1.  Talk, Dinner and Catching Up: Space Weather. 6:30pm, Weds, 11th December, Hawthorn Hotel and online
To celebrate the end of the year, there will be a networking occasion on Weds, 11th Dec at Hawthorn Hotel in Burwood Rd.
As part of the evening, Paul Butler will speak on Space Weather: Auroras and Solar Maxima.
Paul's talk will also be available online. Your science colleagues will also find his talk of value.

The cost to attend in person is $40 ($35 for member of Vicphysics) and covers food and drinks.  

Registration: to book a seat or request online access, click here. 
For a copy of this flyer click here 

Speaker: Paul has been teaching VCE and IB Physics for many years.  He is actively involved in radio astronomy using his own radio telescope at home and through online radio telescopes around the world. Paul was recently elected as a Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers Director and Board member.

Abstract Many parts of the world have been treated to amazing displays of aurora australis and aurora borealis this year. We are also close to the maximum of the 11-year sunspot cycle. Are these two events related? In fact, they are very closely linked, as activity on the sun can result in the earth being bombarded with X-rays and storms of charged sub-atomic particles.
Might there be other effects for us as a result of these bombardments? Yes, and some of the outcomes could be catastrophic. The physics of space weather provides us with an understanding of what is happening and what the outcomes might be. And the picture is very scary. How can life exist on earth in the face of these solar storms? And could we live on Mars, or even travel there safely?
Both the VCE Physics course and the Australian/Victorian Curriculum include a range of concepts related to space weather, providing an opportunity to link our teaching to the real world. This session will outline the nature of space weather and relate it to concepts in atomic physics, electricity and magnetism included in the current VCE Physics Study Design. In addition, many of these ideas relate well to key points studied in Science at Years 7 – 10, providing further opportunities to relate Science to our lives.

2. Physics Days at Luna Park: Dates and Cost and Synchrotron Tours Update
In 2025 Physics Days at Luna Park will be on from Monday, 3rd March to Friday, 7th, March.
The cost next year will be $35 per student with teachers free.
Bookings will open in late December once Luna Park's end of school year activities are over.   
In the past, Luna Park invoiced the school after the event once actual student numbers are known, they now require a deposit of 30% to confirm the booking, which needs to be paid four weeks before the event.
You can now seek your school's approval for the activity.

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 at 3pm.  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 in the week and Vicphysics another two days. Tours will be available on the Monday to Thursday. Tours can be booked now.
Note: The website, see link below, displays the number of spots still available, so bookings cannot be confirmed until the numbers from that day's bookings are tallied.

An aerobatic display has been requested, but confirmation or not, is not received until February.
It is expected that the RAAF flight simulators will be back.
Information on the day and worksheets as well as booking for a Tour can be found here. 

3. Events for Students 

a) Halloween Special: Cosmic Catastrophes - The End of Earth and Beyond.  Public lecture, 6:30pm, 31st October, Swinburne University with activities for kids from 5:30pm
What, in the end, will signal the demise of our world?  It’s a question we’ve all pondered, but what could actually happen? Join Dr. Sara Webb as she unravels the mysteries of our planet’s potential end in her upcoming lecture, based on her new book.

Dr. Webb will explore: 

• What Makes the Earth Special,
• Disasters Waiting to Happen,
• The Inevitable End 

It’s not all doom and gloom, though—there’s hope in humanity’s search for a new home, Earth 2.0. This talk will leave you reflecting on the precious nature of our place in the cosmos.
There are activities for kids at 5:30pm

Dr Sara Webb was a keynote speaker at PHYSCON 2024.

Venue: AMDC301 and Sky Lounge, Level 3, AMDC Building, 453 Burwood Road Hawthorn, VIC 3122
To register click here, there is also a Flyer to promote the event to your students.

b)  Quantum Computing for students: 2pm - 5pm, 24th November, University of Melbourne
    Enter the QUANTUM COMPUTING WORLD - learn to code the new FRONTIER.
As part of the international conference “Quantum Techniques in Machine Learning 2024” to be held at the University of Melbourne from 25th to 29th November, Lloyd Hollenberg is running an activity for students on the Sunday afternoon before.
The 3-hour activity is specifically designed to introduce you to the world of quantum computing. Students will be guided through the concepts underpinning how information is represented and processed in a quantum computer. 
Using the interactive web-based Quantum User Interface (QUI) system, they will gain first-hand experience in visualising quantum logic and coding quantum computers to carry out basic programs.

