The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture at 1.30 pm on Sunday 24 July 2022 by Assoc Prof Raj Eri, in the Meeting Room of QVMAG (Inveresk). Full COVID vaccination and the wearing of face masks are highly desirable for anyone attending in person.

Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of the Launceston Historical Society. For all others, admission is $6.

You may if you wish view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

Personalised medicine uses very specific and unique health information from an individual to make informed therapy choices. To that end, the latest advances in human genomics, microbiome analysis and other advanced biomarker tools will assist in individualising therapy. A/Prof Raj Eri will describe in detail with examples how such advanced research will shape personalised medicine.

Raj is a passionate scientist who leads a research team investigating gut diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease and colorectal cancer. He has published over 125 peer-reviewed research papers, received research grants from NHMRC and multiple philanthropic sources, and has been commended by the Australian Government for excellence and innovation in teaching.

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The lecture “A Brave New Biosecurity System: Over the Horizon Musings” delivered on 22 May 2022 is now available on the RST YouTube channel.

Technology and innovation are revolutionizing how we manage the rapidly increasing threats from exotic pests and diseases to our agriculture, environment, and amenity. This ranges from powerful data gathering and big data analysis that generates advance warnings of impending threats, through to molecular and GPS based tracking systems and electronically connected smart surveillance systems.

Andrew is Tasmania’s Chief Plant Protection Officer with Biosecurity Tasmania, having responsibility for decision making in the development and maintenance of the Tasmanian plant biosecurity system, including emergency responses and responsibility for representation (state and national). He has 33 years’ experience working in government in Tasmania and Victoria..

The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture at 1.30 pm on Sunday 26 June 2022 by Dr Charles Connor, in the Meeting Room of QVMAG (Inveresk). Full COVID vaccination and the wearing of face masks are highly desirable for anyone attending in person.

Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society. For all others, admission is $6.

You may if you wish view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

DNA profiling is currently considered the gold standard in human identification. But just how reliable is DNA profiling, and Forensic Science in general, and should the public have any reason for concern about what is presented in Tasmanian courts? What techniques are used in criminal and coronial cases here in Tasmania? Is it just like what we see on television?

Dr Connor is a senior Forensic Scientist at Forensic Science Service Tasmania, specialising in the examination of crime scenes, biological testing and DNA profiling, and is an Advanced Bloodstain Pattern Analyst. His duties include examining items pertaining to criminal and coronial matters in order to give evidence in Tasmanian courts.

Dr Connor is the immediate past President (and current Vice-President) of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society.

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The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture at 1.30 pm on Sunday 22 May 2022 by Andrew Bishop, in the Meeting Room of QVMAG (Inveresk). Full COVID vaccination and the wearing of face masks are highly desirable for anyone attending in person. Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society. For all others, admission is $6.

You may if you wish view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

Technology and innovation are revolutionizing how we manage the rapidly increasing threats from exotic pests and diseases to our agriculture, environment, and amenity. This ranges from powerful data gathering and big data analysis that generates advance warnings of impending threats, through to molecular and GPS based tracking systems and electronically connected smart surveillance systems.

Andrew is Tasmania’s Chief Plant Protection Officer with Biosecurity Tasmania, having responsibility for decision making in the development and maintenance of the Tasmanian plant biosecurity system, including emergency responses and responsibility for representation (state and national). He has 33 years’ experience working in government in Tasmania and Victoria..

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Generously supported by  

The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture on Sunday 24 April 2022 at 1.30 pm, by Kathryn Medlock, in the Meeting Room of QVMAG (Inveresk). Full COVID vaccination and the wearing of face masks are highly desirable for anyone attending in person. Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society. For all others, admission is $6.

You may if you wish view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery has a large and significant collection of thylacine specimens, however many more came into the museum than currently exist in the collection. This presentation will explain the fate of some of the ‘missing’ specimens and review the display history of thylacines at TMAG.

Kathryn Medlock worked in vertebrate zoology at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery for 35 years. Her many tasks included specimen preparation, collection management, research, education and exhibition curation. An exhibition on the thylacine in 1998 sparked her interest in the multiple facets of museum thylacine specimens and how the specimens themselves can reveal aspects of human culture, history and science.

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The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture on Sunday 27 March 2022 by Doctor Indrani Mukherjee. The lecture will commence at 1.30 pm following the Annual General Meeting which will commence at 1.15 p.m.

