Presentation by 3 x 20 minute papers details below
Royal Society Room
Tuesday, 5th October 2010 Commencing 8.00 pm until 10.00 pm
Three postgraduates from leading schools in the University of Tasmania
About the Speaker
1. Catherine Blizzard PhD Candidate, NeuroRepair Group – Menzies Research Institute. 2. Martin Jutzeler PhD Candidate, Centre for ore Deposit Studies (CODES). 3. Alex Fraser Antarctic Climate and ecosystems CRC.
Brief Abstract of the Talk
1. Regeneration and repair in the brain following injury. Our ability to effectively manipulate the adaptive response of the brain to injury is greatly limited by a lack of fundamental insight into the cell biology of the adult CNS and its capacity for plasticity and remodelling. The studies included in my thesis have demonstrated that mature neurons possess a remarkable capacity for regeneration and plasticity following injury, however the mechanisms that underlie regeneration of mature neurons are fundamentally different to developmental growth. 2. Behaviour of subaqueous explosive volcanic eruptions: What do we know, and what needs to be understood? Contrary to their subaerial analogues, the explosive volcanic eruptions which happen underwater are poorly documented. Our current research is based on uplifted Tertiary deposits that show extremely thick beds, rich in pumice clasts. Study of the physical characteristics of these deposits allows us to reconstruct the type of volcanic activity, and to understand how the clasts were transported away from the submerged vent. We are also comparing these deposits with subaqueous deposits associated with subaerial pyroclastic flows which entered the sea. 3. East Antarctic Landfast Sea-Ice Variability, or How I Wish Clouds were See-Through. Landfast sea ice (more commonly known as fast ice) is sea ice which is”fastened” to the coast, or grounded icebergs. It forms around the coast of Antarctica, and in some regions in the Arctic. Its distribution and variability have profound and far-reaching implications on local and global scales: it forms a habitat and foraging zone for Weddell seals and Emperor penguins, its formation and breakup influences global ocean circulation, and it may be a sensitive indicator of global climate change.