Who: VCE students and those who enjoy mathematical thinking
What: Students will need to bring a laptop with access to the Chrome browser.
Where: The University of Melbourne, Room G18 – G21, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry St, Carlton
Click here for a copy of the flyer.
Click here to register, which close on 10th November. Note: Only about 25 spots left..

c) Swinburne Innovation Challenge: Register your team for program on 20th November.

Places are now available for high ability students in Years 10 to 12 from Government Schools to participate in the latest iteration of the Swinburne Innovation Challenge. In this program, free for Government Schools, students will:

• Form teams of 4-6 and identify a problem they’d like to solve, framed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  It is expected that the teams will be cross-disciplinary, see below.
• Visit the Hawthorn Campus of Swinburne University of Technology
• Extend their learning through hands-on workshops and build key skills in teamwork, ways of thinking, problem solving and communication
• Build a prototype solution for their chosen problem and create a 3-minute video pitch in their teams, to win fabulous prizes for themselves and for their school

The Swinburne Innovation Challenge runs over four weeks utilising a blended model of delivery, commencing with a teacher-led Discovery Phase at school (30 min), followed by the Develop Phase excursion to Swinburne Hawthorn (all day on 20th Nov), and finishing with the student-led Deliver Phase due four weeks later. The program includes 10 - 12 hours of student-led work and requires minimal teacher involvement.
Places are also open to Non-Government Schools for a nominal fee per student. Please inquire for details at schoolprograms@swin.edu.au.
Download the flyer with details of the three stages.
To register interest, click here.
There are prizes to be won, but not specified.
The team's interests can include: Engineering, Physics, Applied computing, Psychology, Product design, Business management, Media, Sociology, Legal Studies and Phys Ed.

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4. Events for Teachers 

a) Shaw-IAU Workshop by the IAU Office of Astronomy Education, 12-14 Nov, Free online conference 
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) have been running this three-day workshop for several years. Sessions are held at times to suit most of the global community.  For example looking at last year's program, Sessions were held in the following Melbourne times: 6pm - 7pm, 7pm - 8:30pm, 9pm - 10:30pm, 10:30pm to 12:00am until 3:00am.  So four of the seven sessions are accessible.
The session titles from the last Workshop were: Teaching methods and tools, Astronomy Education in Practice, Planetary Climate, etc with sessions repeated at different times over the three days.
This year's program has not been released yet but you can register here.
Robert Hollow from Parkes Radio Telescope and Jackie Bondell from OzGrav are the Australian Coordinators of this international event.

b) Out-of-Field PD for Science Teachers: Wyndham Vale (Forces and Motion), Hamilton (Light and Sound),
The next PD events are:

• Wyndham Vale on Weds, 6th November and Friday, 15th November, 9:30am to 3:30pm. Morning tea and lunch provided.  Forces and Motion: at Manor Lakes P-12 School
• Hamilton on Wednesday, 13 November and Tuesday, 19th November, 9:30am to 3:30pm. Morning tea and lunch provided. Light and Sound at Monivae College
• Kew High School Light and Sound has been postponed to 2025

Check here for details for these events and to book.

Costs: Hamilton ($220 per participant), Wyndham Vale ($330 per participant).  Discounts available for teachers from Government schools and for teachers from schools with a low ICSEA rank. CRT coverage is available for teachers from Government schools.


c) AIP Congress 2024: Teachers' Day, Weds, 4th December, Melbourne Convention Centre: Small number of Free Tickets
The Australian Institute of Physics Congress is running from 2nd-5th December at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and will have a focus on education in the program running on Wednesday 4th December.

