1. Something people ask you when they find out what you do for living
There are heaps of questions I get asked – How big is the universe? How many stars or galaxies are out there? The great thing about the questions is that there usually isn’t a definite answer. We have theories and estimations but part of the reason I’m studying and working in astronomy is the never-ending amount of questions that are out there. It means you can never get bored!

2. I’m happiest when…
I get to be at the Macquarie University Observatory, especially with a group of people who have never been before. I love being able to give someone their first experience looking through a telescope and the surprise and awe at what they see is amazing to witness.

3. Something you’d like staff to know about
Even if people can’t be there in person, the AFA still wants to be able to provide that peek into the cosmos, which is why we have started the MQ Space Travels Livestream to provide the experience virtually! Our next episode will be on the planets we can see in our night sky right now. It’s called All Things Planets and will be streamed this Friday 17 September.

4. A website or app you can’t live without
My weather app, ClearOutside.  It shows cloud coverage so I can see whether I’ll be able to look through the telescopes that night.

5. The coolest bit of equipment you use in your work
We recently installed a 24-inch research grade telescope at the Observatory.  In future, it will be connected by optical fibre to a spectrograph (an instrument that splits light into its different wavelengths or colours for us to analyse). But for now, we are using it to make some nice images, like this one made by my colleague Adam Joyce of M20, aka the Trifid Nebula.

6. A Macquarie person you admire
Professor Orsola De Marco – she is so incredibly passionate and excited about her work that you can’t help but get excited about it too. I really admire that infectious quality.

7. Something you feel proud of
Earlier this year, I was speaking with some first-year astronomy students and one young women told me she’d had attended a session I’d led at the Observatory when she was in high school.

She told me I had inspired her to choose an astronomy degree at Macquarie, and to become an astrophysicist. This made me immensely proud, as one of my greatest goals is to inspire the next generation of female scientists, just as I was inspired by others when I was young.

8. What you need to do your best work
Stuck at home during lockdown, what I really need to do my best work is a nice comfy spot to sit and a cuddle from my dog Merlin,  who has been enjoying the lockdown far too much.

9. A favourite photo from your camera roll
This is a 2018 clipping from Broken Hill newspaper.  Me and a few other members of the AFA travelled with Widening Participation’s LEAP Roadshow to encourage more young people in regional Australia to consider tertiary education. It was an amazing experience to bring our telescopes and planetarium to dark skies and lovely people.

10. Your definition of success
I measure success by how happy I am with my work. If I feel good, that’s a success!

Quantum physicist Zixin Huang is one of three Macquarie-based research fellows in the Academy, working alongside Macquarie quantum experts including Professor Gavin Brennan and Associate Professor Thomas Volz.

Zixin’s specialisations include the use of quantum technology in super-resolution imaging, metrology and cryptography.

1. Something people usually ask you when they find out what you do for living
“Can you teleport me somewhere?” Yes, probably in the future, but I would have to kill you first.

2. What you need to do your best work
Coffee, multiple screens, Mathematica and Python.

3. The first person you go to for advice
Dr Cosmo Lupo at the University of Sheffield– he’s one of my best collaborators and will always give you solid and honest answers.

4. A website or app you can’t live without
Netflix. In fact, one of their sci-fi documentaries inspired one of my recent papers!

5. Something you feel proud of
My previous doctoral supervisor and I obtained a $654K grant from UK Research and Innovation, for a project we really wanted to do.

6. I’m happiest when…
A paper of mine gets accepted.

7. A personal quality you value in others
Honesty.

8. A favourite photo from your camera roll
This is a Cotton-top Tamarin (a relative of the monkey, just bigger than a squirrel). They’re super quick. Taken at Taronga Zoo with a Sigma 150-600mm lens.

9. What you like about where you live
There’s a beautiful cycle trail along the waterfront next to my place in Ryde. I get to cycle with a camera hanging from my neck to stalk birds.

10. Your definition of success
This one is not original, but one from Mark Rober which I agree with: to leave the world a better place than you found it.

All 2448 optical fibre spines are now installed in their final configuration, allowing the AESOP instrument to simultaneously position all of them to an accuracy of 10 micrometres (10 one millionths of a metre) in one minute. Once all the fibres are on-target, they will feed the light they collect from each star or galaxy to three spectrographs for analysis.

Watch the AESOP in action:

Almost everyone in the AESOP team of 24 people was involved in assembling and testing the 28 spine modules.

“This is an outstanding result, and a credit to the entire team,” says AESOP Project Manager Scott Smedley. “We’re looking forward to the next phase, and even more to seeing it in place and scanning the southern sky.”

