

That depth of quantum research is why we have such a wealth of expertise.

It’s why we have around 20 and growing quantum-related start-ups in Australia spanning investments across hardware, software, communications, sensing, cryptography, biology and consultancy capability.

This week, at the Australian Institute of Physics Congress in Adelaide, we’re hearing about the latest developments in precision navigation and timing without GPS; and sensing, including quantum clocks, diamond-based sensors, and sensing for defence, intelligence, navigation and earth observation.

There are papers on superconducting quantum hardware and NV diamond foundries, and technologies that can sense the start of a volcanic eruption.

We’re hearing about quantum technologies to explore the brain, and how enzymes in our bodies catalyse complex reaction.

Our talent is behind many existing and emerging quantum applications, including quantum random number generators for security and sensors for mining and civil engineering – a lot of this research is done with the support of international partners.

However, Australia’s ambition goes well beyond supplying a hungry world with expertise. We are building our own quantum industry.

As Australia’s Chief Scientist, I am very committed to this, as is the Australian Government. We recognise the transformative implications of quantum technologies, not only to the defence and security sphere, but ultimately to the way we live our lives.

We’re in the process of finalising a National Quantum Strategy and have established a National Quantum Advisory Committee comprising quantum and business experts around the country, along with a network of state and territory governments.

Our goal is to advance the quantum sector to build knowledge, speed discovery, lift the complexity of our economy and improve lives.

The way I see it, there are three things that are critical for the global quantum community as we accelerate this set of technologies.

First, investing in basic science, the process of discovery, must continue. I have sometimes described quantum computing as being still very much a science project.

The same can be said of many of the potential applications in quantum, in health, communications, sensing, or encryption.

But the potential is extraordinary in many areas. Quantum computing could be a game-changer in climate technologies to help us reach that difficult net-zero target.

In everything from battery chemistry, to the efficiency of solar cells, to reduce methane emissions, and to find new catalysts for hydrogen, quantum simulation and computing holds great promise.

We don’t know precisely how it will play out and over what timeframe. We can’t say for sure which areas will see progress that surpasses expectations, and where it will fall short. Discovery is a rich and unpredictable process!

As leaders in this field, we need to keep reinforcing that message, so investors and decision-makers understand that not every avenue will emerge in the sun. We do have to play the patience game.

Yet at every stage, we learn more, and build the knowledge base from which new and unexpected discoveries will follow.

This is how to maintain the excitement, interest and momentum. It’s the scientific process in action, and it’s what I love about my profession.

Second, the skills gaps. It sometimes feels as though advanced economies have entered the international talent wars.

We’re all competing for the same pool of people and pinning hopes on skilled migration to solve significant skills shortages across a range of critical industries.

Of course, this is a zero/sum game. The only way to tackle the skills shortage is to continue the focus on STEM engagement across the board.

And to be frank, this shouldn’t be so hard. Kids are born scientists, explorers and inventors – all kids, not only the boys. With the right expectations and teaching, we can close the skills deficit.

In Australia, we have a number of skills initiatives, including a focus on transferable skills which recognises the uncertainty embedded in these disruptive sectors.

At the same time, we will continue to support the international flow of talent, always an important part of our research and innovation ecosystem.

The third and final consideration relates to regulation – the frameworks in which we develop these technologies to ensure they remain a force for good.

Australia was part of the development of first governance guidelines for quantum computing through the World Economic Forum process last year.

The core values set out in the Quantum Governance Principles are an excellent and sensible guide.

We’re pursuing the promise of quantum partly for the sake of discovery, simply to learn. But also – and ultimately – this shared mission is about improving our lives.

It’s about solving environmental, medical and energy challenges, understanding more about our place in the cosmos as we chart humanity’s future.

Those are the goals to guide our actions.

Boil a kettle with fusion energy

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 05:01:03 GMT

Media release from the 24th Congress of the Australian Institute of Physics in December 2022.

The US fusion news is amazing. But it’s a long way from endless clean power. The researchers probably generated enough excess energy to boil a kettle.

The US experimenters apparently have got out more energy than they put in in a fusion experiment, thus technically achieving ignition. This indeed is a breakthrough worthy of celebration.

However, there is a long way to go. From the nature of the facility where the experiment was performed, I’d say this energy came in a single pulse or “flash”. So, for a viable power source it would be necessary to have sustained repeated such pulses, and be able to collect the energy released efficiently. There’s still a long way to go. That said, achieving ignition is an essential milestone that apparently now has been reached. Practical fusion power is a step closer to reality.

A bit more technical detail. This is probably deuterium plus tritium fusion – the joining of the two heavy isotopes of hydrogen that is the favoured nuclear reaction to achieve fusion power. The two positively charged nuclei have to be pushed together against their electrical repulsion, which in this case is achieved by heating the isotopes in a plasma to temperatures where the nuclei are going so fast that they can overcome the repulsion and bang together.

Professor Andrew Stuchbery
Head, Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications, ANU

Nuclear fusion – the energy that powers the sun – has been a holy grail of physics for decades

There are two main routes to nuclear fusion. The first is magnetic confinement fusion that contains extremely high temperature nuclei in a magnetic bottle. The second is inertial confinement fusion that uses high power lasers to blast together nuclei in a miniature hydrogen bomb, as pursued at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.

Both have come close to demonstrating energy breakeven, but now it appears that Livermore may achieved this for the first time – a truly ground-breaking achievement.

I’m at the national physics congress in Adelaide where the announcement has attracted lots of interest.

However, it’s unlikely that fusion power – which generates no greenhouse gases and minimal nuclear waste – will save us from climate change. The energy apparently released from the Livermore experiments is only enough to boil a kettle.

All the heavy lifting for the energy transition will be done by renewable energy and nuclear fission (existing nuclear power) – with nuclear fusion at commercial scale unlikely to be available until later this century, well after the 2050 deadline needed to keep global warming below two degrees. But beyond that fusion might provide limitless energy for centuries to come.

Professor Ken Baldwin, Research School of Physics, ANU

Note: these comments were made ahead of the US announcement and were distributed with the support of the Australian Science Media Centre, AusSMC.

We need to lose our fear of the ‘nuclear’ word

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 04:47:02 GMT

Media release from the 24th Congress of the Australian Institute of Physics in December 2022.

A call to action to train a nuclear savvy generation
Australia will need thousands of people trained in nuclear science
For submarines, cancer treatments, space industry, mining…

Our new submarine fleet, new cancer therapies, quantum computing, space industry and satellites, the extraction of critical minerals and monitoring the environment will all demand levels of training in nuclear science we cannot at present meet.

Australia’s physicists, meeting in Adelaide today, are calling for a national plan to boost education and training in nuclear science.

“The need is urgent. The captain of our first nuclear submarine is probably already in secondary school today,” says Dr AJ Mitchell, senior lecturer in physics at the Australian National University (ANU).

“As nuclear science takes an increasingly important part of our day-to-day life, we need to make people understand that ‘nuclear’ is not something to be scared of, but rather to cherish and appreciate,” he says.

“While some of the initial training for submarine operations can take place in the US and the UK, we must take this role on ourselves. This must be a sovereign capability. And it needs to start yesterday.”

He has brought together leaders across Australia to discuss a National Vision for Nuclear Science and Applications at the 2022 Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) Congress at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

“Today we are starting construction of an Australia-wide program of nuclear science education and training,” AJ says.

Topics include:

“Emerging radiation therapies for cancer treatment. The Bragg Centre is currently being built near the Royal Adelaide Hospital and is due to open in 2025. It will be the first facility in Australia to provide advanced radiation treatment for cancer using heavy particle beams already available in Europe,” says Associate Professor Scott Penfold from the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research.

But it demands computer modellers and machine operators trained in nuclear physics to make it work. Similar facilities are on the drawing board for Australia’s other major population centres.

Radiation in the mining industry, led by Professor Nigel Spooner of the University of Adelaide

Keeping up with demand for radiation safety skills, led by Cameron Jefferies of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency already has positions it can’t fill, AJ says.

“People tend to be less afraid of things they understand. So we’re looking at changing the nuclear mindset across a whole range of industries and a general uplift in scientific literacy. So, for instance, wherever the submarine bases end up, people will be able to understand and assess the risk.”

Meet your 2023 National Executive

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:33:03 GMT

Incoming AIP President Nicole Bell (pictured) and Vice President Stuart Midgely will lead the AIP National Executive for 2023, alongside many continuing members who continue to generously offer their time, skills and enthusiasm to the physics community.

The incoming Executive is:

President: Nicole Bell
Vice President: Stuart Midgley
Honorary Treasurer: Dongchen Qi
Honorary Secretary: Kirrily Rule
Honorary Registrar: Stephen Collins
Immediate Past President: Sven Rogge
Awards Officer: Joanna Turner

The new Executive will take office at the conclusion of the AIP’s 60^th AGM (held on 2 Feb 2023) and will appoint up to four Special Project Officers (SPOs). Current SPOs are eligible for re-appointment.

Nano-magnets for computers, cancer and paint

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:20:42 GMT

Meet our 2023 Women In Physics Lecturer

Tiny magnets, 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, are used in cancer treatments, computers and even in self-repairing paints.

The AIP is thrilled to announce that Dr Karen Livesey, theoretical physicist at the University of Newcastle, will be touring Australia in 2023 as the AIP’s Women in Physics Lecturer.

Karen is designing new nano-sized magnets to address technological challenges, such as reducing the energy that today’s computers use, and heating inoperable cancer tumours to improve health outcomes.

The Women In Physics Lecture tour celebrates the contribution of women to advances in physics. This annual award recognises a woman who has made a significant contribution in a field of physics.

Karen is a Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Newcastle, and an Associate Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies. She is also a Superstar of STEM funded by Science and Technology Australia for 2023-24.

Prior to Newcastle, she worked at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for almost 10 years, reaching the rank of Associate Professor.

It was while the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, in 2020, that she moved with her family to Newcastle, NSW. Australia is home for Karen. So is physics. She was the first in her family to finish high school and went on to study physics at the University of Western Australia, completing her PhD in 2010.

Along with a passion for physics and mathematics, Karen has a love for sharing this through her university teaching and through chats with community groups. She gives invited talks around the globe and has received research and teaching awards in the United States, Canada, UK and Australia.

Tour dates and locations will be announced in 2023.

Review of the Australian Research Council: Submit your views by 14 Dec

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 23:29:18 GMT

Submit your views to the ARC or let us know what you think.

The Australian Government is currently seeking feedback to inform its review of the Australian Research Council Act 2001. The consultation paper can be found here. The consultation paper requests feedback on nine specific themes.

The AIP encourages all members to submit their individual feedback directly to the ARC, through their survey. The deadline is 14 December 2022.

The National Executive also intends to submit feedback on behalf of the AIP.

A preliminary draft for discussion of the AIP position can be found here, for member feedback. The National Executive welcomes any comments by Saturday 10 December, by emailing feedback@aip.org.au.

Please note the earlier public statements by the AIP regarding several of the themes. These statements can be viewed at www.aip.org.au/advocacy.

UPDATE Jan 2023: Read our final submission, which has been published in COSMOS Magazine

Watch NSW physics events on-demand

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 00:12:33 GMT

The NSW AIP Branch had a full calendar of events and public lectures this year.

If you missed out or you’d like to re-watch an event, many are now available on-demand:

See the 2022 NSW AIP Branch Annual Report for further details about the events.

Consultation on Changes to NSW Year 7-10 Sciences Syllabus

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 03:54:26 GMT

The National Executive of the Australian Institute of Physics wishes to encourage AIP members and the public to take note of proposed changes to the NSW School Curriculum for the Sciences, and to provide feedback to the NSW Education Standards Authority through their own survey by 5 December.

The draft syllabus for the year 7-10 high school syllabus for Science and the consultation form can be found on the web pages of the NSW Education Standards Authority at: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/news/consultations

The AIP Executive is concerned by the proposed removal, from the year 7-10 science curriculum, of some fundamental core concepts from the compulsory curriculum items, including some in relation to the solar system and astronomy.

For example, "predictable phenomena on the Earth, including day and night, seasons and eclipses are caused by the relative positions of the sun, the Earth and the moon" has been removed. In its place it is proposed to include as an item in the draft syllabus "the observations of different people and/or cultures about the phases of the moon, seasons and tides, and how their conclusions guide them in understanding and interacting with the world".

The nature of physics, and of science more generally, lies in the pursuit of matters of fact, established through investigations and discourse that follow scientific principles, such as hypothesis testing. Science aims to achieve these goals in an objective manner that is as free from bias as possible in relation to opinion, belief or culture.

We consider that the heliocentric model, its consequences for the predictable phenomena on earth (incl seasons, eclipses and day-night variations) and other phenomena in astronomy previously included in the syllabus are fundamental physical insights of such everyday relevance that they require explicit inclusion in the curriculum.

These concepts have been established as matters of fact, through scientific endeavour over the last few hundred years. In our view they should be taught as such in our nation's high schools' science classes.

Aside from the above, the AIP Executive also wishes to encourage the physical community across Australia to examine the draft syllabus for rigorous nomenclature consistent with scientific terminology and for the removal of previously included subject matters. Some proposed changes, such as the classification of heat and electricity as forms of kinetic energy (in the classification of “types of energy as either kinetic energy such as movement, heat and electricity, or potential energy such as chemical, elastic and gravitational”), may require clarification or correction.

Members who wish to provide feedback to the Education department are welcome to refer to this statement. The AIP Executive will aim to also provide direct feedback to the department.

The consultation survey by the NSW Education Standards Authority closes on 5 December 2022.

Branch Awards for NSW 2022

Thu, 24 Nov 2022 00:04:29 GMT

Congratulations to all recipients of the NSW AIP Awards for their outstanding achievements in physics outreach, postgraduate and graduate studies, and K-12 science.

Dr Devika Kamath from Macquarie University (pictured) received the AIP NSW Community Outreach to Physics Award. This award is in its ninth year and is presented to an individual that engages our community and contributes to public engagement within physics.
Yuanming Wang, University of Sydney, School of Physics received the AIP NSW Postgraduate Physics Award.
Shankar Dutt, Australian National University, Research School of Physics received the AIP NSW Postgraduate: Royal Society of NSW Jak Kelly Award.

AIP NSW Annual Postgraduate Awards in Physics are open to nominated postgraduate individuals to compete for the AIP NSW Postgraduate Medal and the Royal Society of NSW Jak Kelly prize. These awards have been created to encourage excellence in postgraduate physics research.

Receiving AIP NSW Postgraduate Excellence Certificates were:

Saurabh Bhardwaj, Macquarie University, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Giovanni Pierobon, University of New South Wales, School of Physics
Ivan Zhigulin, University of Technology Sydney, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Levi Madden, University of Wollongong, School of Physics

The NSW Best Graduating Student Prizes acknowledge individuals nominated by each Physics Institution, with superior performance in their studies. Winners were:

Armando Perri, University of New South Wales, School of Physics
Jay Archer, University of Wollongong, School of Physics
Adrien Di Lonardo, University of Technology Sydney, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

AIP NSW Most Outstanding Physics K-12 prizes with the Science Teachers Association of NSW Young Scientist Awards

The branch committee assessed and awarded prizes to the top three projects in the theme “Drones, Droids and Robots”, which were:

First prize: TARS (Year 11-12 project)
Second prize: Timmy The Bushfire Rover (Year 5-6 project)
Third prize: Robot Hand (Year 3-4 project)

The Australian Institute of Physics NSW Branch congratulates all recipients for their incredible achievements.

2022 Australian Institute of Physics Awards Announcement

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 04:15:03 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics is delighted to announce the 2022 Award winners.

We invite all members and associates to congratulate our 2022 Award winners with us. In these awards, we are recognising very talented physicists and congratulate these winners on their achievements and success!

We also acknowledge all nominees submitted to these awards, as the selection panels have noted it can be very difficult to choose the winner each year.

We also acknowledge our selection panels, who are volunteers providing extensive expertise from a range of backgrounds in order to make these very difficult decisions.

Please congratulate our winners!

Bragg Gold Medal – Dr Sebastian Wolf

(The University of Melbourne)

For the Thesis Titled:

Weak Coupling Renormalization Group Approach to Unconventional Superconductivity in 2D Lattice Systems

Education Medal - Dr John Elias Debs

(The Australian National University)

For his ability to effect cultural change and enhance learning for students from a range of backgrounds through a blended approach comprising inquiry-based learning, hands-on design, building and making, and encouragement of independent and critical thinking. Dr Debs was instrumental in the design and implementation of the Mike Gore Centre for Physics Education at ANU, comprising innovative learning spaces, most significantly the transformative ‘ANU MakerSpace’. Born out of a physics approach, the ANU MakerSpace has influenced students and staff across ANU, leading to changes in pedagogy, and unique interdisciplinary experiences for a growing membership of now over 2400 people.

Harrie Massey Medal – Emeritus Professor Jim S. Williams

(Australian National University)

For pioneering and sustained contributions to condensed matter physics, materials physics and ion beam physics, as well as leadership to Physics.

Physics Communication Award - Professor Geraint F. Lewis

(Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, The University of Sydney)

For an international program of speaking, interviews and writing. Professor Geraint Lewis's expansive program of outreach brings his passion for the mysteries of the universe, from the subatomic to the cosmological and beyond, to diverse audiences around the globe.

Ruby Payne-Scott Award - Professor Phiala Shanahan

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

For key insights into the structure and interactions of hadrons and nuclei using numerical and analytical methods and pioneering the use of machine learning techniques in lattice quantum field theory calculations in particle and nuclear physics.

Thomas H Laby Medal - Katherine Curtis

(The Australian National University)

For the Thesis Titled:

Nuclear Pairing and Superfluidity from a Quark Model

Walter Boas Medal – Distinguished Professor Susan M. Scott

(The Australian National University)

For her outstanding leadership in the development of the field of gravitational wave science, and continues to advance the fields of general relativity and cosmology. Professor Scott’s most recent research further advances her contributions to the LIGO international collaboration, including her role in establishing Australian participation in gravitational wave data analysis.

Women in Leadership Medal - Professor Celine Boehm

(The University of Sydney)

For her excellence in academic research and leadership of large international collaborations, for her distinguished role in shaping astroparticle physics research in Australia, exemplary academic mentorship and her outstanding performance as a Head of School, which resulted in an inclusive, supportive and transparent workplace environment in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney and, notably, a significant increase in the number of female academics and professional staff and mid and early career researchers in leadership roles.

We congratulate these award winners on their achievements!

Devika Kamath wins NSW Community Outreach to Physics Award

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 22:21:52 GMT

In recognition of outstanding achievements in community outreach to physics, the AIP NSW Branch congratulates Dr Devika Kamath, Senior Lecturer in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Macquarie University on winning the 2022 NSW Community Outreach to Physics Award.

About Devika's work:

Dr Devika Kamath is a Stellar Astrophysicist and a Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University (MQ). She is internationally recognised for her work on observational studies of dying stars and was awarded the ARC DECRA fellowship (2019) for tackling a long-standing question in astrophysics: ‘How are chemical elements in the Universe produced?’. Devika is a vigorous leader in STEM outreach who uses her research and physics background as a pathfinder to encourage young people into STEM careers.

Her outreach activities are interdisciplinary and focus on various age groups. They are based not only on her research (e.g., “Romancing the Stars”, Live for Vivid Sydney – ABC Ockham’s Razor 2019; The night sky with Sydney Observatory 2019-present) but also on fields such as modern physics (e.g., her piece on “How time is relative” for ABC Science 2020, 626K views), and big-data-sciences (e.g., her involvement as panellist for the Big-Data-Science webinar for Australasian Leadership Computing Symposium).

When events such as Vivid Sydney and National Science Week were compromised due to COVID (2020/2021), Devika initiated “MQ Space Travels” - a new Live Streaming Series intertwining astronomy with state-of-the art technology and story-telling. This event not only engaged the community, locally and globally, but also provided students with experience in science communication and outreach, reflecting on Devika’s inclination for mentoring and promoting students.

Physics and astrophysics struggle to advance gender and cultural equity. Devika has made notable impacts by leveraging her research to improve student uptake of STEM subjects via dedicated outreach and mentoring events targeted at primary/high school students. One of her initiatives includes designing (from scratch) a collaboration with the Girls’ Day by Goethe- Institut-Australien (years:7,8), which provides students from several schools in NSW with the opportunity to visit MQ for one day to ‘experience University’ and research oriented- STEM activities, and to interact with female STEM leaders.

She also strives to bring a taste of ‘university’ to regional areas by engaging with students and families from low socio-economic backgrounds. A highlight includes her lead role in the NSW Upper Hunter Region roadshow (Nov 2019), where they engaged with ~1000 people over five days, including students, teachers, parents, the community and local politicians. Devika has established connections with Aurora College – the NSW Department of Education’s virtual school, providing students in rural and remote communities with the opportunity to connect locally and learn globally. A highlight includes 5 Aurora College Masterclasses in Astronomy and Astrophysics (May 2021, years:7-12).

Currently, as a 2022 Sydney Observatory Resident (one of the 8 out of ~110 applicants), Devika has initiated a new project: ‘Seeing Our Universe Through Cultural Lenses’, which brings to the forefront modern scientific breakthroughs in astronomy and astrophysics that hold interesting nexuses to ancient cultures. Outcomes will be presented through talks and visual mediums, thereby celebrating cultural diversity in science.

