Dr Les Baxter, Director of Agriculture R&D at Tasmanian Alkaloids will present – Commercialisation of New Agricultural Crops in Tasmania: Some Lessons from the Past and Present – in the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk at 2.00 pm Sunday 25th October 2015

Admission: $6 General Public, $4 Friends of the Museum and Students

Free for members of The Royal Society of Tasmania

To assist us with the organisation of this event

RSVP by Thursday 22nd October 2015:

Email  bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au  or  telephone  6323 3798

Tasmania’s climate, agro ecology, available resources and expertise make it ideally placed for the commercialisation of a range of new crop species. To date the results from attempts to commercialise many of these opportunities has been mixed.  Using case studies from a range of successful, unsuccessful and nascent new crops developments, this presentation considers the factors which have contributed to the success and failure of these ventures and how they may be more effectively managed in the future.

Dr Les Baxter is currently the Director of Agricultural R&D at Tasmanian Alkaloids. He has over 35 years experience in both the public and private sectors in horticultural agronomy, research and development, extension, commercialisation of new crops and industry development. Les has worked in Australia and overseas on a wide range of agricultural crops including temperate and tropical fruits and vegetables, essential oils, green tea, wasabi, extractive and plantation crops.  He has worked for over 15 years in the agricultural sector in Tasmania including General Jones, Essential Oils of Tasmania, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Horticulture Australia and Tasmanian Alkaloids.

Post Graduate night

‘Like a Nobleman’s Park’: The Landscape of an Expanding Colony

Imogen Wegman, University of Tasmania

Following the 1803 British settlement of Tasmania the land was roughly mapped. Over the next thirty years much of this was granted out to settlers. Though the intentions and official procedure are well-documented, the actual process has never been systematically analysed. This paper discusses the potential for using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to bring a systematic geospatial approach to aid understandings of the developmental stages of a colony. Using land conveyance records and maps, surveyors’ journals, official papers and muster data, the paper will demonstrate the capacity for creating a visual and data-rich image of European expansion throughout the first thirty years of the Van Diemen’s Land colony. In particular the paper will discuss ways of using GIS to visually explore settler exploitation of pre-1803 land-use patterns, the stepped transition from a subsistence to export economy, and the distinct patterns of settlement expansion.

Imogen Wegman (BA LLB MA) is a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania. Her thesis explores the use of GIS to examine the early land grants of Van Diemen’s Land. She completed her MA in Landscape History at the University of East Anglia in the U.K.

DRONES FOR NATURAL LANDFORM MAPPING

Dr Stephen Harwin, School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania

Drones (AKA Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)) have become a cost-effective tool for surveying and mapping. UAV photogrammetry using computer vision to create 3D models using hundreds of photographs from a range of angles is becoming increasingly popular for 3D reconstruction surveys. Dr Harwin’s PhD investigated methods for accurately mapping natural landforms using low altitude drone photography. His research has improved our understanding of camera network design, camera calibration, and data processing to support mapping and detecting change in complex landforms.  His PhD was the first to robustly assess the accuracy of drone photogrammetry by evaluating survey design considerations (camera network design, camera calibration, and ground control density and distribution). This presentation will describe how drones can be used to provide accurate and complete 3D reconstructions of coastal shoreline, focusing on assessing the accuracy of the drone survey technique to better understand the scale of change that can be detected.

Dr Harwin was recently awarded a PhD in Spatial Science focusing on mapping with drones. He is a researcher with the TerraLuma Drone Research Team (www.terraluma.net). My research focuses on fine scale landform change monitoring with drones, photogrammetry, LiDAR and remote sensing. Dr Harwin is a licensed UAV pilot (multi-rotor and fixed wing). I have over ten years’ experience as a GIS and web mapping specialist and spatial software engineer.

NEW METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION OF NATURAL PRODUCTS FROM PLANTS

Jeremy Just, School of Physical Sciences.

Plants remain an important source of small organic molecules for chemical synthesis applications. Laboratory equipment for the extraction of these molecules can be expensive, and the techniques time consuming. A standard household espresso machine has been tested and used for the rapid and efficient extraction of plant material. This method has allowed researchers in organic synthesis at the University of Tasmania to isolate complex organic molecules, otherwise unavailable, for use in their research.

Tuesday 6 October, 8.00 pm Royal Society Room, Customs House Building, TMAG,
19 Davey St. Hobart (entry from Dunn Place)
All interested people are welcome
Admission is free

John Watts Retired Metallurgist, voluntary Lighthouse Caretaker will present Maatsuyker, Deal and Bruny Islands – A Lighthouse Caretaker’s Perspective  in the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk 2.00pm Sunday 27th September 2015

Admission: $6 General Public, $4 Friends of the Museum and Students

Free for members of The Royal Society of Tasmania

To assist us with the organization of this event

RSVP by Thursday 24th September 2015:

Email  bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au  or  telephone  6323 3798

Lighthouses hold a great deal of mysterious fascination for many people, but few seek the opportunity to volunteer to live and work at these often remote, wild and lonely locations. This mystique led John and his wife to apply for such opportunities, and to be accepted as suitable participants. John’s presentation concentrates mainly on their terms in winter and summer at Maatsuyker Island off southern Tasmania, their two experiences as caretakers at Deal Island in Bass Strait, and also, briefly, on two occasions at the Cape Bruny Light-station.

John Watts was born at St Marys, on the east coast of Tasmania, raised in Deloraine, in the central north, and then worked for 38 years (1964-2001) as a metallurgist at Comalco’s aluminium smelters at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania, which included a period (1971-1978) at Tiwai Point in New Zealand. His main roles were either technical in nature, or as a production superintendent, but also included secondments to service, support and systems projects at Bell Bay, Melbourne and Brisbane. Since gratefully accepting a voluntary redundancy in 2001, John and his wife Willemina, have spent considerable voluntary time working on a variety of projects with Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Services, and similar organisations. They are currently very involved with the Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum, and have traveled widely in outback and remote Australia.

