ANZAAS

Welcome to the ANZAAS Website

Almost every aspect of our life is touched by science. Without science our way of life would be almost unimaginable and sustainability of life in the future will be impossible. Despite this there is great public suspicion of science. Much of this is based on lack of understanding, but past failures of science to recognise public concerns about the nature and direction of progress contribute to distrust. The future is too important for such attitudes to continue. ANZAAS exists to promote dialogue and understanding between the public, science and government and to advance science and its utilisation for maximum benefit.

next ANZAAS Science Talk

Wednesday 22nd March 2023, 6:30 pm

All welcome, free, tell your friends!

at GTAC,  in the grounds of University High School, corner Royal Parade and Story Street, Parkville 

Em Professor Jim Goding

Emeritus Professor of Experimental Pathology, Monash University

“Transistors, the Microchip & the Second Industrial Revolution”

The first transistor was invented in December 1947. It consisted of a plastic wedge with two gold electrodes, pressed down onto a germanium crystal with a bent paper clip. When the New York Times announced the invention the following year, it received one paragraph on page 48. By the early 1960s it became possible to make dozens of transistors on a single chip of silicon. Even then, few realised they were witnessing the second industrial revolution.
The story of transistors has been characterised by Moore’s law, where the power, speed, cost and size of transistors have undergone a twofold improvement every two years over a 50 year period. Individual transistors are now smaller than viruses, and their price has shrunk from $10 to something like a millionth of a cent apiece.
There are now more transistors in the world than all ants or all leaves on trees. The most recent iPhone has about 15 billion transistors. The average car is said to have about 1,000 microchips. Silicon chips are involved in almost everything we do.
How do transistors and microchips work, and how are they made?

Jim Goding has used transistors and microchips since their first commercial availability in the 1960s. He will tell the story from their humble beginnings, culminating in artificial intelligence systems that are beginning to rival the human brain.

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We are pleased to acknowledge the support by CSL and GTAC for the ANZAAS Melbourne science talks series
Further Info: David Vaux   davidlaurencevaux@gmail.com

http://www.anzaas.org.au/victoria/

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 Click HERE to see past ANZAAS Science Talks

Jim Goding March 2023
Transistors, the Microchip & the Second Industrial Revolution

Paul Lasky November 2022
A new window on the Universe

Peter Currie October 2022
Regeneration: Myths and monsters and modern medicine

Heather Mack September 2022
Injecting eyes with antibodies to treat problems of the retina

Helen Green August 2022
Dating Australia’s Rock Art

Mahdi Jalali July 2022
Transport electrification and integration of EVs within the electricity grid

Grant McArthur June 2022
Science led inroads into melanoma – Australia and New Zealand’s disease

Alan Duffy May 2022
Darkness visible down-under

Timothy Clark April 2022
The importance of reproducibility and integrity in science: a fishy perspective

Tilman Ruff March 2022
Ending the nuclear weapons era evidence, challenges and pathways

Brian Abbey November 2021
The colour of cancer: could ‘smart’ microscope slides transform tissue diagnostics?

Cameron Simmons October 2021
Creating stop signs in mosquitoes; is this the end-game for Dengue?

Madhu Bhaskaran September 2021
Unbreakable sensors the future is here

Anne Marie Tosolini August 2021
Fossil Leaves from Cretaceous and Paleogene Polar Environments

Geoff Brooks July 2021
Green Steel: Can we decarburise steel production?

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Message from Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall

I would like to congratulate ANZAAS on its reinvigoration and an exciting new website.  ANZAAS was born to help launch scientific endeavour in Australia and New Zealand in the late 19th century and has since maintained a powerful advocate for public engagement with science. The new ANZAAS seeks to support and enliven a new phase of public involvement in science – we might call it mobilisation – in support of a sustainable culture for scientific literacy and a solid foundation for international competitiveness. The new path of action for ANZAAS is to stir the community at large into motivating more of our youth to explore the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. There are many issues facing our society as we move into the 21^st century – new challenges and exciting opportunities in medicine and health, critical decisions to be made with respect to the planet and engineering innovations of which we can only dream in the present. ANZAAS seeks to engage you in vibrant and productive exchanges as together we tackle these future challenges.

I urge you all to join me in actively supporting ANZAAS in its new endeavours.

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