Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

I hope the week is going well for you. As the new term starts up my sincere thanks go to all our educators. Above some of our 1st year students in action (Credit: Prof Paul Francis (RSAA/QST)).   

There’s another great article from Dr Phil Dooley up on our website featuring some great work out of TMOS and EME. The first author of the breakthrough paper, PhD student Ms Xiaoying Huang says, “Our strategy produces single quantum dots in nanowires that have excellent crystal quality, optical performance, and perform extremely efficiently”. See the article and paper here.

I don’t want to miss the opportunity to express my pure joy to see the ANU re-emerge and reconnect. I made a similar comment at the Director awards late last year. Some of the open signs of recovery are the large numbers of nominations for community awards. Another sign is that very many colleagues from across campus are reaching out to lean into this new year and the opportunities it will bring. I will be sharing these opportunities with our Exec and encourage others experiencing this collaborative resurgence to do likewise. Right now, the very best thing we can to is to amplify and respond to this spirit of cooperation.

Just a few items this week for your consideration;

WiPAE is organising an oral presentation competition for postdoctoral scholars who identify as women in RSPhys, RSAA, and CECC on the 8th March. If you interested to join please reach out to either Dr Neelima Kandula (MP) or Dr Lara Gillan (QST).

Ensuring we have a safe workplace is one of the most important commitments we make to each other. Planning is a large part of this commitment and each year I revise the School WHS annual work plan. I invite you to have a look at the draft 'WHS Plan 2024 Part A_Q4' & 'WHS Plan 2024 Part B_Q4' for 2024 and revert to me and Dr Rick Walsh (Physics WHS) with any comments by Friday 15th March.

Best,
Tim

If you wish to display physics posters, brochures etc. at this year’s open day, please contact: pec.physics@anu.edu.au

A big thank you to our Open Day volunteers!

Starting from 4th March, the ANU MakerSpace at Physics North will no longer be included in the default Physics card access group. Everyone who enters this space will need to be a fully inducted MakerSpace member. This includes people who choose to transit through the space to visit the Physics North Mechanical Workshop.

If you are unsure whether your induction is current, check your induction status via our Induction Checker.

To sign up for an induction, start here.

Public Talk & Meet-up With Michael James

What Is Brilliant and BRIGHT at the Australian Synchrotron
Professor Michael James – Director, Australian Synchrotron

Date & Time: Wed 28 Feb 2024, 2pm
Location: Physics Auditorium

The Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO) operates, maintains, and develops a wide range of research infrastructure (worth ~$1 billion) for the benefit of all Australians, including some of the largest research facilities in the country.  The Lucas Heights campus in Sydney is home to the 20 MW OPAL Research Reactor with irradiation facilities for the production of medical and industrial isotopes and radiation damage studies; the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, where neutrons from the OPAL reactor are used in 15 distinct instruments to study a wide variety of condensed and soft matter systems.

Register

» read more

Nominations are now open for the annual Young Tall Poppy science awards that recognise and celebrate the achievements of Australian scientists. Closing date for nominations is 22nd April 2024. Please visit the website for more details.

The ANU Women in Physics, Astro & Engineering (WiPAE) group warmly invites you to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8th March 2024, location TBD.

This year, WiPAE is hosting an event titled “Life as a Postdoc in STEM”, featuring an oral presentation competition for postdoctoral scholars who identify as women in RSPhys, RSAA, and CECC at the ANU. Participants will have the opportunity to present their innovations, achievements, and contributions. It's a chance to shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of postdocs, a group whose research contributions are not often celebrated.

We are excited to announce that there will be cash prizes awarded during the event:

• AUD 300 for the best presentation by the jury from RSPhys, RSAA, and CECC.
• AUD 200 for the winner chosen through a poll by the audience.

We encourage and request postdoctoral scholars who identify as women to submit their interest in the competition by registering through the link provided below.

Join us in celebrating IWD with fellow women scientists, as we share inspiring stories of careers, innovations, and impact. Afternoon tea and food will be served during the event!

Register here

2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

The 2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are now open.

There is a free online information session for prospective entrants being hosted on Friday 1 March, 12-12:45pm AEDT. This session will include an overview of the prize program, timelines and key requirements, tips for preparing assessor reports and testimonials, and advice for navigating the online entry system. RSVPs are essential, sign up here.

The Statistical Support Network is available to Masters and PhD students for their research projects. Statistical support is available for design of experiments and surveys, data management, exploratory data analysis, statistical modelling and data presentation. Students and their supervisors are welcome to book an initial consultation with the SSN lead via this link. Consultations are free.

Quad Fellowship – Elevating The Brightest Minds In STEM For Collective Good

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is pleased to announce the application for the second cohort of the Quad Fellowship is now open to exceptional master's and doctoral students in science and technology who demonstrate academic excellence, exceptional results in their field, and a desire to use their talents to promote collective good. The fellowship, initiated by the Quad countries of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, and administered by IIE, sponsors exceptional master's and doctoral students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the United States.  

» read more

College Hot Desking In Physics

Finance, HR & RM Teams
Thursday Mornings
^{Lv2 Tearoom, Bldg 160}

EVENTS

Departmental seminars

Mr Pavel Tonkaev - 27 February
Multifunctional Metaphotonics and Metasurfaces
» read more

Ms Melike Kizak - 28 February
Mechanical and morphological characterization of additive manufactured polycarbonate - glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate joints interfaces
» read more

Professor Joseph Talghader - 1 March
Thermodynamically-limited uncooled infrared detection using meta-optics and particle-induced laser damage on optical materials
» read more

From Previous Weeks...

The Ian Potter Foundation Opportunity - Environment is Open For EOI

Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Grants – Round 25 (Stage 1)

AINSE Postgraduate Research Award (PGRA) Open