Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

It is wonderful news to see Distinguished Professor Susan Scott (CGA) awarded an honorary doctorate, Doctor of the University, by The University of Adelaide last Thursday. Above, Susan is seen with the Chancellor, the Honourable Catherine Branson and the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter Høj. She said it was a delight to be back in Bonython Hall where she received her PhD, and to address (below) the new generation of graduates in the sciences, engineering and technology.

Don’t forget the John Carver Seminar Series on Thursday 10am in our auditorium. Nine students representing the breadth of the School will present some of their research highlights in 15 min talks. Please come and support your Departments and our fantastic students.

As part of the partnership we formed with CBRIN earlier this year the monthly innovations networking event, First Wednesday Connect, will be hosted in Physics on Wednesday 4th Oct. It’s a great chance to get involved and develop collaborations with entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and innovators of all sorts. You will hear from Canberra’s budding entrepreneurs in a high-intensity 60-second pitching format and meet new people. And yes, it’s catered. It is free to come along, although registrations are essential (here)l!

I'll back in the US from Wednesday for a few days. Have a great week.
Tim

The John Carver Seminar Series 2023 will be held on Thursday 28 September starting at 10 am in the new Auditorium (building 160).

It is an annual event aimed at showcasing the amazing research done by our students and celebrating the wealth of talent in our School.

Nine of our students will be presenting 15-minute talks on their research.

Fedor Kovalev (FTP)
- Control of Electromagnetic Waves Using Spatiotemporal Metamaterials
Logan Davis (CGA)
- Lasers and Diamonds and Robots, Oh My!
Shiyu Wei (EME)
- Tiny Sensors, Big Future
YunHeng Chen (QST)
- Device Physics of Diamond Quantum Processors
Ash Pascale (MP)
- Bidirectional Vortex Stabilization of a Supersonic ICP Torch
Jobin Thomas Valliyakalayil (CGA)
- Probing the Universe with LISA Using the Most Stable Laser Ever
Ivan Toftul (FTP)
- Resonance-Driven Optical Torques at the Nanoscale
Ozlem Erkilic (QST)
- How to Protect Your Secret in the Quantum Era?
Sophie Stearn (QST)
- Beyond Gates: Analog Control of the Diamond Quantum Processor

Participants will be considered for several prizes:

• The John Carver Prize
•  The Dean’s Prize
•  The Director’s Prize

 There will also be a vote for the People’s Choice award so please come and vote for your favourite talk! Lunch will be provided afterwards.

All students are invited to attend and support their colleagues as this is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the incredible research undertaken by our students!

PLANCKS is an annual international theoretical physics competition that brings together students from around the world for a weekend-long programme of social, cultural, and educational events. Competitors will have four hours to complete an exam of ten physics questions in teams of three to four students. As teams are not expected to be from the same year, nor to have covered the same physics syllabus across the world, we would like the questions to be self-contained, i.e., if there’s a specific equation needed, or a specialised bit of physics, it should be included in the question brief. This is so we don’t inadvertently penalise students from different courses and to focus on the problem-solving and ingenuity of the individual or team. They should be of appropriate length and challenge. Marking schemes must also be included, with marks distributed up to ten. All questions in the exam will have equal weighting (regardless of topic) in order to help the organisers standardise them. Previous PLANCKS exam papers can be found here to be used as a reference. Previous PLANCKS Papers 

The deadline for submitting questions is Friday 15th December 2023.

If you have a problem to contribute or any questions at, please contact the organisers at plancks@physics.org.

Phyllis Montgomerie Award

$5000 Award for Research Support 

The Royal Commonwealth Society ACT Branch invites applications for the 2024 Phyllis Montgomerie Award of up to $5000 to help with expenses associated with a research or education project conducted in a Commonwealth country.

The 2024 Royal Commonwealth Society’s Phyllis Montgomerie Commonwealth Award will be advertised through tertiary institutions in the ACT in September 2023. The award, of up to $5000, is intended to help with expenses, including travel, associated with a research or education project that benefits the citizens of any Commonwealth country.

For guidelines, criteria, timetable, and application form, follow the Awards link at https://rcsact.org/award

Applications close Friday 13 October 2023

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Community event series: Non-alcoholic drink tasting @ physics
Fri, 13 Oct 2023 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM AEDT
Oliphant Link Building (# 58D) ANU Research School of Physics

Please Register your attendance on Eventbrite for catering purposes.

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Curious Minds - STEM Coaches Wanted!

We are looking for female STEM professionals to become STEM coaches for the next round of Curious Minds. STEM Coaches play an integral role in developing the confidence of student participants; providing insight to a young person as to what it means to study and work in STEM. You will also create new networks with a group of female STEM professionals. 

Application close 29 September 2023. Check out our website and apply today! Please email Vanessa Kates for any questions. 

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The Conference on Optics, Atoms, and Laser Applications (KOALA) is a student only conference, organised by students, and affiliated with both Optica and SPIE. As the most prominent student only conference in Australia and New Zealand for the field of Optics, Atoms, and Laser Applications, it is the perfect opportunity for students to experience a conference surrounded by only their peers. As well as plenary speakers and the opportunity to present research to like-minded students, we have social and industry-focussed events to maximise networking opportunities.

Registration and abstract submission closes 2 October 2023, and includes accommodation for the conference. Travel grants are also available.

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Staff Movements

Andrew Stuchbery will be away 9/9/23 - 29/9/23
^{Steve Tims will be Acting HoD in this period}

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College Hot Desking In Physics

Finance, HR & RM Teams
Thursday Mornings
^{Bldg 160}

EVENTS

Departmental seminars

Dr Sejeong Kim - 26 September
2D materials for quantum integrated photonics
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Professor Raymond Volkas - 26 October
The quest for physics beyond the Standard Model: facts, fancies and opinions”
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John Carver Seminar Series 2023 - 28 September

Physics Auditorium, 10am

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Founder's Day 2023 - 20 October

Physics Auditorium & Foyer, 9am-2pm

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