Sessions of interest to teachers include: 
Tuesday Public Lecture 7pm. What you shouldn't know about Quantum Physics
Presenter:  A/Prof Chris Ferrie.  He is at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia, where he researches and lectures on quantum physics, computation, and engineering. He is the co-founder of Eigensystems, a quantum computing start-up with a mission to democratize access to quantum computing through education. As the #1 best-selling science author for kids, he has written over fifty children’s books about science and a few for adults. You can find Chris online at csferrie.com
(no registration required for public lecture)

Wednesday will have a focus on education
8-9am: Education Breakfast (additional registration required) Artificial Intelligence in Physics Education
9:45am: Plenary by Prof Manjula Sharma Declining physics student numbers: Can we reverse the trend? Prof Sharma is a  Professor of Science Education at the University of Sydney and Director of the STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy.
11am-12:30pm  Focus Session - Bridging High School and Tertiary Physics will bring together secondary and tertiary educators with lightning talks and table discussions on laboratory learning and university-secondary outreach programs in physics
2:30pm-4:00pm: Education presentations: Education Across Settings. A series of invited and contributed talks will look at effective approaches to physics teaching and physics education across settings.
5-6pm: Education presentations: Effective Approaches to Teaching 

Thursday 
3-4pm: Education presentations: Labs and Hands on Learning

Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Date: Weds, 4th Dec
Normal one day Cost: $130, with includes lunch and morning tea
To register: AIP Congress 2024 website

Free Tickets:
There are teacher rates for four day, two day, and single-day registrations. Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy is sponsoring a limited number of one day registrations for teachers.  Please contact Anna.Phillips@monash.edu for further information. 

d) PHYSCON 2025 - Making a Quantum Leap: Registration open
                       
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 giving a 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 as well as the opportunities that quantum technologies present for those who have 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.

Click here of a copy of the flyer. Click here for a copy of the program.

Conference Fees.

	Early Bird before 18th Dec
	Student/Retired	School member	Individual member	Non-member
in person	$120.00	$310.00	$290.00	$330.00
online	$80.00	$140.00	$120.00	$160.00
	Regular
	Student/Retired	School member	Individual member	Non-member
in person	$150.00	$340.00	$320.00	$360.00
online	$110.00	$170.00	$150.00	$190.0

To Register click here.

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7.   Physics News from the Web
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) Century-old photoelectric effect inspires a new search for quantum gravity
Quantum mechanics does a great job of describing our universe at short distances, while general relativity works wonders at long scales. But bridging the two remains one of the deepest problems in physics. Gravity, a crucial piece of the universe, is missing from the quantum Lego set. But while there is still no quantum theory of gravity, the challenge of detecting its signatures now looks a little more manageable thanks to a proposed experiment that takes inspiration from the photoelectric effect.

b) Dark matter’s secret identity: WIMPs or axions?
A former South Dakota gold mine is the last place you might think to look to solve one of the universe’s biggest mysteries. Yet what lies buried in the Sanford Underground Research Facility, 1.47 km beneath the surface, could be our best chance of detecting the ghost of the galaxy: dark matter.  Deep within those old mine tunnels, accessible only by a shaft from the surface, is seven tonnes of liquid xenon. This is the LUX-ZEPELIN (LZ) experiment. It’s looking for the tiny signatures that dark matter is predicted to leave in its wake as it passes through the Earth.
.This is the LUX-ZEPELIN (LZ) experiment. It’s looking for the tiny signatures that dark matter is predicted to leave in its wake as it passes through the Earth. To have any chance of success, LZ needs to be one of the most sensitive experiments on the planet.
To check out the progress of Victoria's Dark Matter project, SUPL, in a gold mine at Stawell, 1 km below the surface, check here

c) Fifty Shades of black
For domestic use, options abound. Pitch black, jack black, lamp black, fine black, velour black, onyx black, blackboard black, black fossil, charcoal, soot, smoke, sinner, black stillness, off black, little black dress, penny black, deep black and – should you want to be left in no doubt – black black.  There are probably 50 shades of black, if not more. But sometimes, and especially where physicists are concerned, even the blackest black isn’t black enough.

For many years, NASA has used a black paint manufactured by the international aerospace corporation Lord that has a reflectivity of just 3.5%. That’s several per cent lower than conventional black pigments. Dubbed Z306, it was applied to the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as other NASA instruments, to reduce stray light from the Sun, Moon, Earth and indeed the telescope’s own housing. Without it, all those images of distant galaxies and novae might not have appeared quite so spectacular.

Black is important in the design of the best telescopes, but it is also key in other scientific equipment, including infrared detectors, black-body calibrating materials, radiators and solar panels.

 

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