Speakers
Conference MC
Bernie Hobbs is a popular judge on ABC TV's The New Inventors, and a firm favourite with audiences for her weekly science spots on ABC radio around the country.
Bernie has a first class honours degree in biochemistry and microbiology. She has a background in medical research, environmental writing and science teaching, Bernie can tackle tough or technical subjects and bring the driest topics alive for lay or expert audiences.
Bernie has been MC at many important forums and events including the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science, the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia, events for Co-operative Research Centres, the Queensland Government, The Queensland Resources Council, CSIRO, The Australian Society of Medical Research, Brisbane Ideas Festival, The World Congress of Science Journalists and Questacon.
She's worked with kids, animals and rocket scientists, and shared the stage with prime ministers and rock stars. She happily takes the hot seat at triple j when Dr Karl can't, and loves nothing more than working with a live audience.
Bernie has won awards for the kids tv show the experiMENTALS, and for her infamous greenhouse website Planet Slayer - where you find out what age you should have died at so you don't use more than your share of the planet.
Keynote Speakers
Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, DBE, FRS, FRSE, is a distinguished astrophysicist, based in the UK. As a postgraduate student, she worked on the discovery of the first radio pulsars, but missed out on the Nobel Prize for Physics which was awarded to her supervisor. She is the current President of the Institute of Physics, UK, the first woman in this role.
Professor Burnell's considerable contributions to the field of astrophysics have resulted in a large number of awards and significant recognition. She was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999 and that year also won the Edinburgh Medal for services to science and society. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2003, and Fellow of the Royal Society Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2004 and was elected a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2005. In 2007 she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE).
Professor Burnell is currently Visiting Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford.
Full Bio
Kate Ellis is the youngest woman ever elected to the Australian House of Representatives. She was first elected in 2004 to become the Member for Adelaide. In 2007, Kate Ellis was appointed Minister for Youth and Sport. In June 2008 Kate was given extra ministerial responsibilities, becoming Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth; and Minister for Sport.
In 2010 she became the Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care and the Minister for the Status of Women. Minister Ellis is active in the community and hosts regular meetings and community events to ensure that she keeps in close contact and takes up the issues of the residents she represents.
Assemblywoman and Prof. Youngah Park Assemblywoman and Prof. Youngah Park was elected to Korea's 18th National Assembly in 2008 from the Constituency of Songpa-gu Gap. At the National Assembly, she is a member of the Education, Science and Technology Committee, the Special Committee on Future Strategy for Science and Technology and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. She is also a member of the Special Committee on the Protection of Sovereignty over Dokdo and of the Special Committee on Ethics, Education, Science and Technology. She is chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Science and Technology at the National Assembly.
Full Bio
Janet Holmes � Court, AC, has been the Chairman of the John Holland Group since 1991. She is also Chairman of one of Australia's largest private companies, Heytesbury Pty Ltd and its controlled entities which include Heytesbury Beef, Heytesbury Thoroughbreds, The Holmes � Court Collection and Vasse Felix.
She was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO), in 1995 and promoted to a Companion of the Order (AC) on Australia Day 2007. The National Trust of Australia has included her on its list of 100 Australian Living Treasures.
Photo: Courtesy Frances Andrijich
Full Bio
Dr. Mar�a Jes�s Prieto-Laffargue, a telecommunications engineer, is the first woman to be President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations. She is a prominent figure in the international arena of communications technology and international business.
Dr. Laffargue has served on several boards advising national and international companies and organizations in telecommunications, energy, aerospace and transportation. She has also collaborated with the Universities of Madrid, Barcelona and Navarra. She was Professor of Chamber of Commerce and Industry and author of numerous articles and is currently a member of the Spanish chapter of the prestigious Club of Rome think tank.
Dr. Laffargue has been a delegate of the Spanish government to several European and world organizations. She has served and is currently active in a group of select experts preparing for the United Nations work on the Summit on Sustainable Development. She has been member of the Council of World Meteorology Organization, the Executive Council of European Meteorology Satellite Organization (EUMESAT) and the Council of Union International Telecomm (ITU).
Full Bio
Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Taylor, AO, is a leading academic and has been Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering & Health at Central Queensland University since 2006. She has degrees in engineering and law and in 2004 was awarded the Order of Australia "for service to engineering education through the design and implementation of innovative academic programs, to professional associations and to enhancing the status of women in the profession and promoting it as a career option". Professor Taylor is Chair of the Board of Engineers Media, Chair of RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief) and has been the Deputy President of the Australian Council of Engineering Deans. She is also the Chairperson of the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.
Full Bio
Invited Speakers
Kathryn Fagg is President, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) for Linfox Logistics. She started with Linfox in early 2009, and has responsibility for meeting the logistics needs of customers across Asia Pacific in the FMCG Group. Prior to joining Linfox, Kathryn was with BlueScope Steel. Her last role was President, BlueScope Steel Asia, based in Singapore where she had responsibility for all manufacturing and marketing operations in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and a JV in India with Tata Steel.
Full Bio
Dr. Cathy Foley is a Chief Research Scientist with CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering. She is the Research Program Leader for Devices Systems and Engineering and a project leader of a Superconducting Devices and Applications Project which is developing superconducting systems for mineral exploration, detection of metal for quality assurance in manufacturing, electrode-less heart monitors and remote detection of contraband at airports, terahertz imaging, submarine and UXO detection and quantum computing. This multiple million-dollar project assisted with the discovery and delineation of the BHP Cannington Silver mine.
Dr Foley has a world-class reputation in her field. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in the UK, Immediate past President of the Australian Institute of Physics, Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ASTE) and the President of Federation of Australian Science and Technology Societies where she represents 60,000 Australian scientists and technologists.
