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I am a professor in clean technology, working full time as a teacher and researcher at Flinders University, and currently I lead a large research team working on green chemistry which is important for getting the planet towards a sustainable future. I shared an Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015 for ‘partially unboiling an egg’- this was for a discovery that makes you laugh but also makes you think – a discovery which is very important for the pharmaceutical industry, and other fields of scientific endeavour. I led the debate on green chemistry in Australia starting over 25 years ago and I was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia ...
We are excited to announce that the Green and Sustainable Chemistry National Group has officially advanced to the status of a Full Division. This achievement stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to advancing green and sustainable practices while advocating for progress in chemistry education, research, and innovation, as well as fostering strong industry engagement. Their efforts are leaving a significant mark on the field, and the RACI community is proud to support their continued impact and growth.
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue September 2024 Author: MD Abu Noman, Tanveer Adyel, Stacey Trevathantackett and Peter Macreadie Image: G.Go/Adobe Is there an upside to plastic waste accumulating in coastal wetlands? The invention of the polymer in 1907 has had many socioeconomic benefits. Due to its outstanding plasticity, thermal and acoustic properties, durability and low-cost of production, plastic became central to the packaging and construction industries. The production of plastic material has increased from 1.5 million tonnes in 1950 to 400 million tonnes in 2022. During this time, plastics have ...

A new class of antibiotics

This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue June 2024 Author: William Lumb Image: Nobeastsofierce/Adobe Stock Queensland researchers are testing compounds that inhibit bacterial resistance to two-thirds of antibiotics prescribed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antibiotic resistance “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today … Without urgent action we are heading for a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill”. As part of its 2015 global action plan, WHO recommended “basic research and translational studies to support … new ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue June 2024 Author: Katharina Richter Image: Bacteria that live in biofilms are 1000 times harder to treat with antibiotics. | Animate Your Science (https://animateyour.science) CC BY 4.0 Scientists are exploring new strategies to win the war against superbugs. Over the years, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics have inadvertently fuelled the rise of antibioticresistant bacteria. In 2019, 1.27 million people died from antibiotic-resistant infections globally. Imagine antibiotics as soldiers fighting bacteria on the battlefield. Over time, some bacteria manage to survive the attack, ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue March 2024 Author: Chennupati Jagadish Image: Some of the flags representing collaborating nations at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Despite individual national interests and international challenges, collaboration has kept the Antarctic free from military conflict and nuclear proliferation. | National Science Foundation/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain The Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023 limits international scientific collaboration for security reasons, but its implications for research are much broader. The global science system is at its most valuable, and ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue March 2024 Author: Jason Stoughton Image: US National Science Foundation An AI-based system succeeds in planning and carrying out real-world chemistry experiments, showing the potential to help human scientists make more discoveries, faster. In less time than it will take you to read this article, an artificial intelligence-driven system was able to autonomously learn about certain Nobel Prize-winning chemical reactions and design a successful laboratory procedure to make them. The AI did all that in just a few minutes – and nailed it on the first try. “This is the first time ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue March 202 3 Author: Nastaran Meftahi, Dave Winkler, Salvy Russo and Andrew J. Christofferson Image: Artificial neural networks have been compared to the human brain in how they process and transfer information. The first commercial LED lights came out in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the colour could be fully tuned, nearly 40 years later, that their full utility was realised. Recent work aims to do the same thing for fluorescent polymers and other novel materials, but in a fraction of the time, using machine learning. Machine learning is a hot topic, but like so many hot topics ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue March 202 3 Author: Kate Simpson Image: A worker inspects the reverse osmosis room at the Gold Coast Desalination Plant, where approximately 2100 pressure vessels collectively contain almost 17 000 reverse osmosis elements. The availability of clean water for drinking and other uses has been a hot-button issue in Australia for at least two decades. The Millennium Drought, which ravaged Australia between 1996 and 2010, made water supply front-page news across the country and led to the construction of Australia’s first large-scale municipal desalination plant, in Perth, followed by similar ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue June 202 3 Author: Paulomi (Polly) Burey, Jessica Feldman, Hannah Seligmann, Eric Song, Matthew Flynn, Andreas Helwig Zahra Gharineiat, Dinuki Seneviratne, Eliza Whiteside, Tristan Shelley, Nils Priesler, Allan Manalo, Ali Mirzaghorbanali, Hadi Nourizadeh, Michael Roberts, Rose Nicol, Petrea Redmond, Mark Lynch, John Dearnaley, Kiyah De-Arne and Geoff Germon (Talon Technology) Image: T4L dual-ring robotic braiding cell for making advanced fibre composite shapes. | Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland Transitioning to ‘no waste’ can be a complex task, so University ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue June 2023 Author: Steven Pratt Image: Tracey Read with her field trial rig containing a range of bioplastics processed in various ways. At the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, PhD candidates and early career researchers are addressing the wicked problem of plastics waste. Plastics are everywhere. They are strong, durable, lightweight, easily formable – and cheap. Modern society could not function without them. However, our success at engineering such useful materials has created a systemic problem, with more than 10 megatonnes of plastic ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue September 2023 Author: Graham P. Jones and Michael R. Hickinbotham Image: Daria Ustiugova/iStockphoto From medicinal uses to a craft explosion, gin’s history – and its list of ingredients – is long and varied. ‘A gin and tonic, please.’ The bartender looks around at approximately 150 gins in the bar: ‘Which one? And which tonic would you like, from our choice of around 12?’ This is a huge shift from 20 years ago, when Australian bars would perhaps have three or four gins and one or two tonic waters. The changes in Australia, and in North America and the UK, are a result of ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue December 2023 Author: Lisa J. Stevens Image: COMiCA/iStockphoto Chemical safety at work has its frustrations – for workers and regulators alike – but neglecting it in the name of innovation can cost lives. In a 2018 email exchange between the late entrepreneur and engineer Stockton Rush and divemaster/explorer Rob McCallum, as reported by the BBC (bit.ly/3RLqbvQ), Rush stated: I have grown tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation and new entrants from entering their small existing market. McCallum’s response was illuminating: ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine: Issue December 2023 Author: Alf Larcher Image: Aerial view of Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia | Jennifer Martin/iStockphoto The stunning pink of Western Australia’s Hutt Lagoon has caught the eye of many tourists, and the algal carotenes that cause it are of great interest to industrial chemists. This story begins with a chance meeting with three Japanese tourists in Geraldton, in my home state of Western Australia. We met on a family holiday to the north-west of WA, and they had something quite specific on their itinerary. These three young women were determined to see a natural marvel ...
This article is in Chemistry in Australia magazine - Issue September 2024 Author: University of Queensland Image: Dr Karishma Mody and Yunjia Yang checking a sample | © Megan Pope, University of Queensland A chemical-free method of controlling flystrike in sheep is a step closer, with research published in Pest Management Science (https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.819) describing the use of RNA interference technology. “When introduced to the sheep blowfly diet, the sustainable double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules we’ve designed affect the way the insect grows,” said Dr Karishma Mody of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. ...
The local AusIMM student chapter extends a warm invitation to local RACI members as its next networking event may be of interest to students and professionals looking to work for mining related-companies and laboratories. Industry sponsors will be present, with a presentation on women in the mining industry from WIMnet. When: Thursday 31 August 2024, 5:45 - 9pm Where: Shambles, 222 Elizabeth St, Hobart TAS Cost: $10 for AusIMM members and non-members; $5 for AusIMM students and New Professional members. First drink supplied, with some platters and finger food served! Registration: https://www.ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/communit ...
The RACI local Branch working in partnership with the Discipline of Chemistry at UTAS are delighted to confirm their participation in the 2024 Festival of Bright Ideas – Science for the curious and creative. This festival highlights and celebrates the important role that STEM disciplines play in our everyday lives, and seeks to inspire TAS youth, igniting an interest and passion in STEM. Do stop by and say hello to the chemistry team. Further information available at: https://festivalofbrightideas.com.au/ When: Saturday, 17 th August, 9 am – 4:30 pm (three 2.5 hr sessions available) Where: Princes Wharf 1, Hobart waterfront. Who: ...

