Australian Institute of Physics, SA branch. Minutes of the committee meeting held at 2pm on Sunday February 29th 2004 at the home of Olivia Samardzic. Present: Wade Shiell, Jamie Quinton, Michael Brunger, Peter Veitch, Olivia Samardzic and Laurence Campbell Apologies: Peter Bouwknegt, Sam Drake and Susan Cockshell. Minutes of the last meeting: There were no corrections. Brunger moved that the minutes be accepted, seconded by Samardzic. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES: None. CHAIR'S REPORT: Veitch reported on issues from the recent national council meeting: - the AIP has a new constitution, to be put on the web site. - there is a new set of membership catagories: associate (which includes students), members and fellows, with a sliding scale of fees for associates and members (eg graduate -> half fee -> full members' fee). The change was made because of people (including professors) remaining as graduates. People will remain members unless they apply to become fellows. There is an intention to reduce the membership fee for members. - Free memberships for 3rd-year students have been abolished, to be replaced next year by free membership for 4th-year students. - The AIP has a code of Ethics which will be put on the web site. Members can be ejected if they don't abide by the code. - The new web site is www.aip.org.au. This is hosted by the ANU, and maintained by a graduate student of the President. - The web site includes a forum, or chat facility, to be moderated by the President. The national branch would like feedback on the web page and the forum. (Veitch suggested this might include some discussion of networks, leading to some immediate discussion of the subject. Samardzic suggested it would be valuable for the Science Policy committee. Veitch noted that the Science policy document written last year has been accepted for internal discussion but is too negative for publication. A two-page summary is required with the addition of suggestions as to how to address the problems identified. This led to a discussion of Federation fellowships. Veitch reported that maybe Scott Butcher is to create the new document.) - A local representative in each state is required for the World Year of Physics. (The "year" itself still requires UNESCO approval.) The national branch is to apply to DEST for money for activities such as lecture tours. - The editor of the Physicist is pleading for more input, both as articles and reports on activities. - The 2005 Congress will be held in the week Jan 31st.-Feb 4th. There was a presentation by the organising committee. The call for papers will be in April. Ken Baldwin is the chair. There will be refereed articles, due in October, 3 weeks after the acceptance of abstracts, to be given to delegates on CD. Early registration will be $550 ($290 for students), with $100 extra for late registrations. - The 2006 congress will be at Griffith, 4th-8th December. It will be run by Birgit Lohmann and Robert Sang. - The Hon Treasurer wants feedback from local treasurers on ways to streamline financial reporting. - Bragg's former residence is under threat. The Public Schools' Club propose to sell it to a developer. It has been reported in the newspaper that something improper occurred in the decision making. The national president and Veitch have written to the minister (Hill) regarding the potential demolition. It is not necessarily a done deal. The national branch is considering a register of historic sites, so Veitch was able to bring up the issue of Bragg's house in this context. Veitch is to ring up the advisory group. - Michael Bromley from the NTU (who was the SA nomination) has been awarded the 2003 Gold Bragg medal. Veitch is to find out when Bromley will be coming to give a talk in Adelaide. - The council meeting was at Melbourne Uni., due to the AIP's new arrangement with Mechanical Engineering for the secreatariat. The new secretariat seems better than the previous one and is good with financial matters. TABLED DOCUMENTS: - Veitch tabled copies of a newspaper report and his letter to minister Hill about the Bragg residence. (Quinton suggested asking the minister to present the Bragg medal.) - Veitch noted that a full set of council documents are available for any committee member who would like to see them. TREASURER'S REPORT: Quinton reported that the banking arrangements have been sorted out and that he has deposited two cheques (one for a member's AGM payment and the other for the grant from the national branch). The branch's reserve is now $10471.88. (Veitch asked that the report be sent by email to committee members.) DISCUSSION: - Veitch reported that he was requested to take a budget to the council meeting. He took last year's with some additions. The new arrangment is that the branch reserves are deducted from the request with the national branch providing the difference. If we run out, we are to ask for more. Reserves are to be held centrally and invested at high interest. Brunger sought clarification that the national branch is underwriting local branches. Veitch said that activities will be funded. Samardzic approved of this, noting that previously the branch's funding had dropped when the membership fell. - Veitch stressed the need to put a program of activies forward. Quinton noted that the branch had done well in spite of missing last year's