A senior practicing rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist, Professor Rachelle Buchbinder conducts a broad range of multidisciplinary research projects relating to the treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, as well as improving communication with patients and general health literacy. She has made outstanding contributions to her field through consistent excellence.

There is a chance that life on Earth is the rarest thing of all. But as we fly further away from home, we realise the Sun is simply one of the billions of stars that form the Milky Way Galaxy. Beyond the Solar System are worlds that orbit other stars (with rogue planets that answer to no star, roving between). The Kepler Mission estimates that 40 billion rocky, Earth-like exoplanets orbit stars like our Sun in our region of the Milky Way Galaxy. Is Earth perhaps not so special?

Climate Notes was an emotive, interactive exhibition and performance work that explores how we feel about climate change through music, letter writing and film. Developed by the Royal Botanic Gardens with funding from the Inspiring Victoria program, the project commissioned six Australian composers from different cities to write works evoking feelings about climate change and responding to the letters.

The only evidence we have of life existing in the entire universe is here on Earth. Using this as our starting point, we can define a range of potential locations in the universe that life could similarly emerge: a planet with all of Earth’s characteristics, orbiting a star with all of the Sun’s characteristics… while also acknowledging that life could also exist elsewhere, in other forms. So the question is: where is everyone?

Australia still uses dozens of chemicals that are banned in other countries, including the UK and USA. These chemicals are banned because they’re toxic to humans, animals or the myriad other plants and animals that inhabit our planet with us. Consider the thousands of litres of inorganic chemicals in white plastic bottles that we see lining the ‘cleaning’ aisle of the supermarket. Treated or untreated, your sewerage and waste ends up in the Bay.