The above represents only a fraction of her dedication to outreach and community engagement. Her passion for her subject is instantly apparent in every presentation she delivers. Young women (and men) considering science careers could not have a stronger role model.

Dr Devika Kamath contributions and passion for physics makes her a very worthy recipient of the 2022 NSW Community Outreach to Physics Award from the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics.

The award will be presented on 8 November at the 2022 NSW AIP Awards Ceremony.

All are welcome to attend:

Date: Tuesday 8 November 2022

Venue: Concord Golf Club, 190 Majors Bay Road Concord, NSW

Postgraduate Nominee presentations from 10.00am

Presentation of Postgraduate Award winner, Royal Society of NSW Jak Kelly Prize, and Community Outreach to Physics Award from 1.00pm

This event is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Physics NSW Branch, The Royal Australian Chemical Institute and The Royal Society of New South Wales.

Tasmanian Branch AGM, public lecture and dinner

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:12:49 GMT

Members of the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics are invited to attend the upcoming Annual General Meeting on Thursday 24 November at 5pm, Physics Lecture Theatre 1, University of Tasmania.

The AGM will be followed by a public lecture at 6pm. The public lecture will be delivered by Professor David Jamieson (University of Melbourne) and is titled "Physics of life: what do the laws of physics say?"

The public lecture will be followed by the annual dinner. Members and partners are warmly invited.

RSVP to krzysztof.bolejko@utas.edu.au by Friday 18 November.

AIP NSW Awards Ceremony 2022

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:03:03 GMT

Early detection of Alzheimer’s, exploring the invisible, extreme time-domain phenomena, and more

The NSW Australian Institute of Physics Branch would like to congratulate the 2022 postgraduate nominees on their accepted presentation titles and abstracts for the upcoming Annual AIP NSW Postgraduate Awards event on Tuesday 8 November 2022 at the Concord Golf Club, 190 Majors Bay Road commencing from 10 am sharp.

Each presenter will have the opportunity to compete for the AIP NSW Postgraduate Medal and the Royal Society of NSW Jak Kelly prize. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event to support the presenters.

The awards program includes abstracts and times of all the presenters for the upcoming event. The presenters are asked to make a 20-minute presentation on their postgraduate research in Physics, and the presentation will be judged on the criteria (1) content and scientific quality, (2) clarity and (3) presentation skills as included in the judges’ criteria.

The Postgraduate Award nominees are:

Saurabh BHARDWAJ, Macquarie University, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Femtosecond laser inscribed point-by-point Bragg gratings in few- mode optical fibre

Yuanming WANG, University of Sydney, School of Physics

Studying extreme time-domain phenomena with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder

Giovanni PIEROBON, University of New South Wales, School of Physics

Exploring the invisible: axion dark matter in the galaxy

Shankar DUTT Australian National University, Research School of Physics

Sensing one molecule at a time: A pathway to personalized healthcare and early detection of Alzheimer’s and MS

Ivan ZHIGULIN, University of Technology Sydney, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Revealing the nature of blue quantum emitters in hexagonal Boron Nitride via the Stark effect

Levi MADDEN, University of Wollongong, School of Physics

Optical dosimeters for radiotherapy with MRI-LINACs

Event Schedule:

Date: Tuesday 8 November 2022

Venue: Concord Golf Club, 190 Majors Bay Road Concord, NSW

Postgraduate Nominee presentations from 10.00am

Presentation of Postgraduate Award winner, Royal Society of NSW Jak Kelly Prize, and Community Outreach to Physics Award from 1.00pm.

All welcome.

This event is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Physics NSW Branch, The Royal Australian Chemical Institute and The Royal Society of New South Wales.

Cosmological conundrums – Tamara Davis to present public lecture

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 05:16:16 GMT

What is expanding space? What came before the big bang? Is there an edge to space? What’s beyond the horizon of a black hole? What can the amazing images from the James Webb Space Telescope tell us?

Join Professor Tamara Davis, astrophysicist at the University of Queensland (and AIP’s 2011 Women In Physics Lecturer) to discuss these questions and more at her upcoming public lecture Cosmological Conundrums and the Dark Side of the Universe, delivered as part of the 2022 AIP Congress in Adelaide.

“When I'm having a chat with family and friends these are the questions I’m asked. So, upgrade your repertoire for cocktail party conversation by learning about these and other cosmological conundrums,” says Professor Davis.

In this talk, you’ll dive deeply into the foundations of our cosmological model, and hear the latest updates on dark energy, black holes, and gravitational waves.

12 December 7:30-8:30 PM, Adelaide Convention Centre. Register via Eventbrite.

AIP Congress: program now live!

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 04:44:07 GMT

The program for the 24th AIP Congress – 11 to 16 December at the Adelaide Convention Centre – is now live on the Congress website.

Have you registered your spot at the Congress yet? Registrations are open until Friday 2 December 2022.

We have a full schedule, with 10 plenary talks across the five days from high-profile speakers spanning the broad interests of the Congress, two poster sessions, and public lecture by Tamara Davis Cosmological Conundrums and the Dark Side of the Universe on Monday evening.

Plus, plenty of networking opportunities including a Congress dinner on Wednesday evening, a diversity breakfast on Tuesday morning, and a high tea focused on physics education.

Three sessions targeted to high-school teachers are also included in the program.

See the full program for further details. The program will continue to be updated over the coming weeks.

Ripples in space: Susan Scott wins Blaise Pascal Medal

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 05:11:01 GMT

First Australian recipient

The prestigious Blaise Pascal Medal for Physics 2022 has been awarded to Distinguished Professor Susan Scott FAIP of ANU for her work over three decades, including discoveries in general relativity, cosmology and gravitational wave science.

Reporting on the Award, Marion Rae from Australian Associated Press, wrote:

‘A theoretical physicist who studies ripples in space that span billions of years is the first Australian to be awarded the prestigious Blaise Pascal science medal.

The Australian National University’s Susan Scott has won the 2022 medal for physics from the European Academy of Sciences, which recognises the work of the world’s best scientists.

“I am the first Australian, and Australian woman, to be awarded this medal, so this is a tremendous honour,” Professor Scott said.

Her work is spurring powerful advances in quantum, laser and optical technology.

She said she hopes the award inspires the next generation of women scientists in Australia and internationally.

“Throughout most of my career, in general relativity theory and gravitational wave science, there have been so few women, particularly in Australia,” Prof Scott told AAP from Brussels.

“We really need to change that because we’re just missing out on so much talent.”

She wants women and girls to know they can follow their dreams of being scientists and making discoveries.

“It’s an incredibly fulfilling thing to do and it’s very important to me that I do have this mentorship role – for young women scientists and generally to our students and early career researchers,” she said.

Prof Scott was part of an international team that detected gravitational waves, proving Albert Einstein’s theory on general relativity.

“At the time, many people thought Einstein’s theory of general relativity from 1915 was very esoteric and would probably never have any use or purpose,” she said.

“Now we all use GPS in everyday life – I was using it yesterday to navigate around Brussels. It’s taken 100 years, but it’s a flow-on effect from his theory.”

The academy citation recognises her “ground-breaking discoveries in general relativity, cosmology and gravitational wave science” spanning more than three decades.

“She played a leading role in Australia’s participation in the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015 and the development of the field of gravitational wave science in Australia following on from that discovery,” the academy said.

Gravitational waves are ripples in space and time caused by massive cosmic events, including the collisions of black holes.’

Read the full story as reported by Marion Rae, Australian Associated Press

In memoriam: Professor Michael Brunger FAIP, Flinders University

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 01:00:00 GMT

On 14th of September Prof Michael Brunger FAIP passed away. His friends, colleagues and the College of Science and Engineering have received this news with great sadness.

Prof Michael Brunger has been a valued member of Flinders University for four decades, having completed his Bachelor of Science at Flinders in 1981, followed by Honours (1st class) in 1982 and later his PhD in 1988.

Michael had an esteemed academic career, starting as a Rothmans Foundation Research Fellow at ANU from 1989-1991. Michael then took up a QEII Fellowship at Flinders in 1991, where he moved through the ranks to become Professor of Physics for the past 15 years, retiring only recently. Michael’s contributions both to Flinders University and the wider research community were recognised last week when he was awarded the prestigious title of Emeritus Professor.

Michael specialised in atomic and molecular physics, where he focused on electron and positron collisions and their applications. He was a highly regarded international researcher, having published more than 350 refereed papers, and being recognised through Fellowships of the Australian Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics (UK).

He also served our community on the Australian Research Council College of Experts and as a member of the ARC ERA research evaluation committee for several rounds. He has mentored numerous PhD students, many of whom have gone on to receive prestigious international fellowships and positions around the globe. Michael has had a significant impact on Flinders, through his high-quality research, administration, and service, and as a proud Union member, being NTEU Flinders University Branch President.

Michael will be remembered by his smile and humour, his sharp thinking and pointed comments as well as his enthusiasm, kindness, generosity, and friendliness, and last but not least, his hat and sneakers. Michael will be missed by his many friends and colleagues.

This tribute was written by his colleagues:
Prof Stephen Buckman
Prof Igor Bray
Prof Sarah Harmer
Dr Darryl Jones
Dr Laurence Campbell
Prof Gunther Andersson.

Photo credit: supplied by the authors.

NASA’s InSight ‘hears’ its first meteroid impacts on Mars

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 01:00:00 GMT

As reported by NASA.

Women in Physics Lecturer Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic is a co-author on a recently published paper on impacts by meteroids crashing on Mars as detected by the NASA InSight lander.

NASA’s InSight lander has detected seismic waves from four space rocks that crashed on Mars in 2020 and 2021. Not only do these represent the first impacts detected by the spacecraft’s seismometer since InSight touched down on the Red Planet in 2018, it also marks the first time seismic and acoustic waves from an impact have been detected on Mars.

A new paper published Monday 19 Sep in Nature Geoscience details the impacts, which ranged between 53 and 180 miles (85 and 290 kilometers) from InSight’s location, a region of Mars called Elysium Planitia.

The first of the four confirmed meteoroids – the term used for space rocks before they hit the ground – made the most dramatic entrance: It entered Mars’ atmosphere on Sept. 5, 2021, exploding into at least three shards that each left a crater behind.

Then, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter flew over the estimated impact site to confirm the location. The orbiter used its black-and-white Context Camera to reveal three darkened spots on the surface. After locating these spots, the orbiter’s team used the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, or HiRISE, to get a color close-up of the craters (the meteoroid could have left additional craters in the surface, but they would be too small to see in HiRISE’s images).

“After three years of InSight waiting to detect an impact, those craters looked beautiful,” said Ingrid Daubar of Brown University, a co-author of the paper and a specialist in Mars impacts.

“Impacts are actually a really beautiful way of validating our previous guesses about the make-up of the interior of Mars, because we can tell how big the rock was that created that impact, so we know how much energy it would have had on impact,” said AIP Women in Physics lecturer, Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic, who is a co-author on the paper and the only Australian working on the NASA InSight mission.

“And then we can connect the dots about the material that must be under the surface which the seismic waves passed through, to give us a greater insight into the structure of Mars.”

Read the full NASA media release here.
Read more about Prof Miljkovic’s participation in an SMH article here.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Tech/University of Arizona.

Global hunt for dark matter starts with completion of first stage of Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported by the University of Melbourne.

Located one kilometre underground in the Stawell Gold Mine, the first dark matter laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere is preparing to join the global quest to understand the nature of dark matter and unlock the secrets of our universe.

Officially unveiled on 19 August, the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) will be the new epicentre of dark matter research in Australia. The Stawell laboratory will be managed by SUPL Ltd., which is co-owned by the University of Melbourne, ANSTO, the Australian National University, Swinburne University of Technology, and the University of Adelaide.

Lead researcher on the project University of Melbourne Professor Elisabetta Barberio said dark matter has been eluding scientists for decades.

“We know there is much more matter in the universe than we can see,” Professor Barberio said.

“With the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory, we have the tools and location to detect this dark matter. Proving the existence of dark matter will help us understand its nature and forever change how we see the universe.”

With Stage 1 now complete, the lab is ready to host the experiment known as SABRE South to be installed over the coming months, which aims to directly detect dark matter.

SABRE South will run in conjunction with the complementary SABRE experiment taking place in Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. These experiments are designed to detect Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), one of the likely forms for dark matter particles.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of Melbourne Professor James McCluskey said universities are places of deep discovery supported by global partnerships in advancing the frontiers of knowledge.

“Research which is needed to address the great unanswered questions – such as ‘what is dark matter?’ – is nearly always done in collaboration," Professor McCluskey said.

“Working with our partners and sharing our collective knowledge and expertise, the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory will facilitate experiments which are critical in the global search for dark matter.’’

Read the full media release here.

Photo: PhD student Madeleine Zurowski with lead researcher Professor Elisabetta Barberio in the Stawell Underground Physics Lab. Credit – Olivia Gumienny/University of Melbourne.

AIP president Prof Sven Rogge appointed as UNSW’s new Dean of Science

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney.

UNSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs has announced Scientia Professor Sven Rogge as the new Dean of UNSW Science.

Prof Rogge is an internationally recognised expert in condensed matter physics and quantum information science. He has held several research and leadership positions at UNSW since joining from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands in 2011.

Prof Brungs congratulated Prof Rogge on his appointment and highlighted his strong track record as a leader in both academic research and administration.

“Prof Rogge will bring enormous experience to his role as faculty dean. Since joining UNSW, he has successfully steered the School of Physics and the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research portfolio. His research on condensed matter physics, in particular quantum electronics, spans the full funding pipeline from blue sky basic research through to translational applications,” Prof Brungs said.

“I look forward to working with him as he leads the Science faculty in an exciting time ahead, as innovative technologies and other scientific solutions are developed to address challenges in an uncertain and rapidly changing world.”

Prof Rogge grew up in Germany and a fascination with science from an early age led him to study Physics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He then went on to obtain a PhD in Physics from Stanford University in 1997. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the President of the Australian Institute of Physics, and a program manager at the Australian Research Council’s Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.

As an experimental physicist, his research focuses on quantum systems in a solid-state environment and their translation to applications in quantum materials and technology. His work on gaining atomistic insight into the interactions of quantum objects, such as atoms and qubits, is a key component in Australia’s world-leading progress in quantum physics.

Prof Rogge said he was honoured to be appointed Dean of Science.

“UNSW is one of Australia’s leading universities for science education and research. Our staff and students learn and specialise in a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines as they strive to help overcome many of the most pressing challenges facing our world today,” Prof Rogge said.

“I look forward to continuing my work on the University leadership team as the Dean of Science. I think the role of the faculty is to educate students in critical thinking and give them a toolbox of analytical skills that will ready them for a diverse and rewarding career. We also have a responsibility to drive research that will guide Australia into a sustainable future with new insights from ageing well to quantum technologies.”

Prof. Rogge will start in his new role on 10 October 2022.

Read the full media release here.

Photo credit: UNSW Sydney.

Aus keeps seat at the table in Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 02:00:00 GMT

AIP Vice President elected as Council member

The Australian physics community will continue to be well-represented at the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) with the recent election of our VP Professor Nicole Bell as one of 15 Council members for 2023 – 2025.

She will follow in the footsteps of our Immediate Past President, Professor Jodie Bradby, whose term as Council member ends this year. Other past Council members include AIP Fellows Dr Cathy Foley, Prof Robert Robinson, and Dr Marc Duldig.

The AAPPS is an umbrella organisation of 20 physical societies in the Asia Pacific region, of which the AIP is part. It was founded in October 1989 with the aim to promote the advancement of physics knowledge in the region, encompassing research, applications, and teaching, especially through international collaboration.

The activities of the AAPPS include organisation of the triennial Asia Pacific Physics Conference, collaboration with other organisations such the American Physical Society, and encouraging young physics researchers through the C. N. Yang Award.

Last month, the AAPPS and the Korean Physical Society held the 15^th Asia Pacific Physics Conference (APPC15) online.

The newly elected AAPPS Council members are:

1. Nicole F. BELL (Australian Institute of Physics)

2. Xiudong SUN (The Chinese Physical Society, Beijing)

3. Tao XIANG (The Chinese Physical Society, Beijing)

4. Ruiqin ZHANG (The Physical Society of Hong Kong)

5. Mio MURAO (The Physical Society of Japan)

6. SHEN Qing (The Japan Society of Applied Physics)

7. Hyoung Joon CHOI (The Korean Physical Society)

8. Jae-Hyung JEON (The Korean Physical Society)

9. Keun-Young KIM (The Korean Physical Society)

10. Kurunathan RATNAVELU (Malaysian Institute of Physics)

11. Narayan Prasad CHAPAGAIN (Nepal Physical Society)

12. Rajdeep Singh RAWAT (Institute of Physics Singapore)

13. Meng-Fan LUO (The Physical Society located in Taipei)

14. VU Dinh Lam (Vietnam Physical Society)

15. Kadyr G. GULAMOV (Council of Physicists of Uzbekistan)

Photo credit: ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Terascale (CoEPP).

Early bird rego ends soon, stellar talks & ‘Meet the AIP Exec’

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Latest updates on the 2022 AIP Congress

We’re excited to catch up with you at the AIP Congress in Adelaide this December. So far, we’ve had close to 800 abstract submissions and the committee are working tirelessly to put them together into an excellent scientific program for you to enjoy.

This year’s Congress will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 11 – 16 Dec.

It will be co-located with the Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics (ANZCOP) in addition to the Workshop of Specialty Optical Fibres (WSOF).

The program currently features the following focused sessions:

The culture of Physics and Research
Metaphotonics and Metasurfaces
Unveiling emergent Physics of Novel Functional Materials with Neutron Scattering
Australia’s Future in Gravitational Wave Physics and Astrophysics
Time Crystals
National Vision for Nuclear Science and Applications
Strong Interaction Dynamics and the Pursuit of Fundamental Symmetries
Quantum Biotechnology

Early bird registration ends this month

Register now for the AIP Congress and take advantage of the early bird registration discount, which ends on 30 Sep. Members of the AIP also enjoy a further discount. See here for more details.

If you’re a postgraduate student and don’t already qualify for Member registration for the AIP Congress, join the AIP as a member full-time student for only $30. This offer is available until 1 November 2022 and applies to full-time postgraduate students who hold a recognised bachelor's degree with a physics major.

Note that Student Associates (free online members) are not considered AIP members and thus need to pay the non-member student congress registration fee. To make use of the Member discount for congress registration, Student Associates need to apply to be an Associate Full-time Student or Member Full-time student. Students can apply for AIP Membership through https://aip.org.au/Member-(MAIP) or https://aip.org.au/Associate-Member, or click ‘change’, next to their Membership Level in their AIP Student Associate profile.

Standard registration is open until 2 Dec.

Please visit the official Congress website for regular updates.

A stellar showing

Astrophysicist superstar Professor Tamara Davis AM (University of Queensland) will present a public lecture at the Congress on the evening of Mon 12 Dec. She was our 2011 Women in Physics Lecturer.

In her lecture ‘Cosmological Conundrums and the Dark Side of the Universe’, Prof Davis will talk about the latest updates on dark energy, dark matter, black holes, and gravitational waves so you can update your cocktail party conversation.

Prof Davis’ current work aims to make precise maps of dark matter, determine whether dark energy changes with time, and measure the mass of a neutrino, amongst other things. She previously helped make one of the largest maps of galaxy distribution in the universe and measured time-dilation in distant supernovae as well as the growth of supermassive black holes.

She was also recently featured in Carbon: The Unauthorised Biography, a documentary film from Emmy-awarding Australian company, Genepool Productions.

Other confirmed speakers include plenary speakers A Prof Ania Bleszynsky Jayich (University of California, Santa Barbara; 2021 Frew Fellow) and Prof Donna Strickland (University of Waterloo; 2018 Nobel Prize Laureate and 2019 Frew Fellow). In unfortunate news, Prof Kip Thorne (Caltech; 2017 Nobel Prize Laureate) has had to cancel his trip to Australia and his plenary talk.

A full list of plenary speakers can be found here.

Meet the AIP National Exec and Branch Chairs

Do you have suggestions for AIP initiatives, want to express concerns about research and grants etc., or simply want to meet the people that run the AIP?

You’ll have the opportunity to chat in-person with the AIP leadership during the ‘Meet the Exec and Branch Chairs’ session of the Congress.

We would love to meet our members and to hear your feedback on how the AIP is run.

Further details TBA.

Photo: Inside the Adelaide Convention Centre. Credit: NW Group.

NASA reveals Webb Telescope’s first images of unseen universe

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported by NASA.

The dawn of a new era in astronomy is here as the world gets its first look at the full capabilities of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

The full set of the telescope’s first colour images and spectroscopic data uncover a collection of cosmic features elusive until now. They are available at: www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages

“Today, we present humanity with a ground-breaking new view of the cosmos from the James Webb Space Telescope – a view the world has never seen before,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “These images, including the deepest infrared view of our universe that has ever been taken, show us how Webb will help to uncover the answers to questions we don’t even yet know to ask; questions that will help us better understand our universe and humanity’s place within it.”

NASA explores the unknown in space for the benefit of all, and Webb’s first observations tell the story of the hidden universe through every phase of cosmic history – from neighbouring planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

“This is a singular and historic moment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “It took decades of drive and perseverance to get us here, and I am immensely proud of the Webb team. These first images show us how much we can accomplish when we come together behind a shared goal, to solve the cosmic mysteries that connect us all. It’s a stunning glimpse of the insights yet to come.”