AESOP forms a key part of the 4MOST instrument, a multi-national collaboration in which more than 300 scientists and engineers are building a multi-fibre feed instrument for the European Southern Observatory’s VISTA telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

This is planned to be the largest spectroscopic survey facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere, exploring the most pressing questions in the fields of galactic archaeology, high-energy astrophysics, galaxy evolution and cosmology.

He is currently Associate Professor and Higher Degree Research Director within the Department of Physics and Astronomy. You can meet Alex at the Physics in Sydney event HDR student showcase event on Monday 25 November.

When he’s not looking at lasers, you can often find Alex doing this:

Alex climbing the 280m high ‘Randy Rabbit Ridge’ in the Blue Mountains. 

(1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Take care of all higher-degree research students within our department, teach physics to undergraduate students in an efficient and engaging way and, if there is any time left, develop the next generation of laser sources that are set to revolutionise environmental monitoring. 

(2) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
To see the look of pure bliss on the face of a graduating PhD students at the end of a long and hard, but also highly rewarding journey. 

(3) This year I want to…
Climb Smegadeath, a hard multi-pitch climb in the Blue Mountains.

(4) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Climb Blue Ruin, a (too) hard multi-pitch climb in the Blue Mountains. 

(5) A place that’s special to me is…
My birthplace, the city of Vienna in Austria.

(6) My mother/father always told me…
To accept what has happened in the past and to focus on the future.

(7) My guilty pleasure is…
Full cream milk and cheese.

(8) I’m scared of…
Kangaroos, when I’m riding my motorbike along a bush trail.

(9) Something I’ve never done but wanted to try is…
Heli-Skiing. Being Austrian, skiing is in my genes, but I have never had the chance to try heli-skiing.

(10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
It has to be two moments – the birth of my daughter and the birth of my son. 

Every month we celebrate some of the impressive achievements in the Macquarie community. Got something to share for next month? Tell us.

Macquarie’s seven Eureka Prize finalists

Congratulations to all of our finalists who had had outstanding success in their respective areas and who have been nominated in the Eureka Prizes. The Eureka Prizes reward excellence in the fields of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.

Distinguished Professor Michelle Leishman and Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes (main photo) with the Weed Futures team have been named as finalists for the 2019 NSW Environment, Energy and Science (DPIE) Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.

Associate Professor Joanne Jamie, Associate Professor Subramanyam Vemulpad and Dr Ian Jamie, have been nominated for the 2019 Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion, along with Yaegl Aboriginal Elder Dr Uncle Ronald Heron, and Dr Danny Bedgood and Associate Professor Paul Prenzler from Charles Sturt University.

Professor Neil Saintilan of Macquarie University’s Department of Environmental Sciences has been shortlisted for the Eureka Prize for a second year running. In 2019 he has been shortlisted in Environmental Science, while in 2018 his work was recognised in the Mentoring of Young Scientists category. His success as a mentor is obvious from his latest nomination, which builds on the success of his former students. Three members of the team completed their PhD studies and postdoctoral research under Neil’s supervision.

Macquarie University Senior Lecturer in Applied Mathematics, Sophie Calabretto, is a finalist for the 2019 Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science. In 2017 Sophie was chosen as one of the ABC’s ‘Top 5 Under 40’ researchers, which gave her a platform to engage with the wider community.

In addition to her Eureka Award nomination (above), Professor Lesley Hughes has also been honoured with the 2019 Australian Museum Research Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.

Receiving her award in the Museum’s Long Gallery on 31 July, Professor Hughes spoke of her hope in the face of climate change.

Read Professor Hughes’ full speech >>

Congratulations to Dr Philippe Gilchrist and Associate Professor Melissa Norberg from the Department of Psychology who hosted a Visiting Scholar, UK PhD student Tess Langfield, in a specialist lab here on campus.

Tess won a USD$3000 award from the Health and Behaviour International Collaboration (HBIC) to investigate drinking behaviour using psychophysiological measures. This project builds upon her PhD research, which investigates the impact of glass shape on drinking behaviours for soft drinks.

Tess explains the project greatly benefited from Macquarie University’s state-of-the-art facilities and equipment (including a “bar laboratory”, situated in the MQ ‘Simulation Hub’, complete with a BIOPAC machine for measuring physiological responses).

The Department of Physics and Astronomy has received the Silver Pleiades Award from the Inclusion Diversity and Equity in Astronomy Chapter of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

The Pleiades Award recognises organisations in Australian astronomy that take active steps to advance the careers of women through focused programs and strive for sustained improvement in providing opportunities for women to achieve positions of seniority, influence and recognition.

In 2016 WiA broadened its aims to encompass wider issues of diversity. The overarching objective of the IDEA Chapter is to achieve an environment in all institutions associated with Australian astronomy that is welcoming and supportive of all academic staff, professional staff and students, regardless of gender and sexual identity, ethnic and cultural background, disability, age, family/carer responsibilities, political affiliation, and religious belief.

