Blogs

Before I started researching for this blog post, the most important thing I knew about wine was that I enjoyed drinking it. I’m not the kind of person who reads the back of wine bottles before buying, or swirls the wine before drinking it, or pretends to know the difference ... Continue Reading »

Nick developed an interest in wine as a small boy while being dragged around the cellar doors of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale by his parents in the 1970’s. He completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) at the University of Adelaide in 1985 and then joined the Australian Wine ... Continue Reading »

Louisa Rose grew up and was educated in Melbourne, Australia, spending weekends in the popular wine region Yarra Valley, helping to establish and run the family vineyard – The Rising Vineyard near Yarra Glen. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in physics, from Melbourne University, she relocated to ... Continue Reading »

If you have a compost bin, you are the proud parent of trillions of pets. They are called ‘microbes’, and while they won’t fetch your newspaper and slippers or purr contentedly on your lap, they can do your garden a world of good. Investing a bit of time in the ... Continue Reading »

You may have groaned at my lame pun but I love Easter. It’s an EXTRA long weekend and there is always chocolate involved. What’s not to love?! The Easter weekend is also the perfect excuse for a few fun science activities involving eggs – so grab your lab coat and ... Continue Reading »

Coffee - what makes it such an enjoyable beverage? Why do some people insist on a morning caffeine hit? There's a whole lot of interesting chemistry bubbling away in those cups! We traveled to Sunraysia Farmer Market to entertain you with coffee demonstration. You had a chance to meet the ... Continue Reading »

http://vimeo.com/51195441 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology: Shinya Yamanaka and Sir John Gurdon Press release from NobelPrize.org Nobel Prize for Physics: David Whineland and Serge Haroche Article from The Conversation Nobel Prize for Chemistry: Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka Article from The Conversation Carbon emissions rise more during ... Continue Reading »

Professor Andrews is an eminent scientist and bio-entrepreneur. He was appointed as Queensland’s first Chief Scientist in 2003, retiring in December 2010. Professor Andrews completed his PhD in the pharmacological applications of quantum chemistry at the University of Melbourne in 1969. He has since led multidisciplinary scientific teams at several Australian ... Continue Reading »

Of all the scientific processes that occurs at home, none is more exciting than the way soap and detergents clean. Everyone (at least I hope everyone) uses these every day - be it in dish washing, surface cleaning or simply showering - but few realise just how amazing and useful ... Continue Reading »

Our winners were awarded for their outstanding sci-kus at Where Worlds Collide on Saturday 20 August. RiAus, Friendly Street Poets and COSMOS Magazine were delighted to present their second annual sci-ku poetry competition. In 2011, we sent out a call for sci-kus with either chemistry ... Continue Reading »

Over 150 years ago, Michael Faraday saw beauty and wonder in the chemistry of a candle. Society has changed, technology has advanced, language has evolved, but the phenomena underpinning a candle remain constant. Built around one man's genius for observation, Faraday's candle explored natural phenomena and the processes of science. Related ... Continue Reading »

Rochester went off with a bang, all in the name of chemistry! The Free Range Science team were proud to join the inaugural Rochester Community Festival, where the Scientwists entertained with demos that went fizzle and pop and workshops to get your hands dirty. We also made sure ... Continue Reading »

Rebecca McPhan is Food Safety Officer for Frais Farms. Her primary responsibility is to ensure the product is safe for the consumer to eat, as well as making sure the product meets customer specifications. Her tasks include conducting audits, inspecting raw material as it arrives and completing audits ... Continue Reading »

Our team pitched their tent as part of the Community Family Fun Day, hosted by Quantum Support Services. We entertained you with science demos that went fizzle and pop and workshops that got your hands dirty. Who knew chemistry would be this much fun? We were also joined by scientist and ... Continue Reading »

Science is poetry in motion for Westminster School student Matthew Podgorski, 15. The Year 10 student from Eden Hills won first prize in the secondary schools category of a national competition. He captivated the judges with a tale of chemistry gone wrong. "I enjoy chemistry topics, such as learning how the Periodic ... Continue Reading »

Peter Tregloan is a Principal Fellow and Associate Professor in Chemistry at the University of Melbourne and Professorial Fellow in the Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology at the University of Queensland. His research expertise is with the solution chemistry of metal complexes, particularly under conditions of kilobar pressures. He ... Continue Reading »

Chemists move seamlessly between three overlapping worlds – the macroscopic world that we work with and see; the molecular world that we must imagine in all its dynamic detail; and the conceptual world that provides the language to link the other two. The task of educators is to work with students ... Continue Reading »

In honour of the UNESCO International Year of Chemistry, this month’s Book Club selection is Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks, a novel which blends childhood memoir, family saga, and chemical history. It follows Sacks from the ten year old with ‘a passion for metals, for plants and for ... Continue Reading »

Laboratory or kitchen? Chef or scientist? Nutrition scientist Dr Russell Keast and Culinetic chefs introduce the wonders of scientific cuisine in a presentation incorporating chemistry and food. Watch the video from this event http://vimeo.com/11703740 View photos from this event In association with Culinetic, Flavour SA and ... Continue Reading »

Dr Russell Keast is a researcher in sensory science, with an emphasis on the way individual differences in our chemical senses (taste, smell, chemical irritation) may influence health. He lectures in Sensory Science at Deakin University's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, and is a ... Continue Reading »

In 1990 Professor Joe Shapter obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto for work on the detection of small molecules and the determination of their energies. From 1990 to 1996, he worked at the University of Western Ontario, building a scanning tunnelling microscope and lecturing ... Continue Reading »

Born: Breslau, Germany, 1929 Died: Sydney, 2008 Emeritus Professor Hans Freeman was an internationally recognised scientist, a valued teacher and a strong campaigner for investment in scientific research in Australia. Freeman's early experience of chemistry was influenced by his work in his father's factory, which made soaps, detergents and other ... Continue Reading »

Francesca Calati is a curriculum development officer with the Department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University. Previously she was the program manager of accelerated curricula and nanotechnology at St Helena Secondary College, and has taught chemistry, general science, maths and information technology. She is completing ... Continue Reading »

David Malin was initially trained as a chemist and worked for a large chemical company in the north of England, and joined the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) as its photographic scientist in August 1975. This was shortly after scheduled observations began on the then-new, 3.9-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope. While ... Continue Reading »

Born: Armidale, NSW, 1930 Died: Canberra, ACT, 2008 Emeritus Professor Alan Sargeson was an Australian inorganic chemist who was recognised as a leader in the field. He was a coordination chemist, and his research group investigated the reactions of coordinated amines, culminating in the synthesis of the clathrochelates called ... Continue Reading »

The 'science exchange' is challenging the way we taste and think about food, writes Lissa Christopher. Chef Cole Thomas is very enthusiastic about his new role, so much so he can't stop talking about it and leaps excitedly from topic to topic virtually without pause: edible glass, aroma molecules, Heston Blumenthal, ... Continue Reading »