Full Bio
Helen Gluer is the Chief Executive Officer of Tarong Energy. Prior to this appointment in January 2007, Helen was the Chief Financial Officer of Brisbane City Council.
With a diverse career, Helen has 25 years experience in banking, finance and infrastructure. She is currently a Council Member for the Queensland University of Technology, and Local Government Remuneration Tribunal and has directorships with the Queensland Resources Council, National Generators Forum, and TransLink Transport Authority. Helen was previously the Chair of the Central Queensland Ports Authority. Her other previous directorships include City Super Pty Ltd, the South East Queensland Water Board, and the Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Full Bio
Kathy Hirschfeld is a non-executive director, after almost 20 years in leadership and executive roles with BP. Until 2010 she was the Managing Director of BP's Bulwer Island Oil Refinery and a Director of New Zealand Refining Company. Kathy's career with BP started at Perth's Kwinana Refinery in 1990, and positions included Control Systems Engineer, I&E Maintenance Manager, Laboratory Manager, and Operations Superintendent. In 2002/3 she held Commercial Manager roles in BP Exploration in the UK. Kathy was appointed Refinery Manager at BP's joint venture refinery in Mersin, Turkey in 2004, and was responsible for closure of the refinery and conversion to a Marketing terminal.
Full Bio
Lorie Jones is Past President of Engineers Australia (WA Division), an active member of the Division Committee, and represents WA on National Congress. She is a Principal Environmental Engineer in the Perth office of Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) and has performed a number of senior consulting roles including Relationship Client Manager, Project Director and WA Region Sustainability Facilitator.
Full Bio
Gretchen Kalonji was appointed Assistant Director-General for the Natural Sciences to UNESCO in July 2010. Ms Kalonji holds a B.Sc. (1980) and a Ph.D (1982) in Materials Science and Engineering, which she obtained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (USA).
Full Bio
Dr Di McCarthy is Chief Executive of the Royal Society of New Zealand, a national academy promoting, investing in and celebrating excellence in the sciences and the humanities with head office in Wellington. She has held the position since May 2007.
Full Bio
Melissa Mellen is the National winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Bank Business Owner award for the Telstra Business Women's Awards, and the 2010 Telstra South Australian Business Woman of the Year. Melissa Mellen purchased Murray F. Young & Associates (MFY) after 10 years working in the business. MFY is a consulting traffic engineering firm providing professional traffic, transport and parking advice to private and government clients.
Full Bio
Karen Moses is currently responsible for the finance, tax and accounting functions, our interactions with capital markets and IT. In addition to corporate strategy and transactional activity, she has an oversight of overall Origin risk including operational HSE, commodity risk, compliance and insurance. Karen oversees the APLNG Project from an Origin perspective.
Full Bio
Professor Tanya Monro is one of Australia's leading physicists and is the 2011 South Australia Australian of the Year. Her work in the field of photonics - the science and technology that allows the generation and control of light using glass optical fibres - enables the creation of new tools for scientific research, and solutions for problems in areas as diverse as information processing, surgery, health monitoring, military technology, agriculture and environmental monitoring.
Full Bio
Professor Karen Reynolds is professor of Biomedical Engineering at Flinders University and the leader of Flinders Medical Devices & Technologies. Karen was recently awarded the title of Professional Engineer of the Year in the 2010 Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence Awards.
Full Bio
Sylvia Tulloch was the founding Managing Director of Dyesol, responsible for the business strategy and plan. Dyesol Limited is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and is a global leader in Dye Cell Solar Technology.
Full Bio
Dame Professor Jocelyn Burnell
Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a distinguished astrophysicist, based in the UK. As a postgraduate student, she worked discovered the first radio pulsars, but missed out on the Nobel Prize for Physics which was awarded to her supervisor. She is the current President of the Institute of Physics, UK, the first woman in this role.
Professor Burnell's considerable contributions to the field of astrophysics have resulted in a large number of awards and significant recognition. She was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999 and that year also won the Edinburgh Medal for services to science and society. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2003, and Fellow of the Royal Society Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2004 and was elected a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2005. In 2007 she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE).
Professor Burnell is currently Visiting Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford. She was Dean of Science at the University of Bath from 2001 to 2004 and Professor of Physics at the Open University from 1991 to 2001. She was also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Princeton University, USA. She was President of the Royal Astronomical Society between 2002 and 2004.
Although she did not share the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, Professor Burnell has been honoured by many organisations including The Albert Michelson Medal of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia (1973), the J. Robert Oppenheimer prize Memorial Prize from the Center for Theoretical Studies in Miami (1978), the . J. Robert Oppenheimer Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize of the American Astronomical Society (1987), the Herschel Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1989), the Karl G. Jansky Lectureship of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory(1995) and the Magellanic Premium of the American Philosophical Society (2000).
She has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Harvard University (2007) and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Durham (2007).
Professor Burnell completed a Physics degree at Glasgow University, Scotland and a PhD in Cambridge (UK) in Radio Astronomy. She held several positions while raising a family including at the University of Southampton (in gamma ray astronomy) and at University College London (in X-ray astronomy) before returning to Scotland in the early 1980s to a job in infrared astronomy at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. Latterly she ran the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii as a facility for astronomers in British, Canadian and Dutch universities.
Professor Burnell has chaired, served on, or serviced more Research Council Boards, Committees and Panels than she wishes to remember, and has also chaired a European Community Committee.
The public appreciation and understanding of science have always been important to her, and she is much in demand as a speaker and broadcaster. The Royal Society awarded her its 2010 Faraday Medal for science communication. Her appointment to the Open University doubled the number of female professors of physics in the UK. She hopes that her presence as a senior woman in science will encourage more women to consider a career in science.
