News

Jennifer Shaw was our Wet & Wild zone winner in March 2013. A PhD student at the University of Adelaide, Jenny was certain that she wanted to donate all of her $1,000 prize money to charity. Here she tells us why donating her prize was so important to her and how she decided on which charity to support:

Jenny: I decided to donate my prize money to ‘Room to Read’ because I felt that $1,000 has the potential to drastically change many children’s lives in poorer nations. I once lived in Africa for a couple of months and was shocked by the level of poverty that I saw.

Some children in developing countries don’t have access to basic education. There may not be a school in their village at all. Even if there is a school, they may not be able to afford materials such as books, or have any literate adults in the village who can teach them. Also, if the child is female she may not be able to attend school because in some communities only boys are allowed to go to school. As a result, there are many people in these countries who grow up unable to read or write, unable to get a job and unable to break the poverty cycle.

We live in a relatively wealthy country so we already have access to decent education and books. If we wish to learn about something all we have to do is look it up online or in a book or ask a teacher/adult who will find out for us. It is easy for us to take this all for granted. Knowledge is all around us and all we have to do is make an effort.

I wanted to give the money to a charity which helps children in poorer countries get a basic education. I just didn’t know which one. So I did lots of research online and I found ‘Room to Read’ which is a charity that promotes literacy and gender equality in developing nations. They provide text books to schools (written in the local language because not everyone can speak English), build new schools, set up local libraries, and promote gender equality in communities so that girls are allowed to attend school as well as boys.

Even if my $1,000 only buys books for one school, in one village, which allows a handful of children to learn to read and write, then that’s money well spent, because those children will go on to teach their children… and so on and so on.

Thanks Jenny for filling us in on how you have spent your prize money. It is great to hear how your achievement in I’m a Scientist is helping to reach out to engage and educate children beyond Australia.

Our next I’m a Scientist event will take place from 26th August – 6th September.

Thank you for joining us for I’m a Scientist, Get Me out of Here! in March.

It was an amazing effort, the final stats are as follows and includes a new I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here! record for the number of questions asked in a single zone – 399 questions posted in the Disease Zone:

Zone	Students	Questions	Comments	Live Chats
Agriculture	224	167	28	13
Disease	288	399	157	21
Wet & Wild	239	234	259	15
Total	751	793	444	49

The big news are the Student Zone Winners. In each zone we award a $50 iTunes voucher and certificate to a student based on the recommendations of our scientists, recognising a quality question, contributing to a interesting discussion or degree of engagement with the Q&A and Live Chat. We’ve also made some special commendations and those students will receive certificates. Certificates and vouchers are being posted via your coordinating teacher. The winners are:

Agriculture:
Winner: katies
Highly commended: strawberrybunny, cloudstrife, davidmcafee, phoebe1998, mitchamgirls1998, daughterofhades, markwinterbottom5, jezzdogslayer, jonahkaufman, luciferdesu, beaversrcool, kelseyjaye98.

Disease:
Winner: april7
Highly commended: tonystark, naniasa, cupcakesrachel, scientistsophie, potatosteph, lulu.

Wet & Wild:
Winner: wdowe2
Highly commended: camillaweiss, dinghy65, reddwarf3705, cheesecake, kidfromclover, dmath56, grumb1es, isla12321, fourleafedclover.

Thanks also to the scientists, teachers and students who filled out our evaluation surveys. Your feedback is much appreciated and students who respond go into the draw to win a $50 iTunes voucher. The recipient of the iTunes voucher is flyingpig for our March event. Much appreciated!

Good luck for the rest of the school year!

Hannah Brown was our winner in the Organs Zone from the August-September 2012 event. Here’s how Hannah spent her $1000:

Hannah: It was an honour to be the winner of I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here! in 2012.  Working in reproductive biology, I thought it provided the perfect opportunity to share my knowledge of how our technology was helping to preserve species at the Adelaide Zoo with students from Challa Gardens Primary School.

I ran two, 90 minute, in-school, sessions focussed on “What a Scientist looks like” and “Endangered Species Preservation”.  During these sessions we talked about the types of jobs scientists can have and what the options are for career paths in science, and a second session focussing of the types of technology helping to preserve endangered species, including the Panda Breeding Program at the Adelaide Zoo.

