The previous night, I was attending prayer night by Planetshakers at Collingwood Town Hall. Stepped my foot there early so I helped cleaning up the venue 'coz they were having a youth group.
The session requires full participation of your heart and soul. You really need to press in, directing your full attention and viola! In unity the session can become unbelievably powerful. But when I came home, I stayed up till 8 am.
After a 2 hour sleep I headed to CBD for my virgin flashmob, Melbourne Freeze Frame Project.
Spot me.
Flashmob is fun when you look at the wondering face of the people around! Detailed post coming later.
Where is Walter & Eliza Hall Institute (WEHi)? It's behind Royal Melbourne Private Hospital and south of University High School in Parkville, Melbourne. Just next to GTAC where I usually go for science talks!
Professor Doug Hilton, director of the institute gave us a welcome and presented an overview of institute research. Medical research is hard work to find cure for diseases! This is what research is actually like. I'm not talking about finding the answer in days or months. From discovery to commerciallization, a research can take up to 10-20 years.
Plus, medical research rely on financial contributions from the public and government initiatives. The contributions you make today will translate to a better and comfortable treatment tomorrow.
A biomedical animator showed us this video. Chun!
Time to hit the labs!
This is how a lab bench in a research institute looks like. Unlike web labs in your school/college, you don't get much workspace. But, all the reagents are yours to use!
I was brought into a lab under the Division of Stem Cells and Cancer to hear about breast cancer research.
Dr Julie Sheridan introduced us to the role of stem cells in breast cancer.
Stem cells are the master cells in your body that can form any type of cell. In breasts, stem cells replenishes dead and worn out breast tissue especially during pregnancy and milk production. The last thing you want is these cells develop into tumour. One cause of tumour formation is genetic mutation.
Stained cells under the microscope. The dark area is the cancerous tissue.
Beneath the microscope is a tissue sample of treated breast cancer tissue.
Then, we went into another lab under Division of Autoimmunity and Transplantation to hear about rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr Kate talked to us about rheumatoid arthritis.
All of us know joint inflammation (arthritis) is annoying and painful. The focus was on a type of joint inflammation called rheumatoid arthritis. I was told that the condition is quite a complex one, all sorts of immune cells are present at the site of inflammation.
How do those immune cells end up at the joint? It's because of some chemical substances secreted in your body that attracts the immune cells there. The chemical substanced which Dr Kate talked about was Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF).
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is a happening place in biomedical research, cutting edge research is going on there! On a final note, don't forget the Institute needs your contribution as well. What researchers do behind the scenes actually matter to you a lot, because they are producing the fruit (better and safer treatments) you enjoy in the future.
After Ian Gentle had taken us around the perimeter of Australian Synchrotron experimental area we moved on to the particle accelerator itself.
The parts where electrons travel in a synchrotron are divided to electron gun, linac, booster ring and storage ring. After electrons are created and accelerated to high speed they remain in the storage ring for up to 20 hours.
The tube where electrons travel are kept to an absolute vacuum. Presence of any other substance inside the tube will slow the electrons down a whole lot and make electrons disaapear. The electrons doesn't just physically go missing, their demise will be accompanied with emission of gamma rays (this is a law of physics).
We are crossing over to the inner parts.
Remember there're hazards when the synchrotron is online.
The switchboxes.
Sophisicated computers and power supply for the synchrotron.
Dean Morris is bringing us into the tunnel.
The synchrotron was not operating, so there were no worries about radiation or magnetism. But when it's on, it's a different story altogether. Remember law of physics is non negotiable, so are your safety.
We're now at the starting line of synchrotron operation.
This is where free electrons are created. Electrons are emitted from a metal under intense heat.
Then accelerated in a linear accelerator (LINAC).
Electrons are relatively slow at this point. So the magnets are small. Some serve to increase speed of electrons, some serve to bend the path, some are for path correction.
After passing through these magnets these electrons enter the booster ring for further acceleration.
I remember this red thing is part of the radio frequency control system of the synchrotron.
Then the electrons enter the storage ring. At this point the electrons are at 99.90% of light speed.
These radiation shield blocks are placed at bends. They're such vital safety device that touching them requires authority from above.
See the yellow box on the left? That's the bending magnet. At every bending magnet there's a beamline channeling synchrotron light to a lab.
A single machine cost a ton. No joke!
I made my way out of the tunnel and the tour came to an end.
Thanks guys!
Thanks ANZAAS for organising this tour. What a memorable experience of learning about a premier facility that's the heart of scientific research in the southern hemisphere.
With people around me unboxing their newly arrived iPad in excitement and anticipation, some posted Youtube of themselves receiving their prized tablet, a husband went to the extent of freezing the iPad in a chocolate slab wtf for his wife.
I've had a chance to see iPad in action in my friends and even tried out its interface. In short it's an iPhone at the size of a tablet. I don't have the $$$ to get myself new tech toys so I went on the web to revisit those jokes about iPad when it was announced.
Ladies please skip the first part.
But even Part 2 may not be tasteful.
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Many of the iPad jokes are about feminine hygiene. At first I thought Apple is starting to sell sanitary pad lol! Here are some for you to laugh at:
The iPad: Protecting your data from embarrassing incidents. (kathycacace)
Uncomfortable cramping and bloating? There’s an app for that. (Attagrrrl)
The iPad surfs the Web AND stops the bleeding. (tjakabon)
If I order an iPad, will my boyfriend and I have to worry if it arrives late? (fauxfruit)
If you and your friends all buy one, will they sync up? (andBegorrah)
So will iffy Wi-fi coverage be called iSpotting? (vlvtjones)
The 64-gig iPad will forever be known as the “Heavy Flow” model. (Johnpapa)
Does the Period Tracker app come free? (Lymed)
Mac’s iPad. Say it with me, folks. Maxipad. (TastyBites)
A friend tweeted that, "All this talk about the iPad is giving me iCramps," so I suggested iBuprofen. (betty.black)
Microsoft’s answer to the iPad is the “Technical Automatic Material Peripheral Onboard Notebook,” or TAMPON. Coming real soon. (franzenjim)
I’m not buying an iPad. Period. (melizeche)
So the iPad has two data plans: Light Flow and Heavy Flow.
I haven’t heard this many period jokes since I was forced to watch “The View” last month. (TwittsMcGee)
I heard that for one week out of every month the iPad will be unresponsive and seem harsh when you touch it.
iPad: a bloody good idea.
But, not until I stumble at this I got another joke!
Steve, I’ma let you finish, but Moses had the greatest tablet announcement of all time. (WewillroastU)
Hey, we have Ten Commandments of (?) written on iPad! But don't tell me Steve Jobs smash his iPad when he got upset ok? Write me the TEN COMMANDMENTS on an iPad rawwrrr!
So, in the Old Testament times, Steve Jobs created the iPad. And he went up the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights and came down with ..... So, instead of The Book of Job, we ended up with The Book of Jobs in our modern Bible!
During the days where we complained about devices falling short of functionality, Apple has heard our cry. So Apple wanted to show, how do do it right, and let us know "I am the BIG FAT APPLE!"
Steve Job led us to a new era of technology like we've never experienced before! Apple, with a mighty hand, separated the sea where everybody can't seem to get through with existing ideas. Right here right now, we're in the Promised Land where information flows like milk and honey.
Next up is iPhone 4! Can't wait to see its functionality.
