What's On at UWA

The Young Lives Matter Foundation (https://www.uwa.edu.au/institutes/young-lives-matter/home)  aims to leverage research expertise across UWA to address the leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year olds in Western Australia. The foundation will address this aim by developing improved predictors of risk of self-harm and by better understanding the ways in which individuals interact with a myriad of health services. A deliberate and explicit focus of YLM is to tackle these goals through doing research differently. A key component of this is through new approaches in mathematics. I will provide an overview of some of the pilot work we have conducted over the last 18 months. Through direct observational study at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital we have developed complex systems models of information transmission and patient flow within the health system. This has allowed us to evaluate system performance and identify key bottlenecks in the delivery of health services. A separate, data-driven, pilot study at Perth Clinic has developed machine learning algorithms which out-perform admission-based psychiatric evaluation for risk of self-harm.  This is joint work with Michael McCullough, Sean Hood, Andrew Page, David Lawrence, Binu Jayawardena, and Geoff Hooke.

Dr. Philipp Bayer - Eukaryotic pangenomics – where we’ve been, where we’re going.

Ordinary Meetings of Convocation are the general meetings of The University of Western Australia. These meetings of Convocation provide the opportunity to receive an update on the operations of your University and current issues in tertiary education from the Vice-Chancellor, the Warden of Convocation and the Guild President.

Special guest speaker Professor Peter Veth, Director, UWA Oceans Institute, will speak about A Deep History of Maritime Peoples from Western Australia.

"Vascular effects of physical (in)activity and insulin resistance: Mechanisms and implications" - Dr. Jaume Padilla is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and investigator at the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Missouri. His laboratory focuses on understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which inactivity, obesity, and type 2 diabetes lead to an increased risk for vascular dysfunction and disease. Dr. Padilla’s research is integrative and incorporates in vitro cell and tissue culture models and studies in mice, pigs, and human patients, thus highlighting the translational nature of his work. His seminar will summarize some of his recent work related to mechanisms contributing to vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction in obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as describe the deleterious vascular consequences of excess inactivity and sitting.

"Training your arteries, vascular function with exercise training in healthy and clinical populations" - Maureen J MacDonald received her Honours BSc in Chemistry from Acadia University, Canada, in 1991 and her MSc (1993) and PhD (1998) in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo, Canada. After post-doctoral research fellowships at the University of British Columbia and the University of Western Ontario she started her academic career as a faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University. Since 2000 she has been a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, where she is a full professor and is the Dean of Science. Dr. MacDonald the director of the Vascular Dynamics Laboratory and is an active member of the Exercise Metabolism Research Group in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster. Her research interests are in the area of exercise physiology with specialization in the application of ultrasound techniques to the assessment of the peripheral blood vessels. Most recently, together with her research team, she has been examining the impact of high intensity interval training on the blood vessels and heart in individuals with coronary artery disease and the use of heat therapy as an alternative to exercise training. She has directly supervised over 100 undergraduate and graduate students since her appointment in 2000 and was recently awarded the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Mentorship award in October 2018. Dr. MacDonald has been continually funded by The Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada since 2001, and currently is also funded by Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Dr. MacDonald is a member of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Physiological Society and the European College of Sports Science and. Two research leaves at Stanford University (July 2006-June 2007) and Loughborough University (July 2013-June 2014) provided Dr. MacDonald with international academic exposure and fostered lasting international research collaborations. She teaches a weekly high intensity interval training spinning class in the McMaster Fitness Facility and spends most of her free time at the arena watching her boys play hockey.

Panel Discussion 2:00-2:30 with Professor David Dunstan PhD David is Head of the Physical Activity laboratory at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne and is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and Baker Fellow. He also holds the position of Professor within the Behaviour, Environment and Cognition Research Program at the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University. His research program encompasses the interdisciplinary cross-talk and integration of observational, experimental, mechanistic and intervention evidence on the role of sedentary behaviour and physical activity in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. He has published over 260 peer reviewed papers and in 2018 was included in the Clarivate list of the 1% of the most highly cited researchers globally. Over the past 15 years David has had extensive media interest in his research including interviews with National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Economist, New Scientist, the New York Times and the LA Times.

