CSIRO Alumni

AIFST21 Conference: Food Science - delivering in a changing world
2021-07-26 - 2021-07-27 | Sydney Olympic Park
We are pleased to announce that the AIFST21 Convention will be held at the Novotel, Sydney Olympic Park on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th of July, 2021 as a face to face event.
Largely through the effects of the global pandemic, the last 12 months has seen tremendous changes in our way of life, way of working and way of thinking. This year’s Convention picks up on this theme, with a focus on some of the challenges and opportunities presented to food science and the food industry in a world where “change” can seem to be the only constant.
Over two days with plenary and four concurrent session streams, the convention will feature more than 60 scientific and food industry speakers from home and abroad. Food safety features strongly, including key areas of microbiological safety, allergens, and traceability systems. Advances in nutrition, sensory and consumer science will be presented, including personalised nutrition and new opportunities at the interface of food science with each of these disciplines.
The sustainability and resilience of food systems will be examined through contrasting lenses that represent different points along the food supply chain. These include new and emerging food crops, cellular agriculture, fermentation systems, waste valorisation, packaging technologies and case studies in innovative processing.
We are looking forward to a return to a more traditional convention format, with the great networking opportunities offered by a face-to-face event. Our popular social events make a return – the Wine & Cheese Tasting, Young Professionals Networking breakfast and AIFST Fellows breakfast will all be held at AIFST21.
As a final selling point, which is always popular with members, this year’s convention will run concurrently with Foodpro Sydney (25-28 July 2021). Both events will be held at Sydney Olympic Park and together will cater for a very wide range of interests.
Please join us in July for this long-anticipated event to grow, learn and connect.

Connected health — Is this our future?
2021-07-21 12:00 - 14:00 (Australia/Sydney) | Union University & Schools Club of Sydney
Using online technology to manage health and wellness post-COVID (And save money with life-long benefits!)

WEBINAR & IN-PERSON EVENT
Presented by ATSE & UUSC Luncheon Series
Open to all ATSE Fellows & Guests
Wednesday 21 July 2021
(this was originally to be held on 24 June)
12.00 noon AEST for lunch
12.30pm AEST for Zoom
SPEAKERS
Professor Laura Poole-Warren AM FTSE — Deputy Director, Tyree Foundation Institute of Health Engineering
Professor Nigel Lovell FTSE — Head of the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, UNSW & Director, Tyree Foundation Institute of Health Engineering
Dr Sze-Yuan Ooi — Director of Coronary Care Unit, Prince of Wales Hospital

You are invited to attend the next ATSE & UUSC luncheon series presentation on 21 Julyu, to hear of the remarkable developments in implanted and/or wearable sensors operating in a fully integrated digital ecosystem which will provide continuity of care from the hospital, to the community, to the home, saving lives at the same time saving money.
We live in a world where technology is increasingly assisting healthcare workers to remotely monitor and manage health. We can monitor our own wellness via fitness trackers, smart watches and mobile phone technology; the future of monitoring and managing health and wellness – Connected Health – lies in developing intelligent systems that address clinical and patient needs by connecting software, hardware, medical technologies and data analytics to provide unparalleled integration of health data to develop the best solution tailored for the individual person and do so in real time. It is critical that these Connected Health approaches align with existing clinical workflows.
Leading medical researchers and ATSE Fellows, Professor Laura Poole-Warren and Professor Nigel Lovell will be joined by Dr Sze-Yuan Ooi to present two remarkable developments in Connected Health. The recently established Tyree Institute of Health Engineering (IHealthE) at Prince of Wales Hospital and School of Biomedical Engineering (UNSW) aims to be a global leader in transforming health care practice and delivery by developing innovative, transformational, and cost-effective health technologies to meet patient and clinician needs.
World first developments by IHealthE, including a patient-centred, remote monitoring smartphone application system (TCC) already in trials links community-based patients with hospital specialists, enabling management of patients with coronary disease, heart failure and stroke in the community, with further development of TCC to manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mental health, and gestational diabetes.
______
Open to all Fellows and their guests. Fellows are encouraged to circulate the event information to any guests* they would like to attend.
To attend the event please register early to avoid disappointment as the venue has limited capacity.
*Guests must indicate during registration the Fellow they are a guest of.

Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform Seminar
2021-07-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
We are delighted to bring you the next virtual Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform Seminar Series.
This will be an opportunity for you to hear, in detail, each month about the latest work from SynBioFSP funded projects, CSIRO-University Fellows and SynBioFSP PhD students.
Seminar Program:
Welcome, Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and introduction of speakers by Dr Charlotte Williams, Application Domain Leader, Industrial Biotechnology
Speaker #1: Joel Lee, PhD student, University of Adelaide and CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform
Enzymes and Bleach: Engineering Cytochrome P450 Peroxygenases for Fine Chemical Synthesis
Bio: Joel Lee is a PhD candidate from A/Prof Stephen Bell’s group in the University of Adelaide. He currently holds a Master of Philosophy in Chemical Sciences from the same lab and is a recipient of a Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform PhD Scholarship and expects to submit his thesis at the end of 2022.
Abstract: Cytochrome P450 peroxygenases are a niche subclass of heme enzymes that can functionalise C-H bonds in fatty acids using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Recently, it has been demonstrated that the more abundant cytochrome P450 monooxygenase enzymes, can be engineered to function as peroxygenases. This would enable the selective oxidation of numerous substrates without the addition of expensive cofactors or electron transfer partner proteins. However, too much H2O2 can inactivate these enzymes by reacting with the heme. The development of methods of in situ H2O2 formation in the presence of both natural and engineered P450 peroxygenases, to increase the efficiency of H2O2-driven catalytic activity will be described. This includes the use of light-activated flavin systems and chemical oxygen surrogates that supply H2O2 as well as strains of Escherichia coli that can build up higher levels of H2O2. Preliminary studies on the addition of tags to these peroxygenases to allow their immobilisation onto solid surfaces, such as silica, for applications in flow chemistry will be presented. Crystallographic studies on these peroxygenase P450s to investigate in crystallo ¬H2O2-driven reactions have also been performed. Ultimately, the goal is to be able to apply these different approaches for larger scale oxidative reactions.
Speaker #2: James Heffernan, PhD student, Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland and CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Fellow
Developing a heterologous system for uncovering transcriptional architecture in Clostridium autoethanogenum and progress CO2 fermentation
Co-Authors/Supervisors: Dr. Axayactl Gonzalez Garcia, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, UQ, Dr. Andrew Warden, Senior Research Scientist, Team Leader – Industrial Systems Biology, CSIRO, Prof. Lars Nielsen, Professor & Chair, Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, UQ & The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, DTU, Dr. Esteban Marcellin, Group Leader, Bioplatforms Australia & Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, UQ.
Bio: During a final year project on recycling waste-gas from anaerobic digesters James Heffernan discovered the field of gas fermentation, then the Marcellin Lab, and was keen to get involved in their research. Shortly after completing a B.E.(Hons) in Chemical and Process Engineering (minor in Bioprocess Engineering) at the University of Canterbury (NZ), he moved to Brisbane to join the UQ-based group. His PhD research has focussed on the development of CO2 fermentation and how best to harness redox from CO and H2 to improve CO2 uptake. Upon receiving a CSIRO SynBio FSP Top-Up Scholarship he also began development of a heterologous system capable of investigation and rational engineering of acetogenic transcriptional regulation.
Abstract: Acetogens are a broad set of ancient microbes that now represent robust platforms for production of fuels and commodity chemicals from C1 feedstocks. The first industrial scale gas fermentation process was recently implemented by LanzaTech, with Clostridium autoethanogenum converting waste steel mill off-gas to fuel ethanol. With the recent and ongoing development of a genetic toolbox for acetogens there are numerous opportunities to develop this platform for use of variable C1 containing waste gases and production of various compounds. Recently, the Marcellin group identified a novel promoter motif and identified an interacting sigma factor (TetR family protein, CAETHG_RS0459) which is involved in regulation of the Wood-Ljungdahl Pathway (WLP) and other core autotrophic genes of acetogens. Transcriptional regulation represents a knowledge gap for acetogens, and modification of a transcriptional regulator has not been attempted in acetogens before. Further, only in vitro high-throughput methods are accessible for acetogens at this stage, limiting certain aspects of metabolic engineering. Development of a heterologous system enables HTP methods while retaining some benefits of traditional engineering. Therefore, we are developing a heterologous tool for simple investigation and rational engineering of novel regulatory factors, which can then be mined to modify C. autoethanogenum.
Upcoming Events:
Future events in this series are planned for the following date and time:

August 2021 – Maximising Impact
September 2021 – Health & Medicine
October 2021 – Agriculture & Food

Please note that this seminar will be recorded.
Please direct any seminar series enquiries to SynBioFSP_Admin@csiro.au.

Webinar: Climate Services for Agriculture program
2021-07-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Do you want to join in the co-design of a new digital climate information service specifically for the agricultural and horticulture sectors?
Tell the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and CSIRO about your on-farm climate information needs and help shape their new digital climate tool, during a webinar on Monday 19 July for growers in the Queensland Dry Tropics region.
CSIRO and BOM will deliver regional-scale climate projections across Australia, through a user-friendly, fit-for purpose digital platform.