The Royal Society of Tasmania – 2015 Launceston Lecture Series

Mr Martin George, Physicist, Astronomer, Manager of the Launceston Planetarium

will present The Science of Light in the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk
2.00 pm Sunday 23rd August 2015
Admission: $6 General Public, $4 Friends of the Museum and Students
Free for members of The Royal Society of Tasmania
To assist us with the organization of this event
RSVP by Thursday 20th August 2015:
Email bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au or telephone 6323 3798

Light has fascinated people through the ages. It is essential in our daily lives, but for most of human history it has been poorly understood. Over the past few centuries, important breakthroughs were made, with astronomy playing an important role. The nineteenth century saw the discovery that light can be used to study the makeup of objects, from those on Earth right out to distant stars and galaxies. Martin George will describe how we have come to know so much about light and in particular how we measured its great speed: the fastest speed there is!

Mr Martin George is a physicist, astronomer and Fellow and former President (2005-2006) of the International Planetarium Society  the world body of planetarium professionals. He is also Manager of the Launceston Planetarium, which forms part of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston, Tasmania. He is a member of several astronomy-related professional organisations, including the International Astronomical Union. He makes frequent appearances on radio and television, in particular ABC radio, to discuss astronomy and space research.

The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Chapter, 2015

Excursion – Tuesday, 18th August 2015

Tour of the Maritime Simulator Australian Maritime College,

UTAS Campus, Newnham, Launceston

Meet at the Main Entrance, AMC, 10.45am

Note: tour will last approximately half an hour.

Limited places – Please RSVP by Friday 14th August 2015:

Email  cj.bardell@bigpond.com  or  telephone  6362 3102

This state-of-the art suite of facilities offers real-time maritime simulation technology that includes a full-mission ship’s bridge, a tug simulator and six ship operations bridges. It is used for research and investigation into port development, ship manoeuvring, and improving ship and port safety and efficiency.

It is also bridges the gap between practical and theory as an effective aid for training and competency assessment of ship masters and deck officers. They learn about ship-handling, passage planning and the use of radar, electronic charts, automatic identification systems and automatic radar plotting aids. If necessary all eight bridges can be made interactive.

The simulator database includes most Australian and New Zealand ports, as well as areas of Europe, Malaysia, and Indonesia. AMC also provides regular pilot simulation training to maritime organisations such as TasPorts, Newcastle Ports Corporation, Rio Tinto, Port Kembla, Southport (NZ), TT Line, Woodside Energy and Port Nelson.

Dr John Batten Visiting Orthopaedic Surgeon, LGH. Senior Lecturer UTAS will present

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Evolution of Joint Replacement Surgery in the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk 2.00pm Sunday 26th July 2015

Admission: $6 General Public, $4 Friends of the Museum and Students
Free for members of The Royal Society of Tasmania
To assist us with the organization of this event
RSVP by Thursday 23rd July 2015:
Email bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au or telephone 6323 3798

Joint pathology, particularly arthritis, has defied any effective intervention for several thousand years. Over the last 100 years, the treatment of major joint disease has evolved from rudimentary surgery to the modern joint replacement, now considered to be one of the most successful surgical interventions ever developed. The presentation will track the evolution of joint replacement surgery from ancient times until the present day, highlighting the enterprise, innovation, persistence and the research of clinicians and scientists over this time.
Dr John Batten is a Visiting Orthopaedic Surgeon for the Launceston General Hospital, and Visiting Medical Officer for St Vincents and St Lukes Private Hospitals, with special interests in Paediatric Orthopaedics and Arthroplasty. He currently holds the positions of Councillor and Chair of the Court of Examiners for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and Chair of the Speciality Orthopaedic Clinical Advisory Group for the Federal Department of Health. Dr Batten is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania, and has formerly held many administrative positions including President of the Australian Orthopaedic Association and Chair of its National Joint Replacement Registry.

Professor Margareta Lutzhoft, Professor of Nautical Studies, AMC, Launceston will present Human-Centred Design and Maritime Simulation in the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk
2.00 pm Sunday 28th June 2015
Admission: $6 General Public, $4 Friends of the Museum and Students
Free for members of The Royal Society of Tasmania

To assist us with the organization of this event
RSVP by Thursday 25th June 2015:
Email bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au or telephone 6323 3798

Maritime simulators are getting increasingly realistic, and are used for many types of studies. But is technical realism enough? Humans certainly have an impact on the quality of the results and the applications possible. At present, simulators are useful for teaching, research and development work, but only with due consideration to the limitations. We will discuss studies of fatigue, human-machine interaction, ice navigation, team work and port development. The outcome should be increased effectiveness, efficiency, user satisfaction and maritime safety. The focal point, of course, is the human element and the human contribution to the maritime sociotechnical system.

Professor Margareta Lutzhoft is a master mariner, trained at Kalmar Maritime Academy in Sweden. After leaving the sea, she studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and a Master’s in Computer Science. In December 2004 she received a PhD in Human-Machine Interaction. Between 2006 and 2013 she worked as Associate Professor at Chalmers University of Technology, leading the research in the Maritime Human Factors research group at the Department of Shipping and Marine Technology, within the Lighthouse Competence Center. Presently she is holding a position as Professor of Nautical Studies at the Australian Maritime College. Her research interests include human-centered design, the effects of new technology and resilience engineering. She is a frequent guest lecturer on maritime human factors, risk and safety for medical, nuclear and similar industries.