Summary of the 8th SRAP Research Forum


The 8th Australia-Spain Research Forum entitled “A Digital World“ was hosted at the Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University (Sydney, NSW) on Friday 25th of November 2022.

The full recording of the event is available in our YouTube channel:

 

 

Some of the in-person participants of the 8th Australia-Spain Research Forum “A Digital World”.

OPENING

The 2022 SRAP Research Forum commenced at 10:00am with registration and a morning tea. Following Macquarie University’s Acknowledgment to the Country”, the official opening took place at 10:30am by Her Excellency Ms Alicia Moral-Revilla, Ambassador of Spain in Australia, who inaugurated the forum. From his office in Wellington, His Excellency Mr Miguel Bauzá More, Spanish Ambassador in New Zealand, also extended a warm welcome to all participants virtually. Professor David Couts, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Macquarie University, expressed gratitude to SRAP and the Ambassador of Spain in Australia for choosing Macquarie University again as the host venue for the SRAP Forum. After that, we were honoured to feature a special video recording by Ms Inmaculada Riera, General Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce (Madrid). Lastly, Mr. Jenaro Sánchez Villegas, Chief Technology Officer of Navantia Australia, delivered some inspiring welcome words to conclude the opening ceremony.

Her Excellency Ms Alicia Moral-Revilla, Ambassador of Spain in Australia, inaugurated the 2022 SRAP Research Forum.

His Excellency Mr Miguel Bauzá More, Spanish Ambassador in New Zealand, welcomed the participants virtually from his office in Wellington.

Professor David Couts, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Macquarie University.

Special video recording by Ms Inmaculada Riera, General Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce (Madrid).

Mr. Jenaro Sánchez Villegas, Chief Technology Officer of Navantia Australia.

After the opening speeches, SRAP President and Chair of the 2022 SRAP Research Forum, Dr. Ángel R. López-Sánchez (Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University) presented an overview of our association and shared the new Mission and Objectives identified by the SRAP Board in recent months.

SRAP President, Dr. Ángel R. López-Sánchez (Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University).

SRAP President, Dr. Ángel R. López-Sánchez (Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University).

SESSION 1: BIG QUESTIONS

Following the opening ceremony, Session 1 commenced. It was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Marian Vidal-Fernández (School of Economics, University of Sydney, Assoc. Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course & SRAP). This session was focused in 3 Big Questions of the Digital World: Artificial IntelligenceBlock Chains and Virtual Reality.

Assoc. Prof. Marian Vidal-Fernández (School of Economics, University of Sydney, Assoc. Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course & SRAP), Chair of Session 1.

Dr José-Miguel Bello y Villariño (University of Sydney Law School & SRAP) presented “When and how to regulate AI: a comparative view with some personal thoughts”. AI and automated systems present societal challenges, including responsibility for failures and timing of adoption by public authorities. This presentation provided an overview of the challenges, proposed solutions, and observations in Australia and Spain.

Prof Marta Poblet (RMIT & SRAP) presented “Blockchains and fractal governance:  towards a decentralisation roadmap”. The presentation provided an overview of how Decentralised Autonomous Organisations deployed governance mechanisms for progressive decentralization, considering limitations and challenges faced in claiming their space in the Web 3.

Dr. Vanessa Moss (CSIRO) and Dr. Glen Rees (TFOM) presented “The connected world of tomorrow: how Virtual Reality (VR) can take us beyond being there”. This talk focused on how VR and Extended Reality (XR) had already changed the way we met, worked, and formed communities, offering interactive shared spaces for work and play, surpassing traditional video calls and envisioning a location-independent future.

Discussion with all the speakers of Session 1.

During the breaks, representatives from the “The Future of Meetings” (TFOM) community led by Dr. Vanessa Moss (CSIRO) and Dr. Glen Rees (TFOM) offered a short virtual reality demonstration using Meta Quest 2 headsets. Participants had the opportunity to join others from Australia and around the world in a virtual space, providing them with valuable insights into the transformative capabilities of VR and XR. Through this immersive experience, they discovered how these technologies could transport them beyond physical limitations and enable a truly immersive presence.

