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From 2007 to 2010, the King David School hosted up to four "Encounters with Science evenings" per year as part of the Robert Feigin Science Program. The evenings took place in the school auditorium, and involved a practicing scientist presenting on his or her career, experiences and interests. The presentations last for approximately 45 minutes plus question time, and are followed by tea and biscuits, during which time audience members can meet the presenter in person and ask more questions. The talks were open to anybody to attend, and advertised in many forms, including the school newsletter, mailouts to certain year levels, Jewish News and Leader newspapers, and directly to Jewish and other neighbouring schools. Attendance to each session has been between 50-100 people, mostly comprising teachers, students and parents of the school.
Summary
Summary
2010 Program
2010 Program
Bronwyn Hradsky - 12 October 2010
Professor Andrew Lawrence -29 April 2010
2009 Program
2009 Program
Dr Cenk Suphioglu - 8 October 2009
Dr Rosemary Mardling - 5 August 2009
Dr. Sarah Morgan - Nanoventures Australia - 14 May 2009
2008 Program
2008 Program
Dr Ramesh Bhat - Swinburne University of Technology - 13 November 2008
Professor David Karoly - University of Melbourne - 21 August 2008
Associate Professor David Goodman - St Vincent's Hospital - 21 May 2008
Dr Kate Wilkinson - Peter Mac Cancer Centre - 18 March 2008
2007 Program
Dr Alan Finkel - 13 November 2007
Dr Orly Lacham-Kaplan - 15 October 2007
Martin Harris - 5 September 2007
Robyn Williams -30 July 2007
2010 Program
2010 Program
Bronwyn Hradsky - Zoos Victoria
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Bronwyn is a Support Officer at the for Wildlife Conservation and Science at Zoos Victoria. She spoke about wildlife conservation efforts being undertaken by Zoos Victoria in Australia and around the world, including Papua New Guinea and Kenya. Bronwyn’s presentation has provided the school with ideas on how to become involved in the global conservation effort.
For the first time, the talk was preceded by a Science related movie screening - Sci Fi thriller Avatar was shown to a thoroughly engaged audience.
Professor Andrew Lawrence - Howard Florey Institute, Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne
Thursday 29 April 2010
Professor Andrew Lawrence runs the Addiction Neuroscience Laboratory, which is part of the Institute's Brain and Injury Repair Group. His presentation, titled "Addiction: It’s all in the Brain", focussed on Brain Injury and Repair, particularly in relation to drug addiction. Professor Lawrence provided evidence from extensive experimental investigations undertaken by his research team in the Addiction Neuroscience laboratory, that drug addiction is a brain disorder, and that the identification of strong candidate genes could lead to better therapeutics to assist those people addicted to drugs.
The talk was excellent and very well received by the students, who had many questions for him to answer during and after the presentation.
2009 Program
2009 Program
Dr Cenk Suphioglu - Deakin University
Thursday 8 October 2009
The final Encounters with Science evening for 2009 was held at the Magid Institute. Dr Cenk Suphioglu from Deakin University spent the evening enlightening the audience on the steps involved in the allergic (hypersensitive) reaction, which is a disorder of the immune response.
The talk introduced clinically significant allergen sources and current allergy treatment options. Dr Suphioglu then spoke about his own current allergy research, which is targeted at the molecular characterisation of allergens, the immune response to them, and their implications in the preparation of novel reagents for the safe and effective treatment of allergies.
Some very interesting research was presented to the audience that enabled them to understand everyday phenomena, such aswhy it is that asthmatics tend to suffer more in the warmer months, on a dry day immediately following a wet one.
Dr Rosemary Mardling - Monash University
Wednesday 5 August 2009
Dr. Mardling spoke about her fascinating research into extrasolar planets, which are planets orbiting stars other than our own sun. Up until twenty years ago it was impossible to detect them because they don't emit any light, and because the stars are so much larger, and drown out any signs of the planets that orbit them. However, with stronger telescopes and other new technology such as "Charged Couple Devices" - very efficient collectors of light, it has become possible to detect over 400 (and counting) extrasolar planets in the universe. It's still very difficult to "see" extrasolar planets, however astronomers can "detect" them by the effects they cause to the stars they orbit.
Dr. Mardling proceeded to explain the four basic methods of detecting extrasolar planets, and the number of planets that have been detected by each one:
direct detection (11 planets), by seeing the star directly in front of its star;
astrometry (2 planets), by detecting the "wobble" in the motion of the star;
photometry (61 planets), by detecting a "dip" in the brightness of the star over a number of days/weeks/months while the planet is moving in front of the star relative to the earth; and
radial velocity (332 planets), by detecting the "wobble" of the star around its own centre of mass, caused by the gravitational pull of the planet.
