raci wa branch newsletter: december 2010...raci wa branch newsletter: february 2013 the royal...

RACI WA Branch Newsletter: February 2013

THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN CHEMICAL INSTITUTE INC (WA BRANCH)

A.B.N. 69 030 287 244 A.I.R.N. A00 403 86D A.R.B.N. 102 726 429

PO Box 114, North Beach WA 6920 Telephone: 0403 022 968 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.raci.org.au/branches/wa-branch

FROM THE PRESIDENT Welcome to the February edition of the WA Branch Newsletter 2013. So now we are into the New Year. Has anyone made any New Year resolutions – and broken them already? I’m look forward to a new and exciting year full of events and activities by our groups and branch. The first event for 2013 has already been held, which was the Meet Your Committee Bowls Night. It was a fantastic evening held at the Melville Bowling Club located on the shores of Alfred Cove. The weather was stunning and there were plenty of bowls being rolled down the green. The bowls were followed by some tasty local pizza and light refreshments. There will be a special monthly members meeting held this month on the 19th of February. The meeting venue will be at the Australian Resource Research Centre lecture theater. The special presenter for the evening will be Dr Nathan Reid from CSIRO Earth Science & Resource Engineering. Dr Nathan Reid will be presenting on his research into plants and their role in gold exploration. So I encourage you all to come along and bring a friend or partner, to enjoy an evening with Dr Nathan Reid. Regards Tim Brown President, RACI WA Branch

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.raci.org.au/branches/wa-branch

RACI WA Branch Newsletter: February 2013 2

RACI Monthly Meetings Please come to the RACI Monthly Members Meeting. This is a great chance to meet fellow members and be entertained by guest speakers. All welcome, membership is not a prerequisite to attendance (so please bring a friend). Date: 3rd Tuesday of every month Time: From 5.30pm. Seminar/presentation commences at 6.15pm. Refreshments prior and at seminar conclusion Venue: Exhibition Space in Building 500, Curtin Chemistry Precinct [Feb exception] Cost:: $5 charge to cover refreshments (limited drinks and snacks) (receipts can be provided) RSVP: [email protected] to assist with catering purposes

Or register online (preferably by Friday before meeting) http://www.raci.org.au/events/event/members-monthly-meeting-february-2013

February Tues 19th

Change in venue for the February Monthly Meeting: Lecture Theatre at the ARRC , Kensington http://www.arrc.net.au/techpark.pdf Enter off Dick Perry Ave. Plenty of free parking at the front of the building.

Is Spinifex the next step for mineral exploration?

Spinifex (Triodia spp.) grasslands cover vast areas of arid Australia, across a variety of soils and landscapes. These grasses are deep rooted and long lived, hence have great potential as a biogeochemical sampling media for mineral exploration. This study discusses the results of 2 spinifex species analyses from field sites over several buried Au deposits. At each site there is a multi-element anomaly in the vegetation over the projected mineralisation, the haloes are of different scales depending on the local landscape setting and dispersion potential of each element associated with mineralisation. The magnitude of the anomalies is similar for each site independent of underlying substrate. Overall, spinifex chemical composition has the potential to act as a point indicator of substrate geochemistry with very minimal dispersion (hundreds of metres only) that can delineate the extent of a potential ore deposit. Presenter: Dr Nathan Reid (CSIRO Earth Science & Resource Engineering) has been investigating the role of plants in Au exploration for several years and found that spinifex was an ideal sampling medium in that terrain. Most of this research has been in the Tanami Desert, but spinifex is wide-spread offering potential across most of Australia. This research has led to the identification of plant species that can be useful for mineral exploration across Australia. His research has now branched out into groundwater chemistry for mineral exploration and the links between plants and waters. This is leading to several new breakthroughs which has the potential to locate new ore deposits under transported cover within Western Australia.


