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Talent Backgrounder National Science Week – Talent backgrounder Siouxsie Wiles ....................................................................................................................2 SciBabe – Yvette d’Entremont ...............................................................................................2 Derek Muller ......................................................................................................................3 Brad Tucker .......................................................................................................................3 Alan Duffy .........................................................................................................................3 Amanda Bauer ...................................................................................................................4 Dr Sarah McKay.................................................................................................................4 Josh Richards – Science comedian & Mars One candidate ........................................................5 Young Tassie Scientists........................................................................................................5 ‘Venom Doc’ Bryan Grieg Fry...............................................................................................5 Paul Willis .........................................................................................................................6 Chris Smith – ‘The Naked Scientist’ ......................................................................................6 Ben Britton ........................................................................................................................7 Imogen & Freya Wadlow .....................................................................................................7 Dr Karl .............................................................................................................................7 Bernie Hobbs .....................................................................................................................8 Ruben Meerman .................................................................................................................8 Gary Cass.........................................................................................................................8 Will Steffen ........................................................................................................................9 Chris Lassig ......................................................................................................................9 Katie Mack ...................................................................................................................... 10 Clare Hampson................................................................................................................. 10 Questacon senior execs – Kate Driver & Dr Stuart Kohlhagen .................................................. 10 Limited availability ............................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Neil deGrasse Tyson ......................................................................................................... 10 Chris Hadfield ................................................................................................................... 11 Siouxsie Wiles NZ scientist touring Australia talking about her twin passions of bioluminescence (think glow worms and fireflies) and infectious diseases. Contact: (for WA leg of tour) Christine Allen, [email protected] or 08 9215 0739; or (for TAS leg of tour) Wayne Goninon, [email protected] or 0408 388 881 Dr Siouxsie Wiles is in Australian talk about her research using bioluminescence to understand how nasty bacteria cause infections and to search for new antibiotics. Siouxsie has made a career of combining her twin passions of bioluminescence (think glow worms and fireflies) and infectious diseases. In a nutshell, Siouxsie and her team make nasty bacteria glow in the dark to understand how some deadly bacteria make us sick, and how we can stop them. She still can’t believe she gets paid to do this for a living. Siouxsie is also a keen tweeter, blogger, podcaster and radio commentator and has worked with a number of artists to showcase how beautiful bioluminescent bacteria can be. For the last few years she has also worked with Australian graphic artist Luke Harris, and his team, to make a series of short animations describing some of nature’s amazing glowing creatures and the many uses of bioluminescence in science. Did you know NASA use fireflies to search for extra- terrestrial life?! For her efforts, Siouxsie has been awarded the NZ Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Media Communication and the Royal Society of New Zealand Callaghan Medal. Science Week involvement: Art collaborations with Perth artists Perth Science Festival – http://www.scienceweek.net.au/perth-science-festival/ Glow Girl and SciBabe in Hobart - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/glow-girl-and-sci- babe-in-hobart/ SciBabe – Yvette d’Entremont Yvette d’Entremont famously took an overdose of homeopathic sleeping pills. Not surprisingly she survived. She’s touring Australian debunking pseudoscience. Contact: Tania Ewing, [email protected] or 0408 378 422 or (for TAS leg of tour) Wayne Goninon, [email protected] or 0408 388 881 In Australia for National Science Week, she’s the internationally famous blogger, SciBabe, dedicated to debunking pseudoscience. SciBabe is always looking at the alternative medicine and pseudoscience movements with a skeptical eye, using a combination of real science and humour. A resident of Southern California, she holds a BA in Theatre, a BSc in Chemistry, and an MSc in Forensic Science, with a concentration on biological criminalistics and toxicology. SciBabe knows a thing or two about attention-grabbing stunts in the name of science, like the time she downed 50 homeopathic sleeping pills for a YouTube video (no stomach pumps needed!). Science Week involvement: Market of the Mind – http://www.scienceweek.net.au/market-of-the-mind/ Living Science at the Queen Victoria Market – http://www.scienceweek.net.au/living- science-at-the-queen-victoria-market/ A sceptical look at pseudoscience (Adelaide) – http://www.scienceweek.net.au/a- skeptical-look-at-alternative-medicine-and-pseudoscience-2/ Scibabe in Australia (Sale) - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/scibabe-in-australia/ Glow Girl and SciBabe in Hobart - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/glow-girl-and-sci- babe-in-hobart/ Derek Muller Derek visited the world’s hot spots including Chernobyl and Fukushima for the new SBS series Uranium: Twisting the Dragon’s Tail. His YouTube channel Veritasium has brought him global attention. Contact: Jessica Parry, SBS publicity, [email protected], 0428 767 836 or 9430 3786 Derek Muller is an Australian-Canadian science communicator, filmmaker and television presenter. He is best known for creating the YouTube channel Veritasium. Derek is a former reporter for ABC’s Catalyst and is the host of the landmark new SBS series Uranium: Twisting the Dragon’s Tail. Back in Australia 21 August Science Week involvement: TV series Uranium - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/uranium-twisting-the-dragons- tail-episode-1-the-rock-that-changed-the-world/ WA event 26 August - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/derek-muller-meet-the- uranium-documentary-maker/ WA event 27 August - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/science-busk-at-dusk-scitech- fun-for-adults-only/ Sydney event host – Neil deGrasse Tyson 22 August - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/an-evening-with-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson-2/ Canberra event host – Neil deGrasse Tyson 23 August - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/an-evening-with-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson-2/ Brad Tucker Brad is the brains behind the Science Week Guinness Book of World Records Stargazing record attempts, led by Mt Stromlo Observatory. They plan to not just break it but to smash it, with thousands of people using telescopes this weekend. Contact: [email protected], 02 6125 6711 or 0433 905 777 Brad Tucker is an Astrophysicist/Cosmologist. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the Australian National University, and in the Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley. Brad is the brains behind the Science Week Guinness Book of World Records Stargazing record attempts, led by Mt Stromlo Observatory. Brad received Bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Philosophy, and Theology from the University of Notre Dame. He then undertook a PhD at Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the Australian National University, working with Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt. He is currently working on projects trying to discover the true nature of Dark Energy, the mysterious substance causing the accelerating expansion of the Universe, which makes up 70% of the Universe. He is the lead of the Kepler Space Telescope Key Program to understand why and how stars blow, and leading a project to create a network of ultraviolet space telescopes to be built in Canberra. Science Week involvement: CSA ambassador World Record Stargazing - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/world-record-stargazing/ Border Stargaze - http://www.scienceweek.net.au/border-stargaze/ Alan Duffy Alan Duffy is a gun young astronomer. He wants Australians to get online and classify galaxies
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