Webb’s first observations were selected by a group of representatives from NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). They reveal the capabilities of all four of Webb’s state-of-the-art scientific instruments:

SMACS 0723: Webb has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far – and in only 12.5 hours.

WASP-96b (spectrum): Webb’s detailed observation of this hot, puffy planet outside our solar system reveals the clear signature of water, along with evidence of haze and clouds that previous studies of this planet did not detect.

Southern Ring Nebula: This planetary nebula, an expanding cloud of gas that surrounds a dying star, is approximately 2,000 light years away.

Stephan’s Quintet: Webb’s view of this compact group of galaxies, located in the constellation Pegasus, pierced through the shroud of dust surrounding the centre of one galaxy, to reveal the velocity and composition of the gas near its supermassive black hole.

Carina Nebula: Webb’s look at the ‘Cosmic Cliffs’ in the Carina Nebula unveils the earliest, rapid phases of star formation that were previously hidden.

Read the full media release here.

Cover Photo: The Carina Nebula. Credits for all photos - NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.

ANU physicist making waves in space joins top global society

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported by the Australian National University (ANU).

A theoretical physicist from The Australian National University (ANU) whose pioneering work has fundamentally altered our understanding of the deepest and darkest parts of the Universe and space-time itself has been recognised among the world's best gravitational scientists.

Distinguished Professor Susan Scott has been newly elected as a Fellow of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (ISGRG) for 2022. Scott is the first Australian to be elected as a Fellow of the Society and she joins an elite club of exceptional scientists including world renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and Nobel Laureates Roger Penrose and Kip Thorne.

Distinguished Professor Scott, who is also the Chief Investigator with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), has been appointed to the Society for ground-breaking contributions to the understanding of the singularities and the structure of space-time. Singularities are known as places in space and time where things go very wrong, for example, if a travelling particle simply blips out of existence and has no future.

Much of Distinguished Professor Scott's research involves investigating the properties of these singularities related to black holes. Her work also seeks to understand the properties of systems of black holes and neutron stars, by studying the gravitational waves they emit.

Distinguished Professor Scott, from the ANU Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics (CGA), says she is "deeply honoured" to be the first Australian Fellow of the ISGRG.

"Election to Fellowship of the ISGRG is very prestigious, and there are only a few tens of Fellows across the world," she said.

"In Australia, and also at ANU, we now have a very established and successful research base in many areas of endeavour in gravitational research, including the detection of gravitational waves, which help us to unlock many of the Universe's mysteries.

"My research is all about gravity. I seek to understand how it shapes the Universe and warps it to the extent that it creates black holes."

In 2015, Distinguished Professor Scott was part of a 1,000-strong cohort of scientists from around the world that detected gravitational waves for the very first time. These waves are ripples in space and time caused by extremely violent events in the Universe.

This monumental discovery scientifically proved Albert Einstein's theory that gravitational waves would be caused by a collision of massive objects in space such as black holes. It also ushered in a new era of gravitational-wave astronomy and paved the way for a raft of new space discoveries, including the merging of two black holes, the collision of two neutron stars and the detection of black holes swallowing neutron stars – breakthrough discoveries Professor Scott played a key role in.

A prominent figure in Australian science, Distinguished Professor Scott's contribution to the world-first discovery of gravitational waves earned her and fellow ANU researcher Professor David McClelland the 2020 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.

Distinguished Professor Scott, who is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, says she wants to use her newly obtained platform with the ISGRG to continue to champion Australian science and voice her aspirations for Australia to be a major player in the next generation of gravitational wave astronomy.

She's hopeful her appointment could help throw weight behind growing calls to establish and operate a gravitational wave detector in Australia.

"For many years, myself and other fellow scientists have been on a quest to site and operate a gravitational wave detector in this country. This would enable us to play a leading role in learning more about gravitational waves and their role in the Universe," Distinguished Professor Scott said.

Read the full media release here.

Photo credit: Tracey Nearmy/ANU.

AIP pivots to ethical banking

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 02:00:00 GMT

We are proud to inform our members that the AIP is in the final stages of moving our business to the Bank Australia. This is part of the AIP’s commitment to fight climate change and to contribute to a fairer world.

We are convinced that many of our members are actively engaged in making our country more sustainable.

There are many things one can do to reduce carbon emissions, including not supporting banks that using your savings to invest in fossil fuels. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that most Australians are unaware that they are supporting such banks.

We believe the solution is to support “ethical banking”, i.e., supporting banks that guarantee that they will not invest into fossil fuels among other things.

That is the reason why the AIP National Executive has taken action and we are now moving our business to the Bank Australia.

We hope we can inspire some of our members to consider this aspect of climate action.

We would like to thank the member that raised this issue with us and our Honorary Treasurer Judith Pollard and her team for the considerable work in making this move happen.

See a list of ethical banks here and read more on the issue here.

Nominate for the AIP National Executive & Women in Physics Lecturer

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Nominations for positions in the AIP National Executive open until 21 Aug 2022
Nominations for the 2023 Women in Physics Lecturer re-opened until 16 Sep 2022

AIP National Executive

Help lead Australia’s premier society for the promotion of physics in research, education, industry and the community by joining the AIP National Executive team.

Every two years the AIP elects a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Registrar. Any financial Member, Fellow or Honorary Fellow can be nominated for these positions.

If you’d like to submit a nomination, it should be accompanied by signed endorsements from two financial Members, Fellows or Honorary Fellows, as well as a letter of consent from the nominee.

Note that under the institute’s constitution, the current president and vice president cannot seek re-election for the same position.

To nominate, please send the documents via email to aip@aip.org.au, or by mail to AIP, PO Box 480, West Ryde, NSW 1685, Australia.

The current Executive has put forward the following nominations:

Nicole Bell (as President)
Stuart Midgely (as Vice-President)
Kirrily Rule (as Honorary Secretary)
Stephen Collins (as Honorary Registrar)
Dongchen Qi (as Honorary Treasurer)
Joanna Turner (as Awards Officer)

If there are further nominations*, elections will be held in October. The new Executive will take office at the Annual General Meeting of the AIP in February next year.

*Nominations are now closed as of 1 Sep.

2023 Women in Physics Lecturer

Nominating an outstanding female physicist who will increase public awareness of the possibilities offered by studying physics and inspire future physicists for the 2023 Women in Physics Lectureship.

You may nominate a colleague or yourself. Nominations close 16 Sep.

The Women in Physics Lectureship is made annually to recognise and publicise significant contributions by a woman to advancing a field of physics. The Lecturer will receive a medal, a certificate, one year membership of the AIP, and appropriate support to provide a lecture tour across Australia.

The lecture tour will include presentations suited to range of audiences, including to high school students, non-specialist audiences, and the physics community.

Eligibility criteria and how to nominate here.

Our current Women in Physics Lecturer is planetary scientist Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic (Curtin University).

Read about A/Prof Miljkovic’s lecture tour ‘Impacts! Rocks from space colliding with planets’ here.
Read about previous Lecturer Dr Ceri Brenner’s experience in an Australian Physics magazine article here (Page 10).

Get your physics on during National Science Week 13 – 21 Aug

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Family-friendly events at National Science Week

Bring your family to hear about meteorite impacts from our Women in Physics Lecturer Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic, begin your amateur astronomy journey by learning about what equipment you need, or hang out and chat about physics and other dark matters at the pub.

We’ve gathered a bunch physics-related events for you to enjoy:

Multiple locations

National Quantum and Dark Matter Road Trip. Hear about the hunt for dark matter and present and future quantum technologies from a team of scientists and science communicators delivering presentations, hands-on activities and quizzes at schools and pubs throughout Australia. Multiple dates.

ACT

Dark Matter in the Pub. Learn about mysterious dark matter by listening to eight short talks from astronomers, particle physicists, nuclear physicists, and engineers while you munch on snacks and enjoy a beverage. Sun 14 Aug.
Rainbows in Science. Young LGBTQIA+ adults interested in science can meet and hear from LGBTQIA+ scientists and allies and experience a range of colourful STEMonstrations. Fri 19 Aug.

NSW

Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern. Discover what Aboriginal astronomy can tell us about the night sky, hear about native flora in bush medicine, learn about sustainable living from more than 60,000 years of Indigenous culture, and more. Sat 20 Aug.
Physics in the Pub: Quantum Light, the Aurora and Prophecies. Enjoy physics comedy and quizzes over a pub grub and beer. Hosted by Dr Phil Dooley. Fri 26 Aug.

Sound of Silence – Karama Library , Casuarina Library and Darwin City Library. Little ones can explore vibrations, sound waves, and the physics behind sound when they play with unusual ‘instruments’ and sound makers. Wed 17 Aug.

QLD

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Compete to create the longest optic fibre, use a laser cutter to cut your own key chains, make and use telescopes, and learn how glass and mirrors are made, at Yarrabilba State Secondary College. Wed 17 Aug.
See Through Science. Budding scientists will have fun with hands-on activities and investigations that involve circuits, solar power, stargazing, and more. Sat 20 Aug.

Introduction to Telescopes & Binoculars. Learn what beginner equipment you need for your first foray into astronomy and discover some of the mysteries of optics from astronomy educator Mary Adam. Wed 3 Aug.
Little Bang Hands-on Experiments at Port Pirie Library. The young and young at heart can get their hands dirty with experiments exploring magnetism, hydrodynamics, and more, as well as enjoy the futuristic exhibit ‘Bridge to Somewhere’. Mon 15 Aug.
Phantastic Physics Show with Nitro Nat. Little ones can see eye-catching demonstrations that explore concepts about energy and forces. Sun 28 Aug.

TAS

Impacts! Rocks from space colliding with planets. Listen to what meteorite impacts tell us about the evolution of planets from our Women in Physics lecturer planetary scientist, Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic. Tues 9 Aug.

VIC

Scientists Assemble – The science of superheroes from screen to laboratory. Join astrophysicist Professor Alan Duffy as he discusses the science in some of the best (and worst) films ever made. Mon 15 Aug.
Girls in STEM Quantum Computing research workshop. Senior high school students can get help in preparing a research presentation about quantum computing for the upcoming Kids’ Conference Australia. Tue 16 Aug.
Unlocking the Universe’s Secrets with The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Listen to astronomers from Swinburne University describe the first images taken by the JWST and the potential secrets of the universe they reveal. Fri 19 Aug.

LEGO Club – Balloon Car. Kids can craft a LEGO car that will be attached to a balloon, which will explore the concepts of force and motion. Mon 15 Aug.
Glass: More than meets the eye festival. Families can observe our closest star with a purpose-build solar telescope, chat with astrophysicists at the Astro3D stall, create a baby image of the universe, and more. Sat 20 Aug.

Check the official National Science Week website to explore more science-related activities.

New Federal Education Minister announces independent inquiry into the ARC

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 04:30:00 GMT

The AIP welcomes Education Minister Jason Clare’s statement that "delays and the political interference in the way competitive grants operate need to end”. We support the intended review into the role and governance of the Australian Research Council (ARC), the main research grants body in our country. We appreciate that the Minister acknowledges the concerns that we and the other professional bodies presented at the Senate hearing earlier this year, including that the ongoing issues damage our international reputation and creates difficulties in recruiting and maintaining staff.

Read the Education Minister’s comments in his first speech to the university sector here.
Read about AIP President Professor Sven Rogge’s advocacy for the independence of the ARC at the 9 Mar Senate inquiry here.

Physicists awarded top Queen’s Birthday Honours

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Emeritus Prof Anne Green FAIP and Prof Tanya Monro FAIP have been recognised with the highest recognition in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours: Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

Warm congratulations to both.

A guiding star for females in physics

Emeritus Professor Anne Green AC FAIP was recognised for her ‘eminent service to science, particularly physics and astrophysics, as an educator and researcher, as a mentor to colleagues and students, and a role model to women’.

Prof Green was a trailblazer during her 50-year career, which included many ‘firsts’.

She was the first female PhD student in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney, where she also become the first female Head of Physics in 2007. She was also one of the first female radio astronomers.

Much of her prolific career was dedicated to investigating the ecology and structure of the Milky Way Galaxy as well as studying supernovae.

The Anne Green Prize, named in her honour, is awarded annually by our cognate society, the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA), to a mid-career scientist for a significant advance or accomplishment in astronomy or a related field.

Of her career success, Professor Green has said:

“I've had opportunities in my career that, in hindsight, I'm gobsmacked about, but every time I've been offered an opportunity, I've accepted the challenge. That's something I've always said to young scientists, particularly women, to take the challenge when it's offered.”

Lighting the way: First ever female Chief Defence Scientist

Professor Tanya Monro AC FAIP was honoured for her ‘eminent service to scientific and technological development, to research and innovation, to tertiary education, particularly in the field of photonics, and to professional organisations’.

Prof Monro’s work focuses on using light and optical fibres to create tools for research to help address health, environmental, industrial and defence challenges.

She is currently Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, heading up the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). She is the first woman to take on the role.

From 2008 to 2014, she was the inaugural Director of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, as well as of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Bio Photonics.

Prof Monro won the 1998 AIP Bragg Gold Medal for her PhD, which she completed at the University of Sydney.

“It's really important that we have women in senior roles visible as role models to girls and women making choices about what they want to do," Professor Monro says.

“I want to create an environment where people can contribute, no matter what diversity characteristic they bring. It's not just gender, it can be neurological diversity, it can be cultural diversity, and even age diversity.”

Photos: Anne Green – credit: ASA, Tanya Monro – credit DSTG.

Scientists emulate nature in quantum leap towards computers of the future

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Quantum computing hardware specialists at UNSW have built a quantum processor in silicon to simulate an organic molecule with astounding precision.

A team of quantum computer physicists at UNSW Sydney have engineered a quantum processor at the atomic scale to simulate the behaviour of a small organic molecule, solving a challenge set some 60 years ago by theoretical physicist Richard Feynman.

The achievement, which occurred two years ahead of schedule, represents a major milestone in the race to build the world’s first quantum computer, and demonstrates the team’s ability to control the quantum states of electrons and atoms in silicon at an exquisite level not achieved before.

In a paper published today in the journal Nature, the researchers describe how they were able to mimic the structure and energy states of the organic compound polyacetylene– a repeating chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms distinguished by alternating single and double bonds of carbon.

Lead researcher and former Australian of the Year, Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons, said the team at Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), one of UNSW’s most exciting start-ups, built a quantum integrated circuit comprising a chain of 10 quantum dots to simulate the precise location of atoms in the polyacetylene chain.

Prof Simmons was AIP’s 2000 Women in Physics Lecturer.

“If you go back to the 1950s, Richard Feynman said you can't understand how nature works unless you can build matter at the same length scale,” Professor Simmons said.

“And so that’s what we're doing, we're literally building it from the bottom up, where we are mimicking the polyacetylene molecule by putting atoms in silicon with the exact distances that represent the single and double carbon-carbon bonds.”

Read the full media release here.

Photo: An artist's impression of inside the quantum integrated circuit modelling the carbon chain. The simulated carbon atoms are in red, while the blue depicts electrons exchanged between them. Credit – SQC.

Improved diversity, ethical banking & new awards: National Exec meeting

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 02:00:00 GMT

The AIP National Executive team met recently at ANSTO in Lucas Heights, Sydney, to discuss the strategic planning of the organisation, including exploring ethical banking options, advocacy efforts, and membership matters.

The agenda also included drafting a new diversity and inclusion statement for the organisation, to be added to the AIP website soon.

We are also excited about the two national AIP awards to be made available for the first time this year: the Women in Leadership Medal and the Physics Communication Award.

Read more about these and other national AIP awards on offer here.

This was the first face-to-face meeting of the Executive team in almost three years owing to the pandemic.

The day meeting featured lunch with physicists from the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering and Centre for Accelerator Science as well as a tour of the OPAL reactor with Dr Mark Ho.

“The OPAL pool top was a hive of activity during a reactor maintenance period, but alas, no Cherenkov radiation this time,” said our AIP National honorary secretary Kirrily Rule, who works at ANSTO as an instrument scientist.

Learn about the OPAL reactor in this video featuring Kirrily.

Dr Ho, who is Vice President of the Australian Nuclear Association, recently gave a talk about the latest in advanced reactor designs at the Big Science of Gen IV Power Reactors event, co-hosted by the AIP NSW branch and others.

The National Executive team would also like to thank ANSTO CEO Mr Shaun Jenkinson for hosting us at the nandin Innovation Centre. The nandin centre is a thriving hub of science and tech entrepreneurs, graduates and start-ups who develop solutions to unmet challenges in our world.

The National Executive team meets quarterly, alternating between online meetings and in-person visits to universities and labs. With the easing of travel restrictions, we are looking forward to visiting more members at their institutions.

Photo: The AIP National Executive team. Credit – Kirrily Rule.

From left to right – Jodie Bradby, Gerd Schröder-Turk, Stephan Rachel, Nicole Bell, Judith Pollard, Kirrily Rule, Tim van der Laan, Joanna Turner, Stephen Collins.

Participate in the 2022 Defence Science Summit this July

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research (ADSTAR) Summit in Sydney and Online, 20 - 22 July.

Do you have technology or ideas that could improve the effectiveness and resilience of the Australian Defence Force?

Or do you have a start-up with a ready-to-go innovation you want to pitch to the Department of Defence?

The Defence Science and Technology Group invite you to share your ideas with leaders in defence, academia, business and industry at the inaugural Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research (ADSTAR) Summit.

The central theme of the summit is ‘resilience’ in our defence forces.

This is the ability and capacity for human-technical systems to adapt quickly to and recover from unexpected interference, disruption, adversity, or threats – and the innovations or new technology to help them do that.

“We want to hear from start-ups that have an idea or innovation that could enhance our defence force’s capabilities or help to keep our defence personnel safe,” says Professor Tanya Monro, Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist.

“We are especially eager to build partnerships with those working with artificial intelligence and machine learning, biotechnology, cyber security, space, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, and hardware and software development.”

The ADSTAR Summit will be held as a hybrid event – in-person at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, and Online, from 20 - 22 July.

For more information, full program and to register for the ADSTAR Summit and Start-Up Alley, visit the official site here.

For information on partnership and exhibition opportunities, please email Niall Byrne for an introduction to the conference team at Think Business Events.

More about the ADSTAR Summit

The ADSTAR Summit’s program explores ideas, research and innovations through a science and technology conference, workshops, panel sessions, networking opportunities and an interactive exhibition floor.

Topics in the program include:

AI–human interactions and trust-building
developing more resilient people and teams in adverse conditions
smarter sensor networks to monitor threats
materials manufacturing in contested environments
beyond GPS and satellites – the next navigation and surveillance technologies
protecting space assets from harm

and more.

Australian and international speakers at the summit include:

Chief Scientific Advisor UK Ministry of Defence, Professor Dame Angela McLean

US Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Ms Heidi Shyu

Director NZ Defence Technology Agency, Dr David Galligan

Director of STELaRLab at Lockheed Martin Corporation, Dr Tony Lindsay

Head of Defence and National Security, Executive Director Ai Group Defence Council, Ms Kate Louis

First Assistant Secretary, Head Technology, Nuclear Powered Submarine Taskforce, Department of Defence, Dr Todd Mansell

Chief Executive Officer, Trusted Autonomous Systems, Professor Jason Scholz

US Director of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dr Stefanie Tompkins

Director General Strategy and Planning – Air Force, Air Commodore Gretchen Fryar

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Cathy Foley

In NSW: You’re invited to the inaugural AIP and RACI Presidents’ Dinner

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Join us for our first inaugural joint Presidents’ Dinner between the NSW branches of the AIP and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) in an evening of celebration, networking, and recognition.

2022 Annual AIP and RACI Presidents’ Dinner

Date: Friday 12 Aug

Venue: Concord Golf Club, 190 Majors Road, Concord

Our members and guests will be treated to a generous 3-course meal at a discounted* rate and a line-up of exceptional presenters, including:

Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM, Australia’s Chief Scientist
Dr Helen Cartledge, Director, The Maritime Autonomous & Remote Underwater Systems at Australian Government Department of Defence
Dr Adam Martin, 2019/2020 Nyholm Youth Lecturer, Director of Chemistry at PYC Therapeutics, Perth

The RACI and AIP have a growing history of joint events bringing together exceptional speakers providing our members and guests with informative talks and stimulating conversation in a relaxed and social environment.

*AIP members will need to setup an account on the RACI webpage and apply a discount code to their cart when placing their order. The AIP discount code is 22AIPMEMDISC when registering themselves and partners.

Further information included in this flyer.

We look forward to seeing you and your guest for this special occasion!

Vale Professor Bob Crompton AM FAIP FAA (1926-2022)

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 02:00:00 GMT

The physics community is saddened by the passing of Professor Robert ‘Bob’ Crompton AM FAA, who was our former AIP President (1993-94) and an Honorary Fellow.

Bob was one of our earliest members (#11), having transferred from the British institute of Physics nearly 60 years ago.

A keen physicist from a young age, Bob had a happy childhood playing with Meccano sets and building electric motors to power gramophones, clocks, and his toys. He went on to undertake a cadetship at the University of Adelaide, where he would use his love for building things to make equipment such as an automated Wilson cloud chamber for the physics laboratory. He graduated in 1949 with honours.

Afterwards, Bob became one of the first students at the University of Adelaide to undertake a PhD in physics and graduated in 1954. His thesis focused on collisions between electrons and gas molecules. He again made use of his practical skills by glassblowing his own equipment and building his own research apparatus. While at the university, he also lectured in physics between 1950 and 1960, eventually forming a small research group.

