[EX]plore Conference

[EX]plore Science Extension Conference,

Monday 11 September 2023

Macquarie University North Ryde Campus Sydney, NSW

Important updates:

Registration is now closed. For any enquiries please email explore@mq.edu.au

Year 12 Science Extension students, Year 10 and 11 Students and teachers, join us to celebrate the research of Year 12 students undertaking HSC Science Extension in a research conference setting. Meet like-minded school students, undergraduates and PhD researchers to share your passion for science.

The full-day conference will include talks and posters presented by Year 12 Science Extension students, opportunities to network and meet undergraduate and PhD researchers, and lab tours throughout the Faculty of Science to get a taste for how your research journey can continue at university.

Year 12 students: Present your HSC Science Extension research as a poster or apply for an opportunity to deliver a 10 minute talk.
Year 10 and 11 students: Join us to explore this new HSC opportunity and get a unique insight into the possibilities for your future in science research, at an HSC, undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Teachers: Join us to celebrate with your students, network with fellow teachers, and come away feeling more informed and inspired about this exciting new subject.

Students must be accompanied by a teacher. Lunch and morning tea is provided. Prizes for the best speakers!

Time	Session
	Please note: The official program will run from 8.30 am to 3.15 pm. Attendance of the second tour is optional 3.15pm to 4.00 pm
8:30 am	Arrival, registration
9:00 am	Welcome: Prof. Sakkie Pretorius, DVC Research First talk session: Keynote speaker Dr Cathy Foley and Yr12 presenters Arwen Mcgloin: Melanin - A Naturally Occurring Sunscreen Christian Mossati: Quasars and a novel calculation of Hubble's constant Ella Booker: Antimicrobial Properties of Australian Plants Joshua Gibson: Bichordal symphonies: aural perceptionWeclo
10:30 am	Morning Tea and Poster Session 1
11:30 am	Second talk sessions: Yr12 presenters Dominik Mautner: Gene Editing Frontier: Breakthrough therapies using CRISPR Isabella Drake: The effect of available nutrients on duckweed biomass production Sophie Fox: Is Ocean Acidification Good for Kelp? Max Merifield: Characterisation of Biofilm Formation on Polyethylene by Lactococcus garvieae Maadi Prasad: The effect of the mass ratio on double pendulum chaos
12:30 pm	Science Tour 1 and teacher Q&A
1:15 pm	Lunch and Poster Session 2
2:15 pm	Third talk session, prizes Jasmine Virk: Acetaminophen dose-dependent interactions with the brain Nathan Sharp: Oceanic gateways and their effect on the climate during the late Eocene Xavier Ball: Analysis of probability distortion through variables of fatigue and distraction Jasmin Foster: Clear Waters Ahead: An investigation into the efficacy of sustainable activated carbon precursors
3.15 pm	Conference component closes
3.15 pm to 4.00 pm	Optional Science Tour 2

On Monday 11 September, please aim to get here between 8:30 and 8:45am for a 9am sharp start !

The conference will be held at the Macquarie University North Ryde campus.

Here is a map of all the locations you might need.

The conference location: 14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue. T1 Theatre (Mason Theatre) and atrium areas.

Parking: Free parking is available in West 5/6 carpark. This is also the best place for drop-offs and pick-ups by coaches or parents. Coaches can park in the dedicated coach bays on Culloden Rd.

Public transport: There are great bus links to various nearby and on-campus bus stops and the Macquarie University Metro station is on campus.

Year 12 HSC Science Extension students - this day is about you and your research!

All Year 12 students attending the conference must present their work.

You can apply for the opportunity to present a 10 minute talk about your project (please note applications for talks are now closed)
If you don't get (or don't want) a talk, you can present a ‘poster’ describing your work at a poster session.

Please note – presentation of your work at this conference can have no impact on your final HSC mark.

Talk presenters

There are only limited talk spots, so they will be competitively awarded. To apply, you will submit a 90-second video. Tell us the idea behind your project, why it's important, and any results you have so far. We'll be looking for enthusiasm, communications skills, and great science. Don't worry about making a slick video - just you talking to camera is fine, maybe a picture or two if it helps.