NSW Drug Discovery Forum

There is a fantastic event coming up that will be of interest to any Chemists interested in drug discovery. The NSW Drug Discovery Forum is jointly organised by the University of Sydney and MTPConnect, with RACI member and Award winner, Professor Michael Kassiou as the Chair of the organising committee. This state-wide event will be held on the 28 th and 29 th October 2024 and is now open to applications from all academic researchers across the state. During the forum, presenters from universities, MRIs and healthcare will present their early-stage research to an expert panel of industry and investors to receive guidance and feedback on how to ...
NSW Newsletter, July 2024 President’s Note Hello everyone! It has been a while since our last NSW Newsletter. That’s NOT an indication of our lack of activity- it’s actually the opposite! Our reports give a glimpse into the many activities that have been held in May and June. So I start my post in the newsletter with a request for help. The NSW Branch Committee is looking for a NSW Newsletter Editor. If you like to write or have a passion for communication, this is your opportunity to showcase your skills! Perhaps it’s a case that you have always wanted to have a chance to write but have never had the opportunity to try. ...
It is with very deep sadness that I announce the recent passing of our treasured Honorary Life Member, Don Jarman FRACI CChem. Don was an RACI member for 76 years and was a true testament to the longevity of our society . Don was a great supporter of the NSW Branch and many members will remember connecting with him at our Fellows and Honorary Life Members Luncheon. Don's professional career was nothing short of impressive. He gained a Diploma in Food Technology from Sydney Technical College, having switched over from Chemical Engineering, and began his career at O T Ltd for six years before joining James Stedman Henderson (Sweetacres), which was later ...