From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Tue Aug 19 00:32:21 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:32:21 +1000 Subject: [ASA] ASM meeting date Message-ID: Dear ASA members, In 2012, acting on requests made at the 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), the ASA Council polled the ASA membership on what dates suited the community best for the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting. The preference was for 20-25 July - trialling a date outside school holidays but still within the teaching break for many Universities. The normal date for many years has been the University Common Week earlier in July. Having now had the experience of this later date, the Council is interested in your opinion on the best dates for the meeting. Please use the link below to vote for your preferences on the dates for the ASM in the future. The options suggested are: early July - the University Common Week (e.g. 3-8 July 2016) late July - outside school holidays but within the teaching break for many Universities (e.g. 18-22 July 2016) alternating between these two periods another period entirely (please suggest dates) You can choose from Yes - If need be - No for each option. For reference, a list of the typical school holiday periods (for 2014-2015) are available at: http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/school-term-dates/ The poll link is: http://doodle.com/ktdnpinzk5h6kbga The poll is open to all ASA members (including students) but it is a hidden poll. The participants and the result are only shown to the poll initiator who, in this case, is John O?Byrne. The poll will be open for 1 week only from today (Tuesday 19 August). The poll will close at 11.59pm on Monday 25 August. You may also wish to add a comment to your poll response (or respond directly to this email) with any comments you may have, for example highlighting what are the most important factors for you in defining a preferred date. Information about dates that would prevent your institution from bidding to host a future ASM would also be helpful. Please take the time to fill in the poll. Your input is important and will help the ASA Council to ascertain community support for various conference dates. Note that the dates and location for the 2015 meeting are already fixed - 5-10 July 2015, hosted by Curtin University. John O?Byrne ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O?BYRNE Associate Head (Teaching & Learning), School of Physics Associate Dean (Standards), Faculty of Science Secretary, Astronomical Society of Australia Inc. Sydney Institute for Astronomy School of Physics | Faculty of Science THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Rm 205, Physics Building A28 | alternate: Rm 222, 44-70 Rosehill St Redfern H90 (see map) Postal address: School of Physics | The University of Sydney | NSW | Australia | 2006 T +61 2 9351 3184 | F +61 2 9351 7726 E john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au | W http://sydney.edu.au/science/people/john.obyrne CRICOS 00026A This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email uses 100% recycled words and ideas. 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View the web version CONNECT: MEMBER PROFILE *Name and title: *Dr Jason Potas, Lecturer in Physiology, ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Team Leader - Neural Control Systems, Neuroscience Division, John Curtin School of Medical Research *Discipline: *Neuroscience *What lured you to science and/or technology in the first place?* An inquisitive mind, always interested in how things work in general. *What keeps you there?* Exciting to find out something new before anyone else in the world knows about it! *What makes science different to other careers?* You develop a massive repertoire of skills, from looking at data, working with many aspects of computers, making things with your hands, coming up with new ways to solve unique problems. *What would you tell a 10-year-old about a career in science and technology?* Science allows you to be the first one to know something before anyone else in the world knows about it! *Have you a favourite career moment?* Not a favourite single moment, there are lots of exciting examples. It's so hard to rank them as to which was better! The career changes over time so constantly evolving from that. SmP 2015 Planning continues apace for SmP 2015, with dates tentatively scheduled for two days late in March 2015. As usual we are constrained by Federal Parliamentary sitting dates, which are not set in stone until late December. As soon as the dates are certain we will write to all Presidents of STA member organisations with further details. As usual all member organisations will be eligible to register two members for this unique event. Have a look at the wrap up of last year's event HERE . Dear STA members and friends, Welcome to the mid-winter edition of the STA newsletter, designed to keep you up to date on what STA is doing, ways you can be involved, and developing issues. It is a real pleasure to hear stories still filtering back from SmP 2014, as delegates meet their Federal members back on home turf, in the lab and the field. More parliamentary visits have taken place and cross-disciplinary relationships hatched at SmP continue to bear fruit. Remember STA is always happy to talk ahead of a parliamentary visit, and/or offer advice about how to better engage with local parliamentarians. Just call or email. Also between newsletters, a great way to keep abreast of STA activities, developing issues, information and debates is to keep an eye on STA's Twitter and Facebook feeds. *Catriona Jackson* Chief Executive Officer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Senate inquiry submission * STA's submission to the Senate Innovation System inquiry is now on the pubic record, along with all 114 other submissions. The deliberately brief and broad-brush submission emphasises the need for a strategic, long-term plan for STEM disciplines if we are to succeed as a nation. Read it HERE . *Women in Science* STA is very excited to be involved in moves to redress the under representation of women in science, with an initiative spearheaded by the Australian Academy of Science in recent weeks. Members may have seen media reports HERE and HERE . The plan is to look closely at the UK Athena Swan initiative which awards institutions Gold, Silver or Bronze ratings according to their performance. A wide range of institutions including STA, backed further work and investigation of the Athena Swan model with a workshop scheduled for later this year. Other moves in the area include a terrific project to increase the profile of women in science with a day dedicated to writing or improving Wikipedia entries on women scientists. 