In 1961, Bob transferred his research group to the newly formed Research School of Physical Sciences at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. His group grew and became world-renowned for electron swarm physics - in particular, for investigating the behaviour of electrons when they collide and rebound from gas molecules. Bob remained with ANU until he retired in 1991.

Bob’s achievements were recognised with several awards throughout his career, including his appointment as a Member of Australia in 1999 for his services to science and the community. He was elected Fellow also of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS; in 1979), the American Physical Society (1995), and the British Institute of Physics.

Throughout his career, he served in many professional organisations, including as the ACT Branch Chair of the AIP (1973-74), Chair of the Australian Journals of Scientific Research Board (1982-87), and Member of the National Committee for Physics at AAS (1969-76) as well as its Chair (1976-1979).

Read more on his Bob’s life and career here.

Tributes to Bob from our members and colleagues

Professor Anthony Thomas FAIP (University of Adelaide) remembers Bob as a ‘very good president of the AIP’ along with memories of his other contributions and that he was a ‘delightful person’.

Of Bob's passing, Immediate Past President Jodie Bradby said: “Sad news. The Helen and Bob Crompton endowment set up at ANU Physics has supported PhD student travel for years. He was the kindest man who always had a moment for a chat.”

Stuart Midgely remembers Bob's encouragement of young physicists: "This is indeed very sad. Bob was a great man who did wonders for students and aspiring physicists through his work with the physics Olympiad."

Colin Taylor said: "When Bob passed, the world lost a giant of physics and an extraordinary human."

Anna Binnie remembers Bob's leadership and kindness:

"Bob was one of nature's true gentlemen. He was always supportive & encouraging of students. He was especially supportive of establishing the Women in Physics Group in the AIP.

He was the first Chair of the Australian Science Olympiad. He felt that a teacher on the Board of the Australian Science Olympiads would provide input on student welfare and support. To this end he invited me to join the Board. In its early days, Bob would personally collect me from the airport and Helen, his wife, used to provide us with sandwiches at lunch time. In those days we met at the ANU. I shall especially miss him.”

We send our condolences to Bob’s family and friends. Vale Bob, you will be missed.

Photo: Credit - AAS.

Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the heart of our galaxy

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

Astronomers have unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. This result provides overwhelming evidence that the object is indeed a black hole and yields valuable clues about the workings of such giants, which are thought to reside at the centre of most galaxies. The image was produced by a global research team called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, using observations from a worldwide network of radio telescopes.

The image is a long-anticipated look at the massive object that sits at the very centre of our galaxy. Scientists had previously seen stars orbiting around something invisible, compact, and very massive at the centre of the Milky Way. This strongly suggested that this object — known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*, pronounced "sadge-ay-star") — is a black hole, and today’s image provides the first direct visual evidence of it.

Although we cannot see the black hole itself, because it is completely dark, glowing gas around it reveals a telltale signature: a dark central region (called a “shadow”) surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. The new view captures light bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole, which is four million times more massive than our Sun.

“We were stunned by how well the size of the ring agreed with predictions from Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity," said EHT Project Scientist Geoffrey Bower from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taipei. "These unprecedented observations have greatly improved our understanding of what happens at the very centre of our galaxy and offer new insights on how these giant black holes interact with their surroundings.” The EHT team's results are being published today in a special issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Because the black hole is about 27,000 light-years away from Earth, it appears to us to have about the same size in the sky as a donut on the Moon. To image it, the team created the powerful EHT, which linked together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope. The EHT observed Sgr A* on multiple nights, collecting data for many hours in a row, similar to using a long exposure time on a camera.

The breakthrough follows the EHT collaboration’s 2019 release of the first image of a black hole, called M87*, at the centre of the more distant Messier 87 galaxy.

Read the full media release here.

Defence quantum tech, speciality optical fibres, latest photonics materials, & more: AIP Congress in Dec

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:00:00 GMT

More than 20 specialist topic streams & special events

Submit abstracts for the 24th AIP Congress here.

Register now and get the most out of attending this year’s AIP Congress in Adelaide from 11 – 16 Dec by attending networking events, practical workshops, a pitchfest and more.

Not only does the program feature 20 specialist topic streams in physics, the Congress will also be hosting a range of special events in which you can actively participate – no need to just sit and listen to talks all day!

The Congress is co-locating with the 7th International Workshop on Speciality Optical Fibres (WSOF), a technical workshop and exhibition focused on advances and innovations in speciality optical fibres and their applications. You’ll get the chance to be involved in a tutorial, one-on-one discussions, listen to talks, and see the latest product offerings from industrial partners.

Other special events associated with the Congress program* include the:

Army Quantum Technology Workshop; hear the latest in the Army’s interests and intentions in quantum technology, as well as build collaborations and workshop ideas with the Army to help gain and retain a quantum advantage
Army Quantum Next Generation Pitchfest; learn how Australia’s talented postgraduate students, early career researchers and early-stage start-up entrepreneurs will tackle current quantum technology challenges
Physics Education-themed High Tea; listen to a keynote presentation and discuss the nexus between high school physics teaching and university physics courses
Diversity and Equity Group in Australian Physics (DE-GAP) Breakfast; get involved in a networking session, keynote presentation, and breakfast
Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices (COMMAD); discuss developments in semiconductors, including microelectronic and optoelectronic materials, as well as nanoscale and quantum technologies
Precision and Quantum Sensing Workshop (PQS2022); discuss with researchers and industry experts applications of precision quantum sensing, including in defence

*Please ensure that you indicate to attend these special events when you register.

There will also be two associated workshops occurring before the Congress:

Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) Workshop: fabricating photonic and optical components
Workshop on 3D Printing of Photonics Materials

More info on the Congress

This year’s Congress will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 11 – 16 Dec.

It will be co-locating with the Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics (ANZCOP) in addition to the Workshop of Specialty Optical Fibres (WSOF).

Submission of abstracts is openuntil 15 Jul and registration is open until 2 Dec.

Please visit the official Congress website for regular updates.

Three physicists elected as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Physicists well-represented in the recent announcement of 2022 Fellows

Three physicists have been announced as 2022 Fellows, including an astronomer, an applied physicist, and an astrophysicist.

“Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for ground-breaking research and contributions that have had clear impact,” says Professor Chennupati Jagadish FAIP, President of the Australian Academy of Science, nanotechnologist and materials scientist.

22 new Fellows were elected this year. Half were women, the first time that gender parity has been achieved in the annual election of new Fellows.

The newly elected physicists are:

Prof Marcela Bilek (University of Sydney); who develops environmentally-friendly, plasma-based processes to make new materials and modify surfaces of materials. She was previously involved in making a hydrogel that improves how manufactured implants attach to surrounding tissue.
Prof Matthew Bailes (Swinburne University): who develops instruments, including a supercomputer for detecting pulsars and mysterious fast radio bursts from space. He’s the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery and founded the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University in 1998.
Prof Naomi McClure-Griffiths (Australian National University); for furthering our understanding about how the Milky Way and neighbouring galaxies evolved by studying their interstellar gas and magnetic fields. She’s a co-principal investigator of two large observational surveys underway with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP).

Read the media release from the Academy: https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/two-firsts-academy-announces-2022-fellows?TW

Photo credit: Australian Academy of Science

Sharpening scientific writing skills & mentorship available for early career women

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:00:00 GMT

2022 Early Career Women in STEMM writing workshop

Early career women in STEMM are invited to register for a free workshop aimed at strengthening their scientific writing and critical thinking skills.

The AIP is a proud co-sponsor of the workshop, which is designed to increase the number of female academics in STEMM-related departments by providing training and mentorship that they might not have at their home institutions.

The program features writing sessions as well as panel sessions and opportunities for Q & A with nine high-profile academic mentors.

Attendees will also benefit from keynote presentations from senior mentors, including Professor Chennupati Jagadish FAIP (President of the Australian Academy of Science) and Professor Julie Cairney (The University of Sydney’s Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research – Enterprise and Engagement, and CEO of Microscopy Australia).

The workshop will be held at The University of Sydney on 28 – 30 Sep 2022.

Applications for the workshop close 11:55pm 31 Aug.

The cost of registration and catering will be covered by the event sponsorship.

Successful applicants will be notified 5 Sep.

Visit the workshop webpage here for more details and how to register.

Rock on: dates for Women in Physics lecture tour announced

Mon, 02 May 2022 02:00:00 GMT

The 2022 Women in Physics Lectureship tour kicks off at the end of May and runs through to September.

Astrophysicist Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic from Curtin University will be giving a lecture series entitled ‘Impacts! Rocks from space colliding with planets’.

Only in the mid-20^th century was it confirmed that impact craters on planets are formed by meteorite strikes. Since then, many space missions have mapped planetary surfaces and provided data about impact craters. Impacts have played a key role in the evolution of rocky planet surfaces.

Assoc Prof Miljkovic will outline her work on the physics behind the impact process. She is advancing our understanding of the structure and evolution of the Solar System by using data from the NASA space missions with which she collaborates.

The Women in Physics Lectureship is awarded annually to recognise and publicise significant contributions by a woman to advancing a field of physics and to inspire future physicists.

Assoc Prof Miljkovic will be giving her lecture to schools, academics, and the general public.

Catch a speak peek of what she’ll be talking about in Impact: Beyond the Night Sky (2020), a short documentary written and directed by Kath Dooley. This immerse, 360, virtual-reality documentary was a finalist in the best experimental film category at the 2022 Atom Awards.

The currently confirmed dates for the lecture tour are:

NSW: 30 May – 1 Jun
ACT: 2 – 3 Jun
QLD: 18 – 20 Jul
VIC: 27 – 28 Jul
TAS: 8 – 10 Aug
SA: 6 – 8 Sep
WA: 22 Sep

Further tour dates in WA are TBA. Watch out on social media and in next month’s newsletter for venues and times.

“When imagining the space in our Solar System, many people think of a dark silent void but the space around us is not empty; it is filled with particles, with dust, and with rocks – some very small and some large. The history of our Universe is a history of impacts - when things collide.”
– Assoc Prof Katarina Miljkovic in Impact: Beyond the Night Sky (2020).

Photo credit: TAKE2STEM.

Two Nobel Prize winners to give plenaries at 2022 AIP Congress

Mon, 02 May 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Registrations and the Call for Abstracts are now open for the 24^th AIP Congress

Register to attend our AIP Congress in Adelaide this December and you’ll be able to watch two Nobel Prize winners – Professors Donna Strickland and Kip Thorne – give plenary talks.

Full registration for the Congress also includes the Welcome Reception, catered poster sessions and the Congress dinner.

Intense lasers and gravitational waves

Professor Donna Strickland (University of Waterloo) was jointly awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics with Professor Gérard Mourou for developing chirped pulse amplification, a method of creating very intense, ultrashort laser pulses without destroying the amplifying material. Modern applications of this technology in medicine and industry include its use in laser eye surgery and in the machining of small glass parts employed in mobile phones.

At the time of her award, Professor Strickland was only the third woman to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. She was also awarded the 2019 Geoffrey Frew Fellowship from the Australian Academy of Science and Australian and New Zealand Optical Society.

Professor Kip Thorne (Caltech) won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics with Professors Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish for their contributions to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave (LIGO) detector and the observation of gravitational waves. Professor Thorne co-founded the LIGO Project in 1984. The first gravitational waves were detected by LIGO in 2015 from a collision of blackholes. This confirmed an important prediction of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Prof Thorne’s research has also covered black holes and wormholes. He was the science advisor and an executive producer of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film Interstellar (2014).

Other confirmed plenary speakers at the Congress include Professors Ania Bleszynski Jayich (University of California, Santa Barbara), Noah Finkelstein (University of Colorado), Laura Greene (Florida State University), Jeremy O’Brien (University of Western Australia and PsiQuantum) and Jirina Stone (University of Oxford).

The list of plenary speakers (to be updated as more details become available) can be found here.

More info on the Congress

This year’s Congress will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 11 – 16 Dec.

We will be co-locating with the Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics (ANZCOP) and the 7^th International Workshop on Speciality Optical Fibres (WSOF).

Submission of abstracts is open until 15 Jul and registrations are open until 2 Dec.

Please visit the Congress website for more information. It is updated regularly.

Photo credit: University of Waterloo (Prof Strickland) and Caltech (Prof Thorne).

AIP awards still open for nomination

Mon, 02 May 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Good news - you can still nominate a physics star for an AIP award!

The closing date has been extended to 15 May for the following awards:

Walter Boas Medal – for original research that makes an important contribution to physics in Australia
Harrie Massey Medal – for outstanding contributions to physics made by an Australian citizen anywhere in the world, or by an Australian resident for work carried out in Australia
Ruby Payne-Scott Award– for outstanding contributions to physics made by an exceptionally promising early-career researcher
Women in Leadership Medal – for outstanding leadership by a female physicist
Physics Communication Award – for an excellent communicator who makes the public aware of the excitement and importance of physics
Alan Walsh Medal – for outstanding accomplishments in applying physics in industry
Physics Education Medal - for outstanding contributions to tertiary physics education in Australia

Nominations are also open for the following awards, which close 1 Jun:

Women in Physics Lectureship - to recognise and publicise a significant contribution by a woman to advancing the field of physics
Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia Award – for exceptional contributions to advance the aims of the AIP

Don’t miss out on your chance to let a colleague know how much their efforts are appreciated.

Some awards also allow self-nomination, so please check the individual awards.

Photo credit: Orion’s Dreamy Stars by NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Working with the US in space to deliver benefits on Earth

Mon, 02 May 2022 02:00:00 GMT

As reported in a media release from the office of the Minister for Science and Technology.

Australia and the United States have agreed to work together on enhancing Earth observation from space, further securing the data that is central to our everyday lives and driving growth in our local space sector.

A joint Statement of Intent between the Australian Space Agency and NASA has been signed at the Colorado Space Symposium, after the Morrison Government in its recent Budget committed almost $1.2 billion to Australia’s first ever National Space Mission for Earth Observation.

The first phase of the National Space Mission will include Australia designing, building and operating four satellites that will capture globally unique data, carving out an important role for Australia internationally.

The Minister for Science and Technology, Melissa Price, said the signing was an important part of locking in Australia’s access to the valuable data on which it relies, as well as its place in the global space community.

“For us to unleash the full power of Earth observation we need to work with our closest international partners to share data and learn from one another,” Minister Price said.

“The United States has long been a global leader in land imaging from space.

“In fact, their data has been helping Australians for decades. This signing is the first step toward Australia contributing to and enhancing this critical network for the benefit of both our nations.

“Our Government’s $1.2-billion investment in the National Space Mission for Earth Observation in the 2022-23 Budget is the most significant in Australia’s history, and it’s because of investments like this that global players like NASA are wanting to work with us.”

Read the full media release here.
Read the NASA media release here.

Photo credit: NASA.

Aboriginal science and art, physics education and Physical Scientist of the Year: Jan - Mar Australian Physics

Mon, 02 May 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Exploring the connections between first nations, land, and country through science and art;
CSIRO’s Dr Keith Banner named Physical Scientist of the Year;
Australia’s contribution to the James Webb Telescope; and
Addressing the underrepresentation of women in physics academia and education.

These topics all feature in the first edition for 2022 of Australian Physics magazine.

AIP members can read the edition online here.

The cover of the edition showcases the beautiful artwork of Sean James Cassidy in collaboration with Wiradjuri artists Scott Turnbull and Scott Sauce Towney.

The collaborative artwork depicts two goannas joined at the hip, representing an Elder mentoring a student. The goanna is the totem of the Wiradjuri Nation. The figure eight shape the two goannas make refers to the eight Aboriginal ways of learning, which include story sharing, community links, and learning maps (see Page 20 of the magazine).

The artwork is part of an installation in the Rotary Peace Park in Parkes, NSW. It also now is proudly displayed on our website, together with our acknowledgement of Country.

The Jan – Mar edition also includes an obituary to former AIP President, Emeritus Professor Tony Klein, AM FAA. He was also the recipient of our 1990 Walter Boas Medal and appointed an Honorary Fellow of the AIP in the late 1990s.

You can also read the #PhysicsGotMeHere career profiles of mathematical biologist Dr James McCaw (University of Melbourne) and paediatric intensive care doctor Dr Rebecca Pearce (Monash Children’s Hospital).

If you are not currently an AIP member and want to receive the Australian Magazine and/or access the latest editions online, you can view membership options here and join here.

Senate inquiry, AIP congress & 11 awards open for nomination

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 06:00:00 GMT

Didn't see the email bulletin for Apr AIP news? Good news - you can read it here.

Highlights:

Research independence bill defeated but unites research sector - AIP President speaks at the Senate inquiry
24th AIP Congress in Adelaide in December - Optics and photonics, the latest industry tech, and catered poster sessions will feature at this year's Congress
Nominations for 11 AIP awards open
Odd radio circles: a closer look
A conduit between academics & the public: Ben Keirnan #PhysicsGotMeHere

Never miss out on future AIP bulletins by emailing physics@scienceinpublic.com.au to subscribe.

24th AIP Congress in Adelaide in December

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:00:00 GMT

Optics and photonics, the latest industry tech, and catered poster sessions will feature at this year’s AIP Congress

With the easing of restrictions across Australia, we look forward to welcoming you to Adelaide in December for the first, large, in-person meeting of the Australian physics community since the AIP Congress in Perth in 2018.

The 24th AIP Congress will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 11-16 December. The Convention Centre is conveniently located on the picturesque banks of the Torrens Lake in the heart of the city.

This year, we are delighted to be co-locating with the Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics (ANZCOP) and the 7th International Workshop on Speciality Optical Fibers (WSOF).

The Congress will feature a forum where industry partners will exhibit their latest technology and product offerings. You can mingle with industry partners and your colleagues in the Exhibition Area, where catered poster sessions with morning and afternoon teas and lunches will take place daily.

Following the welcome reception on Sun 11 Dec, the five-day program will include plenary and invited talks, as well as contributed talks and posters, a public lecture, and teacher-focused sessions.

Key dates and registration fees will be available on the Congress website here*.

Information on sponsors and the exhibition prospectus is available here.

*Please regularly check the website as it is being constantly updated.

Nominate colleagues & students for 11 different AIP awards

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:00:00 GMT

Let your colleagues and students know what an excellent job they’re doing by nominating them for this year’s AIP awards.

Some awards also allow self-nomination, so please check the individual awards.

You must submit your nominations by 1 May for most of the awards. Click on the links for the awards below for their individual deadlines.

Members of the AIP can nominate colleagues for the:

Walter Boas Medal – for excellence in original research that makes an important contribution to physics in Australia;
AIP Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia – in recognition of exceptional contributions to advance the aims of the AIP;
2023 Women in Physics (WiP) Lecturer – to recognise and publicise a significant contribution by a woman to advancing the field of physics;
Harrie Massey Medal and Prize – for outstanding contributions to physics made by an Australian citizen anywhere in the world, or any physicist carrying out work in Australia;
Alan Walsh Medal – to recognise outstanding accomplishments in applying physics in industry;
AIP Education Medal – for outstanding contributions to tertiary physics education in Australia; and
Ruby Payne-Scott Award – for outstanding contributions to physics made by an early career physicist.

We also would like to draw attention to two new awards:

NEW! Physics Communication Award – to recognise an excellent communicator who makes the public aware of the excitement and importance of physics; and
NEW! Women in Leadership Medal – to recognise outstanding leadership by a female physicist.

Students may be eligible for the:

Bragg Gold Medal – for the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics by a student at an Australian university; and
TH Laby Medal – outstanding Honours or Masters thesis in physics by a student at an Australian university

Please visit the AIP website to access nomination forms and other important information about eligibility and who can nominate.

Last year’s winners include Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic (Curtin University) – 2022 WiP Lectureship; Prof Howard Wiseman (Griffith University) – Walter Boas Medal; and Emeritus Professor Bruce McKellar FAIP and Dr Marc Duldig FAIP – Outstanding Service to Physics Award.

See here for a list of the 2021 winners of our other awards.

Astronomers reveal best image yet of mysterious ORCs in space

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:00:00 GMT

As reported by CSIRO.

First revealed by the ASKAP radio telescope, owned and operated by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, odd radio circles quickly became objects of fascination. Theories on what caused them ranged from galactic shockwaves to the throats of wormholes.

A new detailed image, captured by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory’s MeerKAT radio telescope and published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (DOI 10.1093/mnras/stac701 and available on arXive), is providing researchers with more information to help narrow down those theories.

There are now three leading theories to explain what causes ORCs:

· They could be the remnant of a huge explosion at the centre of their host galaxy, like the merger of two supermassive black holes;

· They could be powerful jets of energetic particles spewing out of the galaxy’s centre; or

· They might be the result of a starburst ‘termination shock’ from the production of stars in the galaxy.

To date ORCs have only been detected using radio telescopes, with no signs of them when researchers have looked for them using optical, infrared, or X-ray telescopes.

Dr Jordan Collier of the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy, who compiled the image from MeerKAT data said continuing to observe these odd radio circles will provide researchers with more clues.

“People often want to explain their observations and show that it aligns with our best knowledge. To me, it’s much more exciting to discover something new, that defies our current understanding,” Dr Collier said.

The rings are enormous – about a million light years across, which is 16 times bigger than our own galaxy. Despite this, odd radio circles are hard to see.

Professor Ray Norris from Western Sydney University and CSIRO, one of the authors on the paper, said only five odd radio circles have ever been revealed in space.