The role of CCUS for a low-emissions Western Australia
2021-07-15 18:00 - 20:30 | Pan Pacific Perth
The recent modelling by the IEA suggests that Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) continues to be one of many key technologies necessary to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. For various industries in Western Australia with high CO2 emissions CCUS will be an important abatement option. Western Australia is in the fortunate position to have abundant carbon storage potential in its sedimentary basins, which have been characterized at various scales.
In this presentation we will discuss the CCUS landscape in Western Australia by providing an overview of historic geological storage characterization studies, current projects and CCUS Hub initiatives under development. We will talk in more detail about CCUS requirements and activities in southwestern WA and will show results of a CO2 injection experiment at a research field site, the CSIRO In-Situ Laboratory (ISL), established in 2019 south of Perth. The ISL is a unique field site for fluid injection experiments to de-risk the potential impact of a fault zone on CO2 storage.

Guest Speakers: Allison Hortle and Ludovic Ricard
Allison Hortle is a Senior Researcher with CSIRO Energy since 1993 and is currently Research Group Leader in the Energy Resources Program. Allison’s most recent research addresses the need to couple large scale deep reservoir processes (such as CO2 injection and unconventional gas production) to near surface techniques for determining environmental baselines and long-term monitoring and verification practises.
Ludovic Ricard is a reservoir engineer at CSIRO Energy since 2009. He joined CSIRO as reservoir engineer for geothermal energy projects, later moving to carbon geosequestration and unconventional reservoirs. Currently he is the CSIRO lead of distributed fibre optic sensing research and managing operations at the CSIRO In-Situ Lab research site. He is a member of SPE, SPWLA, FESAus and EAGE.

CSIRO Conversations: Collaborating with CSIRO for impact
2021-07-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Business leaders are invited to join us for a virtual session to hear examples of transformative ways we’re working with industry and get a behind-the-scenes look at one of our innovative scientific labs.
For over a century, CSIRO, as Australia’s national science agency, has worked with organisations large and small to help solve problems, develop new, cutting-edge technologies, or utilise breakthrough science to create real-world solutions which can help organisations generate new impact from their activities. We work closely with industry, government, universities, and research institutes to support all stages of the innovation lifecycle, to support identifying and driving new impact opportunities – and outcomes – for Australian industry.
This July, as part of our Conversation series, we’re bringing together some of the best and brightest minds from across CSIRO to share their experiences of working with industry in areas like:

Identifying, developing, and implementing bespoke solutions as a true innovation partner
Partnering across the supply chain to solve industry problems
Acting as a portfolio research partner
Testing services
National crises response including COVID-19 and bushfires

Speakers:

Ms Liza Noonan, Global Director, CSIRO
Mr Vivek Srinivasan, Associate Director, CSIRO Futures
Dr Ilana Feain, Commercialisation Specialist, CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS)
Mr Greg Bland, Strategic Accounts Manager (Commercial), CSIRO
Mr Rajiv Cabraal, Commercialisation Manager (Digital & Deep Tech), CSIRO

Nerd Nite Melbourne #44
2021-07-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Howler, 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick
Enjoy a beer while listening to a cell biologist, a product design engineer, and a nuclear medicine technologist talk about their fields of expertise.
NerdNite Melbourne continues to demonstrate its superb grasp of both event planning and forecasting epidemiological trends by flanking yet another lockdown period with its third show of 2021.
Our three speakers are representing the top minds in all of Melbourne, maybe the whole world, and promise to deliver the ultimate midweek wisdom bites.
Jessica van Zuylekom will recount her superhero origin story, wherein the bite of a radioactive mouse imparts her with superhuman abilities, probably.
David Mesa Saldarriaga will elaborate on good product design principles in familiar situations, such as bulletproofing floating dredges for the benefit of Columbian gold miners.
Then, Georgia Atkin-Smith dispels the commonly held belief that curing cancer is as easy as rubbing amethyst crystals on your skin and adhering to a gluten-free paleo diet.

CSIRO Says
2021-07-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
Join us at this month’s webcast to hear from three presenters from our very talented postdoc community. Please join us to hear about the following.
Sherman Wong: Carbon Fibre research
· Where are we at with carbon fibres?
· Where do carbon fibres “fit” with other advanced fibrous materials?

Jillian Ryan: Artificial Intelligence to advance COVID-19 mitigation measures
Measuring and responding to people’s compliance with social distancing and quarantine measures and other human factors
Using AI and behavioural science to understand the behavioural impacts of the 2020 national shutdown

Shourya Ghosh: Creating digital twins of our gut
· Building digital replication of humans and their environment.
· Developing 3D models of different aspects of human digestion

Use the link below to join the Webcast. Please sign in if you have CSIRO ident, otherwise register as a guest to join the event.

Seal it tight and ventilate right
2021-07-08 12:30 - 14:00 | Online
The goal: a comfortable, low-energy home, but how do we get there?
Our upcoming webcast explores two different approaches. Using the Passivhaus approach, the building is sealed, highly insulated and operates using heat recovery ventilation when needed. Passivhaus has proven results over 3 decades in Germany and now 60,000 certified homes globally.
On the other hand, proponents of free-running buildings point out that it is possible to design buildings that need no heating or cooling in most Australian climates. Why live in a mechanically ventilated Esky when you could live in a free-running building, cooled by breezes and heated by the sun?
Passions run hot enough to create an urban heat island on this topic. CSIRO has asked representatives from Passive House Association, Earth Building Society, a building scientist and a tropical free running architect to discuss the issues. What is the best approach for Australia? How should regulators accommodate the two approaches? How should we be aiming to live in an altered climate? Join us for an enlightening and entertaining discussion of one of the central dichotomies in sustainable design today.

Towards Solar Fuels — Hydrogen and Ammonia
2021-07-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Hybrid
HYBRID EVENT
Presented by the VIC Division
Thursday 1 July 2021
In person event opens: 6:00pm
Presentation (in-person attendance and via zoom): 6:30-7:30pm AEST
Optional dinner following presentation: 7:30-8:30pm AEST
In-person event and presentation: Free
Optional dinner following the presentation: $30.50
Fellows and guests are invited to join Professor Doug MacFarlane FTSE FAA for an engaging talk on the path to a zero net carbon future with solar produced fuels, hosted by ATSE’s Victorian Division.
In current discussions of new industries for Australia and a path to a zero net carbon future, “green hydrogen” – producing hydrogen fuel using renewable energy – features prominently. The dream is capturing Australia’s abundant but variable renewable resources – wind and sunshine – in a storable and transportable (and exportable) form. What does it involve? How can it be done? Is it feasible? How can it be used? Are there any other similar fuels? Ammonia? This talk will open up a discussion of the concepts, the issues and the possible solutions.
Open to all Fellows and their guests.
This is a hybrid event. The event and presenation is free.
The optional dinner following the presentation inner is $30.50.
The venue has limited capacity so please register early to avoid disappointment.
Fellows are encouraged to circulate the event information to their networks.

Building Trust and Relationships Across Cultures
2021-06-29 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
As we continue to work virtually and globally, often at times, things don’t seem to get done in the way that we intend.
One of the most significant factors that can accelerate or inhibit results is relationships.
Trust is the currency of relationships and while it is so critical, have we stopped to think of how trust is built and how trustworthy we may be in the eyes of our key stakeholders?
Learning objectives
The webinar will help you:

Gain best practices in building professional relationships across cultural differences
Understand key components of trust and how to improve one’s own level of trustworthiness
Map learnings to action items to improve effectiveness on the job

Program
Building Professional Relationships

Discussion: What is important when building new relationships in a professional setting?
Comparative matrix of relationship-building styles
Application Case Study: Building Professional Relationships

Establishing Trusting Relationships
Discussion: What is trust?

Types of trust and their qualities: Cognitive Trust & Affective Trust
Introduction to Maister’s Trust Equation with examples and best practices
Personal trust-level analysis
Leveraging GlobeSmart to improve trust

AIP Zoom into Physics 3: Future Power
2021-06-23 20:00 - 21:30 | Online
Zoom into Physics is a monthly moderated Zoom conversation with our resident panel:
The Philosopher: Tibor Molnar
The Experimentalist: Kirrily Rule
The Theoretician: Geraint Lewis
The Moderator: Scott Martin
Audience participation is welcomed and encouraged – and don’t let the title put you off – the discussion is intended for a general audience.
We’ll be putting the cat amongst the pigeons – or to be more precise – putting the philosopher amongst the physicists to stimulate a fun and thoughtful discussion on a different physics topic each month….and you are invited – to listen or, perhaps, to participate with your thoughts or questions for our amazing panel.
Future Power: join the discussion about how we can supply our future needs for power AND minimise the impact on the environment. Topics will include: renewables, fission, fusion, hydrogen – even tapping into dark energy (no, not coal, though we can’t ignore reliance on fossil fuels in the discussion!).
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6508972112?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 650 897 2112
Passcode: [REDACTED]

