Amy’s story has struck such a chord with political moment that Alicia Payne MP, the member for Canberra, hosted the national launch of Amy’s Balancing Act in Federal Parliament.
The event included an enthusiastic speech from the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen, as well as an impressive upside-down reading of the book by Nobel laureate Prof Brian Schmidt AC.
Below are some of the first news articles that give more of the details.
Continue reading
I’ve always loved how the Woodford Folk Festival serves up fun for young and old.
I’m delighted to be a part of this years festival with an adult talk with Prof Ian Lowe and a children’s talk about Amy’s Balancing Act.
Above all, it’s simply going to be the best time introducing my son to some of the world’s best music and entertainment.
Four outstanding early career researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) who are forging new ground in fields spanning tissue engineering to how we experience and communicate emotions have been recognised with ACT Young Tall Poppy Science Awards.
Dr Kiara Bruggeman, Dr Joshua Chu-Tan, Dr Bjorn Sturmberg and Dr Amy Dawel have been honoured for pushing scientific boundaries and fostering an appreciation for the sciences by communicating their work to the public.
The awards are considered an early indicator of Australia’s future scientific leaders. They highlight the excellent work of young scientists who have made significant contributions to their respective fields of science that will benefit Australia and the world.
Continue reading
Thanks to everyone who came out in #sydney for the launch of Amy’s Balancing Act.
Particular shout out to all the #families (incl from Australian Parents for Climate Action) balancing work, #school, and bed routines! And of course to the special #bookreader Craig Reucassel
#books are available now in your favorite #bookstore, and signed copies are available from https://bjornsturmberg.com/product/amys-balancing-act/
I’m delighted to announce that the first edition hardcover hard copies of my kids book Amy’s Balancing Act are now in stock!
You can get signed copies from my online shop and regular copies from all good bookshops (if they don’t yet have them on bookshelves they can order them through the distributor Woodslane).
To read more about the book please see this page.
Stoked to have my, somewhat out there, concept for an interactive website about the energy transition selected in the ANU Engaged initiative (see Prof Schmidt’s announcement here for the full list).
This will invest in a 12 month collaboration with a team creative geniuses from the ANU School of Art & Design and the ANU Communications and Engagement office. Can’t wait!
Late last year a book I contributed to was launched by former Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, who wrote the foreword for the book, and Vice-Chancellor of The Australian National University, Prof Brian Schmidt. The launch can be viewed on youtube below and purchased from Booktopia here.
We are looking for a PhD scholar to work as part of a multi-party project on cooling – and thereby saving – the Great Barrier Reef.
The PhD project will contribute to the development of clean energy systems that power the equipment that increases the thickness of marine clouds above the reef. These systems may feature solar photovoltaics, wind power, bio fuels, wave power, batteries and other technologies. The project will assess the technical, economic, and social feasibility of these technologies and design systems to meet the needs of the reef cooling applications.
The student will work closely with the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at ANU (www.bsgip.com), as well as researchers at Southern Cross University and the broader Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (see https://gbrrestoration.org/program/cooling-and-shading/).
Full application details are here: https://cecs.anu.edu.au/research/student-research-projects/clean-energy-solutions-great-barrier-reef-phd-project-0
ABC TV’s Catalyst program was one of my favorite TV shows growing up, so it was a bit of a dream to get to be a part of the recent episode about the transformation of the electricity system.
The episode did a fantastic job, covering a huge range of the interesting developments underway across the system and the country, explaining the crucial facts and trends, and presenting everything in interesting, engaging and understandable ways.
So, I’d highly recommend giving watching here https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/the-grid-powering-the-future/13491654
Continue reading
After the success of the Optics in the Outback science outreach tour, Owen and I were hired to run a outreach show as part of the 2013 Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering “Extreme Science” event at the Melbourne Exhibition Center.
I sadly don’t have any footage from our show, but ABC science journalist Bernadette Hobbs had this to say about it:
Continue readingLight is an area of science that so often ends up in the ghetto of prisms and diagrams, but your team’s workshop was outstanding. The fact that I can still remember most of what you guys did two months ago speaks volumes about how creative and exciting your show was!
You brought light to life – the ‘Survivor’-style flame torch demonstrating wave motion was spectacular. The kids were hooked from that moment. And I’ve got to say the total internal reflection demo with laser light in a stream of water was simple and incredibly effective. You could see the light switch on in those minds.