Finally, Dr. Mardling explained how research into extrasolar planets has been used to prove the existence of astronometric phenomena, such as eliptical planetry orbits. Dr. Mardling commented on the range of intelligent questions that were asked during the talk, mostly by students, and she commended them for taking such a keen interest in science beyond the classroom, and for the depth of understanding they showed.
Dr. Sarah Morgan - Nanoventures Australia
14 May 2009
Thursday 14th May saw the first of the Encounters with Science Evenings at the King David School for 2009. The recently updated VCE Chemistry Study Design now contains theory on Nanotechnology. Being such an emerging science and new to the secondary curriculum, resources are limited. As such, Dr Sarah Morgan from NanoVentures Australia was invited to speak on the subject of Nanotechnology. The evening was highly attended with many VCE Chemistry students as well as parents, teachers and other science enthusiasts.
Dr Morgan began the session by providing an explanation of Nanotechnology and the endless possibilities of its application. Many of the prototypes of Nanotechnology application were presented to the audience as well as an explanation of its use in the areas of therapeutic drug delivery, medical diagnostics, cleaning and purification and advanced materials production. Some of the issues concerning Nanotechnology research and use were also brought to light in a presentation that was not only educating but entertaining. Many attendees reported that they found the presentation fascinating and in particular, the VCE Chemistry students were enlightened by not only the theory needed for their studies, but on the possible career opportunities and applications of science.
Dr Morgan was an excellent presenter and the audience had many questions. As well as the prototypes of nanotechnology products, she showed the audience a nanokit which is safe enough for schools to purchase and use for teaching and learning. The kit contains several small nanotechnology products that the students can examine and run investigations on. Overall the presentation was a great success with a fairly large turnout of chemistry and physics students and their parents, and has sparked a lot of interest about Nanotechnology. On request from the school, the Trust is now considering adding a Nanotechnology component to the Robert Feigin Science Program.
2008 Program
2008 Program
Dr Ramesh Bhat - Swinburne University of Technology
13 November 2008
Ramesh, our fourth and final speaker for 2008, works in Swinburne’s Department for Astrophysics & Supercomputing. He is an expert in Pulsars and the search for Einstein’s mysterious gravitational waves, which are thought to pervade our universe. These enigmatic gravity waves are incredibly difficult to detect, and Ramesh is part of a global effort to detect them.
Unimaginably violent events, such as a star more massive than our own Sun will at the end of its life explode in what is referred to as a supernova explosion. It is from such a violent event that many of the elements, such as gold that we hold to be so precious are formed. But this event also produces the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein, which spread outward like ripples in a pond, but in the case of our universe, that would be one very large pond. As the gravity waves spread outward from their point of origin (the exploding star), they compress and stretch the very fabric of space and time, including every object in the universe, but on a mind-bogglingly small scale.
At the conclusion of the speaker presentation, a number of students took the opportunity to have an in depth discussion with Dr Bhat regarding the latest theories of space and time. The evening capped off the Encounters with Science series of speaker presentations, sponsored by the Robert Feigin Memorial Scholarship Trust.
Professor David Karoly - University of Melbourne
21 August 2008
David, who works in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne, spoke on "Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Australia". In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Fourth Assessment Report, providing a comprehensive global assessment of climate change science, impacts, vulnerabilities, adaptation and mitigation. A brief review of the main conclusions of this assessment will be presented; that warming of the climate system over the last 100 years is unequivocal, that most of the increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the increase in greenhouse gases due to human activity, and that substantial further warming is projected over the remainder of this century. Professor Ross Garnaut, preparing a report to the Federal Government on Australia’s response to climate change, has described climate change as a “diabolical issue”. The challenges for Australia associated with climate change, including impacts due to more hot extremes, changing rainfall patterns, more frequent droughts, and sea level rise, will be discussed. Opportunities exist now for Australia to determine its response to climate change, particularly its energy sources for the next 50 years, which will influence the climate that current school children will experience in 50 years time.
Associate Professor David Goodman - St Vincent's Hospital
21 May 2008
David, who works in the clinical kidney and Islet transplantation unit, gave hope that a cure for diabetes may not be too far away. The audience consisted of students, parents, staff and members of the community, all interested to learn more about the cutting edge research being undertaken at St Vincent’s Hospital, and by other specialised medical centres around the world. The Year 12 Biology students who attended the evening were particularly grateful to David for generously donating his time, as his presentation greatly assisted their preparation for the mid-year Biology examination.