In her spare time she walks, gardens, listens to choral music and is active in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). She has co-edited an anthology of poetry with an astronomical theme - 'Dark Matter; Poems of Space'. Professor Burnell currently lives in Oxford, UK.
Professor Youngah Park
Assemblywoman and Prof. Youngah Park was elected to Korea's 18th National Assembly in 2008 from the Constituency of Songpa-gu Gap. At the National Assembly, she is a member of the Education, Science and Technology Committee, the Special Committee on Future Strategy for Science and Technology and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. She is also a member of the Special Committee on the Protection of Sovereignty over Dokdo and of the Special Committee on Ethics, Education, Science and Technology. She is chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Science and Technology at the National Assembly.
Assemblywoman Park holds a number of prestigious positions with the Korean Grand National party including member of the Committee on Ethics, member of the Committee on Civil rights, Ranking member of the Committee on Unification, Vice Chair of the Education, Science and Technology Policy Coordination Committee, member of the Special Committee on Redevelopment and Reconstruction, member of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and Deputy Floor Leader of the Grand National Party. She is also Vice Chair of the 6th Policy Coordination Committee and Chair of the Committee on Pledge Development of the Seoul Metropolitan Party.
Assemblywoman Park was formerly a Professor of Physics at Myongji University and is currently Vice president of the Korean Physics Society. She has served as the Chair of the Working Group on Women in Physics of the AAPPS (Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies). She was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland, a member of the Working Group on Women in Physics of IUPAP (International Union of Pure and Applied Physics), Chair of the Local Organizing Committee of the Third International Conference on Women in Physics and a member of the Council of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies. She has been an advisor to the Korean Science Museum Foundation, Director of the Young Astronauts Korea and Executive Member of the National Assembly-Korean Academy of Science and Technology Research Society for Science and Technology Innovation.
Professor Park graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) from Seoul National University and has a Ph. D. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Janet Holmes a Court
Janet Holmes � Court, AC, has been the Chairman of the John Holland Group since 1991. She is also Chairman of one of Australia's largest private companies, Heytesbury Pty Ltd and its controlled entities which include Heytesbury Beef, Heytesbury Thoroughbreds, The Holmes � Court Collection and Vasse Felix.
She attended the University of Western Australia, majoring in organic chemistry. Janet also maintains a strong interest in medical research and the arts.
After the death of her husband, she took over management of Heytesbury Pty Ltd, which was considerably in debt, rescuing and expanding it. The company operates cattle stations in remote Western Australia and has interests in vineyards, wine-making and engineering contracting.
As well as her business activities, Holmes � Court has been an active participant in progressive social issues, e.g., as an advocate for the Australian Republican Movement at the 1998 constitutional convention, and is the chairperson of the Australian Children's Television Foundation and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. She is a Commissioner of Tourism Western Australia, a Board Director of Vision 2020 Australia, a Governor of Sony Foundation Australia and Board Member of the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund.
She has also served on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Building.
She was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO), in 1995 and promoted to a Companion of the Order (AC) on Australia Day 2007. The National Trust of Australia has included her on its list of 100 Australian Living Treasures.
Dr Maria Jesus Prieto Laffargue
Dr. Mar�a Jes�s Prieto-Laffargue, a telecommunications engineer, is the first woman to be President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations. She is a prominent figure in the international arena of communications technology and international business.
Dr. Maria Jesus Prieto Laffargue is a telecommunications engineering graduate of the university de Navarra, Spain, has an MBA and a Ph.D. in Telecommunications Engineering. She began her career in R and D of data networks with Telephonica (Telef�nica de Espa�a). In 1987 she became General Manager of Telef�nica Systems(Telef�nica Sistemas) and in 1991, Chief Executive Officer of the Sistelcom Consortium (Sistelcom Grupo BCH) formed by the Banco Central Hispano group.
Dr. Laffargue was appointed Assistant to the President of Uni�n Fenosa Investments (Spanish energy company) in 1994. In 1996, she was appointed Director General of the National Institute of Meteorology (Instituto Nacional Meteorolog�a) by the Ministry of Environment, Government of Spain. She later became Chief Executive Officer of Fundaci�n Madritel, a telecommunications company.
Dr. Laffargue has served on several boards advising national and international companies and organizations in telecommunications, energy, aerospace and transportation. Her current Board positions include Cable Europa S.A.(Telecommunications), Sistelcom Telemontaje (Telecommunications), Enatcar, S.A. (Transport), Isdefe, S.A. (Consulting Engineering), C�tedra Victoriano Mu�oz (Ethics in Engineering), European Prediction Centre of Reading (UK) (Climate Research), Telecom Valles, S.A. (Technology Park), Grupo Cable (Telecommunications).
She also collaborated with the Universities of Madrid, Barcelona and Navarra. She was Professor of Chamber of Commerce and Industry and author of numerous articles and is currently a member of the Spanish chapter of the prestigious Club of Rome think tank.
Dr. Laffargue is active on various professional organizations and is a member of the Executive Board of College Engineers of Telecommunication (Spain), Chairwoman of the Energy Standing Committee (Instituto de la Ingenier�a de Espa�a) and was President of Institute of Engineering of Spain (2000-2004).
Dr. Laffargue has been a delegate of the Spanish government to several European and world organizations. She has served and is currently active in a group of select experts preparing for the United Nations work on the Summit on Sustainable Development. She has been a member of the Council of World Meteorology Organization, the Executive Council of European Meteorology Satellite Organization (EUMESAT) and the Council of Union International Telecomm. (ITU).
Dr. Laffargue has received numerous awards including the Medal of Honor from the European Women�s Management Network (1989), Spanish Executive of the Year (1994), from the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid, Medal of Honor from the Instituti�n Universitaria de Mississippi (2000) and various recognitions from Spanish, European and American organizations.
