2020 to 2024 video archive
Public lectures in physics
2024 lectures
Sustainability, Science and Australian Universities in the 21st Century
Join a panel of esteemed scientific, policy and climate leaders for a discussion on the role of Australian universities and scientists in the interdisciplinary challenge of reaching the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Hosted by physicist and science communicator A/Prof. Suzie Sheehy, panelists include:
- Prof. Harry Quiney, Head of School of Physics, University of Melbourne
- Amanda McKenzie, CEO of Climate Council Australia
- Rita Adjei, Wattle Fellow and PhD candidate focused on sustainability education
- Dr. Kahl Kestin, Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI) and Network Manager , UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Professor Rachel Webster: Physics and Renewable Energy: Geothermal in the Latrobe Valley
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an urgent need, especially for Victoria to reach its legislated emissions target of net zero by 2050. While she usually looks up at the stars in her astrophysics research, two decades ago Prof. Webster started asking: what if the answer is beneath our feet? Just 150km from Melbourne, in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, the layers of brown coal create the perfect environment to heat up the aquifer and provide one of the world’s best sources of emission-free sustainable geothermal power. In this talk Prof. Webster will explore the science of geothermal energy which could be harnessed as an alternative to natural gas, giving an insiders tour of the current project to create the ‘Smart Geothermal Industrial Loop’ (SGIL).
Dr. Julian O'Shea: Adventures in Transportation: Designing How We Move, from Scooters to Self
Are self-driving cars the future? What can Taylor Swift teach us about transport design? What happened to all those oBikes that ended up in the Yarra? This talk is an exploration about transport in the urban context, the past, present and future of cities and how the way we move impacts our lives. This talk shares stories from Julian O'Shea's work and research in transport, urbanism and video storytelling.
Dr. Navid Constantinou: Oceans in Motion: How Oceans Affect Our Changing Climate
The ocean’s boundless mystery and ever-changing beauty inspires artists, poets, and dreamers, serving as an eternal muse for creative expression. Yet, many phenomena in the ocean still puzzle scientists. In this talk we embark on a journey to appreciate how the ocean’s motion gives rise to mesmerising patterns: a complex network of ocean currents accompanied by swirling, turbulent eddies that move heat, carbon, and salt around the globe. We’ll dive in and understand how the ocean’s complicated and inspiring motions shape and regulate the global climate. With that in mind, we’ll discuss then the ocean’s role in our changing climate.
2023 lectures
Prof. Elisabetta Barberio: The Extreme Search for Dark Matter: Exploring the Universe a Kilometre Underground
Scientists sometimes need to go to extreme lengths to find answers about the cosmos. This is exemplified by the new Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) located a kilometre underground in regional Victoria. The motivation for SUPL began with the surprising discovery in the 20th century that ordinary matter makes up less than 5% of the mass of the universe. The rest of the universe appears to be made of a mysterious, invisible substance named dark matter (25%), and a force that repels gravity known as dark energy (70%). So far, neither has been directly detected, though physicists know dark matter must exist because of its gravitational effects on galaxies and other astrophysical phenomena.
Finding dark matter requires a very sheltered environment deep underground – far from cosmic ray-induced particles – to observe deep space phenomena far below the surface of Earth: this is what SUPL provides. Creating this new underground lab as an extreme project, which now provides the home for the SABRE South experiment: a new detector designed to catch the rare dalliances of these elusive cosmic messengers with ordinary matter. From the depths of a mine shielded from cosmic rays, we will get a glimpse of one of the deepest mysteries of the universe.
Dr. Eleanor Campbell: The light of a million Suns: Studying crystals at the Australian Synchrotron
In Melbourne’s southeast, a powerful particle accelerator is generating beams of light a million times brighter than the Sun. Scientists from all over the country travel to this accelerator, the Australian Synchrotron, to use this light in their research. In this lecture, we will explore the brilliant world of synchrotron light and its applications to studying crystals. From deciphering the structures of complex molecules to conducting life-saving medical research, synchrotron light can illuminate nature’s secrets.
2022 lectures
Prof. Nicole Bell: Quantum foundations of the Universe – The creation of matter
The evolution of the very early universe is described by quantum mechanics and particle physics. The first moments after the big bang saw the creation of an asymmetry between matter and antimatter, the production of dark matter, and the formation of light elements in ‘primordial nucleosynthesis’. This lecture looks at the way quantum processes created the matter in our universe.
Prof. Lloyd Hollenberg: Quantum computers: approaching fast
Quantum computers are beginning to emerge from decades of development in physics research labs around the world – prototypes are here, and you can access them via the cloud. But what are they, and what are they good for? To answer these questions we will take a brief tour through the world of quantum computers – covering their origins, current status and outlook. The talk will be augmented by quantum programming examples, both in a simulation environment and on physical quantum computer systems.
Prof. Katya Pas: Quantum chemistry: quantum effects in our everyday lives
Quantum chemistry had humble beginnings - in 1927 quantum mechanics was applied to chemistry for the first time, to describe the chemical bonds of the hydrogen molecule. Since then, advancements in quantum chemistry has gone hand in hand with advancements in computing. By the 1990s quantum chemistry methods could solve problems from thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions to excited states of biological systems. The arrival of petascale computing has resulted in an explosion of studies to understand the properties of organic, emiconductor and metallic materials used in our everyday life. We now have quantum chemical software that solves the Schrödinger equation for chemical systems consisting of nearly half a million atoms… a mighty achievement almost unthinkable a few decades ago.