Following these two session, I took an excursion of 60 Year 6 and 7 students to the Adelaide Zoo.  It is unlikely that without the support from the winnings of I’m A Scientist, that the students of Challa Gardens Primary School would have been able to have an excursion to the zoo, which I completely covered the cost of, including transport, entry to the zoo and a healthy snack and bottle of water.  During the day, we followed the Endangered Species Trail and completed a handbook prepared by the teachers, Ms Oprean and Ms Hancock and myself.  We also attended an education session organised by the Education and Outreach Branch at the Adelaide Zoo which included discussions surrounding Species and Environmental Preservation.  The students had a fantastic time and learned an enormous amount about the necessity for protecting the environment for the preservation of endangered species.  I was helped on the day by Dr. Kylie Dunning and Dr. Emily Alvino from The Robinson Institute who volunteered as scientific mentors for the day.

Thanks Hannah and it’s wonderful to hear how your prize money has gone towards supporting students meet scientists and ask even MORE questions about science!

 

The first half of the two-week  I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here! in Australia event has gone down a storm with both students and scientists. The ‘Ask’ forum and the live-chats in each themed zone, Agriculture, Disease and Wet & Wild have been full of thought provoking questions from students aged 10-18 years. Scientists have done their best to keep up, providing informative, interesting, and fun answers.

Although a public holiday in many states, day 1 was a busy one. Students submitted their first round of questions after reading the scientists’ online profiles – the what? the why? the how?

Student: What made you enter this competition? (Wet & Wild)

Scientist (@Jenny): … The simple answer is I thought it would be fun … I also think it’s important to get the next generation thinking about science … it is responsible for almost everything we have and take for granted…

Students (many!): Why did you become a scientist? (Disease)

Scientist (@Katelin): … Science gives me the tools to answer any question I might have, either by experimenting myself or examining what other people have found…

Students (quite a few!): How important is your research for the future? (Agriculture)

Scientist (@Brent): … sustainable agriculture… less nitrogen fertilisers used and better yields. We are not there yet but hopefully someday we will be…

Day 2 was the first day of the live chats, and if the scientists weren’t challenged so far, these really got them thinking! Students fired questions at them from all angles, and they did well to keep the pace. We saw our first lot of science jokes on Day 3 in the Wet & Wild zone (very apt) with the best joke from @jordanproskewitz “Did you hear oxygen went on a date with potassium? A: It went OK.” who went on to ask “”is the changes in the environment mainly affected by us humans?”.

Students have shown that they are more than aware of the challenges we face as a society in areas such as agricultural sustainability, global warming, genetic diseases and rapidly evolving superbugs. Questions such as “Do we currently grow enough food for the whole human race? If only we could share. Are there any future plans for feeding the human race?” is only one example of the concern displayed so far. But some ask if working towards a future in science is really worth all the effort? “Why did you bother spending 10 or so years just to get to where you are today? And was it worth the time? why?  And thankfully our scientists seem to think it is.

After 10 live chats on day 3, and almost half of those in the Disease zone (our busiest so far), who could blame our scientists if they wanted an easier day 4? But they turned up raring to go – a good thing considering we had eight more chats to get through. Freakiest answer of the day was actually in a live chat with Moriah College.

Student (Moriah College): What is the most interesting thing you’ve come across in your work?

Scientist (@Shona): I was doing turtle research and I found a baby turtle with two heads!! that was cool

But who has been the students favourite? Which scientist won the most votes? With evictions taking place from Monday, their answers better be good, or they’ll be OUT!

The countdown is on! It’s less than two weeks before I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here! in Australia starts again in March. So it’s time to announce the scientists and schools taking part.

The event is supported by our major partner TechNyou and will be running from 11^th – 22^nd March. It features three themed zones – Agriculture, Disease, and Wet & Wild. We have scientists from across the country in disciplines including health, medical research, agricultural science, aquatic ecology, nanotechnology and marine biology.

Our Agriculture zone is supported by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) and the Council of Rural Research and Development Corporations. Students will have an opportunity to see a couple of their questions answered at the Outlook Conference on Tuesday 5^th March with a panel involving our scientists Kim Ritman (the Chief Scientist at ABARES), Dominique Cotterill and Rebecca Doyle, as well as Roslyn Prinsley, the new advisor to Australia’s Chief Scientist.