The devoted mother of four accomplished children, Prieto Laffargue lives in Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Mar�a Jes�s Prieto-Laffargue, a telecommunications engineer, is the first woman to be President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations. She is a prominent figure in the international arena of communications technology and international business.
Dr. Laffargue has served on several boards advising national and international companies and organizations in telecommunications, energy, aerospace and transportation. She has also collaborated with the Universities of Madrid, Barcelona and Navarra. She was Professor of Chamber of Commerce and Industry and author of numerous articles and is currently a member of the Spanish chapter of the prestigious Club of Rome think tank.
Dr. Laffargue has been a delegate of the Spanish government to several European and world organizations. She has served and is currently active in a group of select experts preparing for the United Nations work on the Summit on Sustainable Development. She has been a member of the Council of World Meteorology Organization, the Executive Council of European Meteorology Satellite Organization (EUMESAT) and the Council of Union International Telecomm (ITU).
Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Taylor, AO
Elizabeth Taylor (nee O'Neill) graduated in engineering in 1978 from University of New South Wales and worked as an engineer for 10 years, the bulk of that time with the Maritime Services Board of NSW. She was involved in design and on site management of a number of projects, including Balmain Coal Loader, the development of No 3 Berth Darling Harbour and the Ferry Jetty Reconstruction Program. She then joined the University of Technology,
Sydney as the part time Women in Engineering Coordinator and remained in that position for 4 years. Subsequently she joined the university as an academic. During the next 9 years she was involved in the redevelopment of the engineering curriculum at the university. She was Director of the Engineering Core Program and she developed the Internship Model for the Cooperative Program in association with industry representatives.
In July 2001 she took up the position of Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Systems at Central Queensland University.
Elizabeth has also completed a law degree. She has been an active member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia and in 1996 she was President of Sydney Division (17,000 members). She has been a member of two reviews of the Code of Ethics and of the Disciplinary Regulations.
During 1995-6 she chaired the Interface with Students Committee of the National Review of Engineering Education initiated by the Institution of Engineers, Australia, the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and supported by the Department of Education, Employment and Training. In 1998 she was awarded the Boeing Medal for Excellence in
Engineering Education. Elizabeth is a Board member of Engineers Media.
Presently Elizabeth is the International Representative on the Board of Directors of RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief).
In 2003, His Excellency the Governor appointed Elizabeth Chairperson of the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland and in June 2004 Elizabeth was invited to become a member of the Manufacturing Leaders' Group - an advisory working party to the Queensland Minister for the Department of State Development and Innovation.
On Australia Day 2004, Elizabeth celebrated her recognition as an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO). She received this award "for service to engineering education through the design and implementation of innovative academic programs, to professional associations and to enhancing the status of women in the profession and promoting it as a career option".
In January 2006, Elizabeth was successfully promoted to the position of Executive Dean of the newly amalgamated Faculty of Sciences, Engineering & Health at Central Queensland University.
In April 2006, Elizabeth was invited by Victoria's Minister for Manufacturing and Export on behalf of State and Territory Ministers, to become a member of the National Manufacturing Forum - a fixed-term representative body which will provide oversight for development of a Strategic Action Plan for Manufacturing in Australia. Also in April 2006, Elizabeth was elected Deputy President of the influential Australian Council of Engineering Deans. She is also the Chairperson of the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.
Kathryn Fagg
Kathryn Fagg is President, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) for Linfox Logistics. She started with Linfox in early 2009, and has responsibility for meeting the logistics needs of customers across Asia Pacific in the FMCG Group.
Prior to joining Linfox, Kathryn was with BlueScope Steel. Her last role was President, BlueScope Steel Asia, based in Singapore where she had responsibility for all manufacturing and marketing operations in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and a JV in India with Tata Steel.
Prior to moving to Singapore, Kathryn had responsibility for Australian Building and Logistics Solutions for BlueScope Steel.
Kathryn originally studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland and has a Masters Degree in Organisation Behaviour from the University of New South Wales.
Kathryn started her professional career with Esso Australia as a Petroleum Engineer. She then spent four years with McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant before joining the ANZ Banking Group primarily in general management roles in Australia and New Zealand , including Managing Director, Banking Products for Personal Banking and General Manager, Retail Banking, in New Zealand.
Kathryn is the Chairperson of Melbourne Recital Centre and is a member of Chief Executive Women.
Kathryn lives in Melbourne with her husband and teenage son.
Dr Cathy Foley
Dr. Cathy Foley is a Chief Research Scientist with CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering. She is the Research Program Leader for Devices Systems and Engineering and a project leader of a Superconducting Devices and Applications Project which is developing superconducting systems for mineral exploration, detection of metal for quality assurance in manufacturing, electrode-less heart monitors and remote detection of contraband at airports, terahertz imaging, submarine and UXO detection and quantum computing. This multiple million-dollar project assisted with the discovery and delineation of the BHP Cannington Silver mine.
Dr Foley has a world-class reputation in her field. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in the UK, Immediate past President of the Australian Institute of Physics, Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ASTE) and the President of Federation of Australian Science and Technology Societies where she represents 60,000 Australian scientists and technologists.
Dr Foley has been awarded a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Physics from Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1980, a Diploma of Education also from Macquarie University and a Doctorate also from Macquarie University in 1985. Her doctoral thesis was on the physics and materials science of semi-conducting thin films.
Dr Foley was awarded a Public Service Medal on Australia Day 2003 for service to physics and promotion of science and women in science and the 2003 Eureka Prize for the promotion of Science. She was awarded the 2007/2008 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 'Distinguished Lecturer', by the IEEE Council of Superconductivity. She was the NSW and National winner of the Telstra Women's Business Award for Innovation in 2009.
