At the breakfast students from Years 10 to 12 share a table with two or three women who are either in a career in physics or engineering, or are at university as an undergraduate or a postgraduate. The students have a chance to ask questions about their careers and what study at university is like. Students are seated with students from other schools.
At each breakfast there is an address by a prominent scientist, who talks about her area of interest at a level appropriate for the audience. A flyer to promote the event to your students. Date: Thursday, 21st May Venue: The Cube, South Auditorium, Wodonga Times: 8:30am and finish about 11:00am. Speaker: Dr Manisha Caleb, University of Sydney Bio: Dr Manisha Caleb is a radio astronomer who studies some of the most mysterious signals in the Universe. She holds a Masters degree in spacecraft technology and satellite communications from University College London and a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the Australian National University. Her research focuses on radio transients — objects that “go bang” in the sky and are sometimes never to be seen again. These signals typically involve some of the most energetic processes in the Universe and are crucial for understanding the nature of matter and gravity. Her work helps reveal otherwise invisible matter, magnetic fields, and structure in the cosmos, using some of the world’s best radio telescopes in Australia and around the world. Dr Caleb is passionate about science outreach and mentoring, and loves sharing the thrill of scientific discovery, describing herself as a cosmic detective solving one mystery at a time. Topic: The Curious Case of Fast Radio Bursts Abstract: Everyone loves a good mystery, and in astronomy, there is nothing more exciting than an unexplained signal. Throughout astronomical history, whenever something has gone boom in the sky, it has hinted at a new phenomenon. About two decades ago, the discovery of mysterious flashes of short, intense radio waves originating all over the sky took the media by storm. They have since evolved into an astrophysical class of their own called fast radio bursts. Fast radio bursts last 100 times shorter than the blink of an eye, and in that time emit as much energy as the Sun would in an entire day. Intriguingly, we don’t know when they happen, where in the sky they happen or even what produces them. What we do know is that about 3 bursts occur every minute at random locations across the sky. What is most exciting about fast radio bursts is that they are cosmic messengers from halfway across the Universe, bearing the imprint of the material they travel through. The signal can be thought of as a flashlight illuminating everything along its path. As a result, fast radio bursts are a gold mine of information about the cosmos carrying information about the magnetic fields and the turbulence along its path. My research aims to unravel the origins and environments of fast radio bursts, and characterise their use as probes to study and understand the Universe in new and unique ways.
Fees: The table below shows the fee structure.
Category
Cost
First Teacher
No Charge
Second Teacher
$25 / $10*
per Student
$15 / $0*
* A discount was available for schools with a low ICSEA rank. Discounts could be applied for by emailing Vicphysics with subject ‘Breakfast discount’.
Fees
Two methods to pay are available,
by credit card or
by bank transfer, an email is generated with the details of the Vicphysics bank account.
Max number of students per school: To enable more schools to participate, there was an initial maximum of twelve (12) students per school. Booking:
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Program:
There is a 45 min talk, followed by questions. After this there are two activities on Careers in STEM i) Quiz and Job Roles Analysis and ii) Case Studies analysis. A Q&A with a panel of guests rounds out the event.
Promoting the event to your students
Sponsors and Supporters
The Girls in Physics Breakfasts are organised by the Vicphysics Teachers’ Network and supported by the Invergowrie Foundation.