New discoveries, challenges and opportunities with the Square Kilometre Array
2021-06-23 16:30 - 20:00 | UWA EZONE
HYBRID EVENT
Presented by the West Australian, South Australian and Northern Territory Divisions
Wednesday 23 June 2021
Presentation (webinar via zoom) — 5:15-6:30pm AWST
In-person event — 4:30-8:00pm AWST
Free
Mankind’s understanding of Nature is now at a point of crisis. More than 95% of the Universe we live in is composed of mysterious stuff — matter that is hidden from the view of our telescopes and a form of energy that is tearing the Universe apart. Our two most successful theories of Nature — the theory of atoms and the theory of Gravity – cannot together describe the Big Bang which formed the Universe 13.7 billion year ago. We need a new idea, a new concept that will provide us with a consistent picture of the evolution of our Universe and its contents. New ideas flow from discoveries. Our ability to explore, map and make discoveries within our Universe is about to be exploded by more than a factor of 3000.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope will revolutionise our view of the Universe. It will push the boundaries of our knowledge back in time to the formation of the first stars and galaxies. It will also push the boundaries of our technology and will provide new industrial, educational, scientific and technological opportunities in the 21st century.
All Fellows and guests are welcome.
SPEAKER
Professor Peter J Quinn FTSE, FASA
Executive Director, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
PROGRAM
5:00pm-5:15 pm — Guest arrival (EZONE North Rooms 110 and 111)
5:15pm-6:00 pm — Presentation by Professor Peter Quinn FTSE
6:00pm-6:30 pm — Discussion
6:30pm-7:30 pm — Nibbles and drinks (EZONE Social, Ground Floor)
8:00pm-event concludes
REGISTRATION
Closes on Sunday, 20 June 2021.
COST
Free — drinks and nibbles will be provided.
PARKING
Free parking at staff and students car parks after 5:00pm

Ask Us Anything - Nuclear Medicine
2021-06-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Suitable for members of the general public, this 90-minute free online event will include some short presentations and panel discussions

About this event

This free online event is an annual collaboration between the Australian Institute of Physics, ANSTO & Royal Australian Chemical Institute and the Royal Society NSW.
Ask Us Anything – Nuclear Medicine
Every Australian is likely to benefit from nuclear medicine, and on average will have at least two nuclear medicine procedures in their lifetime. Find out more about what are the key nuclear medicines, major research developments in this medical area and how Australia is playing a significant part in the global fight against cancer and heart disease.
Suitable for members of the general public, this 90-minute free online event will include some short presentations and panel discussions with a range of scientific and medical experts. Book now.
Enquiries: education@ansto.gov.au.

AI and Cyber SME Growth Symposium
2021-06-22 - 2021-06-24 | Multiple venues and online
On behalf of the Organising Committee, we invite you to participate in the AI and Cyber for SME Growth Symposium 2021 delivered in hybrid mode (in-person and online) between Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide (and other parts of Australia collaboratively connected via a remote link) from 22 to 24 June 2021.
The Symposium invites a variety of SMEs, R&D organisations and academic institutions to present, brainstorm, workshop and connect through various topics in the AI and Cyber domains. This will enable Australian SMEs to better understand how those technologies and digital innovations could be used and can equip them to grow within a digitally enabled environment. We are aiming to bring about greater awareness of SME engagement in the AI and cyber space to create a collaborative Australian network.
This three-day Symposium will bring together the most critical stakeholders in this space to help SMEs understand how to manage risks in leveraging opportunities presented in the AI and cyber (cyber security and cyber physical systems) digital technologies spaces. Discussions will include the complexity, criticality and capability requirements of AI and Cyber, as new models of engagement lower technology adoption barriers, and new business and partnership models emerge around R&D driven organisations and universities. The Symposium will facilitate communication and collaboration between research and the Australian SME ecosystem, and grow SMEs’ digital capabilities.
Participation in the Symposium is free of charge, but registration is required. Registered participants will have access to:

Talks by AI and cyber experts
Workshops on leveraging AI and cyber within the digital domain
Business Pitch Hackathon
Social networking functions (limited to in-person participants)

AI and Cyber for SME Growth Symposium
2021-06-22 - 2021-06-24 | Online
CSIRO is excited to present the AI and Cyber for SME Growth Symposium 2021. We invite you to participate in this Symposium delivered through in-person hubs in Sydney (22 June), Melbourne (23 June) and Adelaide (24 June) and connected to other parts of Australia via a remote link.
The Symposium invites a variety of SMEs, R&D organisations and academic institutions to present, brainstorm, workshop and connect through various topics in the AI and Cyber domains. This will enable Australian SMEs to better understand how those technologies and digital innovations could be used and can equip them to grow within a digitally enabled environment. We are aiming to bring about greater awareness of SME engagement in the AI and cyber space to create a collaborative Australian network. The Symposium will bring together the most critical stakeholders in this space to help SMEs understand how to manage risks in leveraging opportunities presented in the AI and cyber (cyber security and cyber physical systems) digital technologies spaces. Discussions will include the complexity, criticality and capability requirements of AI and Cyber, as new models of engagement lower technology adoption barriers, and new business and partnership models emerge around R&D driven organisations and universities. The Symposium will facilitate communication and collaboration between research and the Australian SME ecosystem, and grow SMEs’ digital capabilities.
Participation in the Symposium is free of charge, but registration is required. Registered participants will have access to:

Talks by AI and cyber experts
Workshops on leveraging AI and cyber within the digital domain
Business pitch hackathon
Social networking functions (limited to in-person participants)

For more information, please go to http://ai-cyber.matters.today/ or contact the organising team via ai-cyber@csiro.au.

Industry panel: Navigating the transition into a career
2021-06-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
Participate in a conversation with industry professionals from across multiple disciplines as they answer your questions regarding their transition from graduate researcher to an employee in a myriad of career options. The panelists will discuss how they selected their career (or did it select them), as well as share their lessons learned, and best practices.
Panelists:

Dr. Sarah Romanes, Senior Data Scientist, Boston Consulting Group (BCG GAMMA)
Dr. Wing Chan, Post-doc, BioSciences UoM
Dr. Lucie Bradley, PhD graduate and founder of Laneway Learning
Dr. Yann Rubiou du Pont, PhD graduate and climate policy analyst and Climate Analytics

CSIRO National Protein Roadmap webinar
2021-06-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
The global population will reach 9.8 billion by 2050, fuelling demand for protein. Australia can capitalise on this growing demand by capturing more of the value and margin of export market opportunities, and through this process strengthen Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability. The opportunities span multiple subsectors of food and agriculture, including traditional proteins, sustainable fisheries, plant based and alternative proteins, health and wellness, and targeted eating. According to recent work commissioned by the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre – Capturing the Prize, opportunities in these subsectors could be worth $106 billion in value-added and create 143,000 jobs by 2030. Further, the recent launch of the Food and Beverage National Manufacturing Priority roadmap identified new and enhanced proteins as an important growth opportunity for the sector.
The past 18 months have seen increasing public and private sector interest in the development of a protein industry for Australia. Given the current nascent state of the local industry and the interdependencies of stakeholders looking to participate, the time is right to consider a national protein industry roadmap. This roadmap will be an implementation-focused action plan that provides the strategic guidance, particularly on the science and technology priorities and the level of investment required, to develop new protein value chains and access new protein markets for Australian producers. As an active participant across the protein value chain, CSIRO in partnership with industry, researchers, and government, is leading the development of this roadmap.

Synthetic Biology for production of bio based materials symposium
2021-06-15 - 2021-06-16 | Online
What is it about?
This symposium brings together key experts from Australia and around the world who are interested in developing synthetic biology solutions for manufacturing bio based materials across defence, health, and industrial biotechnology sectors. Bio based materials (e.g. fibres) are derived from renewable biological resources. The use of synthetic biology to generate these materials enables the design of bio-based materials which have new or unusual properties, for example biologically active, biodegradable, or physical properties. In addition, synthetic biology may offer sustainable and cost effective production alternatives to chemically manufactured materials.
What does this symposium want to achieve?
The overall aim of the symposium is to identify the challenges, issues and opportunities associated with commercial development of bio based materials produced using synthetic biology and highlight the potential that can be achieved from investing in this area.
The symposium specifically seeks to:

Expand the reach and awareness of the market by increasing the depth and breadth of interdisciplinary expertise, market pull and competitive advantage.
Identify strategic priority areas and types of bio based materials of greatest interest and preferred/targeted chassis organisms to achieve delivery.
Create working groups to develop technological roadmaps and outline barriers to establishment of biological production platforms.

Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2021
2021-06-12 - 2021-06-15 | Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2021 (SRI2021) is the world’s first transdisciplinary gathering in sustainability – it will be a space of fierce advocacy for sustainability scholarship, innovation, and collaboration.
This annual event unites global sustainability leaders, experts, industry and innovators to inspire action and promote a sustainability transformation. For the first time, the Congress will launch as an online event with a diverse and innovative program. In addition to the 100+ sessions available throughout the day and night, thanks to the global reach of SRI and partners, the SRI2021 Online Package includes exclusive events and services, including training, workshops and high-level talks.
SRI is a joint initiative of Future Earth and the Belmont Forum. Australia, which hosts the Congress in 2021, has a unique role to play in the global community as a conduit between the Global North and the Global South, indigenous peoples and traditional sustainability practices. The local hosting consortium, led by Future Earth Australia and CSIRO, features academia and government partners from Brisbane and the State of Queensland to meet the breadth of the SRI2021 agenda.
SRI2021 offers a range of opportunities to gather in-person in Brisbane, Australia. This is a great opportunity to escape the world of Zoom calls and meet your next project partner, collaborator, colleague or mentor.

