1. Girls in Physics Breakfasts in 2025
These are the dates and speaker details for breakfasts that have been organised. Bookings are now open for
- Bendigo, 20th March. Using Radiotherapy to Treat Skin Cancer with Emma Dyce and Natalie Clements, Medical Physicists with Genesis Care Bookings open
- Mildura, 25th March. The Fascinating World of Solar Energy with Damaris Getanda from RayGen. Bookings open.
- Ballarat, 27th March. Molecular Movies with X-ray lasers with A/Prof Nadia Zatsepin, Swinburne University Bookings open
- Wodonga, 8th May. Breath of Discovery: Nanotechnology a Disease Breathalyser with Renee Goreham, University of Newcastle Bookings open
- Monash University Date: TBC, Amelia Lui and Taïssa Danilovich, Monash University
- Traralgon, Early June.
- Geelong, 14th August. i) How important are powders? ii) Rethinking Waste: Engineering a Circular Future with Negin Amini and Sirjana Adhikari, Deakin University Bookings open
- Melbourne, The AIP’s joint 2025 Women in Physics Lecturers are Dr Sol H. Jacobsen (NTNU) and Dr Danielle Holmes (UNSW Sydney). They both work in quantum computing. Who will be the speaker and when will be announced soon.
Bookings
Change for 2025. This year the metropolitan events will start at 8:00am and the regional events will start at 8:30am.
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2. Public Lecture: The Earth's Turbulent Relationship with the Sun, Fri, 14th Feb, at 6:30pm, RMIT
Speaker 1: A/Prof Brett Carter
Abstract: In this talk, Brett will explore this new paradigm of “space weather”, how the Sun impacts our technologies, and what’s needed to maintain a positive and healthy relationship with the Sun.
Speaker 2: Dr Alexa Halford, talking on 'Sights and Sounds of Space'
Abstract: Sound can help us understand, share, and connect to our universe. In this sound experience, we will venture across the cosmos listening to the proclamation of the space age. Tune into radio waves that inhabit our Earth’s protective shield, the magnetosphere, and their sister waves at Jupiter. We will listen to the sonification of data from literally across the universe and back here on Earth. Then we will hear sounds created on other worlds. Join us as we listen our way through the universe.
Venue: Storey Hall, RMIT
To Book: Click here
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3. Circular Motion: Totally Unbelievable demo
Simon Poliakov, a UK Physics Teacher, who has a website of teaching ideas (See Newsletter, 1/T1/2025) has recorded this video of a circular motion demo.
Set up: Two forks and a matchstick are balanced on the rim of a wine glass which has been placed on a board with long cords attached to each corner. The ends of the cords are brought together and the whole assembly is swung in a vertical circle. There is also a camera on the end of the board to record the action.
Two other circular motion items are:
i) Spin Launch: Catapult to send satellites into space.
SpinLaunch is a new space technology company that has created an alternative method for putting 200 kilogram satellites into low earth orbit.
These are some articles about the technology: Wikipedia page about the company: The Brighter Side News report and an ABC article about building one in WA.
Item supplied by Gary Bass
ii) A useful Youtube video from 'All Things Physics', is about a ball on the end of a string moving in a horizontal circle. The string is released.
The question is: What path does the object take immediately after releasing the string? The subtitle is 'What everyone gets wrong!'
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4. Events for Students
a) Physics Days at Luna Park: Aerobatic displays, Dates and Cost and Synchrotron Tours
Aerobatics Update: Last week the ADF confirmed that there would be a PC21 aircraft on each of the five days. However a few days later the RAAF base at Sale advised that there would be up to three displays, with the days yet to be decided. We will keep you updated as more information comes to hand.
Check here for a description of the plane's manoeuvres, some aerobatic worksheets as well as websites on aerobatics.
The Synchrotron tours, see below, will be unaffected as it takes about 30 min to get from Luna Park to the Synchrotron along North Rd, however schools down for the 3:00pm tours should leave Luna Park about 2:20pm.
Bookings are open at Luna Park.
The cost is $35 per student with teachers free. Physics Days at Luna Park will be on from Monday, 3rd March to Friday, 7th, March
In the past, Luna Park invoiced the school after the event. Once the actual student numbers are known, they will now require a deposit of 30% to confirm the booking, which must be paid four weeks prior to the event. You can now seek your school's approval for the activity.
Flight Simulators: The RAAF flight simulators will again be there on each day.
