Science at Melbourne

The University’s Sustainability Report features our Biodiversity Institute 🍃 We launched the institute late last year to bring experts across the University together to address the biodiversity crisis. The Institute is also home to the Biodiversity Council. Tap to read more in the University’s latest Sustainability Report ➡️ https://unimelb.me/45uGxhp

We’re so proud of our Science academics and alumni who were awarded Kings Birthday Honours. Congratulations Laureate Professor Kate Smith-Miles who can now add “Order of Australia” to her long list of achievements.

“This honour tells me that my passion to present evidence and communicate the power of mathematics to advance our society is shared by others, and I feel encouraged to continue my advocacy,” Kate says.

Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/4cppXl3

Nananananananana nananananananana, leaf-nosed bats 🦇 Dr Tyrone Lavery from the School of BioSciences had the rare chance to observe parallel evolution in real time on the Solomon Islands. Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3z2RZVb

Same species, different sizes: rare evolution in action spotted in island bats Same species, different sizes: rare evolution in action spotted in island bats

Congratulations Gretna Weste Plant Pathology and Mycology Scholarship recipient Tamar! Bachelor of Science Honours student Tamar has long been interested in the field of mycology - mushrooms and fungi 🍄 Her Honours project with the University and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria investigates Mortierellomycotina, a type of diverging fungal lineage with plant-growth promoting properties.

There are a number of scholarships available supporting students with financial hardship, from regional areas, women in science, and a wide range of specific research areas. Many round 2 scholarships are accepting applications now.

Tap to learn more about scholarships in Science ➡️

Awards, prizes and scholarships We are committed to recognising and supporting the academic achievement of students – and inspiring them to excel and make an impact in the world – with some of the most generous awards, prizes and scholarships in Australia.

Some of our brilliant Science academics and student study forest science, so what better place to study than at our Creswick campus? 🌳 The campus is on Djandak (Dja Dja Wurrung Country) land, where the Djaara people access rich natural resources like fish, edible native plants, emus and kangaroos. Sadly, colonisation and the gold rush destroyed the land. Efforts to revitalise the area in the late 1800s transformed 1200 hectares into a forest, including softwood and native plants, which is still used for forest science studies today. The Djaara people remain connected to their land that we continue to learn from.

Tap to learn more about the Creswick campus ➡️ https://unimelb.me/48VeFne

A team of scientists from our Faculty, the WEHI - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Japan led by Prof Spencer Williams received a prestigious Horizon Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry 🏆

Congratulations to the Biosulfur Recyclers! They were recognised for their contribution to understanding how microorganisms break down sulfosugars – a recycling process that sustains life on Earth. Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3Xt597Y

Indigenous Knowledge is a crucial part of sustainability. The Indigenous Knowledge Institute supports projects with seed funding every year with a focus on Indigenous Knowledges. One of these projects brings UniMelb academics together with Yolŋu rangers to address knowledge gaps of native bee climate adaption in Arnhem Land.

This is one of our many stories from the University’s Sustainability Report. Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/4aWrldS

59 per cent of Nepal is at risk of deadly landslides, but an intelligent forecasting system may be able to help prevent them. Scientists from UniMelb, Tribhuvan University (TU info) and the University of Florence ( Università degli Studi di Firenze) are developing a landslide warning system that combines satellite imagery and artificial intelligence. Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3VejIJW

Some of our brilliant School of Physics academics contributed to this fantastic new science book! ⬇️

Today we are celebrating the launch of Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press)'s Big Science, Innovation, and Societal Contributions with contributions from Elisabetta Barberio, Geoff Taylor and Suzie Sheehy of The University of Melbourne and Christine Thong and Alan Duffy of Swinburne University of Technology.

Big Science, innovation and Societal Contributions connects Big Science and its societal impacts from a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on physics and astrophysics scholars to explain the reasoning behind their work, and how such knowledge can be applied to everyday life. It will be launched at CERN today.

What do maths, video games and bushfires have in common? 🎮 Bachelor of Science alum Dr Felicia Eng competed her PhD on bushfire evacuation decision-making using game theory. Today she works for IBM. Tap to learn more about her research and career journey ➡️ https://unimelb.me/4aPaJoy

Changing weather and rising climate is affecting crop growth and production. But the key to future crop resilience may lie in ancient crops. Agriculture academics led share their research in Pursuit on ➡️ https://unimelb.me/4c4bL0R

Happy !

To mark , we're highlighting the important work our researchers do to address the challenges posed by drought, desertification and land degradation.

Tap through to explore more → unimelb.edu.au/one-planet/worldenvironmentday

New accommodation and ensuite facilities at the Dookie campus will be all electric ⚡ modular, and save on waste by repurposing furniture and equipment from Parkville ♻️

Students studying Agriculture and breadth subjects stay at our campus at Dookie and get hands on learning at a real working farm (and winery 🍷). The accommodation can also be used as temporary accommodation for the wider Goulburn Valley region in extreme weather events such as flood or bushfire.

Tap to learn more about the University’s Sustainability report ➡️ https://www.unimelb.edu.au/sustainabilityreport

Congratulations to our Dean's Honours list recipients! 344 high-achieving students in the Faculty made the list. The Dean's Medals were awarded to Xinyue Xu (Master of Science), Martyn Schwarz (Bachelor of Science) and Tushar Ramesh (Bachelor of Agriculture)🏅

Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3X53TrM

For Susie, navigating her first steps into a STEM career felt overwhelming.But being able to practice job interviews and receive feedback from a mentor was the best way to build her confidence to succeed.

Tap to more about being a mentor in the STEM Mentoring Program ➡️ https://go.unimelb.edu.au/6av8

A meeting and exchange of knowledge between a University of Melbourne scientist and the Boorong people over a century ago formed the beginning of Western studies into Indigenous astronomy.

Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3yF32nz

This is an edited extract from "Dhoombak Goobgoowana – A history of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne – Volume 1: Truth."

Food scientist A/Prof Senaka Ranadheera tells you everything you need to know about temperature, storage, washing and other handy tips on getting the most out of your fresh produce. Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3yEdqvB

Congratulations Prof Madeleine van Oppen and Prof Michael Kearney who have been elected as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science. They are among just 24 of the nation’s most distinguished scientists elected to the academy. Both scientists were recognised for their work on biodiversity and climate change problems and their innovative research methods.

Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3wLSO3W

Nations and communities around the world all responded differently to the COVID-19 pandemic, evolving into unique hybrid immunity situations. So how can we better predict and prevent future COVID-19 spread for all? A team of academics from the School of Mathematics and Statistics are using simulations to find out. Tap to learn more ➡️

How a simulation is informing COVID-19 vaccine policy after our ‘return to normal’ University of Melbourne researchers have designed a model that can simulate thousands of ‘individuals’ with their own vaccination and infection histories

It’s World Bee Day Australia and today we’re celebrating our hardest-working pollinators 🐝

Master of Science (BioSciences) student Clancy Lester is boosting native bee species in Melbourne using bee hotels as part of his Wattle Fellowship project.

💬 “Creating and constructing a bee hotel is another small and easy thing that can have huge benefits for local conservation of native bees, particularly in urban settings where flowers are abundant, yet nesting habitat like bare ground and native trees is very limited.”

Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3K1KU9P

Art credit: Kate Baxter / TheTogetherApart

Bushfires are impacting Australian plant life big and small. Science academics from the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences say we need to change our approach to save the understorey - the small trees, bushes and plants above the forest floor. Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/44O5bcA

Did you see Aurora Australis on the weekend?

Students and academics at our regional campuses had a great view!

1 and 2: Creswick 📸 Ha-Ninh Nguyen
3: Dookie 📸 Javed Ashar

Bachelor of Science student Avjay is off to study at the National University of Singapore for a semester as part of the Westpac Asian Exchange Scholarship program 🇸🇬 He’s majoring in physics and studying a Diploma in Computer Science, with an interest in health technology.

💬 “I submitted my application on the basis of Singapore’s approach towards aged care and health. I'm particularly interested in the ways that they're tackling care for older adults. So in this case, how can technology aid the healthcare sector in providing quality care to the rising number of older adults in our societies? This is particularly a problem in Singapore - it's the fastest-aging Asian country in the world and something that will affect Australia as well.”

💬 “It is a little bit divorced from my major, which is always funny for me to think about, but I’m glad to be able to pursue two different interests, and hopefully get to see how they intersect.”

Avjay plans to make the most of his time in Singapore.

💬 “NUS apparently has a brilliant physics and computer science program, so looking forward to that. But also they also have some of the leading research centers into using technology for care, so I'm hoping to be able to do a voluntary internship over there and learn from them, see how they're doing their approaches.”

As well as his studies, Avjay is part of Scouts and other community programs so he’s planning on reaching out to youth groups in Singapore. Plus, with Singapore as a major travel hub, Avjay is keen to travel around Asia. “My family's from Malaysia as well. So it's a nice chance to go visit relatives.”

Congratulations Avjay!

Tap to learn more about the Westpac Asian Exchange Scholars program ➡️ https://unimelb.me/3zuwABv

Bio21 Institute recently celebrated opening the Ruth Bishop Building and Ian Holmes Imaging Centre for electron microscopy. Ruth and Ian were Bachelor of Science alumni who worked together on identifying the rotavirus in the 70s, leading to life-saving vaccines.

Tap to learn more ➡️ https://unimelb.me/44FJpaL