The Boodie or Burrowing Bettong (Bettongia lesueur) is the only macropod that shelters underground in warrens. It is limited naturally to three islands off the west Australian coast, but just 200 years ago it had the widest distribution of any macropod, occupying about 50% of the continent. The seminar will describe what can be eked out of a genetic analysis of the population on Barrow Island, which is at the geographic centre of Australia's largest resource project. Inevitably, it will be short. However, that masks the huge effort required to undertake work of this kind. It was largely undertaken by others, and Felicity Donaldson and Celeste Wale deserve special mention in this regard.

High-throughput screening of porous functional materials

Learn to share your EndNote Library with your research group, your supervisor or your colleagues in this hands-on session.

Seminar Series

Western Australia is the gateway to the Indo-Pacific. As the nation’s regional capital, Perth watches the future unfold from a fascinating vantage point. This presents our economy and society with profound opportunities for cultural enrichment and increased prosperity. In fast-moving times, it is difficult for leaders to keep the pulse of circumstances, to reach beyond the headlines and consider the deeper forces driving events. Over the years, In the Zone has provided business and policymakers with the opportunity to lift their gaze to the demands of the twenty-first century. In partnership with The University of Western Australia, In The Zone 2019 - Critical Minerals: Securing Indo-Pacific Technology Futures will attract more than 350 delegates from government and business across the Indo-Pacific region to examine: * The importance of critical materials for modern telecommunication, science, defence and digital networks * The economic, environmental and security challenges facing existing critical materials industries * The imperative of developing more secure and sustainable critical materials value chains * The potential for Western Australia to collaborate with Indo-Pacific partners to support the technological foundations of the region's prosperity. Ticket includes: morning and afternoon tea, lunch and networking reception (5-6pm).

Seminar Series

CSIRO’s STEM Professionals in Schools program – inspiring the next generation!

Immerse yourself in the innovative ideas and one-of-a-kind stories that are important to the community at the University of Western Australia - and beyond!

At this year’s annual conference, TEDxUWA has brought together a line-up of brilliant speakers that will push the frontiers between what we know and understand.

TEDxUWA 2019: New Frontiers is a chance to take an active part in important discussions that matter to students, alumni, educators, and anyone with a curious mind. Whether you’re interested in finding your identity or minimising waste for the future of our environment, these talks showcase fascinating ideas that will challenge and inspire you.

Love frogs? Keen to observe WA’s very own motorbike frog and contribute to meaningful science?

We’re looking for citizen scientists to join us for a series of free workshops that will help conserve frogs in Australian cities.

During the workshops you’ll learn how to conduct field surveys using the CAUL Urban Wildlife app. We’ll then visit nearby sites where you will put your newfound skills to the test during a practice frog survey.

The CAUL Urban Wildlife app is available on Android and iPhone, so simply attend one of our three workshops, bring your device and jump to it! If possible, please download the app in advance of the workshop: https://nespurban.edu.au/platforms/caul-urban-wildlife-app/.

Workshop times and locations

Saturday, October 19: 10am–12pm at UWA Crawley campus, Woolnough Lecture Theatre, Geology and Geography Building.

12pm–2pm at UWA Crawley campus, Woolnough Lecture Theatre, Geology and Geography Building.

Sunday, October 20: 10am–12pm at ECU Joondalup Campus, Building 7, room 103.

Friends of the Grounds are holding a Plant Sale on October 24 and 25 between 12-2PM at The University of Western Australia's Taxonomic Gardens (near the Botany glass houses)! Location map: https://bit.ly/2XORLsP 🌷

As usual, there will be plenty of awesome plant finds (herbs, succulents etc) ranging from $3-5 each 🌿 This sale is CASH ONLY and open to staff, students and the public. Please bring a carry bag, trolley or cardboard box to carry your new plant friends home 📦

All proceeds will go towards the maintenance of UWA's grounds!