My book "Sex, genes and Chromosomes" comes out tomorrow. After 33 years' gestation! I planned to launch it at a meeting in Crete, but since none of can get there, I'm working on a virtual launch.
With old friends and colleagues Aurora Ruiz-Herrera and Irina Solovei at the 3D Genome conference in Sanya, China. Our job – to relate the patterns that chromatin conformation analyses reveal with what we see under the microscope.
With co-librettist Leigh Hay at the Sydney launch of “Best Australian Science Writing 2024”, which contains our libretto for Part I, “Origin of the Universe” and includes the link to the “Origins” video, piped.video/watch?v=YRH7MD7F…, so we hope for another wave of “Origins” fans.
We grow berries and citrus and I make jam and marmalade to sell in support of the Heidelberg Choral Society. John thought the last batch was so good he entered it into the Melbourne Royal Show, defying my ridicule. Just found the marmalade won third prize. Pinnacle of my career!
Proud to win the Ruby Payne Scott career award from the Australian Academy of Science. Ruby is one of my heroes; pioneer radio astronomer driven out of science when she became pregnant, called a disgrace to CSIRO.
Same thing with my mother, Ann Marshall; she gave geography lectures at U of Adelaide for male staff away at the war. Tutor salary didn’t cover minding the baby (me). She applied for and got a job after the war - a disgrace to womanhood, but winner of the John Lewis gold medal.
Things have improved a bit for women – here standing with the Hon Sam Mostyn, Australia’s new GG, as well as Ed Husick and Academy Pres Jagadish, addressing a sea of senior women scientists!
Yes, that’s me in black velvet to the right of the podium after negotiating my way from the alto section past the tuba and four double bases. Leigh Hay and composer Nick Buc are on the left, conductor Peter Bandy on the podium. Exultant at standing ovation from full house.
I'm very chuffed that the libretto for "Origins" (oratorio that tells the creation story from science) that I wrote, with poet Leigh Hay, was chosen for the 2024 Anthology of Australia's best science writing!
Congratulations to Prof Jenny Graves AC, whose extraordinary contribution to science was recently recognised with the naming of the Jenny Graves building at our Bundoora campus. The Hon. Colin Brooks MP and Vice-Chancellor Prof Theo Farrell joined Jenny as she cut the ribbon. 🎀
Forty years ago I showed that genes on the inactive X in female mammals are silenced because they are not transcribed into RNA. Sniffy Nature reviewers bounced my paper because "what else could it be?" Well, read our new paper that documents the "else" pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.23…
Vale Opera Alex. One of my first PhD students, Alex Dobrovic shared widely his deep love and understanding of music and science. We will miss his wonderful mix of culture and curiosity.