The Royal Society of Tasmania

The advancement of knowledge

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Congratulations – Trevor McDougall

 

The Royal Society of Tasmania congratulates member and RST medallist Prof. Trevor McDougall AC, who has been elected President of the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO).

 

  Prof. McDougall is a leading figure internationally in the thermodynamics of seawater, the movement of energy through the oceans. His research has provided insight into how seawater mixes under different conditions, which is crucial for the understanding of climate change.

 

Trevor is one of Australia’s most decorated scientists. His awards include the Royal Society of Tasmania Medal, the Prince Albert I Medal of the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans, and Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to science, and to education, particularly in the area of ocean thermodynamics, as an academic, and researcher, to furthering the understanding of climate science, and as a mentor of young scientists. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Royal Society (London). He is the Scientia Professor of Ocean Physics at the University of New South Wales.

 

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IAPSO has the prime goal of “promoting the study of scientific problems relating to the oceans and the interactions taking place at the sea floor, coastal, and atmospheric boundaries insofar as such research is conducted by the use of mathematics, physics, and chemistry.”

August at TMAG – Marley Large

The Royal Society of Tasmania

Presents

Marley Large

Snapshots of 175 Years of The Royal Society of Tasmania’s Minutes

A Public Lecture  – 6  August 2019

8.00pm in the Royal Society Room,
Customs House Building, TMAG, entrance from Dunn Place. 

 

 

Over the last year, Marley has researched several topics in the Royal Society of Tasmania’s archives. Along the way, she discovered various unexpected and often exciting twists and turns and went down many irrelevant but highly enjoyable rabbit holes. The result is a wealth of information, sometimes scientific and sometimes quirky, about individuals, developmental events, social issues, infrastructure and innovation that made a significant difference in Tasmania.

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Society 2020 Calendar

Penguins and sea birds of Antarctica,

the illustrations of Edward Adrian Wilson (1872–1912),
artist on the Robert Falcon Scott expeditions to the south

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The Royal Society of Tasmania 2020 Calendar is now available for purchase. A beautiful gift for any occasion, the calendar can be purchased at our on-line shop, by postal order or directly from the Royal Society Rooms

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Retail price: $19.95 – click here to go to our on-line shop

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If you purchase directly from the Royal Society Rooms the price is $18.00 – open Wednesday mornings, at 19 Davey St (opp. Constitution Dock).

Or order by post for $24.00 per copy (including handling and postage within Australia). Download the Order Form here: 2020 Calendar Order Form0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Student Bursaries 2019

Royal Society of Tasmania

BURSARIES

for TASMANIAN STUDENTS 2019

 

 

The Royal Society of Tasmania is offering bursaries for Tasmanian secondary/senior secondary students who have been selected through a competitive process to represent Australia at an international event. The amount of each bursary may be up to $1000.

 

 

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What is the Royal Society of Tasmania?

The Society has been in active existence since 1843 and we have continued to achieve our aim of ‘advancing knowledge’ in a wide variety of ways. The bursaries are one way in which we support the youth of Tasmania.

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Who can apply?

In 2018 bursaries were offered in the fields of science, mathematics and engineering. In 2019 the bursary program is being broadened to also support students selected through a competitive process for international events in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

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What is the closing date?

There is no closing date for applications, as applications are considered on a rolling basis throughout the year.

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How to apply:

Students need to send a written application including:

· a brief descriptor of the international summer school or event they have been selected to attend, including dates and costs

· a copy of the recommendation from the Australian selection event or activity they were selected to attend

· a concise statement, written by the student, about their goals and aspirations and a short CV (max 2 pages)

· the endorsement of a senior staff member of their school.

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Note: As the student/staff member may be contacted for interview/further information please provide contact phone numbers.

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Youth ANZAAS 2019: Students accepted for Youth ANZAAS 2019 are also eligible to apply for financial support.