Once you have registered via the registration link in the registration tab above, please upload your 90 second video here before 11 August . This same link is noted in the registration tab above as well. You only need to upload the video once.

Poster presenters

In a poster session, poster presenters each display a poster describing their work on poster boards in a large open space. Each presenter gets an allocated poster board and stays with their poster during their poster session; other attendees at the conference walk around and chat informally with poster presenters about their work. You’ll get a chance to talk to so many people about your project !

You should prepare and print your poster before the conference, and bring the printed poster with you on the day. We recommend using Microsoft PowerPoint or Canva. Posters should be A1 portrait - posters can be printed on A1 paper (e.g. at well-known retailers) or can be printed on four A3 pages that you assemble on your poster board (google ‘tiled printing’).

Here is guide to making a poster in PowerPoint or pdf. We’ll email you some more details, so that you get a full picture of how presenting your poster will work.

There will be a variety of tour offerings at this years' [EX]plore Conference. You will indicate your preference for tours during the registration process.

Tour Title	Description
Probabilistic to Predetermined	Enter the room of Mathematics and Statistics where current academics have prepared interactive demonstration (both physical and computational) that help form a better understanding of this world. Did you know we can explain the movement of fluids? What is random and how can we understand it? Is a category as simple as you think it is? We will also have a look at where the statistics you already used in your Extension Science can be extended and how it can be used in the wider world.
Lasers and sensing	See how lasers let us control atoms to measure time and magnetism, sense ocean properties, and help astronomers to remove the twinkle from stars.
Astronomical Observatory	Visit our on-campus observatory ! As well as being a research-grade tool for new discoveries, we use our observatory for hand-on learning for undergraduates, collecting data alongside academics and PhD students.
Ecology and fighting invasive species	.Take a guided stroll to Macquarie University's 11-hectare Fauna Park. The main purpose of the Fauna Park is to provide facilities for animal-based research, with the tour focusing on animal ecology and our efforts fighting invasive species.
Chemistry of designer materials	See how researchers at Macquarie University are using cutting edge chemistry to design and build the functional materials of the future to create better LED screens, more efficient solar cells, and diagnostics to detect diseases at earlier and more treatable stages
Molecular and behavioural biology	This tour has a little bit for everyone: (1) Learn how we study diverse spider behaviour like building webs and mating, and what that can teach us about evolution, (2) explore the new field of Synthetic Biology and how researchers are using the combination of biology and engineering it to speed our transition to a greener economy and solve global problems, and (3) discover the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility to see the technology up close that allows us measure every protein within a cell, with applications from cancer biology to agriculture.
Computing	A tour of the School of Computing facilities including demos to showcase computing research in different areas such as IoT, Games, Cybersecurity.
Medical Faculty Tour	Join a guided tour of our medicine facilities and health sciences facilities. Macquarie is a world leader in health. We're home to MQ Health – Australia's first university-led fully integrated health sciences centre – as well as Australia’s only not-for-profit hospital at a university, more than 30 specialist clinics and state-of-the-art clinical education labs.
Unleash Your Engineering Potential	Discover Sustainable Solutions and Cutting-Edge Innovations at Macquarie's School of Engineering. This tour will introduce you to just some of the integrated solutions, project-based learning, and hands-on engagement, offered should you choose to study Engineering at Macquarie such as renewable energy, satellite technology, mechatronics, and more.

Registration is now closed

Teachers, educators and Year 12 students need to register individually via the registration link here

Year 10/11 students should be registered by their teachers. Teachers - once you have registered yourself via the link above please download the google sheet here, fill it in with your students details, and email the completed form after 17 July to explore@mq.edu.au

(Please note: You will need a google account to use the sheet; click on the blue "Use Template" button to get your editable copy. Email the completed form using the menu option File->Email->Email this file, and choose the Microsoft Excel format.)

Applications for year 12 talks and posters has now closed.

2023 Poster

Downloadable flyer

"We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Macquarie University land, the Wallumattagal clan of the Darug nation, whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture this land, since the Dreamtime. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.”