Synchrotron Tours: As an add on and also a benefit to regional schools for whom the trip to Melbourne is a major commitment, the Australian Synchrotron is offering Synchrotron tours. Each tour runs for one hour and has a limit of 24 students. The tour is free, with ANSTO covering the cost for two days and Vicphysics the other two days. Tours are available from Monday to Thursday.
The 3pm tours for each day are now fully booked. There is now a second tour starting at 3:15pm on each day. Tentative bookings can be taken for the second tours. Confirmation of their availability from the Synchrotron will displayed on our website.
Note: The website, see link below, displays the number of spots still available.
Information on the day and worksheets as well as booking for a Tour can be found here
b) Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge, 7th to 18th July
BIYSC is a two-week international residential science program for young people from all over the world, passionate about Science and Technology. They work hands-on in a research project alongside professional scientists. There are about 150 students selected from applications and video interviews.
The physics projects include:
- Cosmic Ray detection
- Quantum cryptography
- Quantum Entanglement
There are also projects in Engineering, Medicine, Maths, etc.
The cost is 3200 euros covering accommodation and meals. Air travel to Barcelona is not included.
Students from Years 10 to 12 can apply.
Closing Date: 18th February
c) Learning Physics: Some Strategies. Online early Term 2
Vicphysics is organising a Zoom Webinar on strategies for Learning Physics. It will be an after-school event early in Term 2 for about one hour. There will be three speakers, each with a different perspective and advice and each speaking for 15 minutes. The final 15 minutes is for students' questions. The students can join one of three breakout rooms, one for each of the speakers.
Students will need to register, there will be a cost of $10. Schools will be able to make group bookings.
The date and details of the program will be available shortly.
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Vicphysics Teachers’ Network Inc is excited to announce that “PHYSCON 2025 – Making a Quantum Leap,” a hybrid conference for all teachers of Physics, will be taking place on Friday, 21 February online and at Swinburne University of Technology’s Hawthorn Campus with the support of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
2025 is the international “Year of Quantum,” and we are very fortunate to have Professor Nicolas Menicucci from RMIT give the keynote address at the conference. He is an outstanding communicator who is leading the Australian national campaign to raise awareness of the ubiquity and importance of quantum phenomena and the opportunities that quantum technologies present for those with physics knowledge and skills.
The other keynote speaker is Prof Manjula Sharma from the University of Sydney. Prof Sharma is a professor of Science Education and is active in STEM and teacher enrichment. She will speak on 'Curiosity, inquiry and emotional engagement.'
Program features:
- Inspiring keynote speakers: quantum physicist, Prof Nick Menicucci and physics education expert, Prof Manjula Sharma, see details above.
- Four sessions encompassing more than 40 workshops relevant to secondary Physics teaching and learning, many livestreamed and available post event on demand,
- Presentations by the VCE Physics Chief Assessor and the VCAA Science Curriculum Manager,
- Includes networking opportunities, exhibitors, cutting-edge laboratory tours and Saturday excursions.
Flyer Program
To check out the Conference fees and to Register click here Bookings for in-person attendance will close this Friday.
b Astrophysics Scholarship Program for Vicphysics Members
The Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University is offering the Graduate Certificate of Science (Astronomy) — a fully online program designed to deepen your understanding of the universe while fitting seamlessly into your professional schedule.
As a physics teacher, this program is an excellent opportunity to broaden your knowledge and inspire your students with cutting-edge insights from the world of astronomy.
Scholarship Opportunity:
Swinburne University are excited to announce a 20% tuition scholarship exclusively for VicPhysics members, valued at $2,560, to support your studies. Simply enrol here and afterwards contact the course coordinator Dr Sara Webb (swebb@swin.edu.au) who will implement your scholarship. The remaining course fee is tax deductable as a self-education expense relates to your employment activities.
Course Structure ( do 4 of 5)
Full-time or part-time study options available.
Apply Now! Applications close 26th Feb
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to enhance your professional development and bring engaging, cutting-edge astronomy insights into your teaching.
For more information visit Swinburne Astronomy Online.
If you have chosen not to be a Vicphysics member, but just to only have access to resources, you can upgrade to membership by completing this form.
c) Beginning Physics Teachers' In-Service, Tues, 8th April
Vicphysics is finalising the next Beginning Physics Teachers' In-Service. It will be on Tuesday, 8th April in the first week of the school holidays at John Monash Science School. Details of the program will be available shortly. Check here for previous programs.
c) PD on SACs in March
Last year in June, Vicphysics ran a PD on SACs, partly in response to some schools' experience of the audit process, but mainly about the increased specificity in the descriptions of the four formats available for assessment tasks.
