WIMSIG NEWSLETTER — May 2023

Science Meets Parliament

Sarah Dart recently represented WIMSIG at this year’s Science Meets Parliament event. Her report is below.

During March I had the opportunity to engage in the “Science Meets Parliament” event as a representative of the Australian Mathematical Society and Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group. The event aims to “elevate visibility and understanding of STEM in Parliament and Australian Government Departments” and was attended by hundreds of delegates from a wide range of STEM-aligned organisations.

The event began with an online component held over 3 days. Sessions covered a variety of topics related to parliamentary operations, problem solving, and policy more broadly. I particularly enjoyed the session on engaging effectively with policymakers. An in-person event was then held in Canberra, which involved sessions across the day and a gala dinner at night. We heard from several high-profile speakers including Ed Husic (Minister for Industry and Science) and Richard Miles (Deputy Prime Minister). I also attended question time, which was quite a fiery experience! The overall highlight for me was meeting with Simon Kent, principal policy advisor to MP Brendan O’Connor. In this meeting I was able to discuss some of my research around skills for the future STEM education workforce.

I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in this event, and look forward to continuing the conversation around increasing the STEM in policy development.

Sarah Dart at Parliament House.
Sarah Dart meeting Simon Kent (third from left), principal policy advisor to MP Brendan O’Connor, along with two other delegates.

Blaise Pascal Medal by the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc)

Distinguished Professor Susan Scott (ANU) was awarded the Blaise Pascal Medal by the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc) in Brussels. This is an international award made annually in the various subfields of science — this year in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering and Materials Science. She is the recipient of the 2022 Blaise Pascal Medal for Physics, recognising her research in General Relativity, Cosmology and Gravitational Wave science. This is the first Blaise Pascal Medal ever awarded to an Australian.

Congratulations Susan!

How to Become a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science 

Are you interested in learning about the nomination process for Australian Academy of Science (AAS) fellowship and strategies for improving gender balance within the Academy? Join the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS), Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group (WIMSIG), and the AAS for an online information session on Wednesday 31 May 2023 from 13:00–14:00 (AEST).

Featuring presentations from accomplished AAS Fellows and a Q&A panel discussion, this event is a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the AAS nomination process and connect with peers in the scientific community.

Program:

  • Welcome 
  • Short talk from Prof Helene Marsh (Fellowship Secretary B with the AAS) on what it means to be a fellow of the Academy
  • Short talk from Prof Louise Ryan (Council Member with the AAS and past chair of the Mathematical Sciences Sectional Committee of the AAS) about what a strong nomination looks like
  • Q&A panel discussion with AAS Fellows Prof Catherine Greenhill, Prof Nalini Joshi, Prof Cheryl Praeger, and Prof Kate Smith-Miles
  • Conclusion

Don’t miss this chance to learn about the nomination process and connect with some of the amazing AAS Fellows. Register now to secure your spot!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Women in Mathematics Day (May 12) events across Australia

WIMSIG, with partial support from ACEMS, has funded events to be held at ANU, Deakin, The University of Melbourne, the University of Wollongong, and The University of Queensland.  To see details of these and other May 12 events in Australia and around the world, visit https://may12.womeninmaths.org/.

We look forward to hearing how all the events go.

SMC Down Under

SMC Down Under is a workshop on sequential Monte Carlo that will be held at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) from 10–13 July. The workshop will bring together the SMC community to discuss the theory and practice of sequential Monte Carlo. The workshop will consist of contributed talks, posters, and collaborative sessions to discuss current trends in SMC and its future directions.

We have a great lineup of keynote speakers: Dr Francesca Crucinio, Professor Sumeetpal Singh, and Dr Saifuddin Syed.

Workshop registration and abstract submission are open. Please note that abstract submissions closes on Friday 5 May 2023. See the workshop website for more details.

The workshop is sponsored by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, Australian Mathematical Society, and QUT Centre for Data Science.

OPPORTUNITIES

UNSW Sydney

MEDIA

‘Appallingly unethical’: why Australian universities are at breaking point. Cost-cutting, casualisation, and ‘ridiculous’ teaching loads are taking a toll on tertiary institutions – and some academics are fighting back.

Have you read an interesting article? Have some news? Have an opportunity available?

Please send items to WIMSIG-news@austms.org.au.

Note: Newsletters are published on the 1st day of each month (or soon after). The deadline for submitted items is the 27th day of each month.

To keep in touch in between newsletters, follow @wimsigAU on Twitter.