More than 2,000 events are registered for National Science Week 2018, which runs until Sunday 19 August. Media kit at www.scienceinpublic.com.au, public event listings at www.scienceweek.net.au.
More on the highlights…
Apps, devices and wearable sensors: optimising mobile health interventions—Bundoora, VIC
Harvard University Professor Susan Murphy explores how data collected through mobile apps can transform the way that we tailor and deliver healthcare treatments.
Mobile devices along with wearable sensors allow us to deliver supportive treatments, anytime and anywhere. Mobile interventions are transforming treatments and preventative health management, including support for HIV medication adherence, assisting recovery in addictions and encouraging physical activity and healthy eating.
The question remains: “When and in which contexts, is it most useful to deliver treatments to the user?” Using data, we can determine if key factors such as location, stress, time of day, mood, ambient noise and so on, impact when and where these treatments are most useful. This talk concerns a new clinical trial design: the micro-randomized trial and associated data analytics for use in addressing this question.
The talk will use multiple mobile health studies including the study, HeartSteps – a physical activity mobile intervention, to illustrate the ideas.
Wine as medicine: an Australian perspective—Sydney, NSW
Why did Australia have so many ‘Wine Doctors’; how has wine used to help transport convicts to Australia; and why were vineyards planted in Australia’s lunatic asylums, and no where else in the world?
Philip Norrie traces the medical history of wine and its unique history in Australia, including where and when the first vineyard was planted in Australia.
Media enquiries: Melanie Ryan, marketing@smsa.org.au or 02 9262 7300
The future of cancer: can we find a cure?—Westmead, NSW
How will cellular therapy, immunotherapy, personalised medicine, and the use of big data impact cancer treatments?
Join internationally-recognised cancer researcher and Children’s Medical Research Institute Director, Professor Roger Reddel, as he leads a panel of experts in a discussion on the most promising strategies in contemporary cancer research and treatment.
Media enquiries: Sydney Ideas, sydney.ideas@sydney.edu.au or 02 9351 2943
The future of cancer research in Australia—Adelaide, SA
Cancer is a leading cause of death for Australians, however research advances in this area are helping Australians live longer and healthier lives.
Join a panel of world renowned cancer researchers as they talk about revolutionary cancer therapies that are leading to better health outcomes for cancer patients worldwide.
Media enquiries: Angela Ziaei, angela.ziaei@sa.gov.au or 08 8302 7916
The science of us: your mental health—Canberra, ACT
Technology and social media: how is it affecting our mental health and how can it be used as a force for good for those at risk?
The Science of Us series, presented by the Australian Academy of Science at The Shine Dome, will investigate the science of our lives and our health, from the moment of conception through to death, focusing on some of the issues we face during our lives and what science is doing to resolve them.
Professor Mike Kyrios (Flinders University) will speak about how he is using technology to create digitally delivered therapies to people suffering from compulsive behaviours.
Professor Helen Christensen (Black Dog Institute) will discuss the innovative methods being used for detecting mental health risk, such as anxiety and depression, via social media, and the development of novel interventions for mental health treatment.
Media enquiries: Marisa Bottaro, marisa.bottaro@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au or 02 9330 9579
As simple as cut and paste? The gene editing generation—Adelaide, SA
How much can we do with gene editing? And is it as easy as it sounds?
Developmental genetics researcher Paul Thomas knows all about the genes (and their variations) that can cause intellectual disability, epilepsy and disorders of sexual development. Heather Bray is researching genetically-modified crops and food, and farm animal welfare.
Meet the panel of genomic editing experts, as they speak about gene editing trials in cancer therapies and potential uses in the agriculture industry, facilitated by SAHMRI Chief Science Storyteller Hannah Brown.
By understanding the genetic blueprint that makes every human unique, mixed with the discovery of new tools that can ‘cut and paste’ DNA, the gene editing generation has begun.
Media enquiries: Hannah Brown, hannah.brown@sahmri.com or 0402 113 462
Science for seniors—Holdfast Bay, SA
Young scientists have some healthy advice for senior (50+) Australians on a range of healthy ageing topics, including:
Tiffany Gill—arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions
Melissa Hull— the ‘forget me not’ program
John Carragher—functional foods for healthy ageing
Sarah Bray & Stephanie Harrison—using big data to help south australians age well
Matilda Handsley-Davis—the bugs in our mouths: oral microbes and oral health
Rachel Burton—dietary fibre: how much to eat and what foods
Jyoti Khadka—isn’t a better qaulity of life what we all are chasing after?
Science for Seniors is a new initiative to provide a series of engaging and interesting seminars on current research on health and ageing for seniors in the local community.
How does hunger influence our behaviour?—Wheelers Hill, VIC
Hunger and the brain: why do we get hangry?
Physiologist Rachel Clarke from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute explores the science of how the brain responds to hunger and some of the ways this might impact our behaviour.
The drive to eat is essential for survival. Hunger-sensing neurons in our brains control our food intake to ensure we have enough energy for our day-to-day activities. However, these neurons also influence broader behaviours such as anxiety, fear, motivation and learning.
Art of Science: the beauty of killers and cures up close—Melbourne, VIC
See how blood vessels sprout from a piece of bone grown in the laboratory; watch breast cancer cells as they attempt to run riot in other parts of the body; and be unsettled by a writhing parasite ‘playground’ captured under the microscope with an iPhone.
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s annual Art of Science exhibition showcases stunning images and videos captured by Australian medical researchers tackling some of the biggest challenges facing global health.
The experience shines a light on biomedical exploration and discovery traversing the vast and complex research areas of cancer, infectious diseases and immune disorders.
Scientists-turned-photographers are available for interviews.
HealthLAB goes remote: health checks from Darwin to the Gulf of Carpentaria
How good is your health? And how do your lifestyle choices affect the health of your body now, in the future and for the future generations of your family?
HealthLAB is a health education clinic on wheels—offering an interactive science education experience that helps people assess their own health in a ‘pop-up’ laboratory.
HealthLAB will be staffed by a range of scientists and health professionals who will teach participants about the science behind the inner workings of their bodies, ways to reduce their risk of chronic disease, and career pathways in science.
Recipes for a healthy gut: talk and cooking demo—Wannaroo, WA
Eating your vegetables and whole grains is good for your health… and that of the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut, part of your microbiome.
Having a healthy gut microbiome can reduce the chances of developing a variety of diseases, such as obesity, non-alcoholic liver disease and even certain types of cancer. But a healthy diet is important for both you and your gut flora.
Nutrition researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) will present a series of sessions for National Science Week in Wanneroo’s libraries that are part science talk and part cooking class.
These events will present the science of why plant-based foods—rich in fibre and resistant starch—are essential to feed the gut microbiome, and share recipes from ECU’s Gut Feeling cookbook.
