NEWS RELEASE
April 9 2002
New
technologies born from old rivalries
Encounter 2002 free lecture
looks at the power of scientific collaboration
As
South Australians this year we have been asked to take ourselves back –
back to the time of the Napoleonic wars when two young, vibrant explorers,
Flinders and Baudin, were pioneering coastal explorations of South
Australia.
But
there were other “wars” raging late in the 18th century –
battles over tiny things – the seen and the unseen.
It
was a time when scientists from France (Lavoisier and Berthellot) and
those from Britain (Priestley and Cavendish) were battling over some of
the fundamental theories of chemistry. In that encounter it was the French
who were victorious. Lavoisier’s success with his theory of combustion
marked the first effective use of the Greek theory of atoms and it paved
the way for the development of the atomic, molecular and particles
research of today.
As a part of the celebration of the bicentenary of the
Flinders and Baudin expeditions, UniSA’s Hawke Centre is proud to
present a special free public lecture exploring a little of the history of
the physical sciences as they relate atoms and particles and much about
the application of this research in our lives today.
The lecture, Small and Large Encounters – where
forces act, will be held at UniSA’s Brookman Hall, Crn North
Terrace and Frome Road from 6 pm today April 10 2002.
Feature speaker is UniSA’s Professor John Ralston,
professor of physical chemistry and minerals processing and Director of
UniSA’s Ian Wark Research Institute, one of the most prestigious
research facilities of its kind in Australia.
Professor Ralston will explore international
perspectives on research, its application in our lives and the invaluable
links between academia and industry in the development of ideas,
innovations and a better world.
Media
contact: Michèle Nardelli (08) 8302 0966 or 041 8823673
email: michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