http://www.raci.org.au/events/event/members-monthly-meeting-february-2013

http://www.arrc.net.au/techpark.pdf


Bayliss Youth Lecture Series

To be held at UWA, Murdoch –Rockingham and Curtin Universities March 2013

Ian MacLeod will be presenting what will undoubtedly be a fascinating and broad-ranging lecture covering chemistry, conservation of shipwrecks and other important artefacts, with many personal anecdotes probably involving wetsuits and hostile marine life. Anyone who has heard Ian’s lectures before will undoubtedly want more – and if you never have, this is your big chance. Ian MacLeod has been a member of the RACI for more than 40 years and for more than 30 of them he has worked as a conservator in the Western Australian Museum. He has developed several new methods for stabilising heavily degraded objects and has developed techniques for stabilising massive iron artefacts on the seabed. Ian has a passion for all forms of decay and has learned to “talk” to corroded metal objects and to get them to open up and tell their remarkable stories collected over more than 400 years. The talk will be lavishly illustrated with images ranging from shipwrecks to cars and Aboriginal rock art sites. Ian has established an international reputation for excellence in applied chemistry research and he can always find order in the chaos of the natural world.

Details in the next Newsletter


New Display: Chemistry and the Nucleus

This exhibition is about the ultimate nuclear family and how their half-lives are part of your life. Invisible natural radiation not only surrounds you but is also within you. This low level radiation comes from the earth, space, your home and food. Human-made radioactive sources and their chemistry are relatively new on the scene. Whether natural or introduced, you interact with radiation in many ways and your lifestyle affects your exposure. To see inside your body doctors often make use of properties of the core of atoms, their nucleus. Vibrations of stable nuclei are used in MRI scans and unstable nuclei enable gamma ray and PET imaging. Numerous medical treatments also use beams of radiation or radiopharmaceuticals to kill cancer cells and other diseases. Chemists use particles and radiation from atomic nuclei to analyse the very small and complex nature of matter. This helps them improve foods, make materials with harder wearing surfaces, develop more efficient energy sources and new pharmaceuticals. Chemists tell how quickly ground water is replenished by analysing stable and radioactive isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in the water. They can also determine the source of pollutants from analysing the isotopes of other dissolved elements. Unstable isotopes are also used to date artefacts, rocks and other materials. While natural and human-made radioactive sources serve many purposes all sources of radiation require careful handling and use to avoid excessive exposures. At Wanneroo Library and Cultural Centre (NW Perth region) 3 Rocca Way, Wanneroo, 6065 from 6th February for five weeks


RACI (WA BRANCH) COMMITTEE 2013 PRESIDENT Mr Tim Brown [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT Dr Alf Larcher [email protected] HONOURARY TREASURER Dr Sajida Bakhtyar [email protected] PRESIDENT Mr Shane Koenig [email protected] COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Dr Paul van der Beeke [email protected]

Mr David Udy [email protected] Ms Magdeline Lum [email protected] SPECIAL ACTIVITY GROUPS (Ex Officio Branch Committee Members)

CHAIR: ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Ms Annette Larwood [email protected]

CHAIR: CHEMICAL EDUCATION

Dr Simon Lewis [email protected]

CHAIR: HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT

Vacant

CHAIR: MANAGEMENT & CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Mr Shane Koenig [email protected]

CHAIR: TERTIARY CHEMISTRY STUDENTS'

Group not active

CHAIR: SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Dr Scott Stewart [email protected]

BRANCH COORDINATOR Mr Ben Fletcher [email protected] EDITOR: BRANCH NEWSLETTER Dr Paula McLay [email protected] UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS

Murdoch Dr Dave Henry [email protected] Curtin Dr Franca Jones [email protected] UWA Dr Allan McKinley [email protected]

Opportunities for scientists:

Nominations will open at the end of January for the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science. There's a $500,000 prize pool and the nomination process has been streamlined.

