The Australian Space Summit 2025 (aka #AusSpace25 sees the best and brightest of the nation and beyond going to Sydney for an intense series of talks, panels, and networking in which we explore and shape Australia's space industry. An incredible event that I will hosted for the third year running, a true honour that I thank Space Connect for bravely/brilliantly (you pick) allowing me to have once more..!

I was particularly excited by the range of emerging and established companies and agencies (and their key decision-makers!) from around the world who came to the ICC in Sydney over two days (Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th of May). It’s fair to say this has been a tumultuous year in which our nation has experienced a range of changes, challenges, but also successes. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is the continued growth of the space industry globally, as well as that growth in importance in the Civil and Defence sectors alike.

Thrilled to be joining Bohdee Media as a science advisor! Adam Boland and his colleagues are astonishingly creative and accomplished storytellers *and* social/traditional media creators. And never have those communication skills been more needed… the challenges facing our world will require more science and technology not less, and that tech positive view needs to be heard more widely than ever.

So this was a new one... reporting on a space event in the national news AS IT HAPPENED with the return of the 'stranded' astronauts aboard the International Space Station for 25 MINUTES which demonstrates the investment and excitement of the Australian audiences in a story that was literally out of this world. Coincidentally this day of media frenzy was also my 300th TV appearance since I arrived in Australia a decade and a half ago... what an incredible honour and fun experience to report on groundbreaking science to so many for so long..!

Proud (co!)supervisor moment here with 3 incredible students graduating across a range of disciplines… Dr Tom Graham, Dr Adam Ussing, and Dr Renee Key.

Fantastic work by Joshua Ince and his principal supervisor Dr Nisa Salim on exploring means of producing artifical muscles for a range of needs - from space to medical devices. The artifical muscles (or polymer actuators more scientifically stated) turn signals from electrical to thermal/heating into force across a range of directions. The exact choice of the signal/response can be tuned by the cross linking of the polymers (akin to muscle fibres) and to do this accurately with predictability is a major advantage of fibrous Liquid Crystalline Elastomers (LCEs). Josh did a great job of exploring how to manufacture these LCEs in a continuous production method, creating disulphide crosslinked LCE fibres via the technique of wet spinning.

It's hard to overstate the extraordinary life, career, and impact that Dr Jane Goodall DBE had and how much she will be missed by scientists, colleagues in her foundation, communities across the regions of her conservation work, and millions worldwide.