Schools

We have almost 25 regional and metropolitan schools taking part, from states and territories across Australia. We know energy levels will be high and classes at these schools will have a great experience. Twelve of these schools are participating for a second, third or fourth time, and we look forward to welcoming many more new ones!

Scientists

Competition for scientists was again tough and we were thrilled that the demand has enabled us to field three themed zones. Scientists have thoroughly enjoyed previous events and found the experience useful. One of our Scientists from a previous season of I’m a Scientist said this:

“I learnt how to better explain my work and other scientific concepts to non-experts. I also learnt a little about how the public perceive what I do, and found that renewed my own enthusiasm for my work.”

So here are the zones for March!

Agriculture Zone

Scientists

Kim Ritman	Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ACT)	Leads and manages provision of science-based policy advice for DAFF in areas covering fisheries, forestry, land use, feral animals and weeds, climate, water availability, salinity, agricultural biotechnology, spatial information and social sciences.
Harjeet Khanna @harjeetkhanna09	Queensland University of Technology (QLD)	I develop transgenic crop technologies, strengthening the scientific base on which GM crop technology is evolving. In the past 7 years I have been mainly working on Bill and Melinda Gates’ funded program on developing nutritionally enriched transgenic bananas to combat malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Brent Kaiser @kaiser_brent	Waite Institute, University of Adelaide (SA)	I conduct research into the molecular regulation of nitrogen acquisition and use in plants.
Rebecca Doyle            @becdoyle104	Charles Sturt University (NSW)	Area of expertise is animal physiology and welfare. Day to day roles include research collaborations with partners in France, Bristol and the CSIRO, working overseas in Indonesia and the Middle East, and teaching physiology and welfare to animal science, agriculture and veterinary students.
Dominique Cottrell	University of Tasmania (TAS)	Just commenced her first year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science after working a gap year as a technical field assistant for contract agricultural research companies.

 

Schools

• Brigidine College, St Ives, NSW, Year 7
• Moriah College, NSW, Years 9, 10
• Toongabbie East Public School, NSW, Years 5, 6
• Kelvin Grove State College, QLD, Years 10, 11, 12
• Australian Science & Mathematics School, SA, Years 10, 11, 12
• Mitcham Girls High School, SA, Year 9
• Murray Bridge High School, SA, Years 8, 9, 10
• Footscray City College, VIC, Years 8, 9, 10
• St Bedes, VIC, Years 7, 8, 9
• Murray Bridge High School, SA, Year 8
• Cooryong College, VIC, Year 7
• The Hutchins School, TAS, Year 6

 

Disease Zone

Scientists

Yagiz Alp Aksoy @drbiohacker	Macquarie University (NSW)	I am working to shedding “light” onto the blackbox of the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory diseases by taking synthetic biology and optogenetics approach.
Kate Skulte  @KateSkulte	University of Western Sydney (NSW)	I’m working on a project that looks at the on and off switches for our genes in our DNA and their role in complex diseases like cancer and allergy.
Cindy Lin                     @cyxlin	Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University (VIC)	My research is on Multiple Myeloma, particularly focussed on investigating factors that make the disease worse in some patients than in others.
Miranda Ween   @Ivalaine	Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Adelaide (SA)	How do bacteria recognise vital elements in their environment, and how can we use this against them?
Katelin Haynes  @KatelinHaynes	Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland  (QLD)	I’m trying to understand what causes ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis where the bones in your spine fuse together.

 

Schools

• East Hills Girls Technology High School, NSW, Years 7, 8, 10
• Marist College Kogarah, NSW, Year 9
• Graceville State School, QLD, Years 6, 7
• Annesley Junior School, SA, Years 5, 6
• Murray Bridge High School, SA, Years 8, 9, 10
• Pedare Christian College, SA, Year 8
• Diamond Valley College, VIC, Year 8
• Kilbreda College, VIC, Years 7, 8, 9
• St Catherine’s School Toorak, VIC, Year 8
• Kapinara Primary School, WA, Years 6, 7

 

