Join Radio Astronomer Dr Laura Driessen, and Theoretical Physicist Karen Livesey, as they discuss their passion for science.
What does a radio astronomer do and what can we learn from studying the sky?
Australia is world-leader in radio astronomy, with amazing telescopes like Murriyang the Parkes Radio Telescope), the Murchison Widefield Array, the Australian Telescope Compact Array, and the Australian SKA Pathfinder. Dr Laura Driessen uses some of those Australian telescopes to search for radio stars. She will tell us about radio astronomy, the cutting-edge research being done here in Australia, and about her own work searching for the stars we wouldn’t want to live next door to.
About the presenter:
Laura Driessen is a radio astronomer at the University of Sydney. She works on searching for radio stars with the Australian SKA Pathfinder, a telescope located in Western Australia about 8 hours drive from Perth. Laura also works on searching for Fast Radio Bursts, mysterious flashes of radio light that are extremely bright and last less than a second. Laura completed her master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and her PhD at the University of Manchester in the UK, before heading to her first job as a researcher at the CSIRO in Perth, WA.
Did you know that tiny magnets, 1000 times thinner than a human hair, are used in cancer treatments, computers and even in self-repairing paints?
Theoretical physicist Dr Karen Livesey is designing new nano-sized magnets to address technological challenges, such as reducing the energy that today’s computers use, and heating inoperable cancer tumours to improve health outcomes.
About the presenter:
Karen was the first in her family to finish high school and went on to study Physics at the University of Western Australia, completing a PhD in 2010. For almost 10 years, she worked at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs reaching the rank of Associate Professor. She is currently a Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Newcastle, and an Associate Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies
Organiser
Lake Mac City Council celebrates and promotes creativity, innovation and uniqueness through engaging events, festivals, exhibitions and programs for our community and visitors to our city. We actively encourage creative learning and experiences and recognise the importance of STEAM education and its ability to address common issues on a local and global scale.