Macquarie University Physics and Astronomy Society

Photonics Talk
Join us as Dr. Mikolaj Schmidt reveals how manipulating light with nanoparticles lets us see the incredibly small world beyond the diffraction limit. Join us afterwards for pizza and games!

Date: Monday 19th August 5:30pm (Week 5)

Location: 14 SCO, Room 263 (Active Learning Space)

Title: How to build the world’s smallest lenses

Abstract:
Light is a tricky thing - we can create, and detect it, and read out information it carries for all kinds of of optical micro- and spectroscopic techniques. For example, we can use fluorescence microscopy to understand how cells multiply or move about in a Petri dish. But once we try to resolve structures inside these cells, to characterise single proteins or molecules, we run into a barrier dubbed "diffraction limit", which states that in free space, one cannot focus light to a spot smaller than its wavelength^2 (give or take a constant factor). Bummer.
But what if we removed the "in free space" condition? How much can we focus light from a laser if we're allowed to manipulate it using nanoparticles smaller than the wavelength? Can we see atoms making up molecules, or observe how they vibrate? And if so, can we gain any insight into non-classical processes that should take over at those atomic scales?
In this talk I'll review the basic ideas of the field of "nano-optics", discuss some of its more striking results, and point to the new avenues of research explored by the nano-optics community.

Bio:
Dr Mikolaj Schmidt is a Senior Lecturer at MQ, where he co-leads a research group exploring nano- and microscale platforms for implementing hybrid optical, mechanical and electronic quantum devices. He was awarded PhD from the University of the Basque Country in 2016, joined MQ in 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher, where he was awarded the MQ Research Fellowship in 2019, and ARC DECRA Fellowship in 2022.

The Maths and Stats Society has an exciting event coming up that you might be interested in!

Are you ready to test your integration skills and have a blast? Their Integration Bee is the perfect opportunity for you to challenge yourself, meet fellow math enthusiasts, and have some fun! What’s in it for you?

🏆Exciting Prizes: Show off your integration prowess and win amazing prizes!

🍕Delicious Pizza: Enjoy complimentary pizza while you solve integrals

📚Networking: Connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for mathematics.

All levels of experience are welcome!

⏰Date & Time: 8th August 2024 10AM -12PM 📍📍Location: 17WW 108 Meeting room

Sign up now! Don’t miss out on this fantastic event. Click the link below to register and secure your spot: https://forms.gle/aG2ynzaezjNtS1a2A

They can’t wait to see you there and solve integrals together!

Event Announcement: 📅✨

Join us for the MUPAS "Meet & Greet"! This is a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow physics and astronomy enthusiasts, make new friends, and engage in exciting semester activities discussion.

📅 Date: Monday, August 5
⏰ Time: 5:30 PM onwards
📍 Location: Meet outside Taste Baguette café (Central Courtyard) and we’ll head over together

All students interested in physics and astronomy are welcome, whether you're a new member or an old friend. Come with your curiosity and enthusiasm, and let's explore the wonders of the universe together! ✨🔭

The School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences is looking for volunteers to run demonstrations in the physics labs for Open Day. Every year, thousands of high school students tour the university and its facilities. The school needs volunteers to help showcase our laboratories by running experiments from electromagnetism to mechanics.

This is a fantastic chance to develop valuable soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving that are highly sought after by employers, all while enhancing your presentation abilities. Plus, it looks great on a resume!

For more information or if you would like to volunteer, please contact [email protected].

Get involved and encourage students to pursue physics at Macquarie University!

📣 Attention MUPAS Members! 📣

Semester two has started! We hope you enjoyed your break and are ready to start the term fresh. 🌟

Exciting news: We need your help for the Astronomy Open Night (AON)! 🚀✨

🗓 Date: Saturday, 21 September (First week of mid-semester break)
🕔 Time: 5pm - 10pm
📍 Location: Macquarie University

Join MUPAS and help us demonstrate simple physics experiments to the public. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills—great for your CV! 😉

No need to worry about your physics knowledge; we’ll have a familiarisation session and provide all the experiment details.