Nine years of secure funding for outstanding young researchers. EMBL Australia is looking for three outstanding young group leaders for their new node at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

RACI WA Branch Chemical Education Group: Facebook. Follow us at http://www.facebook.com/RACIWAChemEd

for updates on chemistry from around the world, useful resources for teachers and the occasional bit of chemistry related fun.

















http://www.facebook.com/RACIWAChemEd


RACI NATIONAL AWARDS 2012

Presented at the Mercure Melbourne on 23rd November 2012 CENTENARY OF FEDERATION TEACHING AWARD IN CHEMISTRY – SECONDARY RACI has established a series of annual awards for the recognition and reward of outstanding excellence in the teaching of chemistry in Australia at both primary and secondary schools. Candidates whose teaching is only partly chemical and teachers of general science (with some chemistry) are also encouraged to apply. There is no RACI membership requirement in this category. Winners: Mr. Peter O’Neill, Ms. Louise Tyson and Mr. Gary Turner

Ms. Louise Tyson - A

dedicated science educator and mentor

Ms Louise Tyson heads a team of 12 science teachers at St Mary Anglican Girls’ School in Western Australia and epitomises generous professionalism and outstanding leadership qualities, always being prepared to support and encourage her staff to develop personally and professionally. She possesses great personal warmth and an incredible work ethic. In the classroom she is an engaging and highly motivating teacher who strives to extend the strongest students and nurture and support the weaker ones and has consistently achieved outstanding results in all school year groups, from Year 7 to WACE level. She has pioneered a highly successful on-line learning management system for her school that provides students with access to a huge array of support materials that are modern, up to date and relevant to their individual needs. The tone in her classroom is one of switched-on activity as Ms Tyson melds her energy, warmth and humour with her skills as a teacher, expert chemical knowledge and high expectations of her students.

Continued next page


RACI NATIONAL AWARDS 2012 (Continued)

BIOTA AWARD FOR MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY

The Biota Award for Medicinal Chemistry is awarded annually to a younger chemist with less than 12 years of professional experience, and is given for the best drug design and development publication or patent in the previous calendar year concerning small molecules as potential therapeutic agents. A medal is awarded as well as a prize of $5,000, sponsored by Biota Holdings Ltd.

Dr. Matthew Piggott - A young investigator with an excellent record in novel treatments for Parkinson’s disease Dr. Matthew Piggott has received the Biota Award for his research into novel analogues of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’). MDMA ameliorates the debilitating side-effects of L-DOPA therapy for Parkinson’s disease in animal models, but has no therapeutic potential, primarily because it is psychoactive, but also because there is evidence that it may be neurotoxic. Based on known structure-psychoactivity relationships, the Piggott group designed, synthesized and evaluated a series of novel MDMA analogues, one of which, UWA-101, more effectively enhances the quality of L-DOPA therapy in animal models than MDMA or any other drug currently in the clinic or in clinical trials. UWA-101 is unlikely to be psychoactive, based on pre-pulse inhibition studies in rats. Additionally, it is not toxic to a model serotonergic cell line, even at high concentrations. Receptor binding and functional studies indicate that UWA-101 is a dual dopamine/serotonin transporter inhibitor, thus representing a novel class of drugs with potential for use as an adjunctive treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Piggott is a graduate of the University of Western Australia where Associate Professor Dieter Wege supervised his PhD studies. This was followed by post-doctoral research in a collaborative project with GlaxoSmithKline at the Research School of Chemistry at the ANU under the supervision of Professors Banwell and Easton. After further post-doctoral research at the Department of Chemistry at Boston College, Dr. Piggott returned to Australia to take up a lectureship at the Department of Chemistry at ANU. In 2005, he took up a lectureship at his current place of employment, where he is now an Associate Professor at the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UWA. The research in his group primarily involves the rational design and synthesis of biologically active compounds as potential drug candidates or as probes.

RENNIE MEMORIAL MEDAL

The Rennie Memorial Medal is awarded annually to a financial member of the RACI with less than eight years of professional experience since completing their most recent relevant qualification of a BSc, BSc (Hons), MSC or PhD Degree, or the equivalent, who in the opinion of the Board of the RACI, has contributed most towards the development of some branch of the chemical science. The contribution is judged by the research work published during the 10 years immediately preceding the award.