Helen Gluer
Helen commenced as the Chief Executive Officer of Tarong Energy in January 2007. Before this, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Brisbane City Council.
With a diverse career, Helen has 25 years experience in banking, finance and infrastructure. Helen is currently a Council Member for the Queensland University of Technology, and has directorships with the Queensland Resources Council, National Generators Forum and TransLink Transit Authority. Helen was previously the Chair of the Central Queensland Ports Authority. Her other previous directorships have included City Super Pty Ltd, the South East Queensland Water Board and Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Lorie Jones
FIEAust CPEng NPER
Principal Environmental Engineer
Lorie has over twenty-five years of experience in renewable energy research and in project engineering, business development and management roles for major national and international engineering consulting firms with ten years corporate knowledge and project history within SKM. She has an established track record in project approvals and permitting for major infrastructure and resource development projects and draws upon her substantial project experience to achieve innovative and more sustainable outcomes for clients. She is currently on secondment with the WA Department of State Development assisting with the strategic environmental assessment of the Browse Liquefied Natural Gas Precinct off the West Kimberley coast.
Kathy Hirschfeld
Kathy Hirschfeld is a non-executive director, after almost 20 years in leadership and executive roles with BP. Until 2010 she was the Managing Director of BP's Bulwer Island Oil Refinery and a Director of New Zealand Refining Company. Kathy's career with BP started at Perth's Kwinana Refinery in 1990, and positions included Control Systems Engineer, I&E Maintenance Manager, Laboratory Manager, and Operations Superintendent. In 2002/3 she held Commercial Manager roles in BP Exploration in the UK. Kathy was appointed Refinery Manager at BP's joint venture refinery in Mersin, Turkey in 2004, and was responsible for closure of the refinery and conversion to a Marketing terminal.
In 2007 Kathy was recognised by Engineers Australia as one of 25 of Australia's most influential female engineers.
Karen Moses
Karen is currently responsible for the finance, tax and accounting functions, our interactions with capital markets and IT. In addition to corporate strategy and transactional activity, she has an oversight of overall Origin risk including operational HSE, commodity risk, compliance and insurance. Karen oversees the APLNG Project from an Origin perspective.
Prior to joining Origin in 1994, Karen held development and trading roles in the Exxon Group (1983-94).
Karen was appointed to the Origin Board in March 2009. She is a Director of the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) Limited, Australian Energy Market Operator Limited, Australia Pacific LNG Pty Limited and Group companies, Contact Energy Limited in New Zealand and chairs their HSE Committee.
Further she is a member of the Australian School of Business Advisory Council and member of the CSIRO Energy and Transport Sector Advisory Council. Karen was a member of Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism's Energy White Paper High Level Consultative Committee and Prime Minister's Task Group on Energy Efficiency.
Karen holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Diploma of Education from the University of Sydney. Karen is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chief Executive Women.
Di McCarthy
Dr Di McCarthy is Chief Executive of the Royal Society of New Zealand, a national academy promoting, investing in and celebrating excellence in the sciences and the humanities with head office in Wellington. She has held the position since May 2007.
Prior to that, Di was a Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Equal Opportunities) and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science at The University of Auckland. She was also an elected member of the Council of The University of Auckland. She has degrees in pure and applied mathematics, experimental psychology and music. She has had a long career as an academic and has extensive experience in governance and management in the tertiary sector. She is a recipient of a number of research awards and a Distinguished Teaching Award.
Her contributions to the broader science community in New Zealand include a six-year Directorship of the Crown Research Institute AgResearch, a four year term on the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and for the past 15 years, she has served on the board of the Deafness Research Foundation, and chaired it's Scientific Committee. She is a member of the Prime Minister's International Science and Innovation Coordination Committee, a member of the Advisory Board of the Auckland-based Brain Research Centre, a trustee of the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum, and a member of the Grow Wellington Board.
Di is a member of the Steering Group for the New Zealand Women In Leadership Programme, a member of the KEA World Class New Zealander network, and an inaugural member of the New Zealand Global Women's Network. In 2010, she was the winner of the Outstanding Business Citizenship Award at the HER Wellington Businesswomen of the Year Awards.
She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2008 for her services to Education.
Gretchen Kalonji
Ms Gretchen Kalonji was appointed Assistant Director-General for the Natural Sciences
to UNESCO in July 2010.
Ms Kalonji holds a B.Sc. (1980) and a Ph.D (1982) in Materials Science and Engineering, which she obtained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (USA).
Ms Kalonji began her academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she served as Assistant and Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, from 1982 to 1990. In 1990, Ms Kalonji joined the University of Washington in Seattle as the Kyocera Professor of Materials Science. Since 2005, Ms Kalonji has been working within the University of California system, serving as Director of International Strategy Development for the 10-campus system from 2005 to 2009, and as Director of System-wide Research Development from 2009 to 2010. Since 2006, she has been serving as Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of California Santa Cruz.
In addition Ms Kalonji has held or continues to hold appointments as visiting professor or scientist at numerous institutions around the world, including at the Max Planck Institute (Germany), the University of Paris XI Orsay (France) and Tohoku (Japan), as well as at Sichuan, Tsinghua and Peking Universities (China).
Ms Kalonji's work, both in materials science and in higher education transformation, has been recognized by multiple awards and honors. Her areas of expertise in materials science include symmetry constraints on the structure and properties of crystalline defects, phase transformations and microstructural evolution.