Read the full media release.

Photo: Artist’s impression of odd radio circles. Credit – CSIRO.

Welcome to our new AIP volunteers for 2022

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:00:00 GMT

Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said of volunteering: “you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way".

The AIP is predominantly a volunteer-run organisation, and it can function only with the generous donation of time and effort by many people.

Thank you to all our volunteers for your work in supporting and promoting the Australian physics community.

Welcome back to our ongoing volunteers and a warm welcome the following new volunteers:

TAS Secretary: Georgia Stewart
ACT Secretary: Jess Moore
VIC Chair: Andrew Martin
VIC Vice Chair: Valentina Baccetti
VIC Secretary: Elizabeth Hinde
VIC Treasurer: David Simpson
QLD Secretary: Sergei Slussarenko
QLD Treasurer: Scott Adamson
Women in Physics Tour Organizer: Pourandokht Naseri Hudson
ACT: Committee: Louise Starr, Ivo Seitenzahl, Taiki Tanaka and Bryce Henson
QLD: Committee: Dongchen Qi and Terry Turner
WA Committee: Kate Putman and John Brookes (PEG rep)

A full list of all our awesome volunteers is here.

Opportunities for Honours students at the ANU Research School of Physics

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:00:00 GMT

Financial support for physics Honours students is available at the Australian National University (ANU) Research School of Physics.

The Research School is offering two opportunities:

The Dunbar Physics Honours Scholarship
The Love Physics Bursary

The Dunbar Physics Honours Scholarship is available for students who have applied for a Bachelor of Science, Science (Advanced) or Philosophy Honours program in Physics within the Research School of Physics. Applicants must be Australian/New Zealand citizens (or Australian permanent residents) and have at least a Distinction average.

The scholarship comes with a stipend of up to $15,000.

There are two rounds of offers for this scholarship each year: one for commencement in Semester 1, and one for commencement in Semester 2.

Applications for commencement in Semester 2, 2022 open on 1 Apr.

More information on the scholarship can be found here.

The Love Physics Bursary is available to assist students from regional and remote areas to relocate to Canberra to pursue a physics Honours specialisation.

Successful applications will receive $2,500 towards their relocation expenses.

Established in 2015, the bursary is funded by a generous bequest from the late Emeritus Professor John Love.

Applications for the bursary are open between 1 Oct – 30 Nov.

More information on the bursary can be found here.

Outcome of ARC Senate Inquiry into ministerial vetoes of grant funding

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 07:45:14 GMT

Today, the Australian Senate E&E Committee majority recommended that the Senate does not pass the Australian Research Council Amendment (Ensuring Research Independence) Bill 2018.

It is unfortunate that the opportunity was lost to bring the Australian system in line with the Haldane Principle of an independent agency, where only the funding rules are defined by the government. This is the case in, for example, the UK, EU, and the US.

Despite this disappointing outcome, it was good to see the whole research sector united with this vision of research independence.

Read the full report of the Committee here.
Read our advocacy letter here.
Watch AIP President Prof Sven Rogge speak at the Senate Inquiry here (14:35:40 onwards).

Singularities, successful AGM & becoming a STEM ambassador: March AIP News

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 04:30:00 GMT

Did you miss the email bulletin for Mar AIP news? Good news – you can read it here.

Highlights:

More than a singular highlight – The 11th Australasian Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation, including 2020 Nobel Prize winner Prof Sir Roger Penrose’s public lecture.
Changes to the AIP Constitution passed unanimously – 2022 AIP Annual General Meeting
From refugee to theoretical physicist to STEM Ambassador: Professor Tien Kieu #PhysicsGotMeHere
Solar terrestrial & space physics: coming in Australian Physics magazine

Never miss out on future AIP bulletins by emailing physics@scienceinpublic.com.au to subscribe.

More than a singular highlight

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Report on the 11^th Australasian Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation

‘From Black-Hole Singularities to Cyclic Cosmology’, a public lecture by Professor Sir Roger Penrose, was one of the highlights of the recent 11th Australasian Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (ACGRG).

You can re-watch the lecture online here.

Prof Penrose was jointly awarded the 2020 Physics Nobel Prize with Profs Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for their work on black holes.

However, he said in his invited lecture, he did not really show “… that black holes are a robust prediction of general relativity, which is what the [Nobel Prize] citation says, but that singularities are”.

Other lessons on general relativity, gravitation, and teaching science

The purpose of the ACGRG is to provide a regional forum for members to discuss general relativity, foster collaboration, and promote ideas and insight into the nature of gravity.

The ACGRG also featured a scientific meeting held at the Hobart Campus of the University of Tasmania (UTAS), 2-4 Feb.

The topics of other invited talks ranged from observations of gravitational waves from mergers of neutron-stars, black holes, and novel sources, to using numerical relativity as a tool for cosmology.

The invited talks can be found and re-watched here.

Dr Krzysztof Bolejko, AIP Tas Chair, was also elected as President of the Australian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation during the meeting.

The third part of the conference, the Science Professional Learning Workshop, brought together scientists and teachers of science at the primary school and high school (Years 11 and 12) levels to discuss the new science curriculum and how best to teach difficult scientific concepts such as ‘wave-particle duality’ to young people.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the workshop was run separately on 2-3 Dec 2021 at the Launceston Campus of UTAS.

The ACGRG was organised by the AIP Tasmanian Branch and our cognate society, the Australasian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation.

Photo: 2020 Physics Nobel Prize winner Prof Sir Roger Penrose. Credit – Wikipedia.

Changes to AIP Constitution passed unanimously

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Changes to the Constitution were passed at the Annual General Meeting on 15 Feb to allow the AIP to apply for Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and to modernise its operations.

The AGM, held over Zoom, was well-attended with over 40 members present.

The major amendments to the Constitution were:

Changes to the allowed structure of the National Executive team;

Changes to enable the AIP to apply for Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, allowing it to accept tax deductible donations;
Modernisation of the operations requirements (e.g. no longer requiring postal mail as the only way to communicate official votes/decisions); and,
Compliance with the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), including the use of more inclusive language.

You can read the updated Constitution here.

Other discussion items included our advocacy efforts throughout 2021, and the need for collecting accurate, nationwide, gender statistics for students studying physics at high school and university.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the event!

An AIP Council meeting was held following the AGM. On the final day of the Council meeting, an updated set of by-laws was voted in. These updated by-laws map to the new Constitution, and reflect the changes made to the modernisation of the Constitution and the AIP’s application for DGR status.

The mapping of the new Constitution to the old one and the by-laws can be found here.

Photo: Happy attendees at the online AGM. Screenshot supplied by Trevor Harris.

Solar, terrestrial & space physics: coming up in Australian Physics

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:00:00 GMT

When a recent solar storm knocked 40 of 49 newly-launched SpaceX satellites out of orbit, it demonstrated just how important it is to monitor space weather.

The upcoming Apr – Jun 2022 edition of Australian Physics magazine (Vol. 59, No. 2) will be a special issue addressing space science, space weather from the sun to the Earth, satellites, and space exploration.

In this edition:

· Learn about how solar activity generates space weather events that affect Earth’s surrounds and even life on Earth.

One phenomenon is geomagnetic storms – major disturbances of the Earth’s magnetosphere that can cause changes in the ionosphere and thermosphere, change the shape of the atmosphere, disrupt radio frequency signals, initiate power grid failures, and impact satellites and communication systems.

· Read about how we rely on satellites to monitor space weather and conditions on Earth.

Satellites also provide essential data about Earth for weather forecasting, climate modelling, resource monitoring, and environmental management. In recent years, the Australian and global satellite communication sector has seen a tremendous expansion, which will grow the global space economy.

Interested? Make sure your AIP membership is up to date to get access to this special edition of Australian Physics when it comes out. Visit here to renew.

The Solar, Terrestrial & Space Physics edition is brought to you by the Solar, Terrestrial & Space Physics (STSP) group of the AIP. It focuses on all things ‘space science’ and aims to understand the space environment and its influence on human technology.

Quantum computers, circle arc templates, nanomedicine, planets & populations

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Frontiers of Science Forum on 25 Mar

Catch up on major discoveries and theories in physics, mathematics, biology, and chemistry at the Frontiers of Science Forum at the Concord Golf Club, Sydney, on Fri 25 Mar.

The Forum will feature international experts, who will give brief talks on the latest and future developments in their fields of knowledge.

The Forum will start with refreshments and a welcome by Dr Fred Osman FAIP, followed by the featured talks. It will close with a panel discussion and Q&A with Ian Woolf (Diffusion radio).

Featured talks include:

‘Building a quantum computing lab from the fundamental constants of nature’, by quantum physicist Prof Andrea Morello (UNSW) - winner of the 2021 AIP NSW Outreach to Physics Award,
‘Beyond the compass: exploring geometric constructions via circle templates and a straightedge’, by mathematician Prof Chris Tisdell (UNSW),
‘From Botanists and Butterflies to Populations and Planets’, by food scientist Prof Johannes le Coutre (UNSW), and;
‘Going small to make big impacts in medicine: nanomedicine’, by nanochemist Prof Martina Stenzel (UNSW).

The Forum is a joint meeting of the Australian Institute of Physics, the Teacher’s Guild of NSW, the Royal Society of NSW, and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

See here for more information and how to register.

Registrations close Mon 21 Mar.

Share your challenges as an early career researcher in the sciences in Australia

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Are you an early career researcher (ECR) and have you worked for less than 10 years in the sciences in Australia? Was your experience different after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Help inform recommendations for changes to the work environment and workplace culture for ECRs in Australia by participating in a research project exploring the challenges faced by ECRs employed in the sciences in Australia.

The project is being run by Dr Katherine Christian at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) as a follow-up to her PhD. It will explore some elements of workplace culture in more detail, including comparing experiences shared pre- and post- onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To make sure the results are truly representative of the ECR experience, Dr Christian is hoping for more responses. She encourages any ECR, including those who took part in the 2019 study, to participate.

Participate NOW by visiting: https://qsurvey.qut.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_5BGKcYMoKkdwlRs/

The online questionnaire is completely anonymous, participation is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time without explanation by closing your web browser.

The questionnaire can be completed at a time that is convenient to you. It should take about 25-30 minutes.

The survey closes 13 Mar 2022.

For more information, please email the Principal Investigator A/Prof Mike Doran, School of Biomedical Sciences and Centre for Biomedical Technologies, QUT.

Thank you for considering taking part in this research.

Nominate for 2022 Early Career Scientist Prize in Computational Physics

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Nominations are now open for the 2022 Early Career Scientist Prize in Computational Physics sponsored by the Commission on Computational Physics (C20) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP).

Nominees should have a maximum of 8 years research experience following their PhD (as measured on January 1, 2022) and should be the principal researcher of original work of outstanding scientific quality in Computational Physics.

The prize consists of €1000, a medal, and a certificate.

The award will be made at the Commission's next International Conference on Computational Physics (IUPAP CCP2022) to be held virtually at the University of Texas at Austin from 31 Jul to 4 Aug 2022.

The winner will also be invited to present a talk at this meeting.

Procedures for making a nomination are at https://sites.google.com/view/grigraphene/announce/C20-ECSP-Award/

Nominations should be emailed to Mei-Yin Chou (mychou6@gate.sinica.edu.tw) by 31 Mar 2022.

Please direct questions to Mei-Yin Chou (mychou6@gate.sinica.edu.tw).

Unsuccessful nominations remain active for an additional two years.

Our statement re the Prime Minister's comments on research to the Press Club on Feb 1

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 01:13:05 GMT

The AIP welcomes the Australian government’s investment in research and the acknowledgement of its importance for the country.

Industry-based PhD projects and fellowships at all levels, from early career researchers to research leaders, will foster collaboration between industry and academia to help the translation of research innovations into commercial products.

The AIP agrees that more needs to be done at the interface between industry and university-based research. At the same time, we are worried about balance and a possible drastic shift in funding. It is important to support both basic and applied research to ensure a pipeline into translation.

Read the Prime Minister’s address here.
Read press coverage on the issue here.

Building a silicon quantum computer chip atom by atom

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

As reported by Science in Public.

An atomic array in silicon paves the way for large-scale devices

A University of Melbourne-led team have perfected a technique for embedding single atoms in a silicon wafer one-by-one.

Their technology offers the potential to make quantum computers using the same methods that have given us cheap and reliable conventional devices containing billions of transistors.

“We could ‘hear’ the electronic click as each atom dropped into one of 10,000 sites in our prototype device. Our vision is to use this technique to build a very, very large-scale quantum device,” says Professor David Jamieson of The University of Melbourne, lead author of the Advanced Materials paper describing the process.

His co-authors are from UNSW Sydney, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM), and RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility.

“We believe we ultimately could make large-scale machines based on single-atom quantum bits by using our method and taking advantage of the manufacturing techniques that the semiconductor industry has perfected,” he says.

Read the full media release.

Quantum computing in silicon hits 99 per cent accuracy

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

As reported by Science in Public.

UNSW Sydney-led research paves the way for large silicon-based quantum processors for real-world manufacturing and application.

Australian researchers have proven that near error-free quantum computing is possible, paving the way to build silicon-based quantum devices compatible with current semiconductor manufacturing technology.

“Today’s publication in Nature shows our operations were 99 per cent error-free,” says Professor Andrea Morello of UNSW, who led the work, with partners in the US, Japan, Egypt, UTS and the University of Melbourne.

“When the errors are so rare, it becomes possible to detect them and correct them when they occur. This shows that it is possible to build quantum computers that have enough scale, and enough power, to handle meaningful computation. This piece of research is an important milestone on the journey that will get us there,” Prof. Morello says.

Morello’s paper is one of three published in Nature that independently confirm that robust, reliable quantum computing in silicon is now a reality. This breakthrough features on the front cover of the journal (Vol. 601, Issue 7893, 20 Jan).

Read the full media release.

An impact of planetary proportions: Assoc Prof Katarina Miljkovic, 2022 Women in Physics Lecturer

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

* Dates and locations for the public lectures to be announced soon

The AIP is delighted to announce Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic (Curtin University) as the winner of the 2022 Women in Physics Lectureship.

She is a planetary scientist with expertise in numerical and experimental impact physics and a passionate advocate for studying science.

The title of Professor Miljkovic’s proposed public lecture is ‘Impact physics in planetary science’.

It was only during the mid-20^th century that impact craters on Earth were confirmed as originating from rocks which arose in outer space. Since then, space missions have brought back data from similar phenomena affecting the crusts of other planetary bodies. These impact events play a key element in planetary evolution, including that of Earth.

In her lectures, Prof Miljkovic will outline her modelling work on impact processes, cratering mechanics and shock physics applied to geological materials. She will further discuss how her numerical modelling compares with data from space missions such as NASA’s GRAIL and InSight.

Prof Miljkovic joined Curtin University in 2015 under a Curtin Research Fellowship. She now teaches in the Advanced Science degree there. She is also currently an Australian Research Council Fellow.

Prior to joining Curtin, she graduated from the University of Belgrade in 2006 in astrophysics and obtained her PhD from the Open University in the UK in 2010. She has held postdoctoral roles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris in France, and Imperial College London in UK.

Prof Miljkovic has won several competitive awards, including an ARC DECRA Fellowship, an Australian L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Fellowship and a WA Tall Poppy Young Scientist of the Year award.

The Women in Physics Lecture Tour celebrates the contribution of women to advances in physics. Lecturers offer presentations, including school lectures, public lectures and research colloquia, in Canberra and each of the six Australian State capital cities and surrounding regions.

The 2021 winner of the Lectureship was medical physicist Associate Professor Susanna Guatelli (University of Wollongong).

Photo credit: supplied by Katarina Miljkovic.

Outstanding Service to Physics: Emeritus Prof Bruce McKellar & Dr Marc Duldig

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

For their exceptional contributions to the furtherance of Physics as a discipline, we have recognised both Emeritus Professor Bruce McKellar (University of Melbourne) AC FAIP and Dr Marc Duldig (University of Tasmania) FAIP with a 2021 AIP Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia.

A pioneer on many fronts

Prof McKellar won the Award for his service and leadership in the Australian and international physics community.

Throughout his career, Prof McKellar held several roles that actively facilitated physics research, policy development and collaboration in Australia as well as internationally, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region.

He was a founding member of the Australian Research Council (ARC), helping establish and develop the institution. He was its Chair for the Chemical, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Panel from 1988-1990.

On the international front, he was the first Australian and the first representative from the Southern Hemisphere to become President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics 2014.

He chaired the Asia-Pacific regional committee of the International Council for Science (2009-2011) and Australia and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (1992-1998).

Prof McKellar was a theoretical particle physicist who studied weak interactions and published a seminal paper on three nucleon forces known as the ‘Tucson-Melbourne’ force. His excellence in research was recognised by the AIP with a Walter Boas Medal in 1992 and Harrie Massey Medal and Prize in 2006.

Elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1987, Prof McKellar later served in varied roles within the Physical Sciences arm of the academy including secretary and Vice President. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) and the American Physical Society.

A list of Prof McKellar’s career roles can be found here.

A stellar effort

Dr Duldig won the Award for tireless service to the Australian Institute of Physics and the wider Physics community.

He was the AIP President from 2011-2013, Vice President from 2009-2011 and Treasurer from 2007-2009.

Dr Duldig was an astrophysicist and worked for more than 30 years with the Australian Antarctic Division, studying the bombardment of the Earth with cosmic rays using neutron monitor and muon detector telescope networks.

One line of research he was interested in was ‘space weather’ - what he described as ‘the impact that variations in the space environment have on us and our technology’.

Dr Duldig was involved in the establishment of the Global Muon Detector Network with international collaborators. With telescopes in Nagoya, Hobart, Brazil and Kuwait, the network allows for global coverage to monitor space weather, including the early detection of solar storms.

In addition to his research, he served on various committees and boards. As part of Science and Technology Australia (2011-2013), he was the board member representing Physical Sciences and a member of the executive.

He was a board member of the Asia Pacific Physical Societies (2010-2013) and member of the National Committee for Antarctic Research of the Australian Academy of Science (2012-2014).

After retiring in 2011, he still found time to establish an international team to run a cosmic ray physics facility at the Mawson Base in Antarctica, in which he remains involved. He is also still active as a member of the Tasmanian Radiation Advisory Council, and is the long-term joint secretary of the Astronomical Society of Australia – a position he has held for more than 37 years!

The AIP warmly thanks Prof McKellar and Dr Duldig for their excellent service to the physics community.

Photo credits: supplied by the researchers.

Congratulations to our 2021 AIP Medal winners

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

We are thrilled to announce the following winners of our competitive Medals, honouring the brilliant work of Australian physicists:

2021 Walter Boas Medal – Professor Howard Wiseman (Griffith University)

For elucidating fundamental limits arising from quantum theory, in particular in its applications to metrology and laser science, and via its implications for the foundations of reality.

This Medal aims to promote excellence in physics research and perpetuate the name of metallurgist and physicist Walter Boas.

2021 Bragg Gold Medal – Dr Timothy Gray (Australian National University)

For the thesis entitled: Electromagnetic Moments and Emerging Nuclear Collectivity near Z = 50

This Medal recognises the most outstanding physics PhD thesis by an Australian University student.

It was named after Sir Lawrence Bragg and his father Sir William Bragg, who jointly won the Nobel Prize for their work in x-ray crystallography .

2021 TH Laby Medal - Ethan Payne (Monash University)

For the thesis entitled: Probing the Universe through gravitational waves

This Medal commerates physicist and chemist Thomas Howell Laby and is given to the best Honours or Masters thesis from an Australian University student.

We congratulate the award winners on their achievements – well done!

Thank you to our 2019-2021 awards selection panel members

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

The AIP acknowledges the tireless work of our 2019-2021 selection panel members. Selecting winners can be a long and difficult task; we thank them for their work behind the scenes.

The contributers are: Ann Roberts, Anton Tadich, Catherine Stampfl, Ceri Brenner, Daniel Langley, David Jamieson, David Ottaway, Fred Osman, Geraint Lewis, Hans Bachor, Helen Maynard-Casely, Ian McArthur, Ilya Shadrivov, Jarryd Pla, Joan Vaccaro, Karen Siu, Katie Auchettle, Maria Parappilly, Matthew Arnold, Pegah Maasoumi, Peter Jarvis, Peter Veitch, Sarah Brough, Susanna Guatelli, Till Weinhold, Tony Williams, Tracy Slatyer, Victoria Coleman.

Additional thanks to our Branch Committee members, who who are involved in State level selection of the Bragg Gold Medal and the TH Laby Medal, and the IOP Harrie Massey UK selection committee.

If you are interested in being involved in helping determine the awards winners and honours, please get in touch with us. Selection committees are chosen based on experience, international standing, gender diversity, national diversity and subject matter.

Vale Prof Michael Gore AO

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

As reported by the Australian National University (ANU).

ANU pays tribute to science pioneer and educator Mike Gore

The Australian National University (ANU) and the wider science community is mourning the loss of passionate science educator and visionary, Questacon founder and ANU physics lecturer Professor Michael Gore AO.

Driven by a desire to share his love of science with others and a determination to make science fun, Professor Gore was integral in shaping the science communication landscape in Australia.

It was his love of teaching and attitude toward science - a recognition that science is best communicated through hands-on and experimental learning - that led to the creation of Australia's first interactive science centre, Questacon. His vision was to provide a fun and educational experience to inspire young Australians and the general public to pursue a career in the sciences.

ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt says Professor Gore inspired us all to dream big and think beyond the limitations of what's possible.

"Professor Gore's passion for science and teaching was infectious. He never stopped wanting to empower and encourage others through science and he will be dearly missed by so many," Professor Schmidt says.

"His work promoting greater awareness of science through a unique lens, a belief that we should approach science with curiosity, wonder and fun, has inspired generations of Australians to pursue their dreams."

Professor Joan Leach, Director of the Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science(CPAS), says the passing of Professor Gore left a gaping hole in the Australian and international science community.

"From a hands-on set of exhibits at the ANU School of Physics to an enlarged space at Ainslie Primary School to the fabulous new building in the Parliamentary Triangle, Mike was determined that Australia was going to be on the leading edge of a new way of communicating science publicly," Professor Leach says.

In 2015, Professor Gore was made an officer of the Order of Australia for his service to science communication. He was awarded the 2001 AIP Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia Award and in 2006, the Academy Medal from the Australian Academy of Science.

Read the full tribute here.

Photo credit: ANU.

AIP Summer Meeting 2021 largest to date

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Last year’s 2021 AIP Summer Meeting was the most attended AIP Summer Meeting to date with 455 registrations.

The event was held 6-9 December, both in-person at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, and online.

The scientific program featured a diverse range of work at the vanguard of Australian physics, including plenary lectures delivered by Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska FAA (QUT), Professor Michael Fuhrer (Monash) and Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop AO FAA (UQ).

Focused Sessions provided an opportunity for members of the physics community to bring together eminent speakers working on cutting-edge research topics.

The meeting included:

· 11 topic streams with over 30 keynote and invited speakers

· More than 280 talks and 45 posters

· Three workshops and two pitch sessions

· In relation to the meeting’s diversity agenda, 42% of plenary/keynote/invited speakers identified as female, 55% were male-identifying and 3% were unspecified. Almost all Australian states and territories as well as universities were represented. More info here.

A list of student prize winners for posters and oral presentations can be found here– congratulations to all the participants.

On behalf of the organisers, we would like to thank everyone who participated in the meeting, including our volunteers and sponsors without whom the event would not have been possible!

Photo: Our enthusiastic meeting volunteers Lady Gamboa and Terry Turner. Credit to Jennifer MacLeod.

Australian Physics: Oct-Dec 2021 now online

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

The boundary of chaos, optical metasurfaces, AIP Vice President Professor Nicole Bell on the AIP’s advocacy on the ARC ‘no-preprint rule’, and the difference between weight and mass for young physicists.

Members can read these stories and more online in the latest edition of Australian Physics.

If you have a physics-related article, poem or book review you would like to have included in future editions, you can send through proposals and finished items editors to Peter Kappen and David Hoxley via email: aip_editor@aip.org.au.

Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 Feb

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

As reported by UN Women.

The world needs science, and science needs women and girls.

On 11 Feb, use the hashtag #WomeninScience to spread messages that defy gender stereotypes and let everyone know that we need more women and girls in science!

Women have led ground-breaking research into public health, vaccines, treatments and innovative technology, and been on the front lines of COVID-19 response as scientists, health care workers and more.

Yet, the gender gap in science and technology holds women back.

According to UNESCO’s forthcoming Science Report, only 33 per cent of researchers are women, despite the fact that they represent 45 and 55 per cent of students at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels of study respectively, and 44 per cent of those enrolled in PhD programs.

While 70 per cent of health and social care workers are women, they are paid 11 per cent less than their male counterparts.

The COVID-19 pandemic is poised to widen the existing gender disparities, especially for women scientists at the early stages of their career, unless we act deliberately to keep women in the career pipelines in STEM.

It’s more important than ever to recognize women’s contributions in science, smash stereotypes and defeat discrimination against women and girls in science.

Support the women researchers you know.

Share your unexpected career story with #PhysicsGotMeHere

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Do you or someone you know have a physics PhD, and have had an unexpected career path, including roles outside of academia?

We’d love to hear your story and how physics has got you to where you are.

Past examples include physicists that have gone on to have careers in epidemiology, patent law, comms, medicine, education and even visual effects! Check out their career profiles in our shiny new #PhysicsGotMeHere page.

Email your interest in sharing your story to aip@aip.org.au to have it featured in our monthly bulletin and website.

Open Letter to Minister Robert in regard to Ministerial interference in 2021 ARC DPs

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 05:57:14 GMT

Open_Letter_Minister_Robert.pdf

6 ARC Discovery Projects vetoed by the acting Minister

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 02:44:38 GMT

On Christmas Eve 2021 it was announced that 6 ARC Discovery Projects were vetoed by the acting Minister for not demonstrating value for taxpayers’ money nor contributing to the national interest. This was despite the projects having been selected through a rigorous independent peer review process. It is shocking to see this kind of political intervention in a country like Australia where we expect a fair go for those who follow the grant rules. We expect our rigorous grant allocation systems to be guided by excellence and merit and to be determined by experts. Last-minute intervention from politicians should not be a routine part of this process and does not result in good value for money for the Australian taxpayer. We call on all our STEM colleagues from around Australia to join us in standing strong with our colleagues in humanities against political interference in the independent grant processes.

ARC reforms needed but lack of consultation with research sector concerning

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 04:34:03 GMT

The Australian government has announced reforms to Australian Research Council processes, outlined in a recent letter from the Minister.

We are very concerned about the rapid timeline for reform and lack of consultation. Commitment to a new direction offers the opportunity for long overdue consultation with the Australian research sector, and guidance from best practice internationally.

We urge the government to undertake such consultation as a matter of priority. Changes at the ARC - the national funding body for all research outside the medical sector - will have long term impact.

We need to get it right this time.

Read about the ARC reforms in their media release here.
Read the letter from the Minister here.
Read coverage of the issue in The Australian here.

Outcomes of ARC Appeals committee on preprints - 6 additional funded projects

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 06:39:10 GMT

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has announced the outcomes of the ARC Appeals committee on preprints and six additional funded research projects.

“The ARC Appeals Committee upheld all 28 appeals submitted to the Committee for having included preprints in their applications. The Committee also extended the ruling for 4 other applicants that did not submit an appeal.”

In addition, “6 of the 32 now eligible applications had been ranked highly in the grants assessment process and were recommended for funding—including 5 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award and 1 Future Fellowships application.”

Read appeal outcomes Communique: www.arc.gov.au/news-publications/media/communiques/outcomes-arc-appeals-committee-preprints.
Read media release, including details of newly funded projects: www.arc.gov.au/news-publications/media/media-releases/additional-funded-research-projects-following-arc-appeals-process.
Read response from Science & Technology Australia: scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/arc-appeals-decision-a-relief-a-new-delay-a-concern/

“This outcome is the result of the strong response of the sector, ranging from vocal individuals to the joint stand of the professional bodies,” says Australian Institute of Physics President Professor Sven Rogge.

“It is very late, but it is fair. I am thrilled since I know that some of these newly announced fellowships will change the career paths of fantastic upcoming scientists. At the same time, we are worried since other rounds are massively delayed. I expect that the ARC will also apply the same framework to all the grant rounds that are not yet announced. These need to be announced as soon as possible to provide certainly to the researchers involved."

“The AIP is looking forward to working with the ARC on reforms to ensure better consultation and transparency. We hope to avoid a single discipline, especially its early career researchers, being impacted so severely.”

Announcing the 2022 AIP NSW branch committee members

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 23:13:57 GMT

The AIP NSW branch welcomes its new office bearers for 2022 following last month’s AGM on 16 November:

Chair: Professor Michael Lerch

Deputy Chair: Associate Professor Matthew Arnold

Secretary: Dr Frederick Osman

Treasurer: Dr Phil Burns

Committee Members: Associate Professor Graeme Melville. Dr Scott Martin, Dr Timothy Van der Laan, Dr Danica Solina, Dr Marc Galí Labarias and Dr Andrew Manning.

We thank the previous office bearers for their service.

Turbulence and galaxy distribution: The future of Aus physics is bright with 2021 AIP NSW student awards

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 23:04:22 GMT

For excellence in physics research as well as clear and engaging presentation skills, Joe Zhiyu Chen (UNSW) and Zain Medhi (ANU) have won the 2021 AIP NSW branch Postgraduate Physics Award and Royal Society for NSW Jak Kelly Award, respectively.

The awards were based on the online student presentations given on 9 November from the top physics postgraduate students nominated by each NSW university.

Joe Zhiyu Chen’s talk explained how he was using supercomputing to model galaxy distribution in the presence of neutrino masses.

Zain Mehdi’s presented his work on modelling two types of thermal energy loss during turbulence in quantum fluids.

The other contenders were awarded AIP NSW Postgraduate Excellence Certificates in recognition of nomination by their universities based on their high standing. They included Sobia Rehman (Macquarie Uni), Florian List (USYD), Matthew James (UNE), Simon White (UTS), and Ankit Shrestha (University of Wollongong).

The AIP NSW branch also wishes to congratulate Philip Mai (UNSW) and Bailey Thompson (University of Wollongong) for winning the 2021 Best Graduating Student Prizes. The prizes recognise their clearly outstanding work in their undergraduate Physics programs.

Lastly, ‘Drones, Droids and Robots’ was the theme of this year’s projects in contention for the AIP NSW Most Outstanding Physics K-12 Prizes and Science Teachers Association of NSW Young Scientist Awards.

First prize for ‘Automated Hand Injury Assessment and Treatment Device (MedLab)’ went to Yasiru Puhule-Gamayalag (Cherrybrook Technology High School). ‘Remote Control Raft Cleaner’ by Max Zhao (Barker College) won second prize. Thaddeus Candra (Redeemer Baptist School) was given third prize for ‘The Mars Ninja Warrior Conquers Mount Midoriyama’.

Save the date: 2022 AIP AGM in Feb 2022

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 23:02:27 GMT

Have your say about running the AIP, Australia’s largest voluntary organisation dedicated to promoting the role of physics in research, education, industry, and the community.

AIP members are invited to attend the upcoming 2022 AIP Annual General Meeting.

It will be held online via Zoom on 15 Feb, 6-7 pm AEDT.

Update: If you are an AIP member, you should have received an email on 14 Jan with the Zoom link to join the meeting.

Please register your attendance by responding to the email invite, or email aip@aip.org.au if you haven't received it.

Ahead of the AGM, members are encouraged to look through the newly updated Constitution available here as the changes will be put to the vote during the AGM.

Other agenda items include business arising from the minutes, the President’s and Treasurer’s reports, and appointment of the Auditor.

What’s on at the hybrid online 2021 AIP Summer Meeting

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:59:48 GMT

Our hybrid online 2021 AIP Summer Meeting (6-9 Dec) is starting soon!

Promote your talks and share your experiences on social media using #AIPSummer21.

On-site registration for attendees in Brisbane begins Mon 6 Dec at 1 pm.

Besides focused sessions on the latest physics research (Tues 7 Dec – Thurs 9 Dec) and a poster session (Tues 7 Dec, 5-6 pm), here’s a summary of special events so you don’t miss out.

Note that all times listed are in AEST (Brisbane time).

Learn to pitch and communicate your research at the Pitchmasters! workshop session (Mon 6 Dec, 2-4 pm).

Watch the first Plenary Lecture by Distinguished Prof Lidia Morawska on The Physics of Respiratory Particle Generation, Fate in the Air and Inhalation (Tues 7 Dec, 9-10 am).

Attend the Quantum Technology Workshop, a special meeting of the Australian Army and Australian Quantum Technology community (Tues 7 Dec, 1-3 pm).

Watch the second Plenary Lecture by Prof Michael Fuhrer on Topological Materials for Low-energy Electronics (Wed 8 Dec, 9-10 am).

Learn about Online Assessments in Physics before and during the COVID19 Pandemic in the Education Workshop I (Wed 8 Dec, 10.30 am-12 pm).

PhD students and postdocs can find out about Active Learning Techniques for teaching physics in the Education Workshop II (Wed 8 Dec, 3.30-5 pm).

Watch the final Plenary Lecture by Prof Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop on From Show-Pony to Work Horse: Expanding Applications of Structured Light (Thur 9 Dec, 9-10 am).

Watch ECRs, entrepreneurs, Army soldiers and officers pitch solutions that help conceal our soldiers from the looming threat of detection by ultra-precise quantum sensors during the Quantum Next Generation 2021 and Quantum Camouflage Challenge 2021 Pitchfest (Thur 9 Dec 1-3 pm).

Full program here and abstract booklet here. We look forward to catching up with you in person or online.

Vale Emeritus Professor Anthony (Tony) Klein AM FAA Hon FAIP

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:52:39 GMT

The Australian physics community has suffered another great loss with the recent passing of Emeritus Professor Anthony (Tony) Klein AM FAA.

He served as AIP President from 1989 to 1991, was joint recipient of the 1990 AIP Walter Boas Medal for excellence in physics research in Australia, and an AIP Honorary Fellow.

Prof Klein was an internationally recognised physicist in the field of neutron optics.

Having completed a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and his PhD degrees at the University of Melbourne, he returned in 1965 as a senior lecturer in the School of Physics. He eventually became the Head of the School of Physics (1987-1996) and held a Personal Chair in Physics until his retirement in 1998.

Prof Klein’s research legacy includes significant fundamental experimental studies in quantum physics using beams of slow neutrons. Together with the late Professor Geoffrey Opat, he developed the technique of neutron interferometry and used it to demonstrate that the wave function of a spin-1/2 particle changes sign when the particle is rotated by 360 degrees. His work earned him a shared ‘R&D 100’ Award for “developing one of the 100 most technologically significant products of the year 1995”.

He was not only a talented teacher, but a great science communicator. He wrote reports for the ABC and provided commentary on the first moon landing during the live broadcast of the event on Australian TV, as well as for the following Apollo 12 and 13 missions.

He also generously gave his time to serve as President of the Australian Optical Society in 1985-86 (now Australian & New Zealand Optical Society or ANZOS) and was Chair of several committees, including the Standards Advisory Committee of the CSIRO National Measurement Laboratories (1985-1995), Research Committee of the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (1991-2010), and Beam Instrument Advisory Committee for OPAL (1997-2007). A Life Member of ANZOS, he won its Beattie Steele Medal in 2016.

For his significant contributions to Australian Physics, Prof Klein was named a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1994 and was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1999.

On a personal front, Prof Klein was known to be a memorable character with a “great sense of humour and a seemingly infinite supply of jokes”, according to the Australian Academy of Science’s tribute to him on social media.

Many other personal tributes have been posted, including ones from science communicator Dr Shane Huntington OAM: “Many memories of Tony. Nobody taught me optics as well as he did.” and from Prof Deb Kane (Macquarie University): “Profs Klein and Opat were a great duo at AIP congresses. Big and positive personalities.”

Vale Tony.

Image credit: Australian Academy of Science.

Vale Professor Les Kirkup FAIP

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:50:13 GMT

The Australian physics community is saddened by the recent passing of 2020 AIP Fellow Professor Les Kirkup after a short illness.

His contribution to Australian physics education was outstanding and recognised with a 2014 AIP Education medal.

Prof Kirkup was an enthusiastic teacher of physics at the higher education level. Originally from the UK, he joined the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) as a lecturer in 1990 and was one of the first to complete its Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning.

He was known for his passion for inquiry-based learning of physics, both in laboratories and lectures. This was born of his awareness that students were unsatisfied with ordinary lectures and with following step-by-step lab experiments. So, instead, he advocated interactive, practical lectures. He also encouraged first-year physics students to design and conduct experiments of their own right from the start.

In 2011, Prof Kirkup’s work on inquiry-oriented learning was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. Together with former AIP President and current Australian Chief Scientist Cathy Foley, he developed a program that enabled undergraduate students to become familiar with the work and research of CSIRO since, in Prof Kirkup’s words, “the next generation of scientists needs to be introduced to new ideas and innovative ways of thinking as early as possible”.

Other recognitions of his work include a Carrick Associate Fellowship in 2007 and UTS Medal for Teaching and Research Integration in 2012. Prof Kirkup also wrote many popular textbooks on experimental methods and data analysis.

After retiring in 2016, Professor Kirkup was still active and committed to improving physics education. Recently, he wrote blogs on the value of peer review for students (here and here). His recommendations for teaching online physics labs under difficult COVID19 pandemic conditions were featured in the most recent edition of Australian Physics magazine.

Several personal tributes to Prof Kirkup have been posted on social media, including from Prof Geoffrey Crisp, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Canberra. He said:

“Les was such a genuine person and had that quiet passion for making things better for students. His sense of humour, humility and generosity of spirit will be remembered by all those that knew him. Our thoughts are with your family Les and we will miss your company and insights.”

Vale Les.

A relentless advocate for physics outreach in Australia: Prof Andrea Morello wins 2021 AIP NSW Award for Community Outreach

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:47:20 GMT

AIP NSW Awards Presentation luncheon Friday 3 December 2021 at 12pm.

Quantum physicist and passionate science communicator Professor Andrea Morello has been awarded the 2021 AIP NSW award for Community Outreach to Physics.

Prof Morello is a Scientia Professor at UNSW and a Program Manager at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T).

He is an international leader in the field of quantum computing, having published foundational observational studies of the first electron quantum bit , first nuclear quantum bit and nuclear electric resonance in the journal Nature.

Prof Morello was given the award for being a relentless advocate of physics outreach in Australia.

His achievements include creating popular YouTube video series (with over 10 million views) on explaining quantum computing, building quantum computers and quantum phenomena in the world around us.

Prof Morello has also contributed to several popular science initiatives to engage students and the younger public. These include the National Youth Science Festival, World Science Festival and featuring in the ABC Science ‘elevator’ pitch series.

He has further engaged the fields of visual and literary arts to reach wider audiences. He has developed visual art based on quantum bits and chaos in collaboration with Prof Paul Thomas (UNSW Art & Design).

Together with writer Bernard Cohen and funded by Writing NSW, Prof Morello is assisting NSW schools to develop experiential learning activities that combine science and creative writing.

On the academic front, he also led the development and launch of the world’s first bachelor’s degree in Quantum Engineering at UNSW.

Other recognition of his work includes being awarded the 2013 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year.

We congratulate Prof Morello and thank him for his passion for physics and tireless work. We look forward to seeing him at our AIP NSW Awards Presentation luncheon at the Concord Golf Club on Friday 3 December 2021 at 12pm.

Information contributed by Dr Fred Osman.

World record broken for thinnest x-ray detector ever created

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:45:29 GMT

As reported by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science.

Exciton Science researchers have used tin mono-sulfide (SnS) nanosheets to create the thinnest X-ray detector ever made, potentially enabling real-time imaging of cellular biology.

SnS has already shown great promise as a material for use in photovoltaics, field effect transistors and catalysis.

Now, members of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, based at Monash University and RMIT University, have shown that SnS nanosheets are also excellent candidates for use as soft X-ray detectors.

Their research, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, indicates that SnS nanosheets possess high photon absorption coefficients, allowing them to be used in making ultrathin soft X-ray detectors with high sensitivity and a rapid response time.

Read the full media release here.

A 'tsunami' of gravitational waves

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:37:43 GMT

As reported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav).

An international team of scientists, including Australian researchers from the ARC OzGrav have collaborated on a study released earlier this month, presenting the largest number of gravitational wave detections to date - 90 detections!

Gravitational waves are cosmic ripples in space and time that are caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe, like supernovas, merging black holes and colliding neutron stars--city-size stellar objects with a mass about 1.4 times that of the Sun.

The newest gravitational wave detections come from the second part of the third observing run which lasted from November 2019 to March 2020. There were 35 new gravitational wave detections in this period: 32 detections were from pairs of merging black holes; 3 were likely to come from the collision of a neutron star and a black hole.

Read the full media release here.

The Physics of Christmas: 24 Nov

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:44:25 GMT

Ever wondered how Santa manages to deliver so many presents in just one night? Or how the big guy makes it down the chimney? How about his magic reindeer?

Tune into a special zOOm into Physics where we try to tackle these questions and more through the lens of the laws of Physics.

zOOm into Physics is a monthly lightly-moderated zoom conversation with our resident panel and special guests.

Wednesday 24 November, 8pm-9.30pm AEDT

Further details and zoom link: https://aip.org.au/ZiP

Call for content for next edition of Australian Physics

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:40:45 GMT

Members are invited to submit content for the Jan-Mar 2022 edition of Australian Physics. The deadline for content is 1 December.

We welcome:

pitches for articles describing current research
physics-themed cartoons
reviews of physics-themed books (they might even get the book for you!)
physics poetry
obituaries of recently passed members.

Australian Physics magazine has been produced by the AIP since 1964 and is the oldest science magazine in Australia.

Previous magazines can be found here and here.

Proposals and finished items can be sent to editors Peter Kappen and David Hoxley on aip_editor@aip.org.au.

Science meets Parliament 2022: Save the dates & expressions of interest

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:38:21 GMT

See how science can influence government policy by participating in Science meets Parliament (SmP) in early 2022.

Science & Technology Australia is Australia’s peak advocacy body for science and technology and as a member organisation, the AIP can sponsor two delegates (one early career researcher and regular attendee) to attend.

SmP will be a hybrid live and online gathering with events including:

· 28 February – 4 March: Online professional development for STA members (including AIP members)

· 2 March – National Press Club address by STA President Professor Mark Hutchinson.

· 7 March onward – Meeting with parliamentarians.

