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Women in Physics

Lecture Tour 

The AIP Women in Physics (WIP) Lecture Tour celebrates the contribution of women to advances in physics. This annual award recognises a woman who has made a significant contribution in a field of physics.  This year, the WIP lecturer will give talks in NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, TAS, SA and WA. 

See the Women in Physics Lecturer page for information on nominations, closing dates and previous WIP lecturers.

Read about this year's Women in Physics Lecturer, Dr Karen Livesey. Have a question about the 2023 Women in Physics Lecture tour dates and venues? Please email WIP@aip.org.au for info. 

'Women in Physics' Introduces Lecturer: Dr Karen Livesey



Meet Dr Karen Livesey

Dr Karen Livesey, is a Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Newcastle, and an Associate Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies. She has been named a Superstar of STEM by Science and Technology Australia for 2023-24.

Karen is currently designing new nano-sized magnets to address technological challenges, such as reducing the energy that today’s computers use, and heating inoperable cancer tumours to improve health outcomes.

Prior to her time at the University of Newcastle, she worked at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs for almost 10 years. There her developments earned her the rank of Associate Professor. She had made a life in Colorado, but in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was identified as a world health threat, Karen and her family decided it was time to move home. Along with her husband and children, they made the move back to Australia, back home to Newcastle, New South Wales.

Karen’s passion for physics and mathematics stemmed from a love of questioning the world around her. She studied physics at University of Western Australia and went on to complete her PhD in 2010. Throughout her appointments, Karen developed a greater interest in sharing her love of physics and mathematics with others. She regularly gives invited talks around the world and has received research and teaching awards in the United States, Canada, UK and Australia.

We are so excited to welcome Karen as our 2023 Women in Physics lecturer and will release dates and locations as they become available.


Upcoming Lecture Talks

Dates and locations for the public lectures below. Updated as more are confirmed.
  • No upcoming events
  • 28 Feb 2023 5:24 PM | Anonymous

    The Women in Physics Lecture tour celebrates the contribution of women, everywhere, to advances in physics. This annual tour selects one outstanding lecturer each year to showcase her contribution in the field of physics.

    The AIP is thrilled to announce that Dr Karen Livesey, theoretical physicist at the University of Newcastle, will be touring Australia in 2023 as the AIP’s Women in Physics Lecturer.

  • 1 Sep 2022 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    Free public talks in Sep as part of 2022 Women in Physics Lecture Tour in SA, WA,*** NSW and QLD

    QLD events will also be streamed online

    What’s the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite? How do you measure quakes on Mars and what do they tell us about the structure of Mars’ interior? How do you go about it if you want to work with NASA?

    Find out from planetary scientist Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic, our 2022 Women in Physics Lecturer.

    She’ll be giving free public talks this month in Adelaide, Perth*** , Newcastle, and Brisbane. Everyone is invited. The events in Brisbane are a reschedule from the cancelled July dates.

    Katarina will be talking about her modelling work on impact processes and cratering mechanics, and how these affect the evolution of planets. She will also provide insights on her involvement in billion-dollar space missions and her unique career path.

    She was a co-author on a recent Nature paper that traced the source of a Mars meteorite that crashed into Africa.

    Register to attend her public talks:

    * The talk at Curtin University will follow an expo featuring science demonstrations and hands-on activities in physics, featuring impact craters, rocks from space, and space exploration.

    ** This is a physics colloquium geared towards those with physics training.

    *** Curtin University talk rescheduled for 1 Dec due to the new 22 Sep public holiday.

    As part of her lecture tour, Katarina will also give private talks to high school students and participate in afternoon teas with university students studying physics and early career researchers.

    Read more about Katarina and the lecture tour here.

    Know a brilliant female physicist who you can nominate for the 2023 Women in Physics Lectureship? Details and how to nominate here.
  • 14 Jul 2022 3:45 PM | Anonymous

    CANCELLED: Due to unforeseen circumstances, all QLD events of the 2022 Women in Physics lecture tour will not be going ahead.

