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Science In Public

Science writers, communicators, media, training, and public relations

Science in Public

Weighing the Earth with a Nobel Laureate

 

 

 

Launch: Friday 1 March 2013, 9-10.30am

Albert Park College, 83 Danks St, Albert Park, Victoria

Do you weigh more in Melbourne or Canberra?

What does our planet weigh?

Australia’s 2011 physics Nobel Laureate, Professor Brian Schmidt, is today launching the start of a national physics experiment that everyone can participate in.

School students and the public will follow Galileo to measure local gravity. They’ll measure the weight of the Earth, and discover that your weight changes (just a little) as you travel around Australia.

Brian Schmidt will introduce Year 9 students at Albert Park College to the experiment first performed by Galileo, and together they’ll make the first contributions to a new map. Over the year, the Australian Institute of Physics hopes to involve thousands of people around the country. [Read more…] about Weighing the Earth with a Nobel Laureate

Video gaming addiction can control your thoughts

A psychology researcher from Canberra has collected some of the first scientific evidence that video gaming can be addictive in a way similar to gambling and alcohol.

“People who spend an excessive amount of time playing video games are powerless to stop themselves from thinking about gaming,” says Olivia Metcalf, who did the research for her PhD at the Australian National University. “This is a pattern typical of addiction,” she says.

 

“Many people have claimed that video games can be addictive. But this is some of the first hard evidence.” [Read more…] about Video gaming addiction can control your thoughts

L’Oréal recognises three young scientists from Melbourne and Christchurch for their life-transforming work

The $25,000 L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowships for 2012 have been awarded to three remarkable young women scientists from Melbourne and Christchurch. It’s the first time the Fellowships have been open to New Zealand.

Find below brief profiles on the 2012 Fellows. Below each is a link to their full citation.

Giving patients more control of their lives

Dr Suetonia Palmer University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand Dr Suetonia Palmer is challenging the status quo for kidney disease treatment and helping millions of people with chronic kidney disease take back control of their lives.