Ms Kalonji is also well-known for innovations in science and engineering education, for efforts to promote equity and access for women, as well as underrepresented minorities, to scientific careers and for novel approaches to the internationalization of research and education. While at MIT, Ms Kalonji served as co-director in the United States for the Computer Science and Electronics Program at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO) in Tanzania serving the needs of South African exile communities. From 1990 to 1997, Ms Kalonji served in multiple leadership roles in the National Science Foundation-sponsored Engineering Coalition of Schools for Excellence in Education and Leadership (ECSEL). At the University of Washington, Ms Kalonji led a campus-wide effort to integrate collaborative international research activities into curricular pathways of students, across the disciplines and from the freshman to the doctoral level. At the University of California, Ms Kalonji was instrumental in the creation of large-scale international initiatives, bringing the faculty, administrators and students of the University of California together with peers in partner regions to create new integrated models for international research, education and economic development.
Ms Kalonji has served on multiple national and international advisory boards. She currently chairs the US National Science Foundation's Advisory Committee on International Science and Engineering. She has authored many papers in peer-review journals and conference proceedings and has given numerous lectures around the world.
Melissa Mellen
Melissa Mellen is the National winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Bank Business Owner award for the Telstra Business Women's Awards, and the 2010 Telstra South Australian Business Woman of the Year. Melissa Mellen purchased Murray F. Young & Associates (MFY) after 10 years working in the business. MFY is a consulting traffic engineering firm providing professional traffic, transport and parking advice to private and government clients.
When Melissa purchased the business in 2003, she became sole Director. Since taking over, Melissa has grown the business from four to 10 permanent employees and increased the number of projects by 33 per cent. Her firm has expanded its interstate project base, now providing traffic advice in all Australian States and opening an office in the Northern Territory. Starting as a Senior Traffic Engineer, Melissa moved into an Associate role before becoming sole Director. Prior to working with MFY, Melissa was a Traffic Engineer with Mitcham City Council. An accredited senior road safety auditor and a Chartered Professional Engineer, Melissa has an honours degree in Civil Engineering.
Professor Tanya Monro
Professor Tanya Monro is one of Australia's leading physicists and is the 2011 South Australia Australian of the Year. Her work in the field of photonics - the science and technology that allows the generation and control of light using glass optical fibres - enables the creation of new tools for scientific research, and solutions for problems in areas as diverse as information processing, surgery, health monitoring, military technology, agriculture and environmental monitoring. After studying at The University of Sydney and spending time working at the University of Southampton in the UK, Tanya became the inaugural professor in photonics at the University of Adelaide in 2005. Her PhD research focused on developing new classes of optical fibres, for which she received the Bragg Gold Medal for the best physics PhD in Australia. In 2006, she was named as one of the top 10 brightest young minds in Australia by national science magazine, Cosmos, and in 2008, she was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year. Tanya is a member of the South Australian Premier's Science & Research Council and regularly serves on a range of key national bodies in the area of science policy and evaluation. Tanya and her team are leading the world in the development of a new generation of optical fibres.
Assemblywoman Youngah Park
Assemblywoman and Prof. Youngah Park was elected to Korea's 18th National Assembly in 2008 from the Constituency of Songpa-gu Gap. At the National Assembly, she is a member of the Education, Science and Technology Committee, the Special Committee on Future Strategy for Science and Technology and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. She is also a member of the Special Committee on the Protection of Sovereignty over Dokdo and of the Special Committee on Ethics, Education, Science and Technology. She is chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Science and Technology at the National Assembly.
Assemblywoman Park holds a number of prestigious positions with the Korean Grand National party including member of the Committee on Ethics, member of the Committee on Civil rights, Ranking member of the Committee on Unification, Vice Chair of the Education, Science and Technology Policy Coordination Committee, member of the Special Committee on Redevelopment and Reconstruction, member of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and Deputy Floor Leader of the Grand National Party. She is also Vice Chair of the 6th Policy Coordination Committee and Chair of the Committee on Pledge Development of the Seoul Metropolitan Party.
Assemblywoman Park was formerly a Professor of Physics at Myongji University and is currently Vice president of the Korean Physics Society. She has served as the Chair of the Working Group on Women in Physics of the AAPPS (Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies). She was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland, a member of the Working Group on Women in Physics of IUPAP (International Union of Pure and Applied Physics), Chair of the Local Organizing Committee of the Third International Conference on Women in Physics and a member of the Council of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies. She has been an advisor to the Korean Science Museum Foundation, Director of the Young Astronauts Korea and Executive Member of the National Assembly-Korean Academy of Science and Technology Research Society for Science and Technology Innovation.
Professor Park graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) from Seoul National University and has a Ph. D. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Professor Karen Reynolds
Professor Karen Reynolds is professor of Biomedical Engineering at Flinders University and the leader of Flinders Medical Devices & Technologies. Karen was recently awarded the title of Professional Engineer of the Year in the 2010 Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence Awards.
Professor Reynolds' principal contributions and achievements lie in biomedical engineering education, the development of software, systems and techniques for new medical devices, and improvements in the training of medical specialists. Karen helped establish two start-up ventures based around clinical training simulators, and has licensed more than 10 technologies to local and international companies.
One of her most successful initiatives was the creation in 2008 of the Medical Device Partnering Program. This initiative has brought together 15 partner organisations from the research, commercialisation and manufacturing sectors, as well as local and state governments. It provides a streamlined mechanism for taking new South Australian medical devices from the prototype stage to market.
Professor Reynolds teaches at undergraduate level, and supervises Masters and PhD students. Students have flourished under her supervision, and have themselves been inspired to achieve excellence.
Professor Reynolds is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, convener and chair of Engineers Australia's National Panel for Biomedical Engineering Education and Research and a member of the Medical Device Evaluation Committee within the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Sylvia Tulloch
Sylvia Tulloch was the founding Managing Director of Dyesol, responsible for the business strategy and plan. Dyesol Limited is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and is a global leader in Dye Cell Solar Technology.
