Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

Greeting from sunny (actually) London. I’m at Imperial College attending the second planning meeting of a new collaborative venture with three other universities focussed on sustainable use of the materials required for the energy transition. ANU has sent an amazing team spanning sciences and humanities, and we sharing more details in the following months.  

The School Executive have again entered a team into the Vinnies Sleepout this year. This very worthy initiative is run nationwide to reduce the prevalence of homeless. On Thursday 20th June members of the School Executive will sleep rough with only a sleeping bag and cardboard sheets to help raise awareness of the plight of many Australians. Together we raised over $18k last year - a very significant indication of how our community feels about this growing problem. Thank you again. If you would like to support the Physics team this year please go here. Any level of support will be greatly appreciated and well received by local Canberrans.

I love those random corridor chats and last Friday I had the good fortune to bump into Ross Tranter (NPAA) who was transporting one of the key components of a duoplasmatron ion source. This system is part of an upgrade to the HIAF Level 5 source capability designed to deliver helium ions into the 14UD. This novel source will greatly enhance the range of physics possible in HIAF (can it be any more unique!?)

Have a good and short week,
Tim

Call For Applications The Boswell Technologies HDR Award For Space Exploration, Moon and Mars

Applications are being sought for the Boswell Technologies HDR Award for Space Exploration, Moon and Mars.

This award is intended to aid higher degree research students undertaking research in the area of space exploration and technology, Moon and Mars.

Funding is provided by the Boswell Technologies Endowment fund, established by Prof Roderick Boswell.

The award could be used towards travel, acquiring of equipment or collaboration activities.

The value of the award is up to $4000 that can be shared between more than one recipient.

Applications closing date: 
15 July 2024 - applications should be emailed to hdr.physics@anu.edu.au.

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Last week, Dr Zuzana Slavkovska (Postdoc, NPAA) talked to ABC Canberra, ABC Riverina, 2 GB NSW radio and the Channel 7 news, talking about the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics Partner Schools Program. The program aims to nurture an interest in science among students at schools traditionally under-served by science education programs. Physicists and educators start by leading activities with Year 7 students and senior physics students in the first year. In the second year, the lessons expand to students in Year 8 in addition to new Year 7s, maintaining a consistent relationship with cohorts as they move through the school. The lessons provide students with access to physicists and physics educators, who will introduce students to dark matter-related physics including gravitation, galaxies and the Standard Model, as well as broader topics such as scientific enquiry, experimental investigations and the evolution of scientific understanding.

^{Photo: ANU physicist Zuzana Slavkovska talks to Kooringal High School students in Wagga Wagga}

Mahler Public Lecture: The Theory of Numbers, From Ancient Greece To The 21st Century

Date: Thurs 4 July 2024
Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Join MSI for a Mahler public lecture from Professor Matthew Emerton from the University of Chicago.

The lecture series commemorates Kurt Mahler, an eminent number theorist of the mid-twentieth century who was at ANU from 1963-68 and 1972-1988. It is a biennial tour of Australian Universities by a prominent International Mathematician, delivering public lectures, seminars and talks. The Australian Mathematical Society proudly organises and is supported by The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute.

 Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

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ANFF-SA’s FREE four-day Microengineering School provides students, researchers, academics and industry with a fascinating introduction to the design and fabrication of microfluidic/electronic, MEMS, optical and sensing chips.

When: Tues 2 July - Friday 5 July 2024
Where: In-person & Online

Register

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The Science Comedy Program Is Coming To CANBERRA!

The Science Comedy program combines theory with practical concepts. The program culminates in a 10-minute talk that is 80% science and 20% humour in August ahead of Science Week.

This program is open to a wide range of disciplines including any form of academia, such as STEM, social sciences, finance and more. It is also available to those who work in government, industry or the non-profit sector. Medical professionals, engineers, consultants, tech specialists, psychologists, humanitarian workers and many more have featured in our talks.

If you’re interested in being shortlisted for the program, please fill out the EOI today. It only takes 60 seconds and is available here.

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The first Global School Series in Mathematical Aspects of Data Science will be held from Mon, Jun 24 2024 to Fri, Jun 28 2024 at the Darwin Convention Centre, in Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia. The aim of the series is to expose graduate students and early-career researchers to the beautiful and exciting mathematical theory that is needed in modern data science research.

Date & time
Mon, Jun 24 2024, 8am - Fri, Jun 28 2024, 12pm

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The Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposia (HIAS) series has been organised at the ANU since 2012, and we look forward to bringing you its 8th edition in 2024. It is hosted by the Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications at the Research School of Physics together with the Heavy Ion Accelerators (HIA) project funded through the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

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Mathematical Data Science Centre Seminar Series

'A quick introduction to random matrices and extreme gap problems'
Renjie Feng (University of Sydney)

Date: Thu 13 June
Time: 1.30pm
Location: Rm 1.33, Hanna Neumann Building #145

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Abstract submissions are now open for the 25th Congress of the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP 2024) to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia from 2 – 6 December 2024.

AIP themes will include:

• Astroparticle Physics
• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Condensed Matter and Materials
• Nuclear and Particle Physics
• Physics Education
• Quantum Science and Technology
• Solar Terrestrial and Space Physics
• Theoretical Physics
• General Relativity and Gravitation

The abstract submission deadline is 7 June 2024

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College Hot Desking In Physics

Finance, HR & RM Teams
Thursday Mornings
^{Lv2 Tearoom, Bldg 160}

EVENTS

Departmental seminars

Ms Emily Rose Rees - 13 June
Laser Frequency Stabilisation For Space Based Interferometry
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Mr Jobin Thomas Valliyakalayil - 14 June
Dual-reference laser stabilization for LISA using interferometer arms and optical cavity
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Professor Peter Gill - 17 June
How delocalized are delocalized electrons?
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Mr Sujan Das - 18 June
V3O5 as a Potential Material for Oscillator-based Solid-State Neurons
» read more

Professor Florence Elias - 19 June
Marine foam: capture of phytoplankton in foam
» read more

Travel Grants Available - Annual Graduate School in Mathematical Aspects of Data Science

Multiple $500.00AUD Travel Grants are available to Australian citizens studying at Australian universities to attend the Annual Graduate School in Mathematical Aspects of Data Science in Darwin Australia from 24 Mon Jun 2024 to 28 Fri Jun 2024. 

Apply here

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