 

Send applications to: deborah.beswick@education.tas.gov.au

 

Dr Deborah Beswick
Chair, Bursaries Committee
The Royal Society of Tasmania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tree of Knowledge

<a href=”http://www.freepik.com”>Designed by macrovector_official / Freepik</a>

 

Science Week – Breaking New Ground (Launceston)

 

The Royal Society of Tasmania

INVITES YOU TO

Breaking New Ground

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS BY

University of Tasmania PhD Candidates

 

 

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This a FREE event, presented as part of NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK

Venue: Auditorium, QVMAG at Inveresk

Time: 1.30 pm Sunday 11 August 2019

 

 

 

Microbiome: The new clinical frontier

Ravichandra Vemuri’s project is a collaboration between the UTAS, CSIRO (Brisbane),and UAS labs (a USA probiotic company) With ageing, the gut microbiota develops significant imbalances affecting host metabolism and overall health.Dietary supplementation with probiotics could beneficially change gut microbiota and metabolism. Ravi’s project is primarily focused on investigating the influence of probiotics on gut microbiota and metabolic profiles in ageing mice, and potential implications in humans.

 

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The Socio-Ecology of Wildlife Conservation on Private Land

Matt Taylor is researching the socio-ecology of wildlife conservation on private land. He has Interviewed landholders to capture their views about wildlife management, and organised 160 of them into using wildlife cameras and other technologies to collect information. His research aims to empower communities to become involved in scientific enquiry about matters relevant to the management of wildlife on their own land. Matt’s study is a partnership between UTAS and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, where he works as an ecologist.

 

Changes in the surface waters of the Southeast Pacific and beyond

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Rachael Sanders is a PhD student at the British Antarctic Survey and University of Southampton, UK, which has funded a three-month internship at UTAS. Her research focuses on how the surface of the Southern Ocean is changing due to changes in the amount of sea ice and the strength of the winds around Antarctica.

 

 

 

Living long or living well: dilemmas older people face when considering dialysis

Rajesh Raj is a full-time nephrologist at Launceston General Hospital. He is studying the factors which affect the outcome of dialysis for older patients with kidney failure, as not enough is known about the impact of dialysis on quality of life. His research aims to identify information clinicians can use to help the elderly choose treatment options or to improve outcome after they have started therapy.

 

 

 

Generously supported by

 

 

Nominations open for M.R. Banks Medal

Call for nominations for the

 

M. R. BANKS Medal 2019

 

Closing date is Thursday 12 September, 2019

 

 

In 1997, the Royal Society of Tasmania instituted the M.R. Banks Medal to be awarded biennially to a scholar of distinction in mid-career, in any field within the Society’s purview, with an age limit of 45 years. The Medal is to honour Dr M.R. Banks’ contribution to science and to the Royal Society of Tasmania.

 

 

The conditions of the Award are:

1. The scholar, to be recognised, must be no more than 45 years of age at the date of the Award and should have achieved a PhD or appropriate higher qualification.

2. The recipient shall be in mid-career, rapidly developing a standing in his/her field and be winning international recognition from peers.

3. The Award may be made in any field within the purview of the Society.

4. The work is to have been largely carried out in Tasmania or under the aegis of a Tasmanian-based organisation.

5. The Award is to be made every two years, alternating with, and not in the same year as, the Peter Smith Medal.

6. After the conferring of the Award, the recipient may be invited to address the Society by delivering the ‘M. R. Banks Lecture’ to the members.

 

Nomination Process:-

Nominations will only be received in digital form.

The first page of the nomination should list:

• The name of the medal.

• The name of the candidate and contact address.

• The name of the proposer and contact address.

This should be followed by a description of the candidate’s achievements relevant to the M R Banks Medal. It should be no longer than one page and should be written concisely and in language that is widely understood outside the candidate’s field of research. The candidate’s contributions to science, history or other field of learning, industry or society should be clearly stated.

A full curriculum vitae should be provided in confidence. It should include the candidate’s date of birth, the date of receipt of degrees, and a full list of significant published works. Where the candidate’s standing relies on co-authored papers, the candidate’s role in those significant papers should be indicated.