Wet & Wild Zone

Scientists

Simon Allen @KommandorKeen	CSIRO (TAS)	I explore questions on how we can work, play and live around Australia’s coasts and still have an environment within which we still want to live.
Blaire Dobecki @BlaireDobiecki	TechNyou (VIC)	I studied Zoology/Environmental science and my honours year was about predicting invasive species distributions using computer models. My current role as a Communications and Outreach Officer requires me to communicate on the topics of enabling technologies including GM foods and nanotechnology.
Shona Marks        @Shona_Marks	Benthic Australia Pty Ltd (QLD)	I’m an Aquatic Ecologist, specialising in Marine and Freshwater ecology of Invertebrate fauna. I have personal passion for Taxonomy, and my favourite animals are worms.  I am the Director of Benthic Australia, but I also work part time at the Queensland Museum in the Discovery Centre, which aims to engage the public and students in discovering natural history.
Jennifer Shaw @jennifershaw1986	University of Adelaide (SA)	My research involves sequencing the DNA found in freshwater systems such a rivers, lakes, streams and stormwater in order to identify species which may indicate pollution in the ecosystem. The new methods developed will eventually be used in monitoring freshwater health and quality.
Elizabeth Stark @elizabethMstark	Symbolix Pty Ltd (VIC)	I use statistics to help people make decisions and to understand how things interact in the environment.

 

Schools

• Moriah College, NSW, Year 10
• Katherine High School, NT, Years 7, 8, 9
• Broadbeach State School, QLD, Years 5, 6, 7
• Browns Plains State School, QLD, Years 5, 6, 7
• Clover Hill State School, QLD, Years 5, 6, 7
• Baden Powell College, VIC, Year 8
• St Joseph’s Primary School, VIC, Years 4, 5, 6
• Cooryong College, VIC, Year 8

 

Thank you for being a part of I’m a Scientist, Get Me out of Here! in August/September.

It was an amazing effort, the final stats are as follows:

 

Zone	Students	Questions	Comments	Live Chats
Boron	388	350	74	23
Organs	307	339	74	19
Disease	213	196	30	14
Total	908	885	178	56

 

The big news are the Student Zone Winners. In each zone we award a $50 iTunes voucher and certificate to a student based on the recommendations of our scientist and moderators, recognising a quality question, contributing to a interesting discussion or degree of engagement with the Q&A, Live Chat or how well they’ve worked on their own profiles. We’ve also made some special commendations and those students will receive certificates. Certificates and vouchers are being posted via your coordinating teacher. The winners are:

Boron
Winner: nibbles
Highly Commended: hetalia, kian, halle12, svetty, jslat56 and clarkie

Disease
Winner: sarahb
Highly Commended: alutick and under13ds

Organs
Winner: desi1188
Highly Commended: katnissmar and tizzy

 

Thanks also to the scientists, teachers and students who filled out our evaluation surveys. Your feedback is much appreciated and students who respond go into the draw to win a $20 iTunes voucher. The recipient of the iTunes voucher is mathiase for September and a late mail-out to sophie from our May event. Much appreciated!

Good luck for the rest of the school year!

The countdown is on! It’s only a couple of weeks before I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here! in Australia starts again in August. So it’s time to announce the scientists and schools taking part.

The event is supported by our major partner TechNyou and will be running from 27^th August – 7^th September. It features three zones – one general zone (Boron), and two themed zones on Disease and Organs. We have scientists from across the country in disciplines including health, medical research, ecology, geology and astronomy.

Schools

We have a record 33 regional and metropolitan schools taking part, from all states and territories in Australia, and from year 5 – Year 12. We’re hoping energy levels will be high and classes at these schools will have a great experience. Thirteen of these schools are participating for a second or third time, and we look forward to welcoming many more new ones!

Scientists

Competition for scientists was again tough and we are thrilled that the demand has enabled us to again field three zones. We would like to thank the South Australian Museum with the support of the Thyne Reid Foundation for sponsoring James Smith in our Boron Zone.

Scientists have thoroughly enjoyed previous events and found the experience useful. One of our May Scientists said this: “I learnt how to better explain my work and other scientific concepts to non-experts. I also learnt a little about how the public perceive what I do, and found that renewed my own enthusiasm for my work.”

So here are the Zones for August!