funding. Samardzic explained how the education committee had helped by getting sponsorship, such as $750 from National Science Week. Veitch noted that the digeridoo lecture and that of astronaut Franklin Chiang-Diaz had cost nothing. Campbell noted that the sponsorship for the digeridoo lecture had required a large input in time by Alex Kalloniatis and Samantha Carter. Veitch agreed, and said it is preferable to ask for AIP money rather than require committee members to use their time. Quinton reported that he had sent the GST documentation by the deadline, and that he had asked Kathy Foley about some issues but had not had a reply. Veitch noted that she may have been waiting for the council meeting. Quniton said he had had a phone call from "Beverly" seeking details on the last quarter's GST. He is currently waiting for her to send an email. DISCUSSION: - Samardzic asked for details on the education subcommittee's budget. Veitch said that it was as for last year, without the need for sponsorship. Samardzic noted that it was easier to get money from last year's sponsors than from the universities in previous years. - Shiell asked about expenses for the quiz. Samardzic described the types of prizes (spot, top team, second, and last) which were either science-based things or Royal Show tickects. - Veitch undertook to email the budget to the committee. He noted that some branches got nothing because they had large reserves. - Brunger asked about forward-committing for students going to the 2005 Congress. Veitch said that it will not be a problem. SUBCOMMITTEES: These were decided to be: Meetings: Sam Drake (convenor) and Michael Brunger. To coordinate speakers (contact, accomodation, airfares, local arrangements and lecture theatres). (Veitch suggested the first meeting could be the RACI joint meeting. Quinton reported that he is to be the speaker. Brunger will contact Joe Shapter about the meeting.) Science Policy: Bouwknegt (convenor), Samardzic and Veitch. Education: Samardzic (convenor), Cockshell To run the Science Quiz and the Careers' night. (Samardzic reported that there is an intention to set up a register of speakers who could go to schools to talk about Physics.) Awards: Blankleider (convenor). To organise awards: Bronze Bragg medal and certificates, Silver Bragg medal, Claire Corani awards and Gold Bragg nomination. (Veitch suggested that Blankleider should write a position description, as there is confusion over who should do the Claire Corani awards and the Gold Bragg nomination. It should include details such as the source of the medals.) "World Year of Physics" representative. (To be discussed at the next meeting, with everyone present.) Discussion of VC. What's "VC?" ANY OTHER BUSINESS: - Samardzic raised the issue of Samantha Carter being left off the committee nomination list. Campbell said he had not seen the email, otherwise he would have acted on it. Veitch is to contact Carter regarding co-option. - Veitch noted that one of the meetings needs to include a local presentation of the Distinguished Service to Physics Award, given to Prof. John Prescott last November at a national meeting. - Veitch asked what we want to do this year, noting that last year there had been a higher proportion of public lectures due to the mix of speakers available. He noted that we must not spend funds on non-members. This is not a problem for the public lectures, as about half the audience were members (typically 50/100), but there is a problem with spending on "outreach". It was noted that public lectures can be of more interest to members than specialised members' lectures. - Samardzic described last year's proposal for a social event and suggested how a trivia night might be run. - Shiell asked about student events. Campbell said that the AIP will fund these on the condition that they should be open to students from other universities and AIP members. Shiell suggested some options and Veitch confirmed that all were possible. The AIP will support functions which get interaction between students at different universities. Shiell said he was interested in intersociety lectures on Physics, social events, focus groups and non-course Physics. The aim is to get people involved in Physics, and he would like local lecturers to talk about their work. Samardzic suggested the range could be wider, giving the mix of speakers at the careers' night as an example. NEXT MEETING: To be held at 6pm on Thursday March 25th. in a room (yet to be determined) in the Physics Building at the University of Adelaide. MORE OTHER BUSINESS: Campbell asked about the key for the display case. Shiell said that Carter is to give him the key, but that the display case has been moved to an unknown location. Samardzic gave some details of the Space School, which is not an AIP activity (except when the AIP provides sponsorship for a lecture by an astronaut). It is run by herself and Cockshell, together with Mike Roach from Hamilton High School and John Hisco. This year it will be on July 14th-16th. She reported that they are also running the International Space School in SA on 2-4th October. She raised the possibility of available speakers associated with an "International Space University", organised by Abraham Chan in June, and undertook to email details of the web site for this. The meeting finished about 4:30pm. Laurence Campbell 29-2-04