News

Physics Undergraduate Lab Opening was a success!!

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:48:18 GMT

The end of June saw the opening of the newly refurbished undergraduate laboratory space in the Nuclear building. There was a wonderful turn out of students/staff with the new Dean of Science, Prof Rob Saint performing the honours by flicking on the switches to the Radio Telescope and the Energy Spectrometer.

Prof Rachel Webster talks of 400 Years of Astronomical Telescopes

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:06:10 GMT

Astrophysicist Prof Rachel Webster discusses the evolution of the astronomical telescope on Up Close in association with celebrating the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

URL: http://upclose.unimelb.edu.au/episode/199

Professor Jeremy Mould wins the 2009 Gruber Cosmology Prize

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:52:18 GMT

We are delighted to announce that the 2009 Gruber Cosmology Prize has gone to Wendy Freedman, Robert Kennicutt and our Jeremy Mould.

This outstanding team led the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale, a painstaking ten-year-long effort that resolved the decades-long dispute about the value of the Hubble constant, one of the most important measurements in astronomy. The project's findings have not only effectively determined the age of the universe (about 14 billion years), but have also enabled scientists to more accurately investigate other profound questions about the birth, evolution, and composition of the universe.

Freedman, Kennicutt, and Mould will receive the Prize on August 4, 2009, at the opening ceremony of the International Astronomical Union's General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

More information may be found at:
http://www.gruberprizes.org/GruberPrizes/Cosmology_PressRelease.php?awardid=49

Congratulations to Dr Susan Angus!

Fri, 15 May 2009 05:18:19 GMT

Dr Susan Angus has been awarded the Malcolm Chaikin Prize for Research Excellence at University of New South Wales for her fantastic work on silicon nanodots which has had a major impact on the current device architectures used in the Centre for Quantum Computer Technology

Angels and Demons by Professor Raymond Volkas

Thu, 14 May 2009 23:05:17 GMT

Interested in a Physicist's review of the the movie. Go to

http://www.science.unimelb.edu.au/matters/angels-and-demons

Dr Jean E Laby (1915-2008) inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women 2009

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:18:25 GMT

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women (the Honour Roll) recognises and celebrates the achievements of Victorian women. All of the inductees have used their skills, knowledge, and commitment to better their communities. They have excelled in their chosen fields and are testament to the depth of talented women we have in this State.

Professor Steven Prawer and his Nano team featured in Nanotechweb

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:50:10 GMT

Professor Steven Prawer, Dr Paul Spizzirri, Dr Alberto Cimmino, Jing-Hua Fang and Sergey Rubanov (the Nano team) was featured in Nanotechweb

Dr Donald Payne featured in the Dandenong Journal

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:51:05 GMT

Astro alumnus, Dr Donald Payne, is featured in the Dandenong Journal about Energycore's geothermal technology.

A/Prof Stuart Wyithe's article 'The First Galaxies' featured in Australasian Science

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:43:21 GMT

A/Prof Stuart Wyithe's article The First Galaxies is featured in Australasian Science. "New technologies are enabling astronomers to peer through a haze of hydrogen to when the first galaxies were born less than 1 billion years after the Big Bang". Please refer to full article at http://www.control.com.au/

Congratulations Medal Winners A/Prof Stuart Wyithe & Prof Steven Prawer

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:01:35 GMT

We congratulate A/Prof Stuart Wyithe on receiving the 2009 Pawsey Medal (AAS) for outstanding research in physics by scientists under 40 years! We also congratulate again Prof Steven Prawer who will be formally presented with the 2008 Royal Society of Victoria Prize for Scientific Research on the evening of Thursday 11 Dec 08.