His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kent is in Adelaide today (Tuesday 31 January 2012) to visit RiAus and see the progress of the organisation which he last visited when it was officially opened in October 2009.
Dr Paul Willis, Director of RiAus is pleased that His Royal Highness will see the changes that have taken place both within the Science Exchange building and in the exciting science outreach programs being undertaken.
His Royal Highness, as Patron of RiAus, will meet science and business leaders, including Australia’s newest Nobel Laureate, Professor Brian P Schmidt. Professor Schmidt will be inducted as an Honorary Bragg Member of RiAus at a boardroom luncheon hosted by ANZ Bank. The title commemorates the name of the father and son Nobel Laureates, Sir William Henry Bragg and Sir William Lawrence Bragg, who lived in Adelaide and were Directors of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
His Royal Highness will tour the Science Exchange and meet some of the many crochet contributors to the RiAus Adelaide Reef, who have been involved in creating more than 3,000 pieces of crochet coral for exhibition. His Royal Highness will see the way that crochet crafting has been used to highlight the mathematics of hyperbolic space as well as marine ecology and other environmental science issues. The RiAus Adelaide Reef has been the most successful exhibition staged to date by RiAus with over 2,000 visitors seeing it in the FutureSpace Gallery: Australia’s only dedicated art-science gallery.
His Royal Highness will also attend a benefactors dinner and will thank corporate and community supporters of RiAus who have contributed to the range of science engagement programs it offers to the community in Adelaide and across Australia.
Dr Willis said, ‘So much change and development has occurred over the past three years. I am thrilled to welcome His Royal Highness back to the Science Exchange to share some of the recent achievements’.
‘RiAus continues to fulfil its vision of making science accessible to Australians and informing and shaping scientific debate. We are happy to be able to show our progress to His Royal Highness’, Dr Willis said.
Since it opened its doors in 2009 RiAus has hosted hundreds of science events across the community. Achievements include:
- The annual October Lecture delivered by pre-eminent scientists and researchers (most recently Astronaut Dr Andy Thomas gave the 2012 October Lecture)
- Free-Range Science in regional Victoria, taking scientists out of the lab and into the community
- Art-science exhibitions, demonstrating the relationship between science and other disciplines (including Energy Landscapes and Life 2.0).
Visit the RiAus website riaus.org.au
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