· 2 June – All members of the nation’s science community are invited to dinner, which will use online technology to link up participants across eight capital cities. Dinner in ACT is usually held at the Old Parliament House.

If you are interested in attending, please send an expression of interest to AIP Secretary Kirrily Rule at aip_secretary@aip.org.au by 30 November.

Please include:

· A CV, no longer than one page;

· A statement, no longer than one page, indicating why you would like to attend and what you hope to gain from the experience.

The executive team will assess each application, taking into account gender balance, research area balance and geographic coverage. The AIP will cover registration of successful applications for the event.

More details: https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/science-meets-parliament/

Vale AIP Fellow Professor Rodney (Rod) Jory AM

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:33:51 GMT

We are saddened to hear of the recent passing of Australian physicist and AIP Fellow Professor Rodney (Rod) Jory AM. Prof Jory was the inaugural winner of AIP’s Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia in 1996. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia the following year.

Prof Jory’s legacy in Australian physics includes establishing the National Science Summer School (renamed the National Youth Science Forum) in 1984 and being the director since its inception until 2005. He was also heavily involved in the teaching of Australian student teams that have competed at International Physics Olympiads.

AIP member Professor Tim Sneden (Director of ANU’s Research and Engineering) was among the 198 students who attended the first Summer School.

In his eulogy at Prof Jury’s funeral, Prof Sneden said: “Rod believed in empowering youth” and that “[Rod] worked tirelessly to evolve the program to reach as many young minds as he could”.

Ben Kremer, Chair of Australian Science Innovation (ASI), has also said on the ASI Twitter page: “I was fortunate enough to be taught by Rod in the Summer School in December 1989 and it was a formative event in my life. Rod’s passion, drive, hard work and selflessness will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Prof Jory completed his PhD studies on the drift velocities and diffusion coefficients of electrons in nitrogen, hydrogen and helium at the University of Adelaide and Australian National University (ANU).

He was supervised by Professor Leonard Huxley, who was the first president of the AIP when it was established in 1963.

He taught at ANU and the University of Canberra as well as several international universities including the University of British Columbia.

An obituary will be included in the upcoming Australian Physics magazine.

Aus physics in six commissions after the 30th IUPAP General Assembly

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:32:27 GMT

Australia has secured representation in six commissions of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) after delegates attended the 30^th IUPAP General Assembly on 20-22 October.

Commissions promote the objectives of the IUPAP within their areas of expertise as well as providing advice to the Union on the activities and needs of the subfields of physics they represent.

The AIP, in coordination with the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Physics, sent out a delegation to the virtual General Assembly that included Sven Rogge (UNSW, AIP President). Nicole Bell (UniMelb, AIP Vice President), Judith Dawes (Macquarie), and Jacinda Ginges (UQ).

That Australia is represented in six commissions is a good result since it is above the nominal representation of four positions.

The Australian commission members are:

C11 – Particles and Fields - Nicole Bell (UniMelb)
C14 – Physics Education - Manjula Sharma (USyd)
C15 - Commission on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics - Igor Bray (Curtin)
C17 - Commission on Laser Physics and Photonics - Judith Dawes (Macquarie)
C18 - Commission on Mathematical Physics - Jan de Gier (Uni Melbourne)
C20 - Commission on Computational Physics - Derek Leinweber (Uni Adelaide)

More details on IUPAP commissions here.

Renew your AIP membership now

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:30:36 GMT

Our membership renewal season starts 1 November.

CURRENT MEMBERS

Renew now and you will receive $10 off your annual membership for 2022: https://aip.org.au/Renew.

Benefits include conference support, quarterly copies of Australian Physics magazine and reciprocal benefits with other physics societies.

See our membership page for more membership benefits and fee descriptions: https://aip.org.au/Membership.

The $10 discount is an admin fee that will be automatically taken off each membership fee from 1 November till 31 January.

NEW MEMBERS

New members joining from 1 November will have membership to 31 December of the current year, and all of the following calendar year, including a reduced membership rate for joining in the renewal season.

For more membership benefits and fee descriptions, see our membership page. https://aip.org.au/Membership.

Join Australia's leading physicists today: https://aip.org.au/JOIN.

If you have any questions, or would like to pay over the phone, please call our Operations Manager on 0478 260 533 or email aip@aip.org.au.

You can still register for the AIP Summer Meeting

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:28:25 GMT

Registration is still open for the upcoming AIP Summer Meeting which will run from 6–9 December.

Advances in carbon materials, dark matter particle physics and quantum biotechnology are among the topics to be discussed in the Focused Sessions.

The conference features 20 keynote and invited speakers. Plenary talks will be given by Lidia Morawska (one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021), Michael Fuhrer and Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop.

Participants can attend in-person in Brisbane or online.

The full program and registration details are here.

2021 AIP NSW postgraduate awards event 9 Nov

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:22:46 GMT

AIP members are welcome to join and watch the Annual Postgraduate Awards event held by the NSW AIP Branch on Tuesday 9 Nov via Zoom from 2pm AEDT (Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney).

New fibre lasers, a deep-learning based analysis of the excess gamma-ray radiation at the Milky Way galaxy’s centre and detecting neutrinos in the sky are just some of the research topics being presented by seven top NSW physics students as they compete for the AIP NSW Postgraduate medal and Royal Society of NSW (RSNSW) Jak Kelly Prize.

The awards were created to foster excellence in physics postgraduate work and the presenting students were nominated by their respective universities based on their high standing.

The students will be judged on scientific content and quality as well as clarity and presentation skills. The judging panel includes Prismatic Sciences’ Dr Jesse Shore, USYD’s Tibor Molnar, AIP NSW’s Dr Timothy Van de Laan and RSNSW’s Dr Erik Aslaksen.

The event is proudly supported by the AIP, RSNSW and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

More details: https://www.aip.org.au/NSW-BRANCH/11572812

Zoom meeting link: https://aarnet.zoom.us/j/87483503215?pwd=MCt3WUIrdTBUWEhuVVhnUjJOSjJhUT09

Password: 809165

Meeting ID: 874 8350 3215

AIP congratulates physics Nobel Prize winners

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 02:03:26 GMT

The AIP congratulates Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi who have jointly been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physics.

One half of the prize went to Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann, who pioneered climate models and linked them to measurements quantifying variability and reliably predicting global heating.

The other half went to Giorgio Parisi for his discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems that range from QCD to disordered solids and had a direct impact on understanding climate modes. Even though he did not directly work in climate science, he made urgent statements to tackle global warming.

This year's award showcases the role of physics as a fundamental enabling science , with meteorological measurements, climate modelling, and fundamental insights into complex systems coming together to have impact on one of the most important issues for our society.

The death of massive stars & physics labs then and now: Australian Physics out now

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:34:00 GMT

Members will find the latest issue of Australian Physics in their inbox. The current and all past issues are also on the website.

In this issue:

How online technologies might transform the future of physics lab work by Les Kirkup.
The power and importance of science communication by Shane Huntington.
The discovery of Apep, a new WR star system that breaks the rules by Joe Callingham.

The Australian Physicist (now Australian Physics), has been produced by the AIP since 1964 making it the oldest science magazine in Australia.

Editors Peter Kappen and David Hoxley are always on the hunt for material. Members are invited to submit:

pitches for articles describing current research
physics-themed cartoons
reviews of physics-themed books (they might even get the book for you!)
physics poetry
obituaries of recently passed members.

Proposals and finished items can be sent to aip_editor@aip.org.au

What makes science scientific? zOOm into Physics

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:33:12 GMT

After venturing over to the dark side in September, in October we are tackling the fine line between science and pseudo-science—and how can we tell the difference?

zOOm into Physics is a monthly lightly-moderated Zoom conversation with our resident panel and special guests.

Next session is on Monday 27 October 2021 8pm-9.30pm AEDT

Further details and the all-important Zoom link: https://aip.org.au/ZiP.

Physicist Lidia Morawska named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:24:17 GMT

TIME magazine has named Professor Lidia Morawska as one of their 100 Most Influential People of 2021.

Lidia is a Distinguished Professor at QUT and internationally recognised for her fundamental and applied research in the interdisciplinary field of air quality and its impact on human health and the environment.

She was also the 2002 AIP Women in Physics lecturer.

The TIME citation reads:

When trying to slow the spread of a fast-moving virus, it is essential to know how that virus is spread.

In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists overestimated the potential for contaminated surfaces to spread the virus, and we underestimated how far the aerosol particles that people exhaled could travel and remain infectious.

It caused us to badly misjudge the risks in closed spaces where there was poor air circulation.

Through the fog of this viral war, some scientists saw clearly. Lidia Morawska stands out among peers for her work in recognizing the importance of aerosol transmission and marshaling the data that would convince the World Health Organization and other authoritative bodies to do the same.

She assembled a team of more than 200 scientists and public-health authorities to recognize the role of aerosols in spreading SARS-CoV-2 and change how we measure and lessen our risk of contracting the virus.

Her advocacy helped change practices everywhere from schools to workplaces, making these environments safer for more people around the world.

Read the profile here.

AIP Summer Meeting goes hybrid

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:08:53 GMT

The AIP Summer Meeting will run as a hybrid conference from 6–9 December and will have both in-person attendance in Brisbane and an online attendance option for those who cannot travel to Queensland.

For more information and to register visit: https://aip-summer-meeting.com/

The meeting will cover the spectrum of physics, from advances in carbon materials and topological states of matter to dark matter particle physics and molecular switches. Confirmed plenary speakers include:

Prof Michael Fuhrer, ARC Centre of Excellence for Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) and Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials
Distinguished Prof Lidia Morawska FAA, Director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at QUT (also one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021, and 2002 AIP Women in Physics lecturer)
Prof Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, UQ and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (also 2003 Women in Physics Lecturer).

Keynote and invited speakers listed here.

New nuclear subs need fundamental physics

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:07:23 GMT

The AIP strongly urges the government to consider Australia's capabilities in fundamental physics training as part of their investment in nuclear-powered submarines.

These new subs will require a highly skilled, physics-educated STEM workforce.

See our response here.

Senior Physicist Position Open at the School of Physical Sciences Adelaide

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 02:03:09 GMT

(Level C) $123,075 to $141,537 per annum plus an employer contribution of up to 17% superannuation may apply, as well as a negotiable start-up package.

Fixed term, full-time opportunity available.

We seek to appoint a research leader who aims to be one of the nation’s brightest stars of the future.

The successful candidate for this exciting opportunity will already be on a remarkable career trajectory and we, in turn, will surround the candidate with the tools needed to succeed at the highest level. This appointment will allow a complete focus on research and will be of five years duration in the first instance, with potential extension dependent on funding and performance.

The Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), one of six Research Institutes at the University of Adelaide, fosters excellence in research in physics, materials science, chemistry, biology and medicine. IPAS works to create new sensors that can measure the immeasurable, stimulate the creation of new industries, and improve productivity in existing industry. This appointment will enable you to join the leadership of this highly successful institute and enable outstanding networking opportunities with their wide range of partners and sponsors.

IPAS is headquartered in a $100M bespoke research building on the University of Adelaide’s beautiful city campus. It has a research budget of more than $15M p.a. and a membership of more than 250 people. IPAS has a superb range of diagnostic and manufacturing equipment including in-house precision manufacturing equipment such as 3D metal and plastics printing, glass and optical fibre manufacture as well as MBE facilities for creation of semiconductor and quantum materials. In addition, IPAS provides strategic grants support, business development support and facility management through its high-performing and professional team that will accelerate the career of the successful candidate.

The role is set to ultimately take a leadership role of a cohesive team of 25 staff and students who work at the leading-edge of modern precision measurement. The appointee will support those IPAS researchers in their existing funded programs while also establishing and sustaining a dynamic research program in their own field. The successful appointee will be an active contributor to the research and outreach activities in the vibrant interdisciplinary culture of IPAS as well as to the School of Physical Sciences and the wider academic community.

IPAS is a diverse, supportive, and collegiate workplace and it is important that all members live these values. In light of that, we especially encourage applications from women to ensure that we have a representative workforce. More broadly, the University of Adelaide is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and strongly encourages women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the requirements of this position to apply.

To be successful you will need:

PhD or equivalent degree in Experimental Physics.
Demonstrated outstanding publication track record in leading scientific journals and a record of invited talks at prestigious scientific conferences.
Demonstrated success in obtaining external funding for experimental physics research.
Demonstrated ability to lead a research group to a successful outcome.
Demonstrated ability to initiate a new scientific direction and then execute on that vision.

The individual must be eligible for Australian Department of Defence Security Clearance.

Enjoy an outstanding career environment

The University of Adelaide is a uniquely rewarding workplace. The size, breadth and quality of our education and research programs - including significant industry, government and community collaborations - offers you vast scope and opportunity for a long, fulfilling career.

It also enables us to attract high-calibre people in all facets of our operations, ensuring you will be surrounded by talented colleagues, many world-leading. Our work's cutting-edge nature - not just in your own area, but across virtually the full spectrum of human endeavour - provides a constant source of inspiration.

Our culture is one that welcomes all and embraces diversity consistent with our Staff Values and Behaviour Framework and our Values of integrity, respect, collegiality, excellence and discovery. We firmly believe that our people are our most valuable asset, so we work to grow and diversify the skills, knowledge and capability of all our staff.

We embrace flexibility as a key principle to allow our people to manage the changing demands of work, personal and family life. Flexible working arrangements are on offer for all roles at the University.

In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive staff benefits. These include: salary packaging; flexible work arrangements; high-quality professional development programs and activities; and an on-campus health clinic, gym and other fitness facilities.

Learn more at: adelaide.edu.au/jobs

Your faculty's broader role

The Faculty of Sciences is a multidisciplinary hub of cutting-edge teaching and research in: agriculture; food and wine; animal and veterinary sciences; biological sciences; and physical sciences. It develops future science leaders, and actively partners with innovative industries to solve scientific problems of global significance.

Learn more at: sciences.adelaide.edu.au

If you have the talent, we'll give you the opportunity. Together, let's make history.

Click on the link below to view the selection criteria and to apply for this opportunity:

https://careers.adelaide.edu.au/cw/en/job/506069/senior-physicist-school-of-physical-sciences

Please ensure you submit a cover letter, resume, and upload a document that includes your responses to all of the selection criteria for the position as contained in the position description or selection criteria document.

Applications close 11:55 pm, 30 September 2021.

For further information

For a confidential discussion regarding this position, contact:

Professor Andre Luiten
Director, IPAS
P: +61 (0) 404 817 168
E: andre.luiten@adelaide.edu.au

For a confidential discussion regarding the recruitment process for this position, contact:

Michelle Carter
HR Coordiantor, Faculty of Sciences
P: +61 (8) 831 39271
E: michelle.carter@adelaide.edu.au

The University of Adelaide is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the requirements of this position are strongly encouraged to apply.directed to an external site aft

Highlighting Australia’s physics in the AAPPS Bulletin – call for entries

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 01:11:29 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics is part of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS). Each year the AIP has the opportunity to present research highlights and news from the Australian physics community to the Asia Pacific community through the AAPPS Bulletin. In order to have the appropriate source material to coordinate Australia’s submission in this year’s October issue two type of contribution are sought:

1. Research highlights (RH) - these should be between 150 and 350 words on what is judged to be the most significant new results in research by an identified, team, institutional group, or research centre published in the year July 2020 to June 2021. Key research publications should be referenced and appended. Please also append a suitable high-quality image that can be published without any copyright issues. If the research involves international collaboration please be very specific about the contribution to a larger outcome that has been carried out by researchers living and working in Australia.

2. News (N) - capturing the outcomes of key conferences, outreach, or educational events, that have taken place in Australia, are welcome. Also, tributes to individuals and teams who have marked major anniversaries or received significant awards are noteworthy.

Please email the contributions for consideration to Deb Kane at deb.kane@mq.edu.au by 30th September. A consultative process will be implemented to lead to the Australian RH&N content to be forwarded to AAPPSB.

Let’s communicate our Research Highlights and News to the AAPPS.

Calling for images of physics and physicists for the Physics decadal plan

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:31:29 GMT

The National Committee for Physics of the Australian Academy of Science is preparing an end-of-term report on the Physics decadal plan 2012-2021: building on excellence in physics.

The committee is seeking images for the final report that feature and represent Australian physics and its diversity.

Images need not be limited to academic environments or applications. They could include individuals or groups in any physics discipline, in the field or the lab.

The images should be publication quality, accompanied by a short description, credit and permission of use from the image owner.

Images must be uploaded by the end of September 2021.

Seven physical sciences Future Fellowships and 11 DECRAs awarded

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:29:03 GMT

Congratulations to those awarded and commiserations to those unsuccessful.

The Australian Institute of Physics congratulates all recipients of the recently-announced ARC Future Fellowships and Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, and express commiserations to those who were unsuccessful.

It was great to see seven physical sciences Future Fellowships and 11 DECRAs awarded this year.

These projects are vital to the continued development of Australia’s outstanding physics community and provide excellent career opportunities for those selected. We are excited to see where these projects take physics in Australia.

Do you have a striking laboratory photo?

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:27:39 GMT

We’re on the hunt for a beautiful graph or eye-catching laboratory photo to place on the banner of the AIP website through 2022.

If your work or workplace captures an attractive physics aesthetic, send your image to us at aip@aip.org.au

Calling for physics articles, cartoons, poetry, obituaries, and book reviews

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:26:15 GMT

Your chance to be published in the Australian Physics magazine.

The Australian Physicist, now Australian Physics, has been produced by the AIP since 1964. It is the oldest science magazine in Australia.

Current editors Peter Kappen and David Hoxley are always on the hunt for material to include in forthcoming issues and invite members to submit:

pitches for articles describing current research
physics-themed cartoons
reviews of physics-themed books (they might even get the book for you!)
physics poetry
obituaries of recently passed members.

Proposals and finished items can be sent to aip_editor@aip.org.au

Thunderstorms, solar system and active galactic nuclei: Tassie branch talks to students

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:25:29 GMT

On 16 and 17 August, the AIP Tasmanian Branch organised a series of outreach talks at St Helens District High in rural Tasmania. The talks were given by Jason Dicker and Georgia Stewart and received a very positive feedback from teachers.

Georgia, a PhD candidate in astrophysics at the University of Tasmania, discussed our solar system with the primary school students. This included asteroids and some of the exotic members of the outer regions; naturally the children wanted to know why Pluto was demoted!

Jason is a year 12 physics teacher with over 35 years’ experience, and worked with the senior students. As part of a session on thunderstorms, years 6–8 were entertained by electrostatics with a Van de Graaff Generator and Wimshurst Machine. Bags of lollies were given to volunteers as compensation.

Students in years 9–11 discussed the present knowledge of the wider Universe, including active galactic nuclei and the 2019 picture of the M87 Black Hole.

A lecture was presented for the general public on the Monday night.

The Dark Side Strikes Back: dark matter/dark energy

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:23:33 GMT

zOOM into Physics

The August session on Dark Matter/Energy was a vibrant conversation and at the conclusion it was felt that there was still a lot to discuss.

The great news is that our special guests Ray Volkas and Tamara Davis have agreed to return to continue the topic!!!

Our universe is dominated by the dark-side, the dark matter and dark energy which have shaped the evolution of the cosmos. But just what is happening in the dark? And how can we be confident what is happening in the dark and that we are not just jumping at shadows?

This month we will tackle one of the biggest mysteries facing physics, the nature of the dark-side! Around the globe hordes of astronomers and particle physicists are devising new observations, experiments and theories to try and shine a light on dark matter and dark energy. But just what do we expect them to find?

29 September, 8.00 – 9.30 pm.

For more details and the all-important Zoom link: https://aip.org.au/ZiP.

Fluid science, thermodynamics and natural gas engineering wins AIP member Eric May WA Scientist of the Year

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:21:06 GMT

Professor Eric May (University of Western Australia and AIP member) has been named Scientist of the Year at the 2021 WA Premier's Science Awards ceremony.

Professor May is an internationally-recognised leader in the areas of fluid science, thermodynamics and natural gas engineering.

His development and use of measurement technology has produced explanations for long-standing scientific mysteries, revealed unexpected physical phenomena and helped improve industrial processes.

Premier's Science Awards were also presented to:

Associate Professor Edward Litton (University of Western Australia and Fiona Stanley Hospital) and Dr Arman Siahvashi (University of Western Australia) - joint winners of the Woodside Early Career Scientist of the Year
Liam Scarlett (Curtin University) and Niamh Troy (University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute) - ExxonMobil Student Scientist of the Year
Daniel Curran (Curtin University) - Shell Aboriginal STEM Student of the Year
FIRST LEGO League WA (Curtin University) - Chevron Science Engagement Initiative of the Year.

Professor Richard Hobbs (University of Western Australia) became the 16th person to be inducted into the WA Science Hall of Fame.

For more information about the Premier's Science Awards, including the winners and finalists, visit http://www.jtsi.wa.gov.au/ScienceAwards

Calling for Australia-based applicants for the 2022 Women in Physics lecture tour

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:19:03 GMT

The AIP is calling for Australian-based female physicists to apply for the 2022 AIP Women in Physics Lecture Tour. Applications are open now and close on 17 September 2021.

The AIP Women in Physics Lecture Tour is a celebration of women’s contribution to the advancement of physics, and is presented every alternate year by an internationally-based physicist.

2022 was scheduled to host an international physicist, but COVID-19 makes this impractical.

For this reason, the AIP is re-opening applications to Australian women physicists.

