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The WOGS (Working Group Members)

 

Susannah Elliot
Bernie Hobbs
Mel Hulbert
Sandra McEwen

Susannah Elliot
Centre for Science Communication, University of Technology

Susannah Eliott started out her science career as an expert on `slime moulds', strange amoebic masses that live in dark, damp places. When a `friend' one day commented that she had started to look like the organism she was studying she decided it was time to get out of the lab. Armed with a PhD on slime, she joined the Centre for Science Communication at the University of Technology, Sydney in 1992. She has since been responsible for organising a range of science communication activities including the Horizons of Science Forums for the media, communications workshops and strategies, science editing and postgraduate courses in science reporting.

Favourite Drink: Susannah's beverage preference is for dark, damp (but definitely not slimey) drinks like rum and coke.

Bernie Hobbs
ABC Radio Science Unit

Bernie Hobbs

Bernie is Paul's understudy and general provocateur.

A relative newcomer to the media proper, Bernie Hobbs has been waxing scientific to captive audiences for over a decade - as a science teacher, researcher and soul-searching generalist. Now with weekly gigs on ABC radio and the internet, Bernie's on a writing and ranting mission to convert the "science=yawn" crowd.

Born at the tail end of a large, unwieldy family, Bernie Hobbs took the fast train to obscurity as a science teacher in the mid eighties. Best known for her questionable experiments in both science and fashion, she wasn't your standard beige slacks and twin-set chemistry teacher. And oddly enough, ten weeks annual leave and the chance to live in every small town in Queensland couldn't keep Bernie from following her dream: to become a brilliant medical researcher. So in 1992, armed with an honours degree and a bad hairdo, she set out to rid the world of all known tropical diseases, starting with dengue fever. Well starting and finishing, really. Where long days and frequent hand-washing failed, a talent for contaminating everything within reach succeeded in convincing Bernie that she really was more of a people person. A few years working with people and she was emphatic that writing must be her calling. Nowadays she spends her time marvelling that she can sleep in, read up on obscure discoveries, tap out the odd story and get paid for it - all the while muttering "God bless you, ABC!".

You can find more about Bernie through the her ABC bio .

Favourite Drink: Bernie offers us three choices if found buying her a drink:
1. lots,
2. a reasonable amount,
3. it's never too late to discover Tequila.

Mel Hulbert
School of Physics, University of New South Wales

Mel Hulbert

Mel works behind the scenes to make sure we have all the supplies we need to ensure that the night works out just right! She is an Astrophysics research student at the University of New South Wales. Mel has worked at Sydney Observatory for 6 years and enjoys bringing the wonders of the night sky to interested people. She has also put together a few small pieces for the `Science Show' on ABC radio (with a lot of help from Paul Willis) and is about to start with `Discovery' on 2SER-FM. When the time allows Mel likes nothing better than venturing out under the stars (with a few friends) and photographing the night sky.

Favourite Drink: Anything really (as long as its not Tequila) - though especially Snake Bites and Cuban Fires (though these are only found overseas at the moment).

Sandra McEwen
PowerHouse Museum

Sandra McEwen assists with organisation on the night and finds fabulous prizes for our raffles.

Armed with a degree in zoology and biochemistry, and an honours year investigating termite innards, Sandra took a plunge into medical research. Three years later she fled the lab, swearing she couldn't kill another rat. She then spent two years studying full-time art at East Sydney Tech, all the while teaching part-time biochemistry at Sydney Tech. Sandra is now curator of biotechnology at the Powerhouse Museum where she develops exhibitions, publications and public activities relating to everything from old farming equipment to food technology, environmental management and gene technology. She has written for numerous publications and videos, and appeared as a presenter on the Powerhouse museum's CD-rom, KNOW-how: the guide to innovation in Australia.

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One of the shyer members of the organising team, who hasn't yet managed to think of anything to tell us about themself.

 

 

Science in the Pub™, © 2000. Stutchbury, R, Burton, M.