The Royal Society of Tasmania

The advancement of knowledge

ABN 65 889 598 100

Map Spam: (yet more of) Launceston Revealed

Virtual lecture by Andrew  Parsons

1.30 pm, Sunday, 26th July, 2020, by Zoom webinar, contact details to follow later.

“Map Spam: (yet more of) Launceston Revealed”

The Annual QVMAG Staff Lecture by Andrew  Parsons, Esq. 

ONLINE WEBINAR – SUNDAY 26TH JULY AT 1.30 PM.

Royal Society members will be invited by email to register to attend this webinar. This will allow you to engage in the online Questions and Answers session following the lecture.

The lecture will be recorded.

Andrew’s talk will be image-rich and divided into four themes: (1) books and the film that inspired the creation of Launceston Revealed;
(2) a review of the book’s contents; (3) the images that didn’t make the cut and those that might be included in a possible future edition;
and (4) a call to arms: what viewers can do to help preserve Launceston’s spatial history.

Andrew Parsons has worked at the Australian Maritime College and the University of Tasmania libraries in both Launceston and Hobart,
and managed UTAS Library’s special and rare books’ collections in Hobart. As part of this role he served as Honorary Librarian to the
Royal Society of Tasmania. In 2013 he commenced as Library Coordinator with QVMAG, during which time the QVMAG Library’s
rare book collections have undergone significant development.

Andrew is the Honorary Librarian to the Northern Branch of the Royal Society of Tasmania.

Generously supported by

 

From Surface to Satellites – remote sensing from drones advances our understanding of plant biodiversity

Virtual lecture by Professor Arko Lucieer, co-winner of the RST M.R. Banks Medal 2019

3 pm, Sunday, 2nd August, 2020, by Zoom webinar

“From Surface to Satellites – remote sensing from drones advances our understanding of plant biodiversity”

Register in advance for this webinar by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The Royal Society of Tasmania
M.R. Banks Lecture 2020

 Professor Arko Lucieer, co-winner of the RST M.R. Banks Medal 2019.

 2 August 2020 via Zoom webinar

Title: From Surface to Satellites – remote sensing from drones advances our understanding of plant biodiversity

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is recognised to pose one of the most serious threats to human well-being as biodiversity underpins ecosystem services, such as biomass production, carbon sequestration, and pollination. The scientific community has called for the development of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) facilitating global observations from satellites. However, the resolution of satellite data is generally too coarse for direct measurement of biodiversity at the appropriate scales. While field surveys can provide direct observations, they are often expensive, time-consuming, and cover limited area. The disconnect between field-based and satellite monitoring has resulted in a scale gap that challenges our ability to assess biodiversity. This seminar showcases recent research efforts leveraging drone remote sensing to advance biodiversity assessment in Australian ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots.

Bio

Arko Lucieer is a Professor in Remote Sensing at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He leads the TerraLuma research group, focusing on the development and application of drones, sensor integration, and image processing techniques for environmental, agricultural, and high-precision aerial mapping applications. Arko teaches remote sensing and GIS at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He obtained his PhD degree in 2004 from the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation and Utrecht University in the Netherlands. His current focus is on remote sensing of vegetation and biodiversity with the use of sophisticated drone sensors to better understand the structure, distribution, and functioning of vegetation, and to bridge the observational scale gap between field samples and satellite observations.
Email: Arko.Lucieer@utas.edu.au

2020 Lecture Program

While COVID-19 pandemic restrictions apply, lectures will be online, delivered using Zoom. Lectures will be on Sunday afternoons at 3 pm (except where otherwise indicated).  We hope that you will all find this a convenient and an enlightening way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  As usual, there is something for everyone and everything of value and interest to inquiring minds of all persuasions.

Here is the calendar of speakers commencing in May. We look forward to seeing you. Your feedback is always welcome.

17 May: Dr Edward Doddridge on the oceanography of the Southern Ocean. [n.b. first Zoom online lecture; recording is available on the RST YouTube channel].

21st June: MR Banks medallist, Dr Eloise Foo. [n.b. recording is available on the RST YouTube channel]

2nd August: MR Banks medallist, Associate Professor Arko Lucieer.

6th September: Clive Lord medallist – Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick.

4th October: Doctoral award winners – Dr Indrani Mukherjee and Dr Jessica Ericson.

8th November: Post graduate afternoon (TBD).

1st December: Christmas Dinner Lecture by Dr John Williamson on Hobart’s Antarctic connection.

PLEASE CHECK REGULARLY FOR UPDATES.

.

Advance notice – RST Northern Branch Science Week event

Virtual presentations by three University of Tasmania PhD Candidates.

1.30 pm, Sunday, 23rd August, 2020, by Zoom webinar, contact details to follow later.

Three University of Tasmania PhD Candidates will inform us about their research in a Zoom Webinar

23rd August 2020 1.30 pm

Duyen Tran  –  “Diabesity”: a new opportunity for reducing the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the Obesity epidemic.

Duyen is a Pharmacy PhD candidate investigating the causes of insulin resistance in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Her project aims to determine whether the abnormal accumulation of toxic fats in skeletal muscles contributes to the elevation of glucose levels. Duyen’s findings will offer a novel prospective biomarker to predict the incidence of insulin resistance in the current “diabesity” (diabetes + obesity) epidemic.

Indika Fernando – A Bumpy Road to Perfect Fruits

Indika is attached to the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Innovative Horticultural Products. His research is focused on understanding the compound forces that create fruit damage in the long road trip between the growing areas and markets, and an experimental approach to help industry deliver perfect bananas.

Christelle Auguste – Tidal energy is coming to Tasmania

Christelle has a passion for renewable energy and the ocean. Her research at AMC focuses on how tidal turbines could influence sediment transport in highly energetic sites. She spent 17 days at sea to collect data northeast of Tasmania. The aim of her PhD is to assess the sediment dynamics at tidal energy sites in Australia and predict the environmental response to the extraction of energy.