Boron Zone

Scientists

James Smith@fauNat(Sponsored by the South Australian Museum)	South Australian Museum (SA)	My expertise is primarily with urban wildlife; particularly birds, mammals and a broad range of invertebrates.  My background and experience also cover a number of different parts of the country.
Matthew Davis@mjd_nz	University of Queensland (QLD)	I study the quantum mechanical properties of gases when cooled down to billionths of a degree above absolute zero – they can reveal amazing properties such as superfluidity.
Mark Hamann @turtlesatJCU	James Cook University (QLD)	I am an ecologist working on biological and social research question that help Government manage threats to marine turtles, dugongs, dolphins and other wildlife.
Simon O’Toole @drsimmo	Australian Astronomical Observatory (NSW)	I’m looking for planets orbiting stars like our Sun, with the ultimate goal of finding a planet like Earth that can support life.
Heather Sheldon @Doc_Sheldon	CSIRO (WA)	I’m a geologist investigating the potential for geothermal energy in Western Australia

 

Schools

• Broadbeach State School, QLD, Years 5,6,7
• Rochedale High School, QLD, Years 8, 9, 10
• Tamborine Mountain State School, QLD, Year 6
• North Sydney Boys High, NSW, Years 7,10
• Riverside Girls High School, NSW, Year 9
• Brindabella Christian College, ACT, Years 9,10
• Red Cliffs Secondary College, VIC, Year 7,9
• Annesley Junior School, SA, Year 5
• Mannum Community College, SA, Years 8, 9, 10, 11
• Darwin Middle School, NT, Year 8
• Kapinara, WA, Years 5,6,7

 

Disease Zone

Scientists

Vanessa Vaughan @andanin	Deakin University (VIC)	I’m a molecular nutritionist, and my research looks at a muscle wasting syndrome in cancer patients, known as cancer cachexia, and how nutrition may help prevent and treat this condition.
Steven Hamblin @BehavEcology	University of New South Wales (NSW)	I currently study the theory behind how viruses evolve, like how they mutate to avoid the immune system or how they evolve to control animal and human behaviour for their own benefit.
Natasha Langley @Tash_Langley	Garvan Institute of Medical Research (NSW)	By accident, we found that reducing body iron levels prevents mice from getting fat on a high fat diet and we are now trying to find out exactly how this works.
Haeng Soon Park @haenhsoonpark	Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal	Beta-lactam antibiotics-hydrolyzing enzyme, which is called Renal Dipeptidase in mammalian kidney including human.
Kym Pyke @mykkpet	St John of God Pathology (WA)	Analysis of pathology samples for diagnosis of disease state.

 

Schools

• Beerwah State School, QLD, Years 5,6,7
• Holland Park State High School, QLD, Years 10, 11, 12
• Guyra Central School, NSW, Year 9
• Lisarow High School, NSW, Years 7,8
• Moriah College, NSW, Year 10
• Riverside Girls High School, NSW, Year 8
• Elwood College, VIC, Years 7, 8, 11, 12
• Mentone Girls Grammar, VIC, Year 9
• The Hutchins School, TAS, Year 6
• Christ Church Grammar School, WA, Year 7,8,9
• Leeming Primary School, WA, Years 5,6,7
• Manea Senior College, WA, Year 12

Organs Zone

Scientists

Emma Burrows @embws	Florey Neuroscience Institute (VIC)	I research how the environment can impact on brain plasticity.
Melina Ellis @cassiopeia160	University of Melbourne (VIC)	Exploring how different nutrients influence gut function and how this is controlled by the enteric nervous system.
Carina Marshall @carinarynn	University of Western Australia (WA)	I’m looking at a big population study of children that has been running for 21 years, and examining the data to answer questions about cardiovascular (heart) health.
Hannah Brown @DrScienceLover	The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide (SA)	The work I do focuses on how the cells in the female ovary, and in particular, the egg, get enough oxygen and how we can use this knowledge to help women with infertility!
Yashar Razavi	Monash University (VIC)	I’m interested in how a novel method of cellular communication and the link between resident cells and nerves are involved in maintaining the healthy eye and in an immune response.

