Following a call for submissions in the 2020 Review of the World Heritage Management Plan by Heritage Victoria, the Royal Society of Victoria provided input on 27 July 2020. Sadly, this submission has not featured in the subsequent report, nor has it been acknowledged via other channels when queried, so we are reproducing it here for general consideration.
In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly declared 11th February as a day to celebrate, recognise and encourage women and girls in STEM fields around the world! This initiative hopes that increased visibility will strengthen interest and support for the next generation of girls who want develop their passions for science.
We are delighted to see a mix of the new and familiar from our late 2020 call for nominations for members of our governing Council. As none of the available positions were contested, our Returning Officer (Dr William Birch AM MRSV) has declared the these RSV members elected to these roles for a two year period, commencing from the next Annual General Meeting (set for May 2021). Our thanks to these members for their willingness to lead the Society and shape its future; we wish everyone every success during their tenure. Current Officers and Councillors of the Society will continue in their roles until they variously expire at the Annual General Meetings set for 2021 and 2022, including our incumbent President David Zerman, who will continue on the leadership team as our Immediate Past President following the May AGM.
Industry 4.0 is the next industrial revolution, utilising digitalisation to create a smarter, self-correcting manufacturing processes. Bringing this new industrial age together with science is Professor Bronwyn Fox, winner of the 2020 Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research. Her journey with carbon fibre production saw the develop a more efficient fabrications process for composite materials, and also had her involved with Quickstep and their new composite material process. At the time a small start-up, Quickstep is now the largest Australian independent manufacturer of composite materials, and Bronwyn took this entrepreneurial mindset and founded Deakin University’s Carbon Nexus facility. Professor Bronwyn Fox continued her research into renewable carbon fibre and established yet another facility – the National Industry 4.0 Testlab – which focuses on 3D printing of composite materials.
What does DNA, snowflakes and the hydrophobic effect have in common? They are all example of molecular self-assembly! Inspired by this process of nature, Dr Nisa Salim used attractive and repulsive forces to influence molecules to interact, and in doing so created an array of nanostructures capable of becoming solar cells, drug delivery systems, and in her newest venture – manipulating carbon fibre to be stronger than steel, lighter than aluminium and even electrically conductive! For her work in carbon manufacturing, Dr Nisa Salim was awarded the 2020 Phillip Law Postdoctoral Award for the Physical Sciences and explains how a nature-inspired approach to manufacturing can be the key to many issues facing our time – from climate control, water management and even high speed travel.