The Honours Committee of the Royal Society of Tasmania has limited ability to seek additional information and therefore depends on the nomination papers to provide a full and fair account of the candidate’s suitability, taking into account the criteria of the particular medal.

 

Applications should be emailed to the:

royal.society@tmag.tas.gov.au

Attention: The Honorary Secretary

Nominations must be received no later than Thursday 12 September, 2019 at 5 pm.

 

 

GPO BOX 1166 HOBART, TASMANIA 7001. (03) 6165 7014 royal.society@tmag.tas.gov.au

Clive Lord Medal – call for nominations

 

Nominations are open for the

CLIVE LORD MEMORIAL MEDAL 2019

(Science)

Closing date is Thursday, 12 September 2019.

 

Established in 1930 this Medal is awarded to a scholar distinguished for research in Tasmanian science or Tasmanian history. Competition for the award alternates between the disciplines of science and history. The 2019 Medal will be awarded in the discipline of science.

 

A memorial medal will be presented to a scholar distinguished for research in Tasmanian Science or History. The recipient will deliver the Clive Lord Memorial Lecture and, if not a member of the Society, will be offered free membership for one year.

 

· Nominations are sought from members of the Society.

· Nominators are not restricted to members of the Society.

· Self-nominations are not allowed.

· The Honours Committee of the Royal Society of Tasmania also acts as a ‘Search Committee’, considering names prompted by its own deliberations.

 

Nomination Process :-

Nominations will only be received in digital form.
The first page of the nomination should list:
• The name of the medal.
• The name of the candidate and contact address.
• The name of the proposer and contact address.
This should be followed by a description of the candidate’s achievements relevant to the Clive Lord Medal. It should be no longer than one page and should be written concisely and in language that is widely understood outside the candidate’s field of research. The candidate’s contributions to science, history or other field of learning, industry or society should be clearly stated.
A full curriculum vitae should be provided in confidence. It should include the candidate’s date of birth, the date of receipt of degrees, and a full list of significant published works. Where the candidate’s standing relies on co-authored papers, the candidate’s role in those significant papers should be indicated.
The Honours Committee of the Royal Society of Tasmania has limited ability to seek additional information and therefore depends on the nomination papers to provide a full and fair account of the candidate’s suitability, taking into account the criteria of the particular medal.

 

Applications should be emailed to the:

royal.society@tmag.tas.gov.au

Attention: The Honorary Secretary

Nominations must be received no later than Thursday 12 September, 2019 at 5 pm.

GPO BOX 1166 HOBART, TASMANIA 7001. (03) 6165 7014 royal.society@tmag.tas.gov.au

 

Clive Lord (1889-1933) was a naturalist and museum director. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of Tasmania in 1917 and was its secretary in 1918-33. He was awarded the Tasmanian Royal Society’s medal in 1930.

He was educated at Buckland’s and The Hutchins schools at Hobart and practised as an architect. He was a fellow of the Linnean Society, London (1922), and of the Tasmanian Institute of Architects. In 1917 he was appointed assistant curator at the Tasmanian Museum and was director of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery 1923-1933. He became Tasmania’s leading ornithologist and served as president of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union 1931-32. In 1927-33 he was an associate member of the Australian National Research Council, as well as local secretary of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.    
His major work, A Synopsis of the Vertebrate Animals of Tasmania (1924), was written in association with Herbert Scott.
He also had a keen in history and retraced the navigations of early explorers in his own yacht culminating in the publication in 1920 of The Early Explorers of Tasmania.

 

 

 

July at QVMAG – Prof Hallegraeff

2019 Launceston Lecture Series

 

The Royal Society of Tasmania 

 

INVITES YOU TO

 

Harmful Algal Blooms in the Australian Region

 

A PUBLIC LECTURE BY

 

Professor Gustaaf Hallegraeff

 

Venue: Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk, Launceston
Time: 1.30 pm Sunday, 28 July 2019
Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania*
$6 for general admission, and
$4 for students, QVMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society.