From perception to decision: what could human behaviours tell
2021-06-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
The Human Centric Security team are running a new monthly series “The Human Centric AI Seminars” that will focus on various research topics in human centered AI.
For more info contact: Kristen Moore and Tina Wu
Free access to anyone interested in Humans and AI
June 9, 13.00 AEST
Title: From perception to decision: what could human behaviours tell
Speaker: Dr Kun Yu (UTS)
Bio: Kun Yu received the BE degree from Beihang University, Master by research degree in Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001 and 2004 respectively. He joined Nokia Research Centre (Asia) as a research fellow, and senior research scientist afterwards. In 2010 he came to Australia and started his PhD journey in UNSW, and worked as a research fellow in National ICT Australia and Data61, CSIRO after graduation. He has published in various HCI venues including IUI, CHI, Interact etc., and over 30 international patents, with more than 900 citations so far. Currently Dr. Yu is leading the Human Performance Analytics (HPA) team of Data Science Institute (DSI), UTS, and also managing the Predator Lab, UTS. Dr. Yu is also serving the distinguished reviewer board of the ACM TIIS journal. For more info: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Kun.Yu
Abstract: Immersed in a world of data and models, humans always find their own ways to process the huge amount of information surrounding them. However, the increasingly complicated machine learning methods and their dynamic nature have made it difficult for humans to understand their mechanism, and take full advantage of their capabilities. Incorrect judgements on the data systems may occur from time to time, while in the worst cases the human may avoid the data science technique at all. Via investigation of the human behaviours, we will be able to identify the problems arising in human-data interaction, and devise corresponding resolutions to improve the human-system interaction efficiency. This seminar introduces our exploration in this field, in particular how the human behaviours could be linked to their perceptions and decisions, and applied in specific contexts such as human-machine collaboration and cybersecurity examination to guide better data system design.

Food for Thought: Gut Health
2021-06-08 17:30 - 19:00 | The Shine Dome
Forget mind control – gut control is the new frontier. A growing body of evidence suggest that gut health plays a significant role in mental health and vice versa: what you eat is what you feel.
Beyond food and mood, what do you eat when your bowels act funky? Diet can play a part in treating common gastroenterological disorders, such as the innovative Aussie-developed Low FODMAP diet, designed for sufferers if Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Join us to discover the secret world of microorganisms living in your gut (the microbiome), the hidden connections between mind and bowel, and the effects of different food sources.
Speakers:

Dr Wolfgang Marx, Food Mood Centre
Dr Claire O’Brien, University of Canberra

Date: Tuesday 8 June 2021
Time: Refreshments 5.30pm – 6.00pm. Talk 6.00pm – 7.00pm AEDT
Location: The Shine Dome and online
Price: $15 in-person. Free online.

ALA webinar series: Innovations in Biodiversity Data Management
2021-06-08 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
It is now easier than ever to capture biodiversity information, with innovations in smartphones, digitisation and data storage driving massive growth in datasets describing the natural world. This torrent of data brings new opportunities, but also new challenges for organsations that collect, store, and share that information. Join us to hear from speakers working to expand the scale and richness of biodiversity information available in Australia, and to understand what new opportunities are just over the horizon.

SALSA 2021
2021-06-08 - 2021-06-10 | Online
Saliva Symposium Australia
Cutting-edge science symposium on saliva/non-invasive diagnostics and technologies.
Our aim is to showcase emerging saliva research, technological advances and translation pathways to personalised health & medicine.
The program includes three part-days of international and national presentations, including student presentations with an award.

CSIRO Says
2021-06-02 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
In this National Reconciliation Week edition, please join us to hear about the following.
Sarah Pearce
Reconciliation is more than a word

Building genuine partnerships by recognising the value and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples towards our innovative science solutions BAU across science impact areas and across the organisation.

