Firstly, let me say that it is a pleasure
to be here once again to present the award. Before doing so, I'd like
to ask you a question? How many of you are concerned about
global warming? How many of you think that it is due to man-made
emissions of greenhouse gases?
Recently, the UN's INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON
CLIMATE CHANGE has expressed, at the 90% confidence level, that global
warming is primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels. Clearly, it
is time to act. We need to come up with new technologies for power
generation and improve the efficiency of energy use.
Who is going to come up with the new
technologies? It will be physicists and
engineers. I invite you to consider a career in
physics or engineering, or both.
I'm pleased to say that from this year,
the UWA, Curtin and Murdoch physicists have agreed to share their
Honours-level courses to ensure that
the best physics education is available to all students, no
matter which university they go to. In fact, I'll
be teaching my course on Advanced Computational Quantum
Mechanics at UWA, to students from the three
universities. A quality education in physics, mathematics and
engineering will provide the necessary background to make
a positive contribution to what may prove to be the
greatest challenge of our time, man-made global warming.
This prize, for the best year-eleven
physics student, was initiated by the physicists at Murdoch to
encourage you to consider further study in physics. Additionally, my
research group in Antimatter-Matter interactions
sponsors an elite double major
in physics and mathematics. Our best
starting students are offered tax-free $4,000 scholarships and will
get the opportunity to take part in research from the
outset. It gives me great pleasure to award the prize, which is Karl
Kruszelnicki's book "It ain't necessarily so...bro", to the best
year-eleven physics student of 2006, ...
mailto: Igor Bray
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