The Royal Society of Tasmania

The advancement of knowledge

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The Royal Society of Tasmania (North)
2024 Launceston Lecture Series

Lectures commence at 1.30* pm at QVMAG @ Inveresk
*Start time varies as shown below
(Lectures are usually not recorded.
Recordings of some previous Branch lectures may be found on the Society’s YouTube channel.)

Download PDF version of this program here for printing.

Check this program regularly for the latest information.

Feb 25
Prof. Tim McCormack
‘The International Criminal Court: Ukraine and Gaza’. The role of the ICC in investigating war crimes in Ukraine and Gaza will be discussed, together with the prospects for Vladimir Putin being brought to trial in The Hague.

** ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1.15 pm, March 24 **

Mar 24
Prof. Russell G Smith
‘Pandemics and Fraud’. This talk identifies the fraud risks created by pandemics throughout history and considers how successful we’ve been in preventing the economic harms arising from them.

** ELVIN FIST LECTURE, April 28 **

Apr 28
Prof. Dom Geraghty
‘The University of Tasmania Northern Transformation Project …. Eight Years On’. The Northern Transformation of the University of Tasmania in Launceston is now becoming a reality with three new buildings and one refurbishment.
May 26
Carmel Towns and Anyame Bawa Sadique
‘Microplastics in Tasmania’. How present is microplastic in Tasmanian waters, soils and food, and what can we do about it?
Jun 23
Dr Hannah Fair
‘Modifying health and lifestyle factors to reduce dementia risk’. There is strong evidence that a series of modifiable health and lifestyle factors contribute to dementia risk. The presentation will discuss these risk factors, and outline Tasmania’s world-leading dementia risk reduction research, including the Preventing Dementia Massive Open Online Course and the ISLAND project.

** ANNUAL QVMAG STAFF LECTURE **

Jul 28
Ashley Bird
‘Bush carpentry and the Jimmy Possum tradition’. The history of this tradition is a narrative of chairs made within a small area of Northern Tasmania that is a story of mystery, unique craftsmanship and family connection.
Aug 25
John Dent OAM
‘York Town; then (1804 to 1806) and now’. This talk will outline the history of York Town, the site of the first European settlement in Northern Tasmania from 1804 to 1808 and its history in recent times.

** UTAS PhD candidates’ forum **

Sep 22
Pia Vallenari & Sandra Ospina-Rios
‘Breaking New Ground’. Two PhD candidates at the University of Tasmania will talk about their research.
Pia Vallenari: “Predicting Subclinical Ketosis in Dairy Cows using Sensors: – Using sensor data to understand subclinical ketosis in pasture-based dairy cows raises questions about whether subclinical ketosis is a disease or merely a metabolic response to the demands of milk production.
Sandra Ospina-Rios:“Dairy Systems of the Future – Can Cows Rear Their Own Calves?: – A dairy system that allows cows to rear their calves (typically separated). The system’s effects on productivity and long-term calf development are discussed.

** JOINT MEETING WITH THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA **

Oct 6
Dr Nick Roberts
“Tasmania’s geologically recent glacial records”. Tasmanian landforms and sediments provide the only direct records of repeated glaciation from a tectonically stable landmass in the southern mid-latitudes. Consequently, they afford key opportunities to understand Earth’s most recent ice ages. New sites and evolving techniques are expanding the understanding of Tasmania’s last few million years of cryosphere fluctuations.
Oct 27
Dr Ivan James AO
“How Can You Belong in Launceston?”. The varied experiences of refugees who have settled in Launceston and the development of the sociological concept of belonging.
Nov 24
Kuluni Millaniyage
“What makes a good timber floor?” – How are we going to make timber floors when the access to native regrowth forest timbers are becoming restricted?
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