After a very successful pilot of Science at the Local in November last year, and some kind financial support from the Westpac Bank, a series of bi-monthly Science at the Local events will start on Sunday, March 8, at 2.30pm at Springwood Sports Club.
The program is just what it sounds like - locals coming together in a local club on a Sunday afternoon to talk science.
These free events, a partnership between Springwood and Winmalee Neighbourhood Centres and local community members, consist of short and engaging presentations from leading scientists on an incredible range of ground-breaking science, with lots of Q & A and discussion.
Organisers at the neighbourhood centres are confident these sessions will be a great addition to the social and academic fabric of the Blue Mountains and provide an opportunity for everyone to come together and experience the fun that really is science.
The first presenter on March 8 will be Peter Rohde, on the topic "Quantum computing: How to secure your email from Schrodinger's Cat". Peter is a theoretical physicist at Macquarie University's Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems.
Through his research Peter works closely with experimental groups to design experimental quantum information processing protocols, and has worked as a software engineer and bio-informatician.
The second presenter, John Siemon, through "Seeding the future", asks us to imagine a bank that could keep every species of plant in Australia safe so we could grow those seeds if and when required. A horticultural scientist, John has worked predominantly in plant physiology, plant breeding, tissue culture and germplasm conservation. Having worked for CSIRO and the University of Sydney, John has spent the last 13 years working for the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney managing laboratories and science infrastructure. John's most significant achievement was to project manage the Australian PlantBank, the national repository for native plant seeds which will one day be home to all of Australia's 25,000 species of plants.
John was recently appointed the curator manager of the Australian Botanic Garden.
Future Science at the Local events for your diary are on May 17, July 19, September 13 and November 8. There's no need to RSVP but for inquiries call 4754 4050 or 4751 3033.
or visit www.facebook/scienceatthelocal or follow @SciAtTheLocal on Twitter. You can also register your email so we can add you to our mailing list.