    We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We hope to re-schedule the events, either in-person or online, at a later date.

    Please watch this space for more announcements.

  • 1 Jul 2022 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    Free public talks by Women in Physics Lecturer Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic in Melbourne in July.

    Women invited to participate in Girls in Physics Breakfasts in VIC.

    IMPORTANT UPDATE: QLD EVENTS CANCELLED - more below.

    The 2022 Women in Physics (WiP) Lecture Tour continues with events in QLD from 18-20 July and in VIC from 27-28 July.

    The title of the WiP lecture is ‘Impacts! Rocks from space colliding with planets’ and will give given by planetary scientist A/Prof Katarina Miljkovic (Curtin University). She will describe her work on impact processes, cratering mechanics, and shock physics applied to geological materials.

    She’s already given lectures at high schools, universities and public venues in NSW and ACT, including Science Space (Wollongong) and Questacon.

    This month, A/Prof Miljkovic will give free talks open to the public on:

    Click on the event venues for more details and to register.

    A/Prof Miljkovic will also participate in the Girls in Physics Breakfasts occurring across VIC. These events are an opportunity for students in years 10 – 12 to share a table with women in physics or engineering and ask them about their work and lives.  She will participate in the event on 28 Jul at the William Angliss Institute, Melbourne.

    Women in physics or engineering (including those studying these subjects at university) are invited to attend and participate in the Girls in Physics Breakfasts by registering here.

    A/Prof Milkovic will also give private talks at senior high schools in Brisbane, Cairns, and Melbourne.


    IMPORTANT UPDATE

    CANCELLED: Due to unforeseen circumstances, all QLD events of the 2022 Women in Physics lecture tour will not be going ahead.

    We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We hope to re-schedule the events, either in-person or online, at a later date. Please watch this space for more announcements.


    More information

    To read more about A/ Prof Miljkovic and her work, as well as the lecture tour, visit here.

    Further requests for information about the Girls in Physics Breakfasts can be directed to the organiser, Dan O’Keefe.

    Further requests for information about QLD events can be directed to the AIP QLD branch chair, Joel Alroe
  • 20 May 2022 4:00 PM | Anonymous

    A/Prof Katarina Miljkovic will be giving free talks open to the public at the following NSW and ACT venues:

    Click on the events for more details and to register.

    She will also be giving at talk at the follow event but it is only open for physicists at the Australian National University:

  • 2 May 2022 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    The 2022 Women in Physics Lectureship tour kicks off at the end of May and runs through to September.

    Planetary scientist Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic from Curtin University will be giving a lecture series entitled ‘Impacts! Rocks from space colliding with planets’.

    The Women in Physics Lectureship is awarded annually to recognise and publicise significant contributions by a woman to advancing a field of physics and to inspire future physicists.

    A/Prof Miljkovic will be giving her lecture to schools, academics, and the general public.

    Catch a speak peek of what she’ll be talking about in Impact: Beyond the Night Sky (2020), a short documentary written and directed by Kath Dooley. This immerse, 360, virtual-reality documentary was a finalist in the best experimental film category at the 2022 Atom Awards

    The currently confirmed dates for the lecture tour are:

    • NSW: 30 May – 1 Jun
    • ACT: 2 – 3 Jun
    • QLD: 18 – 20 Jul
    • VIC: 27 – 28 Jul
    • TAS: 8 – 10 Aug
    • SA: 6 – 8 Sep
    • WA: 22 Sep

    Further tour dates in WA are TBA. Watch out on social media and in next month’s newsletter for venues and times.

    “When imagining the space in our Solar System, many people think of a dark silent void but the space around us is not empty; it is filled with particles, with dust, and with rocks – some very small and some large.  The history of our Universe is a history of impacts when things collide.” – A/Prof Katarina Miljkovic in Impact: Beyond the Night Sky (2020).

    Photo credit: TAKE2STEM.

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