Sylvia is a materials scientist with over twenty five years experience in establishment and management of high technology business, and a particular interest in the commercialisation process. She holds a MSc degree from the University of NSW.
Sylvia was formerly Executive Director of STI from 2001 to 2004, and Joint Managing Director of STA from 1994 to 2000. She is the named inventor of several Dyesol's patents, including the key patents for the SureVolt flexible panel and the CEGS combined Energy Generation and Storage devices.
Sylvia was formerly President of the Sustainable Energy Industries Association of Australia, Chair of the Renewable Energy Action Agenda Implementation Group and on the committee guiding the Australian Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap, and a Director of the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy. She is currently a member of the Future Manufacturing Industries Innovation Council, which advises the Australian Minister for Industry. Sylvia is also non-executive director of four other cleantech and advanced technology companies.
Workshops And Site Tours
Workshops
The International Conference for Women Engineers and Scientists is pleased to be working with Engineering Education Australia Pty Ltd to bring delegates of the conference a choice of two optional pre-conference workshops. These workshops and their presenters have been carefully chosen to complement the theme of the conference and provide a unique opportunity to undertake intensive professional development in conjunction with the conference. They will be held on Tuesday 19 July 2011 at the conference venue. If you are travelling to Adelaide from afar, why not come a day early?
Visit EEA's web site http://www.eeaust.com.au for further information about programs.
Site Tours
Call For Papers
The National Committee for Women in Engineering, Engineers Australia and the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) have joined forces to host the 15th International Conference for Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES15), to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 19-22 July 2011.
The Conference is held every three years, and attracts engineers and scientists from all over the world, providing a unique opportunity to exchange information on their work and environment.
The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss innovative technology in the 21st century across the engineering, science and technological professions and network with colleagues in business, academia and government.
Over three days, the Conference will explore the following themes:
- Attracting, developing and retaining women engineers and scientists.
Papers highlighting outstanding practices and initiatives to attract, develop and retain women to science and engineering education and professions including work life balance, gender policy, education and management of cultural differences
- Outstanding practice models of industry commitment to diversity and equality in the workplace.
Papers outlining initiatives, programs and policies to encourage women into leadership and decision making roles, women in business, entrepreneurship and issues relating to professional development
- Achievements, innovations and research in the various fields of engineering, science and technology
Papers that discuss the achievements, innovations and research for all fields of science, engineering and technology
- New ideas and solutions to contemporary problems including climate change, water, energy and sustainability.
Papers considering a wide range of topics including the challenges of climate change, water management, renewable energy, sustainable practices, the ecology and the environment
The Conference will be a unique opportunity to showcase the achievements of women in engineering, scientists and technology and to lead the way towards a sustainable future.
Abstract submission has now closed. Please find following important dates relating to paper submission and review:
- Full paper submission for peer review 1 March 2011
- Final workshop proposal submission for inclusion in program 1 March 2011
- Acceptance notification for reviewed papers 1 May 2011
- Final reviewed paper submission for publication in proceedings 27 May 2011
You can view the full paper template here. Papers must be submitted via the personalised link sent out in the notification email to the contact author of the abstract. If you did not receive this email please contact the Conference Organiser, ICMS Pty Ltd (details below).
Workshop 1
Title: Leadership Skills for Professional Women
Presenter: Helen Woods, Engineering Education Australia
Date: Tuesday 19 July 2011
Place: Adelaide Convention Centre
Time: 08:30 - 17:00
Price: $660.00 incl. GST - includes lunch, morning & afternoon tea
Course Flyer: http://www.eeaust.com.au/Leadership-Skills-for-Professional-Women
Overview:
This workshop takes participants through aspects of personal visioning and discovery into their impact as leaders. It offers a unique and energising experience using a variety of tools and processes to challenge current beliefs and focus on reaching personal and professional goals. The main focus is on determining ways of being the best you can be in all aspects of life.
The breakthrough experience aims to challenge participants and presents a variety of skills and strategies for developing confidence and leadership qualities that are essential for high performers.
Workshop 2
Title: Fear Free Presentations
Presenter: Barry O'Sullivan, Engineering Education Australia
Date: Tuesday 19 July 2011
Place: Adelaide Convention Centre
Time: 08:30 - 17:00
Price: $660.00 incl. GST - includes lunch, morning & afternoon tea
Course flyer: http://www.eeaust.com.au/Fear-Free-Presentations
Overview:
As you move up the organisational ladder, the ability to influence effectively, in all forms of presentations, is an essential skill. Few are naturals. This full day workshop is a highly interactive and practical learning activity (without the dreaded role plays used in many presentation skills courses). The content combines business, coaching and acting elements in a way that even the most introverted personality will enjoy.
It is not just about presentation skills but also about how to influence and persuade others in a personable and professional manner.
Site Tour 1
Site Tour 1- Bio Innovation SA
Bio Innovation SA (BioSA) is a public corporation established in 2001 to foster the growth of the South Australian bioscience industry.
Since its establishment, BioSA has assisted in doubling the number of biotech companies in South Australia. There are now nearly 100 biotechnology companies in the state, employing more than 1,700 people and generating ~$300 million in annual revenue.
About the BioSA Incubator
Australia's first dedicated bioscience incubator, the BioSA Incubator, was opened for business in June 2008 to fast-track the growth of local companies.
Early stage bioscience companies lease office and laboratory space and have access to business development assistance in this state-of-the-art, purpose-built building.
The tour of the facility will encompass tenant areas, shared services areas and the Conference Centre and Caf�.
