We have another excellent 3-speaker lineup for you in June where speakers will be discussing using robots for rehabilitation, imaging immune cells and designing escape rooms. Come join us at Howler in Brunswick, for $16 burger and pot deals whilst you are learning.

Monday, 17 June 2019
at Howler 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick
Doors 7pm
Tickets: $10 (online)/ $12 (door, if available)
*Online ticket sales open Thursday, 23 May 2019 at noon

*Presentation 1
Robots in Rehab - Are we there yet? - Dr Chris McCarthy
Anyone who has undergone intensive physical rehabilitation knows the frustration, boredom and discomfort that comes with repeated exercises over days, weeks and even months. For young children and their families, rehabilitation is often a traumatic and emotional time. Physiotherapists and doctors may be highly skilled in the art of child motivation and distraction, but such motivation costs precious time and resources. In this talk, Chris explores how the advent of social robots is giving rise to new possibilities in paediatric health care and how his team at Swinburne, in partnership with Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, are augmenting the way rehabilitation therapy is being delivered to young paediatric patients (mostly with cerebral palsy) through the inclusion of a robot companion to motivate, instruct and entertain patients. Chris will also address some of the big questions for such applications, like: What benefits does this technology offer? How will patients and health professionals engage with robots in their daily practice? and, are we actually ready to accept robots as health care providers?

*Presentation 2
Ok Google: Directions to the Nucleus - Alison Morey
Join Alison as she guides you through a blueprint of the nucleus. Understanding how the nucleus is organised is like trying to read a map in a different language. We can see there are roads, dead ends and possibilities of a sneaky shortcut, but we don’t fully grasp what we are seeing. To understand where to go and how to get there, we need to understand the language of the nucleus. For the most part, the nucleus is the site where our DNA is constantly being packed and unpacked, modified, duplicated and regulated to keep our cells functional. Trying to visualise what the nucleus really looks like remains a bit of a mystery. It turns out that DNA is not just stuffed randomly in the nucleus, but rather it is beautifully ordered and we have the incredible images to prove it. Alison will discuss what we know, what we think we know, and what remains a mystery.

*Presentation 3
Ever wanted to rob a bank? - Ben McKenzie
In 2016, Ben McKenzie and the team at Pop Up Playground opened Small Time Criminals, an immersive game which let you feel like you were burgling a corrupt investment bank. It was a hit with 2,300 players over twelve months, and built on the “escape room” phenomenon: play spaces where players are “locked” in and must solve puzzles to escape. Ben shares some of the secrets and stories behind live game design, and Small Time Criminals in particular.