 

Schools

• Beerwah State School, QLD, Years 5,6,7
• Graceville State School, QLD, Year 6, 7
• Holland Park State High School, QLD, Years 8,9
• Kelvin Grove State College, QLD, Year 10
• St. Monica’s College, QLD, Years 8,9
• The Armidale School, NSW, Year 8,11
• Covenant College, ACT, Years 7,8, 9,10
• Princes Hill Secondary College, VIC, Year 9,10
• Seymour College, VIC, Year 7
• The Knox School, VIC, Year 7,8,9
• Pedare Christian College, SA, Year 8
• Seymour College, SA, Year 10
• Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, WA, Year 12

 

Thank you for joining us for I’m a Scientist, Get Me out of Here! over the last few weeks.

It was an amazing effort, the final stats are as follows:

• Helium: 384 Questions, 274 Comments, 18 Live Chats from 254 students
• Lithium: 114 Questions, 75 Comments, 15 Live Chats from 225 students
• Beryllium: 126 Questions, 57 Comments, 20 Live Chats from 290 students

The big news are the Student Zone Winners. In each zone we award a $50 iTunes voucher and certificate to a student based on the recommendations of our scientist and moderators, recognising a quality question, contributing to a interesting discussion or degree of engagement with the Q&A, Live Chat or how well they’ve worked on their own profiles. We’ve also made some special commendations and those students will receive certificates. Certificates and vouchers are being posted via your coordinating teacher. The winners are:

Helium:
Winner: pnemonoultramicroscopicsillicovolcanoconiosis
Commended: shadycactus6, Trolololo

Lithium:
Winner: ultimatezeus
Commended: opalrox4eva53, iburton

Beryllium:
Winner: tayla07
Commended: jh0, kroe, iamtitanium, colicer, jay123, mrkristosifer117, bcartwri, jdoherty, mysterious1mexican, codyregterschot, ninjabeast, hmcphie, goodlj, nr44, jagreen, rblakers, p10246

Thanks to all and good luck with the rest of Term 2!

It’s only a matter of weeks before I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here! in Australia starts in May. So it’s time to announce the scientists and schools taking part.

The event is supported by our major partner TechNyou and will be running from 14^th – 25^th May. It features three general zones with scientists from across the country and in disciplines including health, ecology, technology and astronomy.

Schools

 

Almost 30 regional and metropolitan schools will be taking part, from as far north as Cairns, as far south as Hobart and as far west as Perth. We’re hoping energy levels will be high and classes at these schools will have a great experience. One teacher who has signed up again said “Tried it last year ! The year 9s were very impressed that the scientists were ‘normal’ people, that what they were doing may make a difference in their lives & that science was cool !!”

Scientists

Competition for scientists was again tough. We had three times as many apply as we originally had places for and would like to thank the University of Queensland for providing funds that we could put towards an extra zone. Scientists have thoroughly enjoyed previous events even on eviction! One scientist who took was evicted during our June 2011 event said “And it’s tacky I know – but I’ve already won. I’ve had such great comments, exchanges and questions from students. I love the interactive nature of the event and that communication really is in two directions. It is a brilliant scheme and I look forward to seeing it grow here in Australia.”

Helium Zone

Scientists

Arti Singh(Sponsored by the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland)	University of Queensland (QLD)	I study the chemistry of enzymes called the cytochromes P450, which there are many different types of and which are found in nearly all living things, to find out what sort of chemical reactions they can mediate and how they do this.
Dustin Welbourne	University of New South Wales and the Canberra Reptile Sanctuary (ACT)	My research is on ecological communities and I also own the Canberra Reptile Sanctuary, a not for profit public exhibit of venomous and non-venomous reptiles, so I have a strong interest in reptiles as well.
Steven Tingay@stingay	Curtin University (WA)	I work in astrophysics, building and using telescopes that see back close to the beginning of time and space, to figure out what is in the Universe and how it has evolved since the Big Bang.
James Byrne @JB_blogs (updated)	RiAus (SA)	One time microbiologist and university lecturer I now write for Scientific American and run science events at RiAus
Chris Scarlett	University of Newcastle (NSW)	My research investigates novel therapeutic approaches to pancreatic cancer, and I lecture 2nd year Biochemistry and Microbiology subjects.

