Events Archive

With the world population predicted to increase by 2 billion by 2050, there is an increasing need to produce more food with the same land area. Precision agriculture, sometimes described as the third agricultural revolution, uses new technologies to optimise the use of inputs such as water, fertiliser and fuel in farming, leading to improved yields and reduced inputs and cost. Some of the technologies used include robotics, big data, satellite imagery, drones and internet of things devices. Precision agriculture has been identified as a key technology in the transition to sustainable agriculture, for both high and low income countries. Our two speakers are both innovators pioneering engineering solutions for precision agriculture applications. This talk promises to be an inspiring look at this emerging area of practice. About the Speakers Prof Salah Sukkarieh is Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney, and CEO of Agerris, a new Agtech startup company developing autonomous robotic solutions to improve agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Dr Tim Parson is chief technical officer and design central facilitator from Food Agility CRC, a $150million+ innovation hub that is creating new digital technologies and services to benefit the Australian agrifood industry.

Australia’s hydrogen sector is quickly gathering pace with unprecedented levels of interest from industry backed by enthusiastic governments. Claire will present the key projects, players and motives behind hydrogen’s rapid ascent, including the international landscape driving Australia’s great hydrogen hope.

The tragic and destructive bushfires of the 2019-2020 Black Summer across south-eastern Australia pose a range of challenges for the nation’s scientists. In the face of the combined forces of nature, climate, demographics, and limited resources, can science make a real difference? What sort of research do we need to do now to prepare us for the natural hazard impacts of tomorrow? The value of research in solving such national problems is the focus of an annual oration next month, to be delivered in a live webinar by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel. The free public talk – Fire, flood, storm and cyclone: applying science to the challenge - is on Wednesday 19 August from 4-5pm (AEST) and is presented by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre as part of National Science Week.

Unprecedented expenditure on Australian infrastructure upgrades and construction projects continues to generate enormous quantities of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, posing both challenges and opportunities for Australia's waste management industry.