Participants enjoying the virtual reality demonstration using Meta Quest 2 headsets provided by “The Future of Meetings” (TFOM) community.

SESSION 2: DIGITAL WORLD APPLIED

After the lunch, free for all attendants and including chorizo, paella and churros as dessert, the 2022 SRAP Research Forum continued with Session 2, that was chaired by Dr Mariel Familiar López (Griffith University  & SRAP). We had 5 short (12-minutes) presentations about diverse topics that showed how the digital world is applied in many aspects of research.

Dr Mariel Familiar López (Griffith University  & SRAP) chaired Session 2.

Nuria Lorente (Macquarie University and SRAP) is joint Head of Research Data & Software at Australian Astronomical Optics. She presented “Digital Astronomy”.  This presentation highlighted the role of AAO in digital astronomy, including instrument control, robotics, and the Data-Central tool-set, and explores the application of their expertise to other research fields in the years ahead. In this photo, Nuria has a copy of an old photographic plate: in that time before the introduction of the digital data, astronomers had to use microscopes to carefully analyse the astronomical information compiled on the photographic plate.

Dr. Mercedes Roman Dobarco (Sydney Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney, and SRAP) presented “Digital soil mapping as for securing soils. Examples from Australia”.  Digital soil mapping (DSM) has witnessed significant growth in the past thirty years. It establishes relationships between soil properties and environmental factors to predict their spatial distribution. This presentation showcased examples from Australia, highlighting the practical applications of DSM for decision-making, including climate change mitigation and mapping soil security.

Prof Abelardo Pardo (University of South Australia and SRAP) is the Dean of Programs (Engineering) UniSA STEM . His talk was entitled “Technology in Education: Where are we heading? ” Technology has pervaded various domains, including education, bringing both disruption and challenges for stakeholders. This presentation explored trends and directions in technology’s impact on education, addressing its benefits, social interaction, and considerations for specific educational aspects.

Artist Jonathan Zawada presented “Digital Art Evolution “, where he provided some videos about his work. In particular, he presented the Rare Mushrooms and Fisherian Runaway projects. He also discussed how these moved through the evolution of digital art, from the pre- NFT environment to an NFT-based project. Exploring ideas of audience participation, generative and procedural (programmed) art, and the interaction between the manual and the automatic.

Dr. Marta Ribó (Auckland University of Technology & SRAP) presented her research in the talk “Digital Oceans”. In the realm of oceanographic and environmental research, the integration of non-traditional data sources like citizen science and earth observation has become crucial. Scientists grapple with vast datasets and real-time big data when studying the ocean. This presentation showcased diverse datasets, combining in-situ measurements with global datasets and models, highlighting the importance of scientific collaboration to comprehend our planet’s dynamics in the face of climate change.

Discussion and Q&A with the speakers of Session 2.

SESSION 3 : FINAL DISCUSSION

After the coffee break (and more fun with the VR demo) we had a final discussion, chaired by Dr Óscar Pérez-Concha (UNSW & SRAP). We tried to answer the question “is living in a digital world good or bad for humankind?“. Our panelists were Dr José-Miguel Bello y Villariño (University of Sydney & SRAP)Prof Marta Poblet (RMIT & SRAP), Prof Abelardo Pardo (University of South Australia & SRAP) and Dr Vanessa Moss (CSIRO), who had plenty of interaction with the audience.

Panelists of the final discussion: “is living in a digital world good or bad for humankind?“. From left to right: Dr Vanessa Moss(CSIRO), Dr José-Miguel Bello y Villariño (University of Sydney & SRAP), Prof Marta Poblet (RMIT & SRAP), Prof Abelardo Pardo (University of South Australia & SRAP) and Dr Óscar Pérez-Concha (UNSW & SRAP).

Some of the in-person attendees to the 2022 SRAP Research Forum.