Interested in volunteering? Email us at [email protected] with "AON 2024 Volunteering" in the subject line by Monday 29 July.

Let’s make AON 2024 unforgettable! 🎉

We hope you enjoyed the break, and are looking forward to getting back into uni life!

This week is kickstart week, and we have two stalls. The first one will be on the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s 'Welcome day', and the second one will be in the main courtyard. Details for both are here.

Come by to say hi or sort out your membership!

The Australian Institute of Physics will be hosting its national careers fair on the 29th of May. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase career pathways to physics graduates who will be looking for jobs.

The event will feature a national broadcast event at 1830. This will be followed by a careers panel at 1900 and then a networking opportunity from 1930 till the event close at 2030. Pizza and non-alcoholic drinks will be available during the networking session.

Visit the link below to register!
https://www.aip.org.au/event-5733774

Thank you to all MUPAS members who joined us last Friday for Observatory Night.

Thank you to the AfA staff who hosted this fabulous night and took us on a journey through the stars.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered with MUPAS at the FSE Experience Day.

We loved getting high school students excited about physics.

Over the course of the afternoon, we had 40 students rotating around 4 stations with topics for electromagnetism, waves and mechanics.

Thank you to the Faculty for asking us to be a part of the day, and to the lab staff who provided us with amazing experiments!

We’d like to say a big thank you to our speaker Prof. Richard de Grijs for an amazing astronomy talk last week. It was mind-boggling to see just how huge the universe is! It was exciting to see some new and returning faces at the first academic talk of the year. See if you can spot yourself!

COMING SOON: Observatory Night 🔭🌙

Coming up after the mid-semester break, we have the Observatory Night! We will be joining a public observing session and paying MUPAS members will get approximately a 50% discount on their ticket. Here are the details:

Date: Friday 3rd May (Week 9)
Time: 6:30pm
Location: MQ Observatory
Tickets: Stay tuned!

SUB-COMMITTEE:
We are still looking for members to join our subcommittee! If you would like to be more involved in the running of our society's stalls and events (good for your resume 😉), send us an email at: [email protected] with the subject “I’ll save you MUPAS!”.

Stay tuned for more details of the observatory night!

Hey MUPAS members,

Thank you to all the new and returning faces who attended our Meet & Greet in Week 2. It was great to see such a big turnout. We hope you all enjoyed it and had fun hanging out.

Now for our next event! It is time for our Astronomy talk with the amazing Prof Richard de Grijs! Here are the details of the event:

Date: Monday 25th March (next week – week 6)
Time: 5:30pm
Location: 14 SCO, Room 163
Speaker: Prof Richard de Grijs

Topic: "There and back again”. The vastness of the Universe is mindboggling. Join Richard on a playful journey to the edge of the Universe and discover where it all came from!

Speaker Bio:
Richard de Grijs obtained his PhD from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and held two postdoctoral positions, in the USA and UK. He is currently a full professor for Macquarie University and until 2021, was Associate Dean (Global Engagement) for the MQ Faculty of Science and Engineering. Richard commenced a role as Executive Director of the International Space Science Institute–Beijing in June 2023. In addition, he is President of the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Division C (Education, Outreach and Heritgae) and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.

Richard is the founding director of the IAU's East Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (2012-2016). In 2012 he was awarded the Selby Award for excellence in science by the Australian Academy of Science, a 2013 Visiting Academy Professorship at Leiden University by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a 2017 Erskine award by the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). He won the 2022 Blacktown Mayoral History Prize, following the Hektoen International/Ella Mannheimer Award in the same year.

Richard's research focuses on (i) star clusters/stellar populations; (ii) stellar variability/the astronomical distance scale; and (iii) the history of maritime navigation (the 'longitude problem').

* A note for those of you who would like a paying membership:
We can organise that at the talk. HOWEVER, our card machine is currently not in operation and we would greatly appreciate it if you paid in cash. We are working on fixing the machine but it is not known when we will be able to take card payments.

Hey everyone, our newsletter for semester 1 is out! In this edition you will learn more about what events we hold and get to meet our executive team. We occasionally update the calendar, so keep an eye out for it on our Google Drive version (check your emails for the link).

Hope to see you guys at our next event! 🌙✨

If you have been enjoying the events we've planned for you and would like to be more involved, we have a SUBCOMMITTEE and are looking for new members to join!

The subcommittee is the perfect way for you to continue to enjoy the benefits of being in society and allows you to have a part in helping these events run smoothly. It is a fantastic opportunity to make friends, meet academics and improve your skills in teamwork and organisation.

If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you at our next event!

Hey MUPAS members,

Another volunteering opportunity has come up! On Friday, 19 April 2023, the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) will have an Experience Day for Year 11 students to give them a taste of University science.

We MUPAS are looking for members for volunteering Experience Day. Do not worry! No prior science experience is needed.

It is a great opportunity to volunteer for an event such as this, so consider volunteering for this one!

We will need your help to make our event a successful one.

Hey MUPAS! Welcome to Session 1 of 2024!
We put together a photo album to introduce (or, in most cases, reintroduce) the people who currently run the Macquarie University Physics and Astronomy Society (MUPAS).

We're on the lookout for members to join our sub-committee this semester. If you’d like to get a taste of what it’s like to run the society and see what goes on behind the scenes of MUPAS events send us an email at [email protected]. As a sub-committee member, you’re also welcome to shadow any executive member to learn how they do what they do, especially if you’re thinking of nominating yourself for a position at our annual end-of-year elections.

Best of luck this semester!

Next week we will be having our Meet and Greet where you can meet some of our new and continuing members over pizza and a game of trivia!

If you have any accessibility needs, please don’t hesitate to email us, we will be checking our inbox. As this is a catered event, there is a gold coin donation for non-paying members.

So why not hang out with us there!

Date: Wednesday 28 February
Time: 5.30pm
Location: Level 8, 12 Wally's Walk

(This level isn’t accessible by students so catch the lift up to level 7 and then walk up the stairs to level 8. We will have the door open for you!)

Hi everyone! We're back :)

Come hang out with us during Kickstart Week at our stall! We're here for two days on Wednesday 14 in 14SCO from 11AM and Monday 19 in 1CC from 10AM. We'll see you there! 😊

Hey MUPAS members,

This is a gentle reminder that our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is happening! It will be happening tomorrow (Monday 11th December) at 6:30pm on zoom. The zoom link will be sent to members emails closer to the time. In this meeting you get to vote for next year's executive committee or nominate yourself or a friend.

All roles are up for nominations, and these are: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, 2x Media and Communications Officers and a General Officer. Please email [email protected] indicating which role/s you are interested in or even if you have any questions! If you do not wish to nominate yourself, you can still attend the meeting and vote for next year's team.

Being an executive allows you to organise and run student events as well as polish your soft skills. You'll get to meet and collaborate with amazing people, both students and academics and sometimes from different departments and universities as well. We hope to see you at the meeting!

Hey MUPAS members,

The summer holidays have officially started and we hope you'll get some well deserved rest! Before we finish for the year, we have our AGM coming up where we will vote on new executive members for 2024. It is open to all members and the date is being finalised. We would love to have new executive members in our committee! You will find information on each role at the end of this post.

Being an executive allows you to organise and run student events as well as polish your soft skills. You'll get to meet and collaborate with amazing people, both students and academics and sometimes from different departments and universities as well.

Please email [email protected] indicating which role/s you are interested in or even if you have any questions!

MUPAS Executive Roles

President: Oversees the day to day running of the society, promotion, long term stability and well-being of the society. Organises and presides over meetings. Must be doing a Physics, Photonics or Astronomy degree.

Vice-President: Assists the president in running the society. Maintain communication and assist in managing the rest of the committee as well as the subcommittee.

Treasurer: Monitors the financial progress of the society ensuring that it has the necessary funds from the university to do events. They are responsible for formulating an initial budget, a plan of the year events that are established at the first executive meeting and carrying out funding applications.

Secretary: Ensures that MUPAS records are maintained and made available when required by authorised persons. Confirm to members their membership with the society, as well as keep a register of current members. They are also responsible for arranging meetings of the executive team, general meetings, and the giving of notice to members.

Media & Communications Officer (x2): Responsible for posting and promoting the society and its events through social media.

General Officer: A general purpose officer who will assist wherever needed. They will provide assistance for any other executive in carrying out their duties.

Hey MUPAS,

We hope your exam studies are going well! The School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences is holding an End-of-Year BBQ on Tuesday 21st November from 12pm-2pm. If you'd like a break from studying, why not head down behind 14SCO and grab some lunch. A few MUPAS execs will be there to help out and socialise with students and academics from the school. For catering purposes, there is a registration form: https://forms.office.com/r/5n25rZURdS
If you intend to come, please submit that by Wednesday 15 November, 5pm.

Just a reminder to members that haven't done so, there is a new sign-up form required by the university. The form is setup such that it will only allow students currently enrolled at MQU to submit. Please use your student email ([email protected]) and submit only once. Please do so by Friday 24th November 5pm so that we can be affiliated next year! Here is the sign-up form: https://forms.office.com/r/50DgpL7qJz

If you are not enrolled this semester or are not a MQU student, do not fear! We will still keep our original membership list and send all emails using that list. This new form is mostly for administrative purposes, although still necessary, as we need to meet the minimum number of members to continue as a society.

We hope to see you at the End-of-Year BBQ!

Hey MUPAS members,

There is a new sign-up form required to be filled by members from the university for all societies. The form is setup such that it will only allow students currently enrolled at MQU to submit. Please use your student email ([email protected]) and submit only once. The deadline for this is Friday 24 November, 5pm and the link to the form is: https://forms.office.com/r/5n25rZURdS

If you are not enrolled this semester or are not a MQU student, don't worry! We will still keep our original membership list and send all emails using that list.

Our Astronomy Talk for this semester is just around the corner!

With a title like "Dust: a building block of structures in the universe", who wouldn't want to miss this talk by Dr Tayyaba Zafar. It's happening on Thursday 19th October at 5:30pm on Zoom. Keep your eyes out for the zoom link which we will send to emails and social media.

Here's the abstract:
One percent of the material in interstellar space is in the form of tiny dust particles that regulate the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets. Interstellar dust affects every astronomical observation by absorbing and scattering starlight. Dust, together with gas, forms stars in galaxies and gives birth to planets. Only dust is in the form of condensed matter in the universe. Dust is critical in the processes of star and planet formation; it also impedes our view of the heavens by absorbing optical and ultraviolet light and re-radiating it at infrared wavelengths. Dust originates from the death of stars where a parent star creates elements during its lifetime and explode or blow off its enriched outer layers at the end of its life. The cold and dusty sites in the universe provide seeds for the formation of stellar nurseries, which give rise to star formation.

Bio:
Dr Zafar is a Lecturer and astronomer at the Australian Astronomical Optics. She works on studying dust, gas and metals in the interstellar media of distant galaxies. She is also collaborating with the astronomical community to work on defining the exciting science for the upcoming instruments on telescopes around the world!

See you online! 😊

We're excited to confirm our Astronomy Talk for this semester! It's happening this week with our amazing speaker Dr Tayyaba Zafar! Here are the details:

Date: Thursday 19 October (THIS WEEK!)
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Zoom (link will be sent on the day)
Speaker: Dr Tayyaba Zafar

Bio:
Dr Zafar is a Lecturer and astronomer at the Australian Astronomical Optics. She works on studying dust, gas and metals in the interstellar media of distant galaxies. She is also collaborating with the astronomical community to work on defining the exciting science for the upcoming instruments on telescopes around the world!

See you all there! 😊

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our Photonics Talk last Thursday, and especially to our speaker Prof Rich Mildren for his fascinating talk on Ultra-pure frequencies! It was great seeing so many of you there.

Keep an eye out for our up-coming events ;)

The mid-semester break is unfortunately over, but our events have just started! Our next event is the exciting Photonics Talk hosted by Rich Mildred on 'Ultra-pure frequencies: who needs them and how to get them.' Check out the details of the talk below:

Academic Talk: Photonics
Date: Thursday 5 October (Week 9)
Time: 5:30pm
Location: 12WW, Level 8

See you all there! 😊

Hey MUPAS members,

The mid-semester break has officially started and we hope you can get some well-deserved rest before classes start again.

First, we’d like to thank everyone who attended our Obs Night, as well as the amazing staff at the MQ Observatory!

There are many events coming up for the second-half of the semester. Here are the details for the next two. We will send updates closer to the events.

Academic Talk: Photonics
Date: Thursday 5 October (week 9)
Time: 5:30pm
Location: 12WW, level 8

Academic Talk: Astronomy
Date: Thursday 19 October (week 11)
Time: 5:30pm
Location: 12WW, level 8

There is also one big event happening on Saturday 23 September! It is the Astronomy Open Night! The event is organised by the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MaPS) and it is the 2nd largest MQ event (the first one being Open day). If you are not volunteering, then check their website and get your tickets to attend. It is an amazing event with talks, activities and stargazing for guests of any age. You can find all the details at: https://event.mq.edu.au/astronomy-open-night-2023

See you all there! 😊

Our Observatory Night is fast approaching! Go get your tickets, if you haven't done so already. Here are the details of the event:

Date: Friday 1 September
Time: 7pm
Location: MQ Observatory
Tickets: via Eventbrite

Please let us know if you have purchased a ticket so we know member attendance.

IMPORTANT NOTE 1: The Observatory is run by the Association for Astronomy (AfA). It is important that we all follow the rules when visiting the Observatory as well as proper dress code, which includes closed shoes when visiting. If you do not abide by that rule, the staff are within their rights to refuse entrance. You will also need a jacket or coat with you. It tends to get chilly up there.

IMPORTANT NOTE 2: This is a weather-dependent event. This means that a final call will be made by 5pm on the day on whether the event will go ahead or not. If you have purchased a ticket, you will receive an email from the AfA with the event update. So, please check your email before heading to the observatory.

Hey MUPAS members,

Unfortunately, the Quantum Talk for this semester will be cancelled BUT we have our Observatory Night coming up!!

Similarly to last semester, we will be attending a public observing session.
Date: Friday 1 September (Week 6)
Time: 7pm (goes for about 1.5 hours)
Location: MQ Observatory (check attached map)

Instructions on how to purchase a ticket are attached to the observatory night email sent to MUPAS members. Please let us know if you have purchased a ticket by replying to it so we know member attendance. If you haven't received this email, send us a message at [email protected]. If you are a paying member, you will receive a separate email with the promo code to get your discount.

The Observatory is run by the Association for Astronomy (AfA) and is primarily a university lab so it is necessary to wear enclosed shoes when visiting. You won't be allowed to enter if you don't so please do! It's also recommended you bring a jacket as is gets quite cold up there at night.

This is a weather-dependent event. This means that a final call will be made by 5pm on the day on whether the event will go ahead or not. If you have purchased a ticket, you will receive an email from the AfA with the event update. So, please check your email before heading to the observatory.

Join us on Friday and let the wonderful people of the AfA take you on an amazing journey around the Universe!!!! ✨☄🌟✨

See you all there! 😊

Hey MUPAS!
Thank you to everyone who attended our Meet and Greet on Thursday. It was amazing getting to know some of our new members and catch up with existing members.

Stay tuned the next few weeks for information about our upcoming events!

Our first event is near! Our Meet and Greet is this Thursday, and we can't wait to see you all!

Details of the event...

Date: Thursday 3 August
Time: 5:30pm onwards
Location: 12 WW, Level 8
How to get there: Go to 12WW and take the lift to level 7, then the stairs to get to level 8. The door is open for you :)

Please send us an email if there are mobility issues and we will make arrangements.

So, join us to meet new members, returning members and our wonderful execs to have a chat with interesting and like-minded people over pizza! See you there! 😊🍕