The AIP greatly appreciates the applications it has received and will contact applicants to determine if they wish to be considered for future opportunities. This is an excellent opportunity for an EMCR physicist to expand their domestic networks and inspire the next generation of physicists around the country.

How to keep astronauts safe from radiation during the long haul to Mars. Last two Women in Physics talks

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:16:34 GMT

The 2021 AIP Women in Physics Lecturer, Associate Professor Susanna Guatelli, is wrapping up her lecture series in Western Australia this month.

She has criss-crossed the country talking about her work, which includes how to keep astronauts safe from radiation during the long haul to Mars.

The last talks are:

Women in Physics morning tea (for academics and students)

2 September 10:30 – 11:30 am AWST

University of Western Australia

Registration: https://bit.ly/3x1ezHF

Women in Physics afternoon tea (for academics and students)

2 September 3:30 – 4:30 pm AWST

Curtin University

Registration: https://bit.ly/3x1ezHF

Vale Dr Ian Bassett

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 02:37:11 GMT

It is with great regret that we are informing you that colleague and friend Ian Bassett passed away on 26 August after a short illness.

Ian’s career in optics was very varied: he joined the theoretical physics department at the University of Sydney in the 1960s, he was one of the founders of the Optical Fibre Technology Centre, he led fibre sensor R&D in the Australian Photonics CRC working with ABB, and later played a key role in the start-up Smart Digital Optics (SDO) which was acquired by an international company.

The last decades of his career were largely devoted to developing a fibre optic current sensor for use in the electricity industry. It started as a PhD project and was ultimately the key product of SDO. For this work he was awarded the AIP’s inaugural Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry.

Ian was a gentleman and an outstanding colleague and mentor to many junior colleagues, including us.

Simon Fleming, Martijn de Sterke.

(Dr Ian Bassett was AIP Secretary from 1985-1989)

AIP awards announcement

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 02:33:26 GMT

The AIP is very excited to announce the following awards:

WALTER BOAS MEDAL

2019 Walter Boas Medal

Professor Andrea Morello

UNSW Sydney

For Professor Morello’s world-first demonstration of quantum information processing with single spins in silicon, and for developing the fundamental components of a silicon-based quantum computer.

2020 Walter Boas Medal

Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn

University of Sydney

Professor Bland-Hawthorn laid the foundations for modern Galactic archaeology, near-field cosmology and astrophotonics, a field that lies at the interface of photonics and astronomical instrumentation.

BRAGG GOLD MEDAL

2019 Bragg Gold Medal

Dr Samuel Gorman

University of New South Wales

For Dr Gorman’s thesis entitled: "Charge and spin dynamics in multi-donor systems"

2020 Bragg Gold Medal

Dr Alexander Bray

Australian National University

For Dr Bray’s thesis entitled: “Strong field sub-femtosecond electronic processes”

TH LABY MEDAL

2018 TH Laby Medal

Felicity Lee

Australian National University

For her thesis entitled: “Pulsed Hydrogen Plasmas: Modelling and Experiment”.

And

Albert Zhou

University of Sydney

For his thesis entitled: “The Cosmological Electroweak Phase Transition in a Scale-Invariant Standard Model”.

2019 TH Laby Medal

Simon White

University of Technology Sydney

For his thesis entitled: “Efficient Tomography of Quantum Dots in Photonic Chips”

2020 TH Laby Medal

Matthew Goh

Australian National University

For his thesis entitled: “Feedback Control of atomic Fermi Gases”

We congratulate these award winners on their achievements.

ARC eligibility concerns

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 02:29:33 GMT

Fifteen DECRA applications and 17 Future Fellowship applications were ruled ineligible in this round because they cited preprints such as arXiv papers.

“If you rip [money] out of physics, that’s bad to begin with. But doing it at the point where we have early career researchers establishing themselves is the worst thing you can do. That’s what we live on, bringing good new people into the system,” said Sven Rogge in an article by The Times Higher Education:
Toll of ARC’s preprints rule revealed. Fears for physics pipeline, as 32 researchers relinquish up to $22m for citing preprints.

On behalf of the Australian physics, astronomy, chemistry and mathematics communities, the AIP, ASA, RACI and AustMS coordinated a letter to the Australian Research Council to protest the ruling.

It’s also been picked up by various media outlets including The Guardian.

Response to ARC's "no preprint rule"

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 05:14:16 GMT

A letter to the Australian Research Council regarding the eligibility of grant proposals that reference preprints has been coordinated by the AIP, ASA, RACI and AustMS, on behalf on the Australian Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics communities. It is available here: http://aip.org.au/Advocacy. The letter has been co-signed by leaders in these disciplines at universities across Australia. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Thanks also to those who reached out to the AIP to let us know their stories.

ARC eligibility concerns

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT

We are aware that a significant number of DECRA and Future Fellowship applications were ruled ineligible in this round because they cited preprints such as arXiv papers. We consider this to be completely at odds with the way modern science operates, especially in the field of Physics where arXiv papers are used routinely. The AIP is currently working on a more formal response on this issue, in coordination with other stakeholders. Please reach out to the AIP (aip@aip.org.au) urgently if you have any input on this topic.

Congratulations to DECRA and Future Fellowships recipients

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 06:00:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics would like to congratulate all recipients of the recently announced ARC Future Fellowships and Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, and express commiserations to those who were unsuccessful in this round. It was great to see 7 Future Fellowships and 11 DECRAs awarded in Physical Sciences this year. These projects are vital to the continued development of Australia’s outstanding physics community and provide excellent career opportunities for those selected. We are excited to see where these projects take Physics in Australia.

ANU Physics comes out strong

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:15:56 GMT

Equity and diversity issues must be taken seriously, says the ANU School of Physics.

In a statement, the school says its staff and students “aim to create a culture where our staff and students can work and study in an inclusive environment regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion.”

More details here.

Exploring the ethical and policy dimensions of quantum tech

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:08:04 GMT

Time is running out to take part in a survey to forge policy futures for quantum technology in Australia.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems wants to hear from Australia-based quantum researchers, industry stakeholders and associated professionals about the ethical and policy challenges posed by quantum technologies. Have your say by completing a short set of questions here.

Deadline for taking part is August 20.

More information about the project is available on the UQ SMP website.

Rock star: Curtin scientist wins geophysics award

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:07:27 GMT

Unlocking the secrets of rock physics through seismic surveys has earned Curtin University scientist Boris Gurevich a major award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).

Distinguished Professor Gurevich was presented with the Reginald Fessenden Award, for individuals who have made major contributions to exploration geophysics, such as an invention or a theoretical or conceptual advancement.

The award recognised his work over several decades, which has helped usher in advancements in the exploration and monitoring of underground oil, gas and groundwater resources, and the geological storage of CO₂.

Flying photons, a forgotten genius and the universe on your phone: physics features in National Science Week

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:49:44 GMT

National Science Week runs from August 14 to 22 and, as always, physics is well represented around the nation.

Astrophysicists Professor Alan Duffy and Dr Rebecca Allen, for instance, will be giving guided tours of the universe courtesy of a virtual reality phone app.

Scientist and entertainer Rachel Rayner Science Explainer is gearing up to amuse, inform and entertain with a thrilling exploration of photons and quantum weirdness.

And actor Lauren Gunderson is preparing a stunning bio-play about Eighteenth Century physicist Emilie du Châtelet.

For a full rundown of physics fun head to the National Science Week website here . Make sure you double-check details, though. Lockdown conditions may move some events online.

We want your images for the website …

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:49:05 GMT

We’re on the hunt for a beautiful graph or eye-catching laboratory photo to place on the banner of the AIP website through 2022. If you think your work or workplace captures an attractive physics aesthetic, send your image to us at aip@aip.org.au!

We’ve had a makeover!

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:47:52 GMT

We recently merged our website with our membership database. If anyone has any saved links, you may find that they no longer work. Please login and have a look, aip.org.au. Let us know if there is anything missing or that you would like to see!

There is also a new events page and a news page.

Calling all physics writers …

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:47:26 GMT

The Australian Physicist, now Australian Physics, has been produced by the AIP since 1964. It is the oldest science magazine in Australia.

Current editors Peter Kappen and David Hoxley are always on the hunt for material to include in forthcoming issues.

To that end, they also invite members to submit:

Pitches for articles describing current research;
Physics-themed cartoons;
Reviews of physics-themed books (they might even be able to get the book for you!);
Physics poetry;
Obituaries of recently passed members.

Proposals and finished items can be sent to aip_editor@aip.org.au

Queensland school kids to learn about the physics of sustainability, and what lies beyond the Standard Model

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:45:23 GMT

Two physicists are dropping in at schools in Queensland this month to deliver entertaining talks on converting hydrogen into humans and the hunt for new subatomic particles.

Dr Martin Springer, a theoretical physicist from the University of Queensland, will explore the physics of sustainability, and whether the Earth has enough resources to power 10 billion people.

Another University of Queensland physicist, Dr Jacinda Ginges, will explain the fun to be had in searching for new physics beyond the Standard Model.

The scientists – on separate tours – will variously visit schools in Mt Isa, Weipa, Buderim, Brisbane and Toowoomba, with new venues being added as you read this.

For more details head here.

Nominations open for NSW postgrad awards

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:44:16 GMT

Nominations are open for this year’s Postgraduate Medal, and the Jak Kelly Scholarship Prize. Both are open to physics students in NSW.

Entrants in the medal competition have to deliver a 20-minute presentation about their work, at the AIP’s Annual Postgraduate Awards Day, slated for Tuesday, November 9.

The Jak Kelly Scholarship prize, sponsored by the Royal Society if NSW, will be presented at the same event.

Both awards are worth $500. Nominations close on October 8.

For more details and nomination forms, get in touch with Dr Frederick Osman at fosman@bu.edu.

Good news for the astroparticle community

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:26:49 GMT

The AIP and the Astronomical Society of Australia have joined forces to create a new group, focussed on astroparticle physics. For details on how to join – and how to nominate for steering committee positions, should you feel inclined – please go here.

Women in Physics lectures hit TAS, SA, WA

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:16:43 GMT

AIP Women in Physics Lecturer, nuclear physicist Associate Professor Susanna Guatelli, will be very busy this month.

She’s set to deliver talks about her work – which includes how to keep astronauts safe from radiation during the long haul to Mars – in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

To check dates and venues, click here .

Explore the dark side of the Universe

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:14:24 GMT

Our universe is dominated by the dark side. Dark matter and dark energy have shaped the evolution of the cosmos. But just what is happening in the dark? And how can we be confident that we are not just jumping at shadows?

These important topics come under the spotlight – in a very light-hearted way – during the fifth episode of the online talk show, Zoom into Physics, on Wednesday, August 25, kicking off at 8pm AEST.

Join philosopher Tibor Molnar, experimentalist Kirrily Rule, theoretician Geraint Lewis and moderator Scott Martin as they spend 90 minutes joyfully exploring the Great Unseen.

For more details and the all-important Zoom link, click here .

https://www.aip.org.au/ZiP/

Spacetime memories, stellar fossils & fast radio bursts: Aussie astronomers awarded

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 02:13:47 GMT

In July, six Australian astronomers were recognised by the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA), the country’s professional body for the field.

The awards were presented at the ASA’s Annual Science Meeting, hosted by the School of Physics at The University of Melbourne.

Searching for meaning in our cold, dark universe: Professor Geraint Lewis from Sydney University wins the David Allen Prize.

The fundamental make-up of space and time, the prospects for extra-terrestrial life and whether there is one universe or many – these are some of the topics tackled by Sydney University’s Professor Geraint Lewis, both as a scientist and as a communicator. Through pop-sci books, magazine articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, public appearances and radio interviews, Geraint poses questions designed to spark searches for origin and meaning in a cold, dark universe. He believes that encouraging the next generation of STEM students is fundamental for Australia’s scientific and technological future.

Using ancient stars as fossils: Madeleine McKenzie from the University of WA wins the Bok Prize.

The mechanics governing the formation of globular clusters – spherical concentrations of stars tightly bound by gravity – were a mystery until University of WA student Madeleine McKenzie uncovered a key dynamic during research for her Masters’ degree. Madeleine demonstrated how the material between stars plays a critical role in generating multiple populations of stars in globular clusters. These clusters are nearly as old as our Universe and, she suggests, represent the “fossilised record of the chemical evolution of the parent galaxy”. Now awarded her degree, Madeleine has moved to the Mount Stromlo Observatory at the Australian National University to start her PhD.

Tracing the origin of fast radio bursts: CSIRO’s Dr Keith Bannister wins the Anne Green Prize.

Fast radio bursts are transient high-energy pulses – lasting at most a few milliseconds – that streak through the cosmos. CSIRO’s Dr Keith Bannister succeeded in detecting a once-off FRB and, for the first time ever, identified its originating galaxy. Keith combines engineering and astronomy, developing new techniques for detecting FRBs by adapting the antennas of CSIRO’s Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) in Western Australia. He created a search technique, dubbed “fly’s eye mode”, which has thus far allowed him and colleagues to double the number of recorded FRBs.

Does spacetime have memories? Dr Colm Talbot of Caltech wins the Charlene Heisler Prize.

In his PhD thesis Dr Colm Talbot – formerly of Monash University, now at Caltech, created models to probe how binary black holes form, and developed a Bayesian code to better infer the properties of gravitational wave sources. The code quickly became a standard tool used by LIGO-Virgo research teams to classify the origins of detected black hole mergers. His work tests the prediction arising from Einstein’s general theory of relativity that a gravitational wave form will permanently deform the fabric of spacetime, leaving behind a “memory”. His research yielded tools that are now being deployed by various teams engaged in the hunt for the first confirmed memory detection.

Finding the most extreme object in the Universe. Dr Joseph Callingham from Leiden University wins the Louise Webster prize.

Dr Joseph Callingham discovered the brightest and most extreme stellar object found so far in the Universe. Dubbed Apep, after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, it comprises at least three massive hot stars enshrouded in spectacular spiralling plumes of dust. Joseph and colleagues demonstrated that Apep is generating two types of stellar wind, one moving six times faster than the other – a profoundly strange result. Since the finding was first reported in Nature Astronomy in 2019, the work has ignited many new research projects and generated hundreds of media stories. Joseph is based at Leiden University in The Netherlands.

Look out for a feature on Joseph and his work in the next issue of Australian Physics.

Illuminating dark matter and dark energy: Professor Tamara Davis from the University of Queensland.

University of Queensland astrophysicist Professor Tamara Davis has spent two decades trying to uncover the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which are invisible to our eyes, but can be “seen” by their gravitational effects. To do this she’s helped discover thousands of supernovae to trace the acceleration of the expansion of the universe, and detected the remnants of sound waves from the early universe in the pattern of galaxies over the sky.

“Lately I’ve been looking a lot at gravitational waves as well,” she says. “These provide a new amazing window we now have on the universe, where we can feel space rippling as two black holes collide, and there’s plenty of awesome new science we can do with that.”

Tamara was awarded the Robert Ellery biennial lectureship. She is only the third woman to be honoured.

She will deliver her lecture in 2022. This year’s lecture will be delivered by the 2019 winner, Professor Matthew Bailes, an astrophysicist at the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, in Victoria. Professor Bailes’ lecture was delayed by the pandemic.

ASA president Associate Professor Cathryn Trott from Curtin University in WA commented, “The prizes celebrate research excellence, and demonstrate the breadth and impact of Australian astronomical research.”

How can we get more women into physics?

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 00:29:47 GMT

Physicists from 50 countries last month called for physics leaders to take action against extreme gender inequality. They met online in July at the Seventh Conference on Women in Physics, organised by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physicists (IUPAP).

The AIP hosted the conference, which was originally scheduled to be held in Melbourne in 2020.

Delegates heard about the global state of play. For example:

· over 99 per cent of physics students at Burkina Faso’s largest university are male

· no women have graduated in physical sciences at The University of El Salvador between 2017 and 2020

· in Chile, the percentage of women working full time in universities and research centres has stayed around 14 per cent for years

· only four per cent of Irish girls study physics in their final years

· and, in Australia, it will take until 2060 for women to comprise just 33 per cent of the astronomy workforce.

The conference made 21 recommendations to IUPAP and the wider physics community. Highlights include:

· Improving IUPAP conferences through anonymised applications and other initiatives

· Mentoring and training opportunities for women physics entrepreneurs and leaders

· No IUPAP awards for researchers involved in harassment or misconduct

· Increased access and support for women and girls in developing countries.

Peer review: Australian physicists honoured in time and space

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 04:49:39 GMT

Several physicists received hefty honours during June, both here and overseas.

Several eminent scientists from the Australian National University were included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, including Kurt Lambeck (pictured), James (Jim) Williams, Lawrence Cram and Neil Manson.

In the 2021 Australian Space Awards, astrophysicist Dr Sascha Schediwy from The University of Western Australia and International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) took out both Academic of the Year and the overall Excellence award.

And Eric Huang from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics secured a Fulbright Future Scholarship, with which he will pursue a PhD in physics at the University of Maryland.

A First for Australian Physics: All Female Recipients in Biennial AIP Awards for 2020

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 02:47:10 GMT

In a first for the AIP since the introduction of national AIP medals, we are celebrating the fact that all four of the biennial medals have been awarded to women. These awards include the Harrie Massey Medal (awarded in conjunction with the Institute of Physics), the Alan Walsh Medal, the Education Medal and the Ruby Payne-Scott Award. In these awards, we are recognising very talented physicists and congratulate these winners on their achievements and success!

Since the awarding of the first AIP medal, the Walter Boas medal (1984), the overwhelming majority of medals have been awarded to men. Indeed, before 2008, only the Bragg Gold Medal had ever been awarded to a woman. The AIP has been working to encourage nominations from across gender and background, and we encourage you to consider those among your colleagues and peers who might be eligible for these awards in the future.

We also acknowledge all nominees submitted to these awards, as the selection panels have noted it can be very difficult to choose the winner each year. To provide some information about the selection process for the awards, we can advise that nominations of both men and women were received, thanks to our now established focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion in the process and the effort of the nominators. For each award there was a separate, independent selection panel (and for some awards a two-stage selection process with different panels), where each selection panel comprised volunteers with a mix of gender and backgrounds.

The annual awards (Walter Boas medal, Bragg Gold Medal, TH Laby medal and Outstanding Service to Physics Award) will be announced later in the year and we look forward to discovering who amongst the nominees will be successful.

Dark Matter Puzzles from Indirect Searches, video now online

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:48:01 GMT

The AIP Theoretical Physics Group recently hosted a talk by MIT’s Professor Tracy Slatyer on possible signals of novel dark matter physics. If you missed it, you can catch it here.

Physicists and astronomers join forces

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:46:58 GMT

The AIP has teamed up with the Astronomical Society of Australia to form the Group for Astroparticle Physics (GAP). The group provides a new forum for scientists working in astronomy and particle physics to discuss the many areas of overlap between the two.

In coming weeks, we’ll issue a shout-out for members interested in joining the inaugural committee.

For more information, email Gavin Rowell via aip@aip.org.au

Writing tips and tricks for early career women in STEMM

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:19:41 GMT

A workshop on writing grant applications and papers will be held at the Australian National University in Canberra across three days starting on Monday, September 20.

The program is designed for female early career researchers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. More details and registration here.

Are you the next Chair of the Diversity and Equity Group in Australian Physics?

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:09:37 GMT

The Diversity and Equity Group in Australian Physics (DEGAP) is on the hunt for a new Chair, following the departure of the former office holder, Victoria Coleman.

If you are interested in the role of Chair of DEGAP please reach out to Victoria herself, Sven Rogge, Nicole Bell or Jodie Bradby. The AIP views this as an important leadership position.

Information on DEGAP can be found here.

2020 Award Announcement

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 02:07:59 GMT

The AIP are delighted to announce the outcomes for the

following 2020 awards:

HARRIE MASSEY MEDAL

Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop

The University of Queensland

For her pioneering work in laser micromanipulation, atom and quantum optics, ultracold atomic gases, nano-optics and biophotonics. Her seminal research in the mechanical action of light in biological and micron scale systems has paved the way for optically driven micromachines and led to applications in a diverse range of fields. Her distinguished achievements in laser cooling and trapping of atoms includes milestones such as the experimental demonstration of dynamical tunnelling and the observation of novel coherent structures in condensed gases.

ALAN WALSH MEDAL

Professor Ann Roberts

The University of Melbourne

Professor Roberts has provided an outstanding contribution to the fields of Plasmonics, Nanophotonics, and Optics more broadly. Her deep understanding of fundamental optics has enabled new advances in art conservation and attribution, particularly in collaboration with the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, and to the development of new generation banknote security features in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of Australia.

EDUCATION MEDAL

Associate Professor Elizabeth Angstmann

The University of New South Wales

For her outstanding contribution to physics education in Australia by developing innovative approaches to first year and service teaching, increasing the number of students voluntarily electing to study physics, and establishing programs to improve the experience of secondary school physics students in New South Wales.

RUBY PAYNE-SCOTT

Dr Magdalena Zych

The University of Queensland

For her development of an innovative new framework that incorporates relativistic time dilation into the theory of quantum mechanics, and discovery that time dilation leads to a novel form of quantum entanglement and decoherence; and the subsequent proposal of the new paradigm of ‘quantum clock interferometry’.

We congratulate these award winners on their achievements!

Due to a confluence of events including COVID-19 we are still finalizing the award winners for 2019. The decision was made to go ahead with the announcement of these 2020 awards so as not to further compound these delays.