You may, if you wish, attend the lecture in person ​at the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk. For those attending in person, full COVID vaccination is highly desirable and the wearing of face masks is mandatory.

Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of the Launceston Historical Society. For all others, admission is $6.

Alternatively, you may view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

The transition of a simple cell into a complex one, billions of years ago, is the reason we share the planet with millions of species today. Indrani Mukherjee’s research focuses on “what drove that biological transition?” The approach involves a nuanced understanding of ancient marine environments, via novel and cutting-edge geochemical techniques.

Indrani earned her BSc Honours and Masters in Geology at the University of Delhi where she was also awarded the university gold medal for securing the highest marks in MSc. She completed her PhD at UTas in 2018 where she is a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in Earth Sciences, and was awarded the 2021 Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Award.

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The lecture entitled “A Double Devil Dilemma” (28 November 2021), by Emeritus Professor Greg Woods, is now available on the RST YouTube channel. Read more about the lecture here.

The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture on Sunday 27 February 2022 at 1.30 pm, by Professor Kimberley Norris.

If you wish to attend the lecture in person ​at the Meeting Room, QVMAG, at Inveresk, please inform the Society by calling Chris Beswick on 0417 330 118 or sending an email to her at apcachris@gmail.com .

Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society. For all others, admission is $6.

Alternatively, you may view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

Antarctica is one of the most extreme and unusual environments on Earth. This presentation will explore the lessons we have learned about human psychological health and performance in Antarctica and how we can apply this knowledge to a range of other environments including space, and our current experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Norris is a psychological scientist and clinical psychologist who works across academic, research and clinical practice settings. Her research interests include adaptation and resilience in both extreme (e.g. Antarctica, space and FIFO) and more normative (e.g. academic, life events) environments. She develops new and innovative ways to provide psychological support for individuals in remote, rural, maritime and extreme environments.

She was awarded her PhD in 2010 by the University of Tasmania. She is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and of the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research (SCAR) Humanities and Social Sciences Expert Group.

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Generously supported by  

The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture on Sunday 28 November 2021 at 1.30 pm, by Emeritus Professor Greg Woods.

You may, if you wish, attend the lecture in person ​at the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk, Please register your intention to attend in person by calling Chris Beswick on 0417 330 118 or sending an email to apcachris@gmail.com.

Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society. General admission is $6.

Alternatively, you may view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

Transmissible cancers are rare. However, Tasmanian devils are dying from two transmissible cancers that comprise Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Both cancers arose from Schwann cells that avoided immune elimination. Research is revealing why devils appear to be susceptible to these transmissible cancers. Promising vaccine research and field observations that some devils can recover from DFTD provide hope for the devil population’s future.

Greg Woods’ (PhD, FFSc [RCPA]) lifelong interest in immunology has led to studies of T cells, leukaemia, UV irradiation, tumour immunology, dendritic cells and Devil Facial Tumour Disease in laboratories in Hobart, Toronto, London and Scotland. Awards include a “Eureka Award for Environmental Science” and the “ASMR Research award in Recognition of Distinguished Service to Medicine, Science and Community”.

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Generously supported by  

The Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Branch, invites you to a public lecture entitled “Breathing New Life” on Sunday October 24, 2021, at 1.30pm, by Tim Smallbon.

You may, if you wish, attend the lecture in person ​at the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk, Please register your intention to attend in person by calling Chris Beswick on 0417 330 118 or sending an email to apcachris@gmail.com.

Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The charge is $4 for students, QVMAG Friends, TMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society. General admission is $6.

Alternatively, you may view the lecture remotely via ZOOM. In this case you must register in advance to ensure that you receive an email containing instructions for joining the webinar on the day of the talk. Click here to register for ZOOM.

Click here to view the latest flyer for the event and print if necessary.

Breathing New Life outlines the journey of the Cressy Research Station, founded in 1937 and becoming a Land Army training centre through the war, then a farmer training facility, and then a centre of excellence for Tasmanian agriculture. But what has become of the Cressy Research Station today, and can it be revitalized with a new breath of life and scientific purpose?

Tim Smallbon has enjoyed a career in Tasmanian agriculture spanning almost 40 years. Always having a passion for applied science, detail and technical skill led him to train as a seed and vegetable crop agronomist. Embracing the challenge of lifelong learning, he completed a Master’s degree by research within the last 5 years and was appointed Research Manager for Upper Murray Seeds to breathe new life into the Cressy Research Station.

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