AWARDS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND CLOSURE

The 2022 SRAP Research Forum included the Award Ceremony of our 1st SRAP-frA Early-Career Researcher Award. The Award has been coordinated by Dr Joaquín Valderrama (NAL & SRAP). The winner is our member Dr Sara Marrero Hernández.

From left ro right: Dr Ángel R. López-Sánchez (SRAP President and Macquarie University), Dr Joaquín Valderrama (SRAP Honorary President & Chair of the SRAP-frA Early-Career Researcher Award), Dr Sara Marrero Hernández (winner of the 1st SRAP-frA Early-Career Researcher Award) & H.E. Alicia Moral-Revilla (Ambassador of Spain in Australia).

In addition to hosting the Award Ceremony of our 1st SRAP-frA Early-Career Researcher Award, in the 2022 SRAP Research Forum was also awarded the Officer Cross of the Royal Order of Isabel la Católica to SRAP Honorary President Dr Joaquín Valderrama.

SRAP Honorary President Dr Joaquín Valderrama (NAL) received from H.E. Alicia Moral-Revilla (Ambassador of Spain in Australia) the Officer Cross of the Royal Order of Isabel la Católica. Photo credit: Ronny Kurniawan Ibrahim.

SRAP Honorary President Dr Joaquín Valderrama (NAL) received from H.E. Alicia Moral-Revilla (Ambassador of Spain in Australia) the Officer Cross of the Royal Order of Isabel la Católica, a decoration from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation that is bestowed upon Spanish or foreign citizens that have excelled in their merits and achievements, as well as in promoting the interests of Spain.

Also, our 2022 SRAP Research Forum included the official launching of the PhD Cotutelle Program between Macquarie University, SRAP and Instituto Cervantes, where the 2 first Spanish Universities to participate in this program were announced.

Ms Coral Martínez Íscar (Director of Instituto Cervantes Sydney), Prof Tracy Rushmer (Associate Dean Higher Degree Research, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University) and Dr Ángel R. López-Sánchez (Macquarie University & President SRAP) launch the PhD Cotutelle Program between Macquarie University, SRAP and Instituto Cervantes with the announcement of the 2 first Spanish universities that will participate in this program: the University of Valencia and the University of La Laguna (agreement in astronomy and astronomical instrumentation with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias).

Finally, before moving to the networking and the farewell cocktail, Assoc. Prof. Sergio León-Saval (University of Sydney and SRAP Honorary President) closed the 2022 SRAP Research Forum “A digital World”.

Assoc. Prof. Sergio León-Saval (University of Sydney and SRAP Honorary President) closes the 2022 SRAP Research Forum “A digital World”.


Angel.Lopez-Sanchez

About Angel.Lopez-Sanchez

A/Prof Ángel R. López-Sánchez is an astrophysicist and science communicator working at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University (MQ). He is a recognised expert in the study of how the gas is converted into stars in galaxies and how this affects galaxy evolution. He graduated in Theoretical Physics at the University of Granada (2000) and completed his PhD Thesis in Astrophysics at the prestigious “Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias” (IAC, Spain) and the University of La Laguna (Spain) in 2006. He moved to Australia in 2007, joining CSIRO “Astronomy and Space Science” to perform radio-interferometric observations of gas-rich galaxies at the Australian Telescope Compact Array. In 2011 he joined the Australian Astronomical Observatory and Macquarie University combining instrumentation support, research, lecturing, and outreach. He was appointed as a full-time research academic at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at Macquarie University in May 2023. He is the president of the association of Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific (SRAP), the vice-president of the Astronomical Association of Córdoba (AAC, Spain), representative in the Andalusian Astronomy Network (RAdA), and member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Spanish Astronomy Society (SEA), and the Australian Astronomy Society (ASA). He is a globally-recognised science communicator, with visibility in Spanish and Australian printed, broadcast, and social media. He is also a passionate amateur astronomer that uses his own equipment for capturing the beauty of the Cosmos. His stunning astronomy time-lapse videos and photos have received +1/2 million views in YouTube and have been seen in TV channels in USA, Australia and Spain, science museums worldwide, and textbooks.