Cathy Robinson
Empowering Indigenous-led AI to manage healthy country

Why we need ethical ways to design and apply AI that works with Indigenous knowledge to solve complex environmental management problems
Reflections from our Indigenous-led work and impact in Kakadu National Park

Ray Mahoney
eHealth best practice with Indigenous people/communities
· Establishing research partnerships with the Indigenous health sector
· Codesigning an mHealth trial for managing hypertension within the Indigenous health model of care

Erin Dunne
Larrakia Land, Sea (and Air!) Rangers – Working together at NT Baseline Air Pollution Station

Long-term measurements of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants in the Top End
Supporting and developing Indigenous enterprise in monitoring and managing change on Country

To join the webcast

Click on this link
Click on ‘Sign In’,

If you have a CSIRO username, please sign in under ‘EXISTING USERS’ using your CSIRO ident and nexus password
If you do not have a CSIRO username, please sign in as a guest

Darwin Living Lab webinar - Digital Twins for navigating change in Darwin
2021-05-27 16:00 - 17:00 | Online
There is a wealth of biophysical, social, and economic information that is already available on Darwin. Digital Twins provide a powerful approach to create a virtual representation of Darwin. This virtual representation can be used to visualise change; explore interactions among key indicators; and test the impact of changes in assets, systems and processes.
In this webinar we will hear about:

The NSW Digital Twin that is capturing and displaying real-time 3D and 4D spatial data and modelling the urban environment,
The initial development of the Darwin Living Lab Digital Twin to evaluate the economic value and return on investments of cooling and greening initiatives, and
Aspirations for a spatial Digital Twin in the Northern Territory.

Sustainable Agriculture: An AgCatalyst virtual event
2021-05-26 14:30 - 15:30 | Online
We’re continuing with our virtual AgCatalyst event series.
For agriculture to be truly sustainable it needs to be environmentally friendly, accessible and healthy for consumers, and profitable for industry, so it can continue to feed and clothe us today, tomorrow and always. But how can agriculture become sustainable?
Our diverse range of experts and partners will come to you live from the field to discuss what they are doing to work towards sustainability in agriculture.
Like all AgCatalyst events, come prepared for some fun and surprises.

Playing God with Virtual Hearts
2021-05-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
In this lecture, Dr Brodie Lawson demonstrates how mathematical models and computer simulations help us better understand the complexities of the heart.
Underlying the heartbeat is in fact a rich signalling process, in which cells receive electrical stimulus that triggers them to beat. In the normal heartbeat, these stimuli are waves of excitation that travel through the heart, causing each cell to contract in turn and together produce a coordinated pumping motion. The body then controls the heartbeat by choosing how quickly to initiate these waves ー for example, more rapidly during exercise.
Unfortunately, it’s surprisingly easy for this to go wrong. Each heart cell waits for a signal, but can’t tell if a signal was legitimately initiated by the body. When this causes coordination to be lost, the result is arrhythmia, in which heart function is impaired or even lost entirely (ventricular fibrillation). Worse, our treatments for these issues remain unacceptably inconsistent. Understanding why antiarrhythmic medicines or surgeries work for some and not others remains a key question in cardiac physiology.
Enter mathematical models, and ACEMS. This talk will show the astounding complexity of one of the body’s most important organs, and how through virtual computer simulations, we can come to understand it in new ways that traditional experiments could never reveal.

Free course for SMEs: Plastic Waste to Wealth
2021-05-17 - 2021-07-23 | Online
Innovate to Grow is a free, 10-week online program designed for Australian SMEs to boost growth through increased company-led R&D engagement.
The program will focus on Plastic Waste to Wealth to build SME innovation and growth opportunities across the plastics and recycling sector.
The program is specifically designed for SMEs who are either interested in investigating new R&D opportunities or are in the early decision-making stages about engaging with a research organisation.
SMEs will be connected to innovation facilitators and mentors, as well as research and industry experts. The time-friendly program (1-2 hours per week) is mostly completed in the SME’s own time and creates actionable outcomes including business cases and research proposals.
Applications are NOW OPEN. But hurry – spots are limited.
Registrations close on 14 May 2021. The course will start at the end of May.

Art, Literature & Technology: Understanding Human Experience, Expression & Emotion in the Datafied Age
2021-05-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
In a recent article in The Atlantic titled ‘Artificial Intelligence is Misreading Human Emotion,’ the Australian composer and academic Kate Crawford contends: “There is no good evidence that facial expressions reveal a person’s feelings. But big tech companies want you to believe otherwise.” Crawford’s claim responds to a recent growth in the development of affect-recognition tools that can be found everywhere from national-security systems in airports through to recruitment software and tertiary classrooms. Yet the inference of emotions and facial expression via Artificial Intelligence technology is preceded by a much longer and complex history of affect, expression and emotion discourse in literature, art and the performing arts. This cross-disciplinary panel takes the current digital milieu of facial-recognition as its starting point and looks back (and forward) to other forms to consider how representations of the human face, expression and emotion have been conveyed, explained and contested over time.
Presented as part of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethic’s Seminar Series: Technology and the world around us.