Return to Workshops and Site Tours
Site Tour 2
Site Tour 2 - SA Water Desalination Project
The South Australian Government and SA Water are committed to providing reliable drinking water supplies for the future. As part of South Australia's Water for Good http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/ Plan to secure water for the future, the Government is building a seawater desalination plant at Lonsdale, south of Adelaide, to ensure drinking water is available even in times of drought. The total project cost is $1.83 billion and the plant will deliver up to 100 billion litres of water each year (100GL) - about half of Adelaide's annual water supply.
AdelaideAqua - a consortium of four companies with extensive world-wide desalination experience and strong safety and environmental credentials - have been contracted to design, build, operate and maintain the plant for 20 years, and construction is well underway. The project will be commissioned in April 2011 (approximately 15 million litres a day), progressing to 50GL capacity by the end August 2011 and full 100GL capacity by the end of December 2012.
Site Tour 3
From Soil to Skin - About Claret Ash Farm
Janesce founder, Janice Sarre Smith, learnt from an early age how nature provides everything we need to keep healthy. Collecting vegetables from her father's organic garden gave her an understanding that good soil grows strong plants. When Janice decided to create her own skin care range she realised that it was vital to the success of the products that the plants are grown in the right conditions.
To realise her dream she settled on 33 acres of pristine land known as Claret Ash Farm. The site was prefect - situated within a valley and protected by a belt of hills it had excellent soil quality, ample water supply and the complete lack of any chemical pollutants in its use as a dairy farm by the previous owners. Even today there is no industry - just a rural community of scattered farmlets, perfect for intensive agricultural ventures, or just for the pleasure of weekend retreats. Janice felt a strong connection to this particular piece of the land and it was not long after that she found out that Claret Ash Farm was located directly on a ley (earth energy) line that runs across South Australia.
In this idyllic environment Janesce was born when in 1981 Janice Sarre Smith laid down the first Janesce heirloom roses. In the early years of Janesce the old dairy was converted into a laboratory and from there has been extended and significantly extended again to become the manufacturing centre for the products. To see the healthy plants, racks of drying petals, large tubs of extracts and bottles of tinctures is evidence of the source of the Janesce products as a tangible reality. From the colours of the blooms, to the exotic fragrances of the laboratory, there is an overwhelming presence of respect and awe for the fruits of the plant world.
Claret Ash Farm uses biodynamic farming methods and is certified organic. It is home to production, manufacturing, research and development activities and our gardens continue to produce the 100% organic herbs and flowers used to make the exquisite extracts, essences and mother tinctures.
"From Soil to Skin" as Janice says, every Janesce product is handmade at Claret Ash Farm with love, joy and care. It is a complete process of nurturing soil to nurture skin.
Site Tour 4
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) currently has responsibility for the management of over 10,000 route kilometres of standard gauge interstate track in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. ARTC also manages the Hunter Valley Coal Rail Network and other regional rail links in NSW.
In order to control trains throughout the network, ARTC has established 3 Network Control Centres near Adelaide, Newcastle and Junee. The Adelaide centre is termed Network Control Centre West (NCCW) and has been recently upgraded and moved into new premises at Mile End. The new control centre features state of the art computer control of signalling, large display screens and touch screen communications.
The tour will feature an introduction to ARTC, followed by an inspection of the network control centre and the opportunity to speak with some female network controllers about their work.
Site Tour 5
Site Tour 5 - IPAS Optical Fibre Research Facility
IPAS is involved in numerous areas of cutting edge photonics research. Our research spans many areas and ideas all the way from fundamental science to high-end applications, closely tied with industry. We use lasers and optical fibres to develop technologies for applications ranging from defence to environmental monitoring and even chemical sensing and medicine.
Major research strengths include:
Production facility of novel optical materials:
- Formulating glass materials with novel optical properties
- Design and fabrication of micro and nanostruture optical fibres
- Advanced fibre drawing capabilities
- Mid-infrared and THz fibres
- Silica preform production
Fibre lasers
- The production and testing of novel fibre lasers allowing high power applications and new wavelengths
Fibre sensors
- A new class of fibre sensors capable of measuring chemicals and biomolecules in concentrations as low as <0.2nM from picoliter volume samples.
- Novel label-free fibre-based biosensors
- Novel exposed core fibres for distributed sensing.
Nonlinear Fibres and Devices
- Fibres with extreme nonlinearity Supercontinuum sources, optical data processing, including electro-optic devices.
Future Minds Expo
Friday 22nd July 2011
12:30pm to 3:00pm
Get excited about science and engineering
The University of Adelaide Future Minds Expo for high school students hopes to inspire a new generation towards rewarding careers in engineering and science. The event, held as part of the ICWES15 Conference, is the ideal venue to engage, excite and encourage today's students and tomorrow's leaders. The goal of the event is to provide students with positive role models, especially for girls, to challenge the stereotypes for science and engineering.
Meet the best brains in science and engineering
This is the first time that students will have an opportunity to meet and hear presentations from Australian and internationally renowned women scientists and engineers in Adelaide. The event will be facilitated by Bernie Hobbs, a scientist and judge on the ABC Show, The New Inventors. There will be opportunity to view technical posters and discuss research projects with delegates.
Interactive activities
Students will meet with exhibitors from major corporations, universities in Adelaide and member organisations that are sponsors and supporters of the Conference. Representatives of these organisations will be able to discuss career options, subject choices and future course selections.
Enter the Young Inventor Competition and win an iPad!
Students are invited to participate in the Young Inventor Competition. The challenge is to take an everyday object or task and make it more sustainable. Ideas are to be submitted on an A2 size poster by Friday 15th July 2011. Judging will be finalised during the expo, for a chance to win an iPad first prize!
For competition guidlines please click here.
This is a unique opportunity not to be missed. It's FREE!
Attendees must register prior to attending. Registration is required by 15th July 2011
Register at: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/expo
For further information download the flyer
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