Dr Kate Wilkinson - Peter Mac Cancer Centre
18 March 2008
Kate, who works in the Radiation Therapy Services team, kicked off the first of the ‘Encounters with Science’ evenings for 2007 on Tuesday 18 March at the Magid Institute. Kate spoke on the effects of radiation on the human body, how technology is used in diagnosis and treatment, and on possible training and career paths. The evening was a huge success with a large turnout of students who peppered Kate with wonderful questions on the topic of radiation therapy throughout her presentation. The enjoyment of the event was also shared by Kate, who left King David ‘energised and excited by the buzz from the students and parents’. To Quote Kate: "Thank you so much. I did enjoy last night - I left energised and excited by the 'buzz' from the students and parents. I do appreciate your kind words and I'm very grateful for your invitation and creating the opportunity for me to present."
Kate’s session provided a first hand insight into the latest technologies being used at Peter Mac, as well as soon to be seen advances in radiation delivery, such as ‘respiratory gating’.
Organs such as the lungs, liver and breast can move by as much as 5 cm from inhalation to exhalation, which means that when radiation therapy is used to attack a tumour in one of these organs, a large area of healthy tissue surrounding the tumour is also flooded by this radiation. With the technology of ‘respiratory gating’, the radiation being delivered is switched on and off to coincide with the patient’s respiratory cycle, thereby allowing the cancerous tumour to be hit with a high dose of radiation, whilst minimising the amount of healthy tissue being affected.
2007 Program
2007 Program
Dr Alan Finkel - Chancellor- Elect, Monash University
13 November 2007
The Encounters with Science evenings, sponsored by the Robert Feigin Memorial Scholarship Trust, concluded with its fourth and last speaker for the year. Dr Alan Finkel spoke about how and why he became interested in Science, and how the seemingly obvious answers to scientific and technological problems aren’t always so. It was a fascinating discussion that not only looked at how he managed to invent an instrument that could analyse and measure the electrical activity from a single nerve cell, one-tenth the size of a human hair, but also involved a discussion of the problems associated with bio-fuels. He explained how the future space tourism industry would work, by showing a short video clip of the Virgin Galactic space plane. And finally, to show the wonderful opportunities to be had in the field of science, Dr Finkel spoke about a future project in which Australia hopes to be involved in, called the Square Kilometre Array. This project is expected to reveal previously unknown information about the universe in which we live. At the conclusion of Dr Finkel’s presentation, Year 11 student Josh Teichman demonstrated his Emerging Scientist competition entry, the Tesla Coil.
Dr Orly Lacham-Kaplan - Monash University
15 October 2007
On Monday 15th October The King David School hosted Dr Orly Lacham-Kaplan for the third Encounters with Science evening. Dr Lacham-Kaplan, a pioneer in the use of stem cells and reproductive biology spoke to students, parents and staff. Her intimate knowledge of stem cells and their use in reproductive biology provided all that attended an insight into where Later that week, Dr Lacham-Kaplan was awarded a prestigious state award to recognise her outstanding achievements.
Martin Harris - Optiscan Imaging
5 September 2007
On Wednesday 5th September The King David School hosted Martin Harris. Martin spoke about the world’s smallest microscope that was developed and commercialised by his company, Optiscan Imaging. During this presentation he also discussed the world’s largest microscope, known as the Synchrotron, that is located on the site of the old drive-in theatre in Clayton, next door to Monash University. It was a wonderful and informative evening that provided all that attended a fascinating insight into how the latest advancements in microscopy are allowing medical specialists to better diagnose cancers, and perform less invasive laparoscopies, arthroscopies, etc. Following his presentation, visitors were invited to check out Martin’s version of a Foucault pendulum, the confocal microscope, as well as numerous other scientific gadgets.
Robyn Williams - ABC Radio National
30 July 2007
Approximately 90 to 100 people attended this first presentation, which happened to coincide with the start of the Literary Festival. Robyn spoke for approximately 40 minutes on a general theme of Science ... Be Inspired! The objective was to inspire students towards Science by pointing out that Science is everywhere, and irrespective of the career that students may seek out, Science provides valuable knowledge and skills in almost any profession. The presentation was followed by 20 minutes of questions, with the audience invited to biscuits and tea for further discussions with Robyn at the event’s conclusion.
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