144 people are now signed up to write or rewrite entries on August 14, and you can follow proceedings on twitter at @Science_Academy or by following the hashtag #ozwomensci . Unfortunately registrations are closed for this year, but the Academy is considering a follow up event next year. *STA President at PhD to Present forum * STA President Dr Ross Smith was a panellist at an ANU-based PhD to Present forum on career prosects for PhD graduates beyond traditional academic pathways this month. This is a critical area, acknowledging the reality that many will not seek or find a position inside academia, and looking to highlight the myriad of other options. What to do after the PhD is done? can be a terrifying question, and options can be hard to see when juggling work and life with getting the writing done. Dr Smith appeared amongst other successful consultants as well as politicians Dr Andrew Leigh and Adam Bandt, senior public servants and entrepreneurs. This is an area STA is considering as a focus for future years, and we will keep you posted on developments. *Topical Science Forums tackling the big issues* STA's Topical Science Forum series, taking the best minds into the community to debate the big issues, has come to its mid point. The next forum "Making more with less, how do we feed the world as the population soars?" will run on August 28. It will feature Professor Catherine Bertini , Former Executive Director, United Nations World Food Programme, The Hon John Kerin AM , Chairman, The Crawford Fund and former Minister for Primary Industries and for Overseas Development, Dr Elizabeth Finkel , Chief editor, Cosmos Science Magazine. Register or look for further information HERE . In July "Nuclear Energy - the debate Australia has to have", filled the National Library theatre, and prompted a very vigorous media (ABC 666) and social media discussion, under the hashtag #nucleardebate. The full video is now available on the STA website . Other forums are also now available for viewing, including Science and politics: like oil and water? Later in the year a forum, Immunisation - what to do when the science is not enough, will take place in Melbourne and Canberra. As further details are confirmed they will be posted on the STA website and noted on the STA Twitter and Facebook feeds. You have received this email from Science & Technology Australia. ? 2014 - Science and Technology Australia -- A.Prof. Andrew Hopkins, Head of Research and Outreach Australian Astronomical Observatory P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia ph: +61 2 9372 4849 fax: +61 2 9372 4880 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lens at aao.gov.au Wed Aug 20 11:47:47 2014 From: lens at aao.gov.au (Simon O'Toole) Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 12:47:47 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Introducing AAO/Lens, the new AAO proposal system Message-ID: <57f580e77a5b26e5e384584607766aa4@aaolxdna> To all ASA members, We are pleased to introduce AAO/Lens, the new AAO proposal system. Lens replaces the previous proposal systems for the AAT and Magellan and will allow users to track their proposals from the draft stage through to observations and data. To manage this, Lens is an account-based system with user registration. We encourage all prospective users of the AAT and Magellan to register with Lens. ALL investigators on an ATAC proposal for the AAT or Magellan must be registered with the system. Please ask your collaborators to register at https://www.aao.gov.au/lens/register well in advance of the relevant telescope deadline. Also, note that while this system has been rigourously tested, it possible that you find a bug or problem that we haven't seen before. This is a new system after all! Please email any bugs to lens at aao.gov.au. Finally, feature requests are welcome! We have a list of features that will be added over the coming months, but please don't be shy in providing feedback. Thank you, Simon O'Toole AAO Web Administrator -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Sat Aug 23 22:21:03 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 22:21:03 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Reminder: ASM meeting date poll References: <4DF5CF65-89AD-4B6F-B180-AEB5DC73D946@sydney.edu.au> Message-ID: A reminder that the poll expressing your preferences on the dates for future ASM meetings closes at 11.59pm on Monday 25 August. 80 members have so far expressed their opinion - only a small proportion of the membership. Please take the opportunity to record your opinion - whether you are for or against certain dates, or have no preference. John O?Byrne Begin forwarded message: > From: John O'Byrne > Subject: [ASA] ASM meeting date > Date: 19 August 2014 10:13:13 am AEST > To: John O'Byrne > > > Dear ASA members, > > In 2012, acting on requests made at the 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), the ASA Council polled the ASA membership on what dates suited the community best for the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting. The preference was for 20-25 July - trialling a date outside school holidays but still within the teaching break for many Universities. The normal date for many years has been the University Common Week earlier in July. > > Having now had the experience of this later date, the Council is interested in your opinion on the best dates for the meeting. > > Please use the link below to vote for your preferences on the dates for the ASM in the future. The options suggested are: > early July - the University Common Week (e.g. 3-8 July 2016) > late July - outside school holidays but within the teaching break for many Universities (e.g. 18-22 July 2016) > alternating between these two periods > another period entirely (please suggest dates) > You can choose from Yes - If need be - No for each option. > For reference, a list of the typical school holiday periods (for 2014-2015) are available at: http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/school-term-dates/ > > > The poll link is: http://doodle.com/ktdnpinzk5h6kbga > > > The poll is open to all ASA members (including students) but it is a hidden poll. The participants and the result are only shown to the poll initiator who, in this case, is John O?Byrne. The poll will be open for 1 week only from today (Tuesday 19 August). > > The poll will close at 11.59pm on Monday 25 August. > > You may also wish to add a comment to your poll response (or respond directly to this email) with any comments you may have, for example highlighting what are the most important factors for you in defining a preferred date. Information about dates that would prevent your institution from bidding to host a future ASM would also be helpful. > > > > Please take the time to fill in the poll. Your input is important and will help the ASA Council to ascertain community support for various conference dates. > > Note that the dates and location for the 2015 meeting are already fixed - 5-10 July 2015, hosted by Curtin University. > > > John O?Byrne > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O?BYRNE Associate Head (Teaching & Learning), School of Physics Associate Dean (Standards), Faculty of Science Secretary, Astronomical Society of Australia Inc. Sydney Institute for Astronomy School of Physics | Faculty of Science THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Rm 205, Physics Building A28 | alternate: Rm 222, 44-70 Rosehill St Redfern H90 (see map) Postal address: School of Physics | The University of Sydney | NSW | Australia | 2006 T +61 2 9351 3184 | F +61 2 9351 7726 E john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au | W http://sydney.edu.au/science/people/john.obyrne CRICOS 00026A This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email uses 100% recycled words and ideas. Do you really need to print it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: