The Monash-Leipzig Exchange: An exciting opportunity for undergraduates interested in chemistry

The School of Chemistry has a long-running exchange program with the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy at Leipzig University. The Monash-Leipzig Exchange program was originally initiated by Professors Glen Deacon and Peter Junk (currently at James Cook University), who have had strong collaborations with academics at this German University for the last 25 years, especially Professor Evamarie Hey-Hawkins, the current coordinator of the program on the Leipzig side. It was due to Professors Deacon’s and Junk’s efforts to raise initial funding from the DVC office at Monash University that allowed the first cohort  of 7 undergraduate and Honours students to be sent to Leipzig.

Every year the School hosts between 4 and 6 German Master’s students who undertake a couple of research projects in chemistry. These visits are generously supported by the DAAD (Deutscher Akademsicher Austauschdienst – German Academic Exchange Service) funding body, Germany’s largest scholarship provider.

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Why PHA3990 is the choice for you

By James

Tired of waking up for those 8 am lectures? Stressed out by the prospect of exams? Looking to contribute some new knowledge to the scientific community? If one or more of these apply to you, and you’ve completed the prerequisites listed here, then PHA3990 is for you!

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Diversity, Representation & Equality: Carrying the Torch of the Rio Olympics into the World of STEM

Diversity, Representation & Equality: Carrying the Torch of the Rio Olympics into the World of STEM

by Anisha Balakrishnan

With more than 10 000 athletes from over 206 countries participating this year, the Olympics has always been a well-anticipated event known for its intense competition and rivalry between world class athletes, all relentlessly dedicated to winning a gold medal for their country. The recent games in Rio, however, reflected a more inclusive, accepting and gentler approach, converging on the harmony, peace and dignity that these Games also represent.

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Why doing a Science degree is not ‘risky’.

By Dr. Mahbub Sarkar, Dr. Chris Thompson & Prof. Tina Overton

The recent Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) reported that 51 per cent of the science graduates found full-time work within four months after completing their course, 17 percentage points below the national average. Based on this single data point, Andrew Norton of the Grattan Institute claimed that enrolling in science degrees is “risky”. He commented,

“If people think doing a Bachelor in Science will give them skills that are highly valued in the labour market then they should probably look at something else.”

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‘The Martian (2015)’ #MotivationMonday

Check out this awesome concept art from The Martian – originally shared via http://bit.ly/TheRaceToSpace.

Written by Jenny

Started off as just journal entries on Andy Weir’s personal blog (super old school), ‘The Martian’ turned into a mega-hit novel. Andy’s passion for science shines through the story with the realism of science and technologies in ‘The Martian’.  The movie adaption by Ridley Scott to be become one of the science fiction movies where the movie did the book justice.  

The story follows a witty, clever astronaut, Mark Watney, in his quest to survive the inhospitable Martian life and return to Earth. The movie is much more than just an adventure as his humour and charm keeps you feel invested in the story, even through the most serious and deadly of times. This is true for both the book and the movie.

The science and technologies in the movie and film may not be perfect but it’s as close to real technologies as movies get. Check out 9 real NASA Technologies in ‘The Martian’ here 

***Be warned! There may be some spoilers in this post, continue reading at your own discretion.***

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Bioinformatics with Professor Ross Coppel

By Carl Wang, Science student

As a student interested in the medical sciences I am always torn between medicine and research. Some days I gather the resolve to push the boundaries of human knowledge, whilst other days I endeavour to ease the burden of suffering one patient at a time.

In my conflict, I decided to talk to someone who has been through both. Enter Professor Ross Coppel, a man who, starting with an MBBS, has branched out into fields such as microbiology, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. He is currently the Deputy Dean and Director of Research in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences.

Ross’s qualifications and accolades are as varied and plentiful as the man’s interests in the fields that make up biomedical research, and an expanded biography may be found at http://www.med.monash.edu.au/microbiology/staff/coppel.html

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Scapegoat Survey Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Scapegoat Survey prize draw!

The prizes available were:

  • Edible Chemistry Kit by Copernicus Toys, worth RRP USD$18.00
  • Periodic Lunch Bag by ThinkGeek, worth RRP USD$14.99
  • The Original Horse Head Mask by Archie McPhee, worth RRP USD$24.95

Our randomly selected winners are: Michele Koh, Yida Zhou, and Solange Camilleri respectively.

Yay!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

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Research?

By Jesse Givens-Lamb

RESEARCH?

Not a word that I would ever anticipated myself ever really getting involved with.

Well, to be honest I used to be interested in medical research but then realised I wasn’t as passionate about the medical field as I thought I was … and after only a brief period of time I understood (to some degree) what “actual” research meant.

Research was not for me.

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