Science Victoria Magazine

If only one group of people encountered barriers in accessing STEMM education and careers, we might consider that group as an outlier. However, when many different groups of people encounter multiple barriers related to access and inclusion in STEMM, it suggests a systemic issue rather than isolated and unrelated incidents.

Climate Change. Loss of Biodiversity and Extinction. Pollution. The Rise of Misinformation. In this edition, we focus on these four human-driven crises that currently threaten life on Earth, and what needs to be done to meaningfully address them.

Victoria is home to more than a thousand native animal species, but as at June 2023, 378 of these are under threat of extinction (FFG Act Threatened List, June 2023). As with our unique flora, the pressures from climate change risk this number rising unless we act. In this edition, we look at the value of and threats to our native animals.

The February 2024 edition of Science Victoria is focused on the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). From speech recognition and search algorithms, to the many types of machine learning models that can recognise patterns in data, AI is poised to fundamentally change the course of humanity. For better or worse, we must come to terms with how best to utilise and govern these incredible new tools in our work, education and play. We also take in lessons on Green Chemistry, and new techniques for dating the age of humankind's earliest ancestors.

December's edition of Science Victoria explores advances in therapeutic interventions, from drug discovery to genomics to equitable refuge from extreme heat - just in time for summer!

Studying the night sky has a very long history in Victoria, from First Peoples' use of the stars for meteorology, navigation, and story-telling, through to measuring dark matter in Stawell, and everything in between. This month we look at the ongoing work in Victoria to further understand everything beyond Earth’s atmosphere, as well as how our changing climate is affecting glaciers, ice sheets and cloud formation in the Southern Ocean.

On the 23rd of May this year, the Victorian Government announced that commercial logging of native forests would cease in Victoria at the end of 2023 – six years ahead of the scheduled close.

Victoria is home to tens of thousands of native plant species, but as at June 2023, 1,618 of these are under threat of extinction in our state (FFG Act Threatened List, June 2023). As the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt, there is a risk that this number will rise unless we act. In this edition, we look at the value of our flora, how we can support ecosystems in a changing climate, and whether the European model of seasons is unsuited to our part of the world.