Australian Institute of Physics

South Australian Branch

AIP/WiP Public Lecture

Public Lecture 2002 AIP Women in Physics Lecture Tour Monday, September 16th, 2002, at 7:30pm Union Hall, University of Adelaide Physics and its Masters: echo of Eureka on the streets of today by Lidia Morawska

Abstract: Studies of the history of physics provide an insight into the changes occurring over the centuries to societies, their level of scientific and technological development, their needs and their understanding of the world surrounding them. We are not surprised that the pursuits of the physicist a few hundred years ago were different to what the contemporary physicists attempt to reveal. It could be perhaps a bit more surprising that today's physicists may be changing the topics of their studies several times during their professional careers, as the rate of progress is so fast. What remains unchanged, however is the passion that the physicists of today share with those from a few centuries ago, to reveal and understand the Unknown. Whether the Unknown is the basic principle of the dynamics of the universe, or what happens to the pollutants emitted by modern motor vehicles, the passion is the same. This seminar will be a brief journey through physics over the centuries and also the physics of today as seen through the experience of the presenter.

Biography: A/Professor Lidia Morawska, is Director of the Environmental Aerosol Laboratory (EAL), School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Lidia is an environmental physicist who has achieved international recognition for her pioneering work on atmospheric aerosols. She has been a leader in establishing the importance of ultrafine particles in affecting air quality and human health. She is currently the President of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate and provides expert advice to the World Health Organisation (WHO), who has enlisted her support in the development of WHO guidelines and recommendation documents, as well as developing training courses and giving presentations in various parts of the world. Lidia will talk about Physics, her career and environmentally relevant research.

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