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Australasian Colloid and Interface Society Web: http://acis.wildapricot.org/; E-mail: acis.enquiries@gmail.com |
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ACIS Newsletter – Issue 26, September 2021
Welcome
Dear Esteemed Members,
Welcome to our 26th issue of ACIS News! We produce a quarterly newsletter - sent around in February, May, August, and November (approximately) - to keep the wonderful members of ACIS informed of our initiatives and for members to directly communicate with our Society. We publish job announcements, meetings of interests to our society, career development opportunities, any exciting research that you would like to share with us and much more. To everyone up to date with the on-goings in our colloids society, please send your suggestions and items for the next newsletter to christine.browne@monash.edu or Stuart Brown at s3399895@student.rmit.edu.au.
President’s Corner
Friday 13th August 2021 was a lucky day for ACIS as Maggie Zhai, Frank Sainsbury and Christine Browne delivered our 2nd Viruses are Colloids symposium via Zoom to the many delegates mostly attending from their loungeroom lockdowns. On behalf of the Board I thank this team for their superb organisation.
You will also find an announcement from Marta Krasowska and Stephanie MacWilliams on the 33rd Australian Colloid and Surface Science Student Conference which will be held at the Mawson Lakes Campus of the University of South Australia from 31 January – 2 February 2022. Please put these dates in your diary and dream of travel to South Australia early next year. For many of us attending the student conference during our PhD years was a key activity that aided us on our career journeys in colloid and interface science. I hope to meet with many students and supervisors in Adelaide to share in the latest fabulous research conducted by our members.
You will also find an update from Ian Gentle on the next Conference of the International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists (IACIS2022) rescheduled for 26-29 June 2022 at the Brisbane convention centre. Abstracts and Registration will open soon, so please read on.
Erica Wanless (President)
News
Exciting Research Using 3D Printing in Food Science
A research article, featuring contributions from the University of Queensland (UQ) demonstrates a facile fabrication method of soft-substrates emulating surface and bulk characteristics of human-tongue, for measuring oral lubrication of food emulsions. The substrates produced through this were able to distinguish the influence of variabilities in surface and bulk mechanical properties, on the lubrication behavior of dairy products. This strategy of substrate fabrication can be beneficial for tribological measurements of cosmetics and oral medicine.
‘3D enabled facile fabrication of substrates with human tongue characteristics for analysing the tribological behaviour of food emulsions’ contributions from UQ and published in Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies (DOI: 10.1016/j.ifset.2021.102803)
If you wish to find out more information about this exciting project, you can contact Dr. Sangeeta Prakash s.prakash@uq.edu.au
IACIS 2022
The 17th Conference of the International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists (IACIS 2022) will be held in Brisbane on 26-29 June 2022 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, hosted by ACIS. The last time an IACIS conference was held in Australia was in 1994, so it is very exciting for us to have the opportunity to host this major triennial international event. We hope that all our members and colleagues will join a large contingent of international delegates in Brisbane for this great opportunity for networking and outstanding scientific exchange.
Because of the likelihood that international travel will not be possible from all countries by then, a virtual registration option will be available for those who are unable to attend in person due to travel restrictions. In a first for IACIS conferences, all sessions will be recorded and available on-demand post-conference and both in-person and online participants will be able to network and connect with others using the online platform. We are looking forward to experiencing the opportunities that the hybrid technology will make available!
Abstract Submission:
Abstract submission and registration will open on October 12th 2021.
Further details:
More details are available on iacis2022.org. Follow @iacis2022 on social media for updates.
Australian Colloid and Surface Science Student Conference
ACIS is pleased to announce that the 33rd Australian Colloid and Surface Science Student Conference will be held at Mawson Lakes Campus of University of South Australia.
Monday 31st January to Wednesday 2nd February 2022
This edition of the student conference will be a hybrid model with both in person and online attendees welcome. More information will be available shortly regarding conference details. Please keep an eye on your inbox and the website for further details.
Abstract Submission:
Abstract submissions will close on Friday 19th November 2021
2021 ACIS Early Career Travel Bursary
We are delighted to announce that Dr Saffron Bryant from RMIT has been awarded this year’s ACIS Early Career Travel Bursary. Dr Bryant will visit Professor Patrick Spicer’s lab at UNSW to explore the interactions of eutectogels with bacterial cellulose hydrogels. Congratulations Saffron!
Viruses are Colloids Symposium: Making Friends from Foes?
On Friday the 13th of August ACIS held the 2nd Viruses are Colloids Symposium – Making Friends from Foes? There was a collection of great presentations attended by over 80 attendees.
We had 4 senior speakers from around the globe:
- Prof. Katherine Kedzierska - The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity
- Prof. Trevor Douglas - Indiana University Bloomington
- Prof. Teng Zhaogang - Nanjing University, China
- Prof. Colin Pouton - Monash University
There were also three fantastic student speakers from our community:
- Simon Collett – RMIT
- Izabela Milogrodzka – Monash University
- Donna McNeale – Griffith University
A big congratulations to Donna McNeale who was awarded the best student presentation prize with her presentation entitled ‘Understanding Virus Capsid assembly by DNA Templating’.
We would like to thank all of our speakers for their time and effort with presenting at the symposium. We couldn’t have done it without you.
If you missed the event or just want to enjoy it some more, it is available in the Member’s Only Section of our website here: https://acis.wildapricot.org/ACIS-Viruses-are-Colloids-Symposium-Recording
Awards
Global Challenges: Gates Foundation Grant
Congratulations to Naba Dutta and their team from RMIT for being awarded this Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant. The project is focussed on developing disposable sanitary pads from biodegradable, ecofriendly resources to decrease the cost, waste production and improve safety.
See their LinkedIn post here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6822700979071266816/
For more information on this project, and others like it at the Gates Foundation Global Challenges website: https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/grant/eco-bio-sanitary-pads-end-period-poverty
Opportunities
Assoc. Professor/Professor Vacancy, University of New England
The University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales is currently looking for a new Associate Professor/Professor in Physical/Material Chemistry (Level D/E). For more information on the position and how to apply follow the link: https://www.une.edu.au/jobs-at-une/current-vacancies
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Activities
Join our Awards, Communications, Conferences and Events Committees
ACIS needs its members to be actively engaged. Please let us know if you would like to be involved in the committees that will run the activities of the Society: Awards; Communications; Conferences and Events. Or if you would like to propose other activities we should be running. We especially invite students and early-career researchers to become involved. Please email your interest to acis.enquiries@gmail.com.
Visiting Scientist Register
Are you planning to host a visit by an outstanding scientist in the colloid and interface field? Why not let ACIS members know about the visit? We aim to keep track of visiting scientists, to facilitate their introduction to the Australasian scientific community. Please email details of the visit to acis.enquiries@gmail.com.
ACIS Membership
Please encourage your colleagues, students and industrial partners working in the field of colloids and interface to join us. General membership is $100 per annum. The membership year is from 1st March each year. Memberships paid after this date are valid until 28th February of the following year. More information is available on our website http://acis.wildapricot.org/.
Use Our LinkedIn
Group to Tell People Your News
ACIS is now present on LinkedIn. Please join our LinkedIn group and post discussion items on job ads, conference calls, and interesting facts about the wonderful world of colloid and surface science.
Or Tag your Friends and Colleagues
Share your next big breakthrough, job opportunity or beautiful science with the ACIS community by using @AusColloids.
The Newsletter team signing off,
Christine Browne – christine.browne@monash.edu
Stuart Brown – s3399895@student.rmit.edu.au