AUSTRALIAN FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE, 2008

The Shine Dome, Canberra, 21-22 February

Thursday, 21 February 2008

Welcome
Professor Kurt Lambeck, PresAA, FRS
President, Australian Academy of Science
Session 1: Understanding the universe with next generation radio telescopes
Organiser: Dr Naomi McClure-Griffiths
Chair: Professor Anne Green
University of Sydney
Milky Way evolution with the square kilometre array and its Pathfinders
Dr Naomi McClure-Griffiths
CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility
The radio Universe at high resolution and the Square Kilometre Array
Professor Steven Tingay
Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University of Technology
Discussion

Session 2: Secreted effectors of fungi as determinants of plant disease and immunity
Organiser: Dr Peter Dodds
Chair: Professor Barbara Howlett
School of Botany, University of Melbourne
Recognition of rust effectors in plant innate immunity
Dr Peter Dodds
CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra
Emergence of a new disease as a result of interspecific virulence gene transfer
Dr Peter Solomon
The Australian Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens, Murdoch University
Discussion
Session 3: Accelerated nuclei probing quantum and geological landscapes
Organiser: Dr Mahananda Dasgupta
Chair: Professor David Jamieson
School of Physics, University of Melbourne
Quantum landscapes in nuclear fusion
Dr Mahananda Dasgupta
Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University
An application of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS): Cosmogenic exposure dating and the history of Australian arid landforms
Dr Toshiyuki Fujioka
Department of Nuclear Physics, Australian National University
Discussion
Dinner: The Hall, University House
Dinner speaker: Dr Jim Peacock
Chief Scientist of Australia

Friday, 22 February 2008

Session 4: Getting into membranes
Organiser: Dr James Whisstock
Chair: Professor Nick Dixon
Faculty of Science, University of Wollongong
A common fold mediates vertebrate defence and bacterial attack: Structural studies on a MACPF domain containing protein
Dr James Whisstock
School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University
Punching a hole in the eukaryotic cell membrane: Family secrets of bacterial toxins
Dr Galina Polekhina
St Vincent's Institute
Discussion
Session 5: Nanoporous materials: New science and future technologies
Organiser: Professor Cameron Kepert
Chair: Professor John White, FAA
Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University
Metal-organic frameworks: From hydrogen storage to electronic and magnetic function
Professor Cameron Kepert
School of Chemistry, University of Sydney
Metal oxide network structures for environmental applications
Dr Rachel Caruso
School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne
Discussion
Session 6: Understanding the past, present and future of Earth's environment
Organiser: Dr Léanne Armand
Chair: Professor Malcolm McCulloch, FAA
Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University
Microscopic algae: Taste-testers and commentators of Southern Ocean environmental states
Dr Leanne Armand
Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre
Discovering the dynamics of Earth's environment: Geochemical perspectives from ancient climates
Dr Andrea Dutton
Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University
Discussion
Session 7: Building the powerhouse of the cell: Mitochondria from plants to animals
Organiser: Professor Harvey Millar
Chair: Associate Professor Trevor Lithgow
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne
Mitochondrial proteomics in plants: From big lists to a functional understanding of an energy organelle
Professor Harvey Millar
ARC Centre of Excellence, University of Western Australia
Understanding how mitochondria grow and divide
Associate Professor Mike Ryan
Department of Biochemistry, LaTrobe University
Discussion
Session 8: Statistical challenges with high dimensional data
Organiser: Professor Rob Hyndman
Chair: Professor Sue Wilson
Centre for Bioinformation Science, The Australian National University
Forecasting functional time series
Professor Rob Hyndman
Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, Monash University
Classification using gene expression data
Dr Ian Wood
Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Queensland
Discussion
Closing remarks
Professor Kurt Lambeck, PresAA, FRS
President, Australian Academy of Science