Dr. Keith Stubbs - An outstanding chemical biology researcher and ARC Future Fellow Since his appointment at the University of Western Australia in 2008, as an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dr Keith Stubbs has become a chief investigator of a vibrant academic research laboratory, comprising postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and Honours students. In this time he has been supported by competitive national and international grants, including ARC Discovery and ARC Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grants, as well as NHMRC Projectand Equipment grants. At present Dr. Stubbs is the chief investigator of an academic research lab, which has 9 trainees (1 Postdoctoral Fellow, 6 PhD students, 2 Honours students).


CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2013 Presented by Rowe Scientific Pty Ltd

www.rowe.com.au 12.02.2013 Branch Committee Meeting Held in Room 2B01, ARRC Building, Kensington W.A. Branch RACI

19.02.2013 Monthly Members Meeting Lecture Theature, ARRC Building, Kensington W.A. Branch RACI

21.02.2013 AWA –WQRA Student Forum Curtin University AWA

Mar-13 Bayliss Youth Lecture Series. Held at UWA, Murdoch -Rockingham and Curtin Uni's. Chem Ed Group

9.04.2013 Branch Committee Meeting Held in Room 2B01, ARRC Building, Kensington W.A. Branch RACI

16.04.2013 Monthly Members Meeting Exhibition Space, Building 500, Curtin Uni. W.A. Branch RACI


May-13 To be advised. Half Day Workshop, Guest Speakers. M&CD Group

11.06.2013 Branch Committee Meeting Held in Room 2B01, ARRC Building, Kensington W.A. Branch RACI


Enquiries to Branch Coordinator Ben Fletcher: 0403 022 968, [email protected]

A sharp tongue does not mean you have a keen mind. Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today? He doesn't know the meaning of the word "fear" - but then again he doesn't know the meaning of

most words. I don't know what makes you so dumb but it really works. Medicine has advanced to the point where it is almost impossible for a doctor to examine

someone without finding something wrong with them. Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. I’m not stressed – I’m just terribly, terribly alert…… If it’s true that we’re here to help others, what exactly are the others here for? Definition of “Friendly” - Less harmful to dolphins/ozone/environment than the previous

formulation.

E-MAIL ADVERTISING RATES

Three-quarters of the total RACI WA Branch membership and Environmentalists (totalling about 700 of a select and highly targeted group) are registered to receive e-mail notices from the Branch Committee. Those RACI members who have a need to circulate an urgent message or advertisement of general interest to WA Branch members can request approval ([email protected]) to have the advert (sans attachment) circulated free of charge. If the advert is of a revenue producing nature then the following charges apply:

ADVERTISEMENT WITHOUT ATTACHMENT, i.e. the message is contained within the body of the e-mail, a charge of $120 +GST will be made.

ADVERTISEMENT WITHIN AN ATTACHMENT, i.e. the message is contained in an attachment to the e-mail, a charge of $167 +GST will be made.

PAYMENT for advertisements must be made within 7 days of receipt of invoice.

NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING RATES

SINGLE ADVERTISEMENT: $120 +GST for one-quarter A4 page, $160 +GST for one-third A4 page, and multiples thereof, for print ready artwork or a print ready MS Word file.

MULTIPLE ADVERTISEMENTS: for three or more consecutive newsletter issues, a discount of 25% applies. PAYMENT for all issues must be made in advance and within 7 days of receipt of invoice.

Branch Newsletter Deadlines For 2013

Month of Journal Deadline Date

March Fri 22 February April Thurs 21 March

Deadline is close of business (5 pm) on the nominated dates.

Please submit all articles to [email protected]

http://www.rowe.com.au/



raci wa branch newsletter: december 2010...raci wa branch newsletter: february 2013 the royal...

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