Prof. David Jamieson: Thermonuclear quantum mechanics: the elusive promise of fusion
It is hard now to imagine that before the 1930s, the source of the Sun’s power was not known for sure. After the reveal of mechanism of thermonuclear fusion, prospects for controlled fusion as a source of power on Earth were proposed, but the main nuclear reaction in the Sun uses the weak nuclear reaction and this is too feeble for an engineered reactor. This lecture looks at the prospects for a breakthrough and the role of quantum mechanics that may provide new insights to address the difficult challenges. Lecture dedicated to the memory of Prof Tony Klein.
2021 lectures
Dr Suzie Sheehy: Working across boundaries: Insights from the pioneers of nuclear and quantum physics
In the early 20th century the idea of the atom as an indivisible entity was overthrown and replaced with the idea of subatomic particles, quantum mechanics and a complex view of reality that no one had predicted. But how did we actually discover this view of reality?
In this talk we explore a series of key experiments behind this transition. From the cathode ray tubes and instruments on hot air balloons to cloud and bubble chambers and enormous particle accelerators. This talk will follow the stories of the people who made these experiments happen, from Nobel-prize winners to the lesser-known “scanning girls”. We will explore how working across disciplinary, cultural and societal boundaries led to discoveries that changed our understanding of physics, and our world, forever.
Associate Professor Duane Hamacher: Indigenous Astronomy, Science and Truth-Telling
Indigenous Knowledge represents complex systems of dynamic inquiry based on millennia of observation, deduction, interconnection, and wisdom. Within these globally diverse systems, elders continually reiterate that what is above is below: everything on the land is reflected in the sky. The canopy of stars serves as a map, a scientific text, a lawbook, and a mnemonic. In this talk, we will learn examples of this taught by elders from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia, as well as First Cultures across the globe and see the many layers of scientific information encoded within.
Dr Elizabeth Hinde: The Physical Architecture of Biology
Inside the nucleus of a human cell there is approximately 2 m of DNA folded into a three-dimensional (3D) network and yet intriguingly, only 2 % percent of this DNA is made up of protein-coding genes. The other 98% is noncoding and we still do not know exactly what it does. In recent years a consensus has emerged that noncoding DNA is involved in orchestrating spatial rearrangements in the 3D structure of DNA to turn protein-coding genes on and off. Directly observing this in a living cell is an immense challenge because DNA structure is well below the diffraction limit of optical microscopy. But thanks to physics breakthroughs, the mysteries of DNA are no longer invisible. This lecture will show how physics allows us to uncover in real time the spatial reorganisation of the DNA network that seems to be serving as an epigenetic layer of control for gene expression.
Professor Geoffrey Taylor: Colliders: How International Collaboration enables Fundamental Physics Breakthrough
As the science of the fundamental building blocks of our universe has evolved, so needs larger and larger “atom-smashing” machines. The now famous Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN would not have been possible without a highly collaborative approach to big science. The difficulty of developing and maintaining international cooperation of the scale and timeline characterising the LHC is daunting. It involves continued efforts from scientists, through laboratory and funding agencies, to the highest levels of governments and intergovernmental organisations. All the while, high levels of communication of the needs and benefits of such projects amongst the community is paramount. This talk will present the ups and downs of building highly collaborative giant particle colliders, past, present and future. The presenter will bring a career of personal experience of such projects to the talk.
Professor David Jamieson: Ahead of their time – Revolutionary discoveries in Physics made too soon
Oliver Heaviside prematurely discovered a fundamental result of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity in 1888 nearly twenty years before Einstein. Ida Noddak explained anomalous results from Enrico Fermi’s experiments as evidence for nuclear fission, but her explanation was dismissed as ridiculous for nine years before it was accepted as correct. This lecture looks at advances in physics that were ahead of their time and ask: can we identify the premature discoveries of the present day that may shape the future? To find them, should we be looking for a ‘lone genius’ or is scientific creativity more complex than that?
2020 lectures
Professor David Jamieson: Physics of life: what do the laws of physics say?
Professor David Jamieson introduces us to the laws of physics. This webinar was originally broadcast as the first installment of the 2020 July Lectures in Physics on the theme of Physics of Life.
Professor Harry Quiney: Molecule of life: imaging life's machinery
Professor Harry Quiney talks us through how physics can help us image the molecular basis on which the machines of life operate. This webinar was originally broadcast as the second instalment of the 2020 July Lectures in Physics on the theme of Physics of Life, facilitated by Professor David Jamieson.
Dr Suzie Sheehy: Ion beams for cancer therapy: new technologies for treating inoperable tumours
Accelerator physicist Dr Suzie Sheehy discusses precision particle therapy and its potential health applications. This webinar was originally broadcast as the third installment of the 2020 July Lectures in Physics on the theme of Physics of Life, facilitated by Professor David Jamieson.
Professor James McCaw: Physics of epidemics: helping to keep us safe
Professor James McCaw discusses the intersection of mathematics, epidemiology and public health in the midst of the global COVID-19 crisis. This webinar was originally broadcast as the fourth installment of the 2020 July Lectures in Physics on the theme of Physics of Life, facilitated by Professor David Jamieson.
Dr Katie Auchettl: The elements of life: from supernovae to planets
Dr Katie Auchetll discusses the connection between stellar death and understanding where we came from and what we are made of. This webinar was originally broadcast as the fifth installment of the 2020 July Lectures in Physics on the theme of Physics of Life, facilitated by Professor David Jamieson.