The Department received the Bronze award in this scheme in 2016.

Read our 2018 This Week story about the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s efforts to create a more inclusive culture >

Associate Professor Ronika Power has been named as the recipient of one of two Early Career Awards from the Union Académique Internationale – a global organisation of more than one hundred national and international academies from more than 60 countries across the world.

As part of the celebration of the Union’s Centenary in 2019, the Board created two awards of €6000 ($10,700 AUD) each for a period of two years (2020-2021) to scholars who qualify as Early Career Researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

“The project I will be undertaking under the auspices of this award is entitled: The Sentinels of Ħal Saflieni, Malta: Science Facts versus Science Fiction,” says Ronika.

“In close collaboration with Heritage Malta, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage Malta and colleagues from various international institutions, the project will carry out the first-ever interdisciplinary analyses of the remains of the only surviving individuals (<20 out of a prospective 7,000 people) excavated from the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a multi-level subterranean Neolithic (~4,000–2,500 BC) burial and ritual complex located in Paola, Malta.”

Congratulations to the LEAP UP Refugee Mentoring Program run by the Widening Participation Unit has been shortlisted for the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards under Equity and Opportunity.

The Awards are judged by an independent panel of eminent higher education veterans and this year will be held on 27 August at the Hilton Brisbane.

1. In a nutshell, my job is to…
Run astronomical observing sessions at the Macquarie Observatory for members of the public keen to learn more about the universe around us.

2. The question I hear most often in my work is…
How powerful are our telescopes and how far can we see with them?

3. The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Working with kids to get them engaged and interested in space. It’s very rewarding to be able to fan the flame of excitement surrounding space travel and astronomical discoveries.

4. The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Remove a big spider from a group of screaming kids once when I was running a solar astronomy session on campus.

5. A place that’s special to me is…
The ocean – I love its unpredictability and how it connects every country. I always find a real peace in surfing the ocean waves. You have no control over them – you just have to roll with whatever the ocean gives you!

6. My guilty pleasure is…
Oreos, you can never have just one.

7. I’m scared of…
Nuclear war, I hope as evolved apes we are smarter than to ever use them on one another. There is always room for resolution before warfare.

8. My hidden talent is…
I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of pigeons.

9. Something I’ve never done but wanted to try is…
Skateboard down one of the famous mountain roads in Switzerland, but I’m too chicken!

10. A moment I’ll always remember is…
Seeing the last total solar eclipse in Australia when I was 8 years old. My family and I drove out to the centre of a desert, past opal towns to get into the path of totality. We went off-road and found an empty region where we were able to watch the eclipse without another soul around us.

‘Night Sky Discovery’ evening observatory sessions are held every week. Tickets $13.50 – $18.50 (children under five free). Book now.

We spoke to some of Macquarie’s researchers to hear how he impacted their lives personally.

“When are theoretical physicists household names? Almost never, but Stephen Hawking was among the few. The physics he studied was the type that is hard to imagine or even have a mental model for. How can you think about a point with huge mass and no size? Most of the great ideas he contributed to humanity were rooted in mathematics, perhaps the only perfect description of reality. His mind, like that of very few, so attuned to this representation of the world that he could discover black holes within it, without ever having to look. And alongside these insights, he managed to inspire millions with his books and presentations. I for one grew up with them and, like many others, I was inspired to pursue a career in physics. What a legacy to leave behind!” – Professor Orsola De Marco

“In addition to Professor Stephen Hawking’s invaluable scientific contributions, his wisdom on life also made a profound impact on me. In a lecture titled ‘A Brief History of Mine‘ given during the Starmus Festival at Tenerife, Spain, in 2016, Professor Hawking said: ‘Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up’. Professor Hawking lives on through his legacy.” – Dr Devika Kamath

“His story is quite amazing! it shows that what really counts is the ‘inside’, not what someone looks like or can (or cannot) do physically. Despite all of the adversity he encountered, he continued to produce high-level science and simultaneously engage numerous different audiences. I think that those are the attributes of a good scientist; leave the ivory tower and enthuse other audiences about your research! He was clearly held in awe, not just by the general public, but in response to his untimely death, a good friend and colleague scientist of mine in China referred to him as ‘The Ghost of God’. – Professor Richard de Grijs

Daniel Zucker and Jo Dawson are just two of the many Macquarie people who have been actively working to help the University reach its gender equity goals.

Together with their colleagues in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Daniel and Jo have been focused on finding ways to remove systemic obstacles to opportunity and proactively challenge gender bias – a problem that’s particularly prevalent in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) fields. In campaigning for improvements they’ve helped bring about a culture change in the Department that has seen it externally recognised as a leader in gender equality.

Here, Daniel and Jo explain how the Department has tackled inequality head-on.

