Royal Society of NSW News & Events

"Climate change, regional drought and forest mortality: are we seeing a new global phenomenon?" Professor Derek Eamus, University of Technology, Sydney Wednesday 5 September 2012 at 6.30 pm Union, University and Schools Club, 25 Bent Street, Sydney Meeting report by Donald Hector Around the world, forests seem to be under stress. At the 1203rd OGM,...

"Outsmarting superbugs?" Professor Liz Harry, Professor of Biology, School of Medical and Molecular Sciences, University of Technology SydneyWednesday 3 October 2012 at 6.30 pm Union, University and Schools Club, 25 Bent Street, Sydney Meeting report by James Kehoe and Jude Allen Bacterial infections have become increasingly resistant to current an...

"Science for gentlemen - the Royal Society of New South Wales in the nineteenth century" Peter J. Tyler, Historian for the Royal Society of New South Wales Wednesday 2 June 2010 at 7 pmConference Room 1, Darlington Centre, University of Sydney Scientific activity in New South Wales began when James Cook and Joseph Banks voyaged along the eastern co...

"The unexpected nuclear renaissance: nuclear techniques benefiting mankind"Dr Adi Paterson, CEO, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Wednesday 7 November 2012 at 6.30 pm Union, University and Schools Club, 25 Bent Street, Sydney Meeting report by Donald Hector The Society was privileged to have Dr Paterson, chief executiv...

"The weird world of nanoscale gold" Mike Cortie, Director of the Institute for Nanoscale Technology, University of Technology, Sydney Wednesday 5 May 2010 at 7 pmConference Room 1, Darlington Centre, University of Sydney The field of `nanotechnology' has captured the imaginations of many. There are many new journals dedicated to the subject and the...

Wednesday 6 February 2013​ Presentations by Royal Society of NSW scholarship winners 2013 The 2012 Scholarship winners presented at the first meeting of 2013 held at the Union University and Schools Club on Wednesday 6 February. Helen Smith (left) is completing her PhD at Sydney University as part of a Sydney-based conservation programme to reintro...

Wednesday, 6 March 2013​ "The evolution of galaxies" - Dr Ray Norris Ray Norris, a senior astrophysicist with the CSIRO spoke at the 1208th OGM of the Society on one of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) projects, Project EMU – an acronym for evolutionary map of the universe. The ASKAP project is the first phase of the $2 bill...

Wednesday, 3 April 2013​ Inaugural Fellows Lecture - Professor Michael Archer AM"An evolutionary history of Australia" The Society was proud to have Professor Michael Archer AM present the inaugural Fellows Lecture on Wednesday, 3 April 2013. Professor Archer was one of the first Fellows appointed by the Society, recognising his outstanding work as...

Wednesday, 1 May 2013​ "In an analogue world, envisioning the digital future: Paul Otlet, a forgotten forefather of today's 'information society' " - Emeritus Professor Boyd Rayward Emeritus Professor Boyd Rayward gave a fascinating talk about someone whom he styled as 'forgotten', but who in reality had never been heard of by most members of the a...

Thursday, 6 June 2013​ The Royal Society of NSW Forum 2013 was held at the Powerhouse Museum on Thursday 6 June before a large audience. Antony Funnell of the ABC's Radio National moderated the discussion between: Professor Brian Schmidt AC FRSN, Nobel Prize winner Professor Steven Schwartz AM, former Macquarie University Vice Chancellor Ms Judith ...

Wednesday 3 July 2013​ "Caring for highly processed wood pulp? The role of the State library in the 21st century" - Dr Alex Byrne At the 1212th ordinary general meeting the Society on Wednesday, 3 July 2013, we were delighted to welcome Dr Alex Byrne, State Librarian and Chief Executive of the State Library of NSW. Dr Byrne gave a wide-ranging talk...

Wednesday, 7 August 2013​ "How numbers came to rule the world: the impact of Luca Pacioli, Leonardo da Vinci and the merchants of Venice on Wall Street" - Jane Gleeson-White At the 1213th meeting of the Society at the Powerhouse Museum on Wednesday, 7 August 2013, Jane Gleeson-White outlined the argument she presented in her best-selling book Doubl...

Tuesday, 13 August 2013​ "Biodiversity and the future of agriculture" - Professor Geoff Gurr After a hiatus of 20 years, the Poggendorf Lecture was delivered in conjunction with Charles Sturt University, Orange, on Tuesday, 13 August 2013. The lecture was delivered by Professor Geoff Gurr, a biologist and entomologist and Professor of Applied Ecolo...

Wednesday, 4 September 2013​ "Open science" - Dr Matthew Todd The speaker at the Society's 1214th ordinary general meeting was Dr Matthew Todd, a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Sydney who is a leading proponent of the concept of "open science". Dr Todd began with an example of the type of problem to which open science can provide...

Wednesday, 2 October 2013​ "Astrobiology: the latest from Curiosity" - Professor Malcolm Walter "Seven seconds of terror" was how the operators at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US describe the landing of 'Curiosity', the latest rover mission that landed on Mars in August last year. In the last stage of the landing, the entry vehicle hovered ...

"Grid-connected energy storage: the key to sustainable energy?" Professor Tony Vassallo, Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy Development, School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Wednesday 2 November 2011 at 6.30 pm Lecture Theatre 106, New Law Building, University of Sydney Many countries in the w...

"Sex in the sea: how understanding the weird and bizarre sex lives of fishes is the first step to their conservation" Professor Bill Gladstone, Head of the School of the Environment, University of Technology Sydney Wednesday 5 October 2011 at 6.30 pm Lecture Theatre 106, New Law Building, University of Sydney In 1938 the pioneer deep sea explorer W...

"Distributed small-scale production of chemicals - why and how"Professor Brian HaynesWednesday 7 September 2011 at 6.30 pmSeminar Room 102, New Law Building, University of Sydney In the last two decades tens of thousands of jobs have been lost from the Australian chemical manufacturing sector. As Professor Brian Haynes of the School of Chemical and...

Thursday, 19 February 2014"Searching for clues: Unmasking art fraud and fraudsters" - Associate Professor Robyn Sloggett At the first joint meeting of the Society and the Australian Academy of Forensics Sciences, Professor Robyn Sloggitt explain the approach taken by forensics scientists in investigating prosecuting cultural heritage offences. The ...

Thursday, 27 February 2014"Questions of power in NSW"Professor Mary O'Kane, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer At the annual Four Societies Lecture, Professor Mary O'Kane considered the major questions that face NSW in the future of energy production and utilisation. Asking the right questions is key – it reduces the time taken to identify the best s...