The Royal Society of Tasmania

The advancement of knowledge

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Prof Maggie Walter – Looking Back to Move Forward: The Royal Society and Tasmanian Aborigines – Oct 3, 8 pm @Royal Society Room TMAG

The Royal Society of Tasmania has a long history of supporting the advancement of knowledge within Tasmania.  Yet, the deep dark shadow of the Royal Society’s behaviour towards Tasmanian Aborigines remains largely undisturbed, tarnishing this history and forestalling the possibility of a contemporary relationship with Tasmanian Aboriginal people. This presentation details the Royal Society’s role in the post-mortem desecration of William Lanne and trucanini, and subsequent exploitation of their remains, from an historical and from an Aboriginal perspective. The purpose is to stimulate a discussion on how this history can be acknowledged as a prerequisite to a process of reconciliation between the Society and Tasmanian Aboriginal people and communities.

Maggie Walter (PhD) is member of the Briggs/Johnson Tasmanian Aboriginal family, descended from the pairrebenne people of North Eastern Tasmania. She is also Professor of Sociology and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Aboriginal Research and Leadership at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Maggie’s scholarship centres on the social and cultural positioning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and she has published extensively in the field of race relations, inequality and research methods/methodologies. Recent books include: Indigenous Children Growing Up Strong: A longitudinal study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families (2017) (Edited with K.L. Martin and G. Bodkin-Andrews, Palgrave McMillan) Indigenous statistics: a quantitative methodology (with C. Andersen, Left Coast Press 2013) and Social Research Methods (ed) 3rd Edition (Oxford University Press 2013).

Launceston Lecture Series – Dr Mark Dewsbury – Sustainable Housing: Challenges facing zero energy homes in southern Australia, 1.15 pm Sun Aug 27

What is a zero energy home? In the current national and global building materials supply

chain, are we considering carbon emissions adequately? And what about water? In this presentation Mark will discuss aspects of envelope design, thermal mass and airtightness that must be considered on the pathway to zero. How should we be making our homes such that they require minimal energy for heating or cooling, provide adequate indoor air quality and passively minimise the occurrence of condensation and mould?

Mark is passionate about sustainability and has been involved in the sustainable design of commercial and residential buildings for more than 20 years. His research collaborations have included industry, state government, federal government and CSIRO. His research focuses on methods of building to improve the thermal performance of Australian buildings and has incorporated empirical validation, testing and calibration building simulation programs. Most recently, his research has included the use of timber as thermal mass and condensation risks in contemporary building systems.

Before Dr Dewsbury’s lecture Zac Corbett will report on his attendance at The 2017 London International Youth Science Forum.

Zac is a year 12 student at St. Brendan-Shaw College, Devonport where he is studying Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science and Mathematics Methods. He hopes to study at a tertiary level in the STEM field specializing in Chemistry, and one day to work researching and developing more sustainable, environmentally friendly fuels which will help us to eliminate emissions from our vehicles. 

Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk
RSVP by Thu Aug 24: bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au Small fee for non-members

Launceston Lecture Series – Sarah Lloyd – Acellullar Slime Moulds – the most remarkable organisms, 1.30 pm Sun Jul 23

A study of slime moulds (myxomycetes) in Northern Tasmania has found over 10% of the world’s known species including at least one that is new to science.

Slime moulds are ephemeral, unpredictable and intriguing. Their life cycle includes two mobile feeding stages that creep and flow through soil and decaying vegetation devouring bacteria, algae and fungi; and an exquisitely beautiful spore-bearing stage that rarely exceeds 2 mm high. During a seven-year study of acellular slime moulds in the forest surrounding her home, Sarah has amassed more than 1400 collections representing over 10% of the world’s known species including at least one – Alwisia lloydiae – that is new to science.

Sarah Lloyd is a prominent Tasmanian naturalist, writer and photographer whose passion for natural history began in early childhood with a love of birds. Since moving to the wet eucalypt forest at Black Sugarloaf near Birralee in 1988 she has contributed to various bird and fungi monitoring projects and written several popular books on natural history, most recently “The Feathered Tribes of Van Diemen’s Land.” Since 2010 Sarah has been studying acellular slime moulds.

Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk
RSVP by Thu Jul 20: bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au Small fee for non-members

Dr Henry Reynolds – From Tasmanian patriotism to Australian nationalism: A little known story in three acts – Free lecture, all welcome: Royal Society Room, TMAG @8 pm Tuesday August 1

As the winner of the 2016 Clive Lord Medal Dr Reynolds will deliver the Clive Lord memorial lecture.

In histories of the emergence of Australian nationalism little notice is taken of Tasmania. This is unfair to Tasmania and leads to a misunderstanding of nationalism itself. This lecture will endeavour to correct the story and place Tasmania at the centre rather than the periphery of the evolution of a distinctive nationalism.

Henry Reynolds grew up in Hobart and was educated at the Hobart High School and the University of Tasmania.  After spending several years overseas he took up a lectureship at the Townsville University College, now James Cook University.  He spent thirty years in Queensland before returning to Tasmania in 2000.  Much of his work has involved the history of Aboriginal-Settler relations.  He has written more than 20 books which have reached a wide audience and have won many literary prizes.

Dr Meredith Nash – What is it like to be a woman in STEMM? Gender bias, sexual harassment, and the myth of meritocracy – Free lecture, all welcome: Royal Society Room, TMAG @8 pm Tuesday July 4

Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) fields worldwide, particularly in leadership positions.  For instance, Australian women comprise more than half of science PhD graduates and early career researchers, but just 20% of senior academics in universities and research institutes.  This lecture will explore the reasons why gender bias in STEMM matters in more detail by drawing on data from an ongoing sociological study focusing on the leadership experiences of 25 women in STEMM fields who were all participants in a three-week transformational leadership program in Antarctica in December 2016.  Key themes for discussion include women’s experiences of sexism and gender bias, sexual harassment and managing caring responsibilities.  This lecture will also explore why women in STEMM often internalise the problem of gender equity in STEMM and blame themselves for their challenging organisational experiences. 

Dr Meredith Nash is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Tasmania.  Her research explores the depth and enduring character of gender-based inequalities of position and power.  For the last 10 years, her research has engaged specifically with four key sites where gender inequality persists including: reproduction and parenting, organizational culture, media, and leisure/sport.  She is the author of Making postmodern mothers: Pregnant embodiment, baby bumps, and body image (2012) and the editor of Reframing reproduction: Conceiving gendered experiences (2014).  Her new co-edited book Reading Girls: Postfeminism, feminism, authenticity and gendered performance in contemporary television was published this month by Palgrave.

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Your contribution keeps this Society advancing knowledge. Providing the opportunity for scholars in many fields to publish their work in a yearly peer-reviewed journal (offered at a discounted price as part of the subscription fee), enables the Society to develop wonderful books like The Library at the End of the World and Charles Darwin in Hobart Town from The Royal Society Collection circa 1843, hold symposia like this year’s Winter Series coming up in July and monthly lectures, to name some of what we do. Here’s how to apply or renew membership. We strongly urge you to become apart of this long-lived, vibrant community of amazing and knowledgeable people. Come along to the next lectures in Hobart (free) and Launceston (small fee for non-members) and check it out. We welcome feedback.

Launceston Lecture Series – Prof Matt King – Continental Loss: The Quest for Antarctica’s Contribution to Sea Level Rise, 1.30 pm Sun Jun 25

For over 50 years scientists have been working to understand Antarctica’s contribution to sea level. For much of this time there has been disagreement about if this massive ice sheet is even growing or shrinking. In 2012, advances in data analysis and computer modelling resulted in the first reconciled estimate of change being achieved. This lecture will explain some of the major advances that led to this reconciled estimate, which revealed that Antarctica is increasingly contributing to sea-level rise.
Professor Matt King started focusing on Antarctica during his PhD at the University of Tasmania, where he quantified multi-decadal changes in the motion of a large floating Antarctic ice shelf using surveying data. After 11 years in north-east England, he returned to the University of Tasmania in 2012 as Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Professor of Polar Geodesy. In April 2015 the Royal Society (London) awarded him the Kavli Medal and Lecture for his work that contributed to the first reconciled estimate of Antarctica and Greenland’s contribution to sea-level change. He is currently President of The Royal Society of Tasmania.

Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk
RSVP by Thu Jun 22: bookings@qvmag.tas.gov.au Small fee for non-members