“In 2015 our astronomy research group established a diversity committee to address some of the structural and cultural problems we’d identified within the department. The committee developed a framework for change, which saw us awarded a bronze Pleiades Award for the advancement of women. 

The committee was expanded to be department-wide the following year and with the support of our HoD Mike Steel we’ve now been recognised with a second Pleiades Award at the Department level. 

Some of the concrete things we’ve done are things like removing gendered information from job applications, improving the gender balance of our invited speakers, and establishing a fund to assist parents travelling to conferences and meetings with children. We hold all meetings in family-friendly hours – 10am to 4pm – and we enable working from home whenever feasible.

These are just a few examples, and there’s a lot more work to do, but we’re already seeing evidence of a shift in the department culture at ground level. Conversations about diversity and equity are now the norm, and many staff are regularly viewing their actions through that lens. We think that our people – including our students – are more comfortable raising issues than they were before.”

Always striving for better

Both Jo and Daniel say that a diverse and equitable culture – where achievements and abilities are recognised regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation – is something that we should all be working towards.

“A diverse workplace is a desirable goal, both for better science and for a more equitable society,” argues Daniel. “As someone who superficially fits the older nerdy male scientist stereotype, but carries his diversity ‘on the inside’, my ideal workplace would be one in which the many playing fields have been levelled and people are judged by their abilities, not by how they conform to traditional societal notions.”

Jo – a self-described ‘idealist’ – agrees, adding that it’s personally important to her that her son grows up to view women as inherently equal and capable.

“The gender-stereotyping in our culture is something that limits both men and women,” she says. “Gender discrimination in STEMM is a small part of the picture, but it’s the part I have some small power to influence.”

With a shared vision for the Department and the University more broadly, and cultural shifts already being felt, Jo says she is hopeful for the future.

“I do feel that things are getting better,” says Jo. “My own mother was a physics PhD student and some of the behaviour she experienced would be categorically unacceptable in today’s workplaces. There’s a lot left to do, but I think we are moving in the right direction.”

“When I was four or five years old, my mother took me out to the backyard… Halley’s Comet was coming around. She was taking an astronomy class at the time and she said, ‘Lee, there’s a comet there’. I don’t think I actually knew what I was looking at, but I still just remember very vividly how dark and interesting the sky was looking… and that just set me on this path.”

In this week’s episode of Pioneering Minds, we journey to the final frontier with Dr Lee Spitler from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, where we discuss life among the stars, from supernovas to Star Wars, and address the age-old question: are there extraterrestrial lifeforms out there?

Macquarie researchers are finalists in two categories in the 2016 Australian Museum Eureka Awards, announced last Friday.

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes recognise excellence in research and innovation, leadership, science communication and school science across a broad spectrum – from environmental innovative technologies, to science journalism, mentoring and for the first time, citizen science.

Professor Ewa Goldys from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the ARC Centre for Nanoscale Biophotonics is a finalist in the ANSTO Innovative Use of Technology category.

The hyperspectral imaging technology, developed by Professor Ewa Goldys and Dr Martin Gosnell, enables the colour of cells and tissues to be used as a non-invasive medical diagnostic tool. This powerful approach is easily accessible and yields translational outcomes for patients and industry.

Professor Goldys said: “With our pioneering hyperspectral imaging technique we are able to unveil the biomolecular composition of cells and their nanoscale contents.”

“This lets us distinguish between healthy and diseased cells in areas as diverse as embryology, neurodegeneration, cancer and diabetes. What is key is the great potential of this technology to impact positively on lives – supporting clinicians in making improved diagnosis and health decisions for patients.”

The Ngukurr Wi stadi bla Kantri Research Team with the Yugul Mangi Rangers are finalists in the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science category.

Through cross-cultural citizen science research, the Ngukurr Wi stadi bla Kantri (‘We study the Country’) Research Team is equipping Aboriginal elders and youth with the knowledge and tools to better understand and manage South East Arnhem Land environments. Through the project, the team is re-discovering a large and remote area unknown to Western science and working towards maintaining endangered Aboriginal biocultural knowledge.

Project lead, Dr Emilie Ens from the Department of Environmental Sciences said: “This project aims to re-discover a biologically and culturally diverse part of remote South East Arnhem Land through on-ground collaborative research with Aboriginal elders and youth. We are very excited to have all our hard work acknowledged in this way and hope to inspire other researchers to embark on more collaborative science with Indigenous Australians.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius said being nominated in the Eureka Awards is an opportunity to highlight the diverse and important work our researchers do.

“That we have two very different projects as finalists demonstrates the excellence of the research undertaken by our highly committed and talented researchers across a broad spectrum of research activity.”

The winners of the prizes will be announced in the presence of more than 600 science, government, industry and media leaders at the Eureka Prizes Award Dinner at Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday 31 August.