2020 National Science Week Presentations

Andrew Lim – A Voice to the Stars: Defining Humanity for a New Generation

Date: Monday 17th August
Time: 4:30-5:15pm

Description: Since time immemorial, humans have looked up and asked a simple question – ‘are we alone?’. In 1974, the Arecibo Observatory sent out a radio message to the final frontier, crafted by a team of experts – a calling card to those of the great beyond. In 2018, the call sounded again, with schools and universities across the globe challenged to design a new, 21st-century message. Today, following a gruelling set of challenges, an inter-school collaboration between Trinity, Ruyton and Scotch is among the final three international research proposals in contention, being reviewed by preeminent scholars from across the globe. Join Andrew Lim, who spearheaded this initiative, as he explores this remarkable journey, taking you through the triumphs, the challenges – and the unparalleled wonder of those few truths universally acknowledged.

Click to join Andrew’s live-streamed presentation

Professor Nigel Curtis – COVID-19 and Science Beyond the Classroom

Date: Wednesday 19th August
Time: 4:30-5:15pm

Description: Professor Nigel Curtis is a doctor and scientist. He is Head of Infectious Diseases at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Melbourne and Leader of the Infectious Diseases Research Group at the Murdoch Children¹s Research Institute.

More importantly, he is the father of Max and Felix Curtis who both attended Trinity and Hollie Curtis who attended Ruyton and did maths classes with Mr Brown.

Professor Curtis’ research focuses on improving the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in children. He is currently leading a large trial of a vaccine that might help reduce the impact of COVID-19 in healthcare workers.

Click to join Professor Curtis’s live-streamed presentation

Dr Sathana Dushyanthen -The Little Heroes and Enemies within Us

Date: Thursday 20th August
Time: 4:30-5:15pm

Description: Dr Sat Dushy is a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. She specialises in Online Education in Cancer Sciences for Graduate Students.
Prior to this role, she completed a PhD through the University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Her thesis was focused on identifying combination treatment strategies for Breast Cancer, that harness the immune system. Her main areas of interest are Cancer Immunology, therapeutics and cellular signaling pathways.
She is a passionate Medical Educator that has a strong belief in the use of digital technologies such as virtual reality and animation to promote interest and engagement online. She is also a Science Communicator and has participated as a National Finalist in the FameLab Science Communication competition. Her most recent education endeavours include a YouTube channel called Science in Motion that covers popular science and research topics using animated videos.

Click to join Dr Dushyanthen’s live-streamed presentation