The event will be repeated this year, but earlier.
It is an online event, after school, over two Thursdays a week apart.
Dates: Thursdays 13th and 20th March
Times: 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Cost: None
To register and for more details. click here. The webpage also has resources from last year's PD
In the form we ask you for some information:
- In what format do you plan to do your first assessment task,
- If decided, the format for your other assessment tasks.
- Whether you can look after a breakout room and
- Whether you are happy to zoom/share your assessment task
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There are two schools seeking a physics teacher.
The Job Ads page on Vicphysics website is updated every weekend. The webpage also has a link on how schools can register a position and lodge a payment for this service.
- Koonung Secondary College (two positions) (close 7th Feb)
- Bairnsdale Secondary College (closes 16th Feb)
i) Vicphysics Membership and Access to the Teachers' Resources on the website.
Vicphysics has changed its membership structure, benefits and fees. Previously, a subscription to the website resources was separate from being a member of Vicphysics. Access to website resources is now being included as one of a number of member benefits.
Membership benefits include:
- access to teacher resources section of the website
- discounts to attend conferences, in-services, etc,
- certification for attending each PD event,
- PL certificate for committee meetings supplied at the end of the calendar year and
- voting rights.
Membership fees are: Individual: $60, Retired: $40, Student (tertiary): $40, School: $120.
Vicphysics also offers a Resources Access Only option without the discounts and other benefits listed above. The fees for this option are the same as above.
Existing subscribers currently receive discounts, which will cease when their subscription expires. At that point, subscribers will need to choose between the two options above for continued access to the Teacher resources.
We are looking forward to increasing the membership base of Vicphysics and to fostering member input into our extensive range of activities from Physics teaching professional learning such as our recent SAC PD events or the Physics Teachers Conference to supporting activities for students, such as the Luna Park Physics Days or photo and poster competitions.
You can join us here!
ii) Vicphysics Forum: Tips and Questions for the Physics Teaching Community
The Vicphysics Teachers’ Network has set up an online Forum for teachers to raise issues, seek ideas, offer suggestions, etc.
Link here directly, or look out for it on our webpage where it can be found at the top right of our home page.
We hope it will be an opportunity for mutual professional development.
The forum is open to all teachers. If you are a subscriber, you can log in the usual way. If you are not a subscriber, you can register to use the forum at ‘My Account’. Given the purposes of this Forum, we ask that you use your real name when generating a topic or lodging a post.
We hope this Forum will become a valuable medium for exchanging ideas as we begin planning the new study design.
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Items selected from the bulletin of the Institute of Physics (UK).
Each item below includes the introductory paragraphs and a web link to the rest of the article.
a) Early Debates in Space Science
As the space age dawned at the end of World War II, the list of open questions in space science was vast. What was the source of the charged particles that caused auroras? How were those charged particles able to penetrate Earth’s magnetic field? What was the nature of the Moon’s surface? Those were but a few of the mysteries that remained unresolved in part because observations up to then had all been made from Earth.
b) Dance breaks down barriers to STEM for young women
As a kid growing up on Long Island, New York, Yamilée Toussaint always looked forward to ‘Take Your Daughter to Work’ Day. Her father was a mechanical engineer who made electrical parts, and Toussaint loved watching him work. “I liked how my father was the person who can fix things – if something was broken, he could find a creative solution to fix it – and how much pride he took in being that person,” says Toussaint.
Another article: When she was four years old, Yamilée Toussaint started taking ballet classes. While growing up on Long Island, New York, she continued to dance—adding tap, jazz, modern, and African hip-hop—while pursuing her other interest: maths.
Toussaint has since combined those passions by founding and leading a program that helps girls, especially girls of color, become interested in the sciences through dance. Today, STEM From Dance hosts multiple free programs throughout the country. Also check out their website STEM from Dance and this Youtube video
c) The lessons learned from ephemeral nuclei
Atomic nuclei can be divided into those that are stable and those that are not. The latter often are labeled radioactive. But this binary classification fails to capture the range of nuclear lifetimes, from those that last less time than it takes for light to cross atomic dimensions to those that dwarf the age of the universe.
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