 

Schools

• Redlynch State College (QLD) –Year 8
• Brigidine College (NSW) – Year 9
• Moriah College (NSW) – Year 10
• St George Girls High School (NSW) – Year 9
• The Armidale School (NSW) – Year 7
• The Hills Grammar School (NSW) – Year 9
• Baden Powell College (VIC) – Year 8
• Cooryong College (VIC) – Year 10
• Distance Education Centre (VIC) – Year 7
• Gladstone Park Secondary College (VIC) – Year 9
• Red Cliffs Secondary College (VIC) – Year 7
• Heathfield High School (SA) – Year 9
• Mitcham Girls High School (SA) – Year 9
• Murray Bridge High School (SA) – Year 8, Year 9
• Pedare Christian College (SA) – Year 8
• Ashdale Secondary College (WA) – Year 9
• Mercy College (WA) – Year 9

 

Lithium Zone

Scientists

Renee Webster@reneewebs	Defence Science and Technology Organisation (Vic)	Investigating the chemistry (primarily oxidation / degradation) of fuels and lubricants used by the Australian Defence Organisation.
Janette Edson(Updated - Sponsored by the Faculty of Science, the University of Adelaide)	Australia Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide (SA)	The development of new methodology for the recovery and analysis of degraded DNA for forensic identification.
Yusuf Pisan	University of Technology Sydney (NSW)	I work on new techniques, such as artificial intelligence, to help us design better video games.
Elise Pelzer	Wesley Research Institute (QLD)	Investigating microorganisms in the female upper genital tract
Dirk Slawinski	CSIRO (WA)	I work on ocean processes off the WA coast primarily looking at how ocean currents and climate affect the distribution of coastal species like Western Rocklobster and fish larvae.

 

Schools

• Redlynch State College (QLD) –Year 9
• Moriah College (NSW) – Year 9
• Queenwood School for Girls (NSW) – Year 8
• Riverside Girls High (NSW) – Year 9
• St Georges Girls High School (NSW) – Year 9
• The Hills Grammar School (NSW) – Year 10
• Cooryong College(VIC) – Year 9
• Gladstone Park Secondary College (VIC) – Year 7
• Red Cliffs Secondary College (VIC) – Year 9
• St Catherine’s School (VIC) – Year 8
• The Hutchins School (TAS) – Year 7
• Heathfield High School (SA) – Year 9
• Mannum Community College (SA) – Year 10
• Mitcham Girls High School (SA) – Year 9
• Murray Bridge High School (SA) – Year 8, Year 9
• Leeming Primary School (WA) – Year 7
• Mercy College (WA) – Year 8

Beryllium Zone

Scientists

Herbert Chiou@herbertchiou	3M (USA)	I take concepts and develop them into physical products to improve the lives of people through science and technology.
Kate Trinajstic	Curtin University (WA)	Palaeontology gets high tech; I am using new technologies such as synchrotron scanning to determine where the soft tissues (not usually preserved) are located in placoderms, the first fish with jaws and, paired fins and girdles.
Brad Tucker@btucker22	Mt Stromlo Observatory (ACT)	I use exploding stars to figure out how the Universe was formed and what it is made out of.
Goli Samini	Garvan Institute (NSW)	I lead the Ovarian Cancer Research Group, and we focus on improving detection and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Chris Slape@is_chris	Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (VIC)	Leukaemia (and all cancers) are the result of cells that live and divide indefinitely, so how does cell death contribute to this disease?

 

Schools

• Redlynch State College (QLD) –Year 9
• Brigidine College (NSW) – Year 9
• Moriah College (NSW) – Year 9
• Riverside Girls High (NSW) – Year 9
• Queenwood School for Girls (NSW) – Year 8
• St George Girls High School (NSW) – Year 9
• The Armidale School (NSW) – Year 10
• Baden Powell College (VIC) – Year 8
• Cooryong College (VIC) – Year 8
• Gladstone Park Secondary College (VIC) – Year 9
• Red Cliffs Secondary College (VIC) – Year 12
• The Hutchins School (TAS) – Year 8
• Mannum Community College (SA) – Year 8
• Mitcham Girls High School (SA) – Year 9
• Murray Bridge High School (SA) – Year 10
• Pedare Christian College (SA) – Year 8
• Ashdale Secondary College (WA) – Year 8
• Manea Secondary College (WA) – Year 12

Congratulations to our scientists and participating schools! You can follow the excitement on Twitter via our @IASAus account and the hashtag #iasaus.