News
BAMOS Sep 2018
7
National Science Week 2018
How did you celebrate National Science Week in August? There were events around the country- below are a few interesting talks that AMOS members attended.
In the NT
In conjunction with the Darwin Festival, NT Inspiring Australia presented the World Premiere of‘ Pathetic Fallacy’( pictured below) for National Science Week, 2018. The event was followed by a QandA with the artists and is described below.
“ Over the past 40 years, there have been more frequent extreme weather events than ever before in human history. Up until 40 years ago, hurricanes were only given female names. Hurricanes with female names kill more people than hurricanes with male names because people don’ t prepare for them as thoroughly. People will accept any colour of sky in a painting as realistic. A green sky means a storm is coming.
Using a temperamental broadcast media green screen, this piece takes on our changing relationship to weather. Fusing raw fantasy with research into classical art, small talk, forecasting and how storms get named, Pathetic Fallacy is both factual and personal.”
Vale Dr Angus McEwan
Retired Chief of the CSIRO Division of Oceanography( 1981- 95) and AMOS Past President( 1998-1999) Dr Angus McEwan passed away on 5 September 2018, aged 81 years. Our thoughts are with his partner Elizabeth( Liz) Wood and their respective daughters and grandchildren. A celebration of Dr McEwan ' s life will take place at 12:30pm on Saturday 27 October at Turnbull Funerals, 71 Letitia Street, North Hobart. The December issue of BAMOS will feature an obituary for Dr McEwan.
Eureka prize nominations
AMOS sciences were well represented in the Eureka prize finalists in 2018. Congratulations go to the eReefs project, a finalist in the‘ UNSW Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research’ category and to Professor Andrew Pitman, a finalist in the‘ CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science’. A summary and accompanying video for each nomination are available on the Australian Museum website along with the announcement of the 2018 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winners.
AGU Awards & Fellows announced
Caroline Ummenhofer of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has been awarded the James B. Macelwane Medal by the American Geophysical Union.
In QLD
AMOS-Q hosted a presentation by Tony Wedd on the southeast change severe thunderstorm climatology for Brisbane. The synopsis is below.
In TAS
Image: Science Week website
“ Some of the worst thunderstorms to affect SE QLD occur with SE’ ly wind changes moving north along the coast. These storms can be difficult to predict, as environmental conditions give little indication of the severity of the storms to follow.
We identify a number of parameters that together provide good guidance discriminating between highend severe thunderstorm events and other events, at useful forecasting lead times of several hours or more.”
AMOS joined with the Australian Marine Sciences Association( AMSA) and the University of Tasmania to host a public event on Observing Our Oceans: High tech solutions for a hostile environment( event recording available), which was held in both Hobart and Launceston.
“ The American Geophysical Union( AGU) has selected its 2018 class of medalists, awardees, and prize recipients. 33 individuals are recognized this year for their dedication to science for the benefit of humanity and their achievements in Earth and space science.”
Caroline Ummenhofer held a Vice-Chancellor Postdoctoral Fellowship at UNSW( 2009-2012) and was also a Visiting Fellow with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research in Hobart. Since 2012, she holds a faculty position in the Physical Oceanography Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Trevor McDougall of the University of New South Wales has been elected to the 2018 class of AGU Fellows.
Trevor McDougall is a Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow at the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW and is also an AMOS Fellow. His research focusses on the mathematical and physical foundations of mixing in the ocean.
Send in your news items for the next issue of BAMOS and share snippets about the latest events and announcements with the AMOS community.
Email bamos @ amos. org. au.