(*membership forms available at the door)

 

 

 

While microalgal blooms are natural phenomena, since the 1980s their impacts on public health, tourism and fisheries have increased in frequency, intensity and geographic distribution. Environmental agencies and aquaculture are increasingly forced to invest in improved technologies for monitoring for an increasing number of harmful algal species in water, and increasing complexity of algal toxins in seafood. Climate change is calling for increased vigilance in seafood safety.

 

Gustaaf Hallegraeff is a Professor at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. He has worked on a wide range of Harmful Algal Bloom issues including shellfish toxins, climate change, ship’s ballast water and fish-killing algae. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and Engineering, winner of the 2004 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research, and 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae.

 

 

 

 

Generously supported by 

Joint meeting with Geological Society at QVMAG

2019 Launceston Lecture Series

 

The Royal Society of Tasmania

  and

The Geological Society of Australia

 

INVITE YOU TO A JOINT MEETING AND PUBLIC LECTURE BY

 

Dr Claire Kain

Hazards of Flooding and Flood Modelling for Northern Tasmania

 

Venue: Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk, Launceston
Time: 1.30 pm Sunday, 14 July 2019
Admission is free for members of the Royal Society of Tasmania and Geological Society of Australia
$6 for general admission, and
$4 for students, QVMAG Friends, and members of Launceston Historical Society.

 

 

The storm events of 2011 and 2016 led to severe flooding and sediment movement across northern Tasmania. During both events, the Westmorland Stream alluvial system at Caveside (near Mole Creek) was affected by debris flows and flash flooding, which threatened nearby residents and farming operations. A multidisciplinary study was undertaken to understand the hydrogeomorphic functioning of this system. The findings of this study have wider implications for the estimation of debris flow and flood hazard in Tasmania and elsewhere.

 

.Dr Kain is employed as a Natural Hazards Geologist at Mineral Resources Tasmania, working on understanding the risk and effects of hazards such as landslides, floods, debris flows and tsunamis in Tasmania. Originally from New Zealand, she has worked in the natural hazards field since 2008. After finishing her PhD at the University of New South Wales she moved to Tasmania three years ago.

 

 

 

Generously supported by

July at TMAG – Vision Zero

The Royal Society of Tasmania

presents

Garry Bailey

Vision Zero: Road Safety in Tasmania

 

Tuesday, 2 July 2019

8.00pm on the RST Rooms,

Customs House Building, Dunn Place, Hobart

 

 

Garry Baily, as chair of the Road Safety Advisor Council (RSAC) will present a lecture on their “vision zero” – working towards reducing the number of serious casualties associated with road accidents. The public have a seemingly high tolerance of serious road casualties, with an average of 35 people killed, and 260 injured annually in Tasmania. If this incidence of deaths and injuries happened in one place or time, it would no doubt led to public outcry, and demands for something to be done. The RSAC is implementing a range of initiatives and systems that underpin the Towards Zero strategy, which aims to change people’s perceptions about speeding.

 

Road Safety Advisory Council chair, Garry Bailey, has more than 45 years’ experience as a media professional. He held senior management positions with Davies Brothers Pty Ltd, publisher of the leading Tasmanian newspapers, The Mercury and the Sunday Tasmanian, for 30 years and was editor from November 2001 to January 2012. He has had an enduring interest in road safety, leading a series of campaigns in his time as editor of both newspapers. Garry continued that commitment as the Tasmanian advocate for Bicycle Network from 2014 to 2017 and as a member of the RACT’s southern advisory committee. Since leaving newspapers, he has been a broadcaster with the ABC, a media and communications consultant, a foundation member of the advisory board for the 26Ten adult literacy organisation, is on the board of the not-for-profit disability service provider Nexus, and was an inaugural member of the Tamar Valley Writers Festival committee.