The Physics Students' Society exists to promote the glory of Physics (and Physics students, of course!). It costs only $2 to join ($5 for non-Union members) and membership is open to everyone, not just Physics students.
Our aims are to provide support for Physics students throughout their studies at the University. The PSS provides a network for Physics students in the University to share knowledge and ideas about Physics, and to get to know other people interested in Physics. We also organise Physics-related excursions and activities, including an ongoing project to steal Monash's synchrotron and install it under the South Lawn.
It’s time for another BBQ!
This is the “Welcome to the second half of Semester One” BBQ.
Since our membership numbers are up this year, we’ve decided to relocate to a bigger venue.
Details are as follows:
- Date: Tuesday 13 April
- Time: 12:30-2pm
- Venue: Redmond Barry Courtyard (near the Medley, Lowe, Rivett & Lyle lecture theatres)
As usual, this event is 100% free for PSS members. This includes sausages, veggie burgers, soft drinks, beer & cider.
Hope to see you there!
If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please send us an email.
If you are a member and you’re not receiving our emails about events, there is a chance we have an incorrect address in our database. Please send us an email and we’ll fix it up!
If you’d like to get involved with club planning, you can add yourself to the committee mailing list by visiting http://www.freelists.org/list/unimelbpss-committee. All PSS members are welcome to join us at committee meetings, so add yourself to the committee mailing list to find out when the next meeting is scheduled.
A big thanks to everyone who showed up to our welcome back BBQ on Monday, and to those of you who couldn’t make it, we’ll hold another one soon. However, the next event will be the inaugural Physics in the Pub, where we’ll spend an evening in a panel-led discussion on physics and the world around us, over a meal and a drink with friends.
We’re kicking off the first Physics in the Pub with:
Can Physics Save the World?
The discussion panel we have lined up will be:
- Bryn Sobott CRC for Biomedical Imaging Development
- Jim Black Nossal Institute for Global Health
- Vivien Lee University of Melbourne Experimental Particle Physics Group
- Mark Boland The Australian Synchrotron
- Roger Rassool School of Physics, University of Melbourne
We’ll go on a journey from basic physics all the way to ridding the world of malaria and landmines.
Details:
All welcome! (You can join the PSS on the night.)

The PSS is eagerly anticipating the arrival of some new faces in 2010! Keep an eye out for us at the Clubs and Societies Carnival. We’ll be there from February 25-26 all day, so come along to our table to join the club or buy an official PSS T-shirt. Just look out for people dressed in purple.
All members joining during O-week will receive a free back issue of Cosmos magazine!
We will be holding a BBQ for all our members in Week 3. Details will be made available soon.
Just in case you’re not already super-excited about 2010, here is a picture of some of our members on our recent excursion to the Australian Synchrotron
- – - Emma Bland, President
As the more hip members will already be aware (via our Facebook page) we are planning a few exam revision sessions throughout SWOTVAC. The times and dates are as follows:
- Date: Tuesday 3rd November and Tuesday 10th November 2009
- Time: 10 AM — 3 PM
- Venue: Conference Room, Level 7, Physics Building
This Tuesday, we plan to give the study day at least SOME air of dignity to acknowledge Cup Day. We intend to traverse in a particle-like-fashion down to Lygon street and collect highly decadent snackage and refreshments. Formal dress code is optional in the extreme.
See you there!
Hi everyone,
The semester’s wrapping up, and to celebrate the end of a gruelling twelve weeks the Physics Students’ Society is having a BBQ this coming Monday.
- Date: Monday 26th October, 2009
- Time: 1.00 pm — 2.00 pm
- Venue: Physics Courtyard (under the ramp leading up to the Physics Podium)
As usual, there’ll be sausages, veggie burgers, soft drinks and beer, free to all PSS members.
See you there, and good luck with your exams.
Update: Tickets are being sold from 1-2PM Monday-Friday this week (week 9) and Monday 12th (the day of the event) in the Physics courtyard (under the David Caro ramp, near the BBQ). Tickets are also available from Daniel Flynn (0430 018 003).
Come celebrate physicists’ vast collection of useless facts in the PSS’s first ever trivia night!
Running on Monday of week 10 this semester, we’ve booked out the Clyde Hotel (a 45 second run from the Physics building). This gives you the potential be one of about 80 lucky students to join in the games, drinks, trivia and PRIZES!
- When: Monday, October 12, 2009, 7:00pm – 11:00pm
- Where: The Clyde Hotel, 385 Cardigan Street, Carlton
- Price: Tickets are $10 per head.
Facebook event
The Physics Students’ Society has organised a special excursion to the Australian Synchrotron exclusively for PSS members.
We will be given a tour of the facility, and you will have the opportunity to walk through the synchrotron tunnels and talk to some professional physicists about their work. The tour will be followed by a free BBQ at the Synchrotron, brought to you by the PSS and the University of Melbourne School of Physics.
Details of the Excursion
- Date: Tuesday, 1st September 2009
- Time: We will be meeting at the Synchrotron at 11:15am, and the tour will commence at 11:30am sharp. The tour will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a BBQ lunch.
- Venue details: The Synchrotron is located at 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton. This is adjacent to Monash University Clayton Campus. You will need make your own way there, however we will organise a group to leave together from Melbourne Uni. This will be confirmed by email closer to the date. You’ll need appropriate footwear — in particular, no open-toed shoes.
How to Sign Up
Unfortunately, we are only able to take 40 people, as this is all the venue is able to accommodate. The best way to sign-up will be at the PSS AGM on the 25th of August. (See the “Notice of Physics Students’ Society Annual General Meeting” e-mail for further details.)
Alternatively, if you can’t make it to the AGM, you can sign up for the excursion by replying to this email with the following details:
- Full name
- Student number
- Preferred email address
We will send you an email confirming your place on the excursion, including any last-minute details, shortly after the AGM.
The Physics Students’ Society will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 25th August.
This is a very important event in our calendar, as this is the time that we elect next year’s committee. The following committee positions will be up for re-election, and are open to all members of the Society who are University of Melbourne students:
- President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Education Officer
- General Committee Member (3 positions)
Details of the AGM:
- Date: Tuesday 25 August, 2009
- Time: 1 pm
- Venue: Physics Conference Room. This is on level 7 of the main physics building. We will put up some signs so you don’t get lost.
We need at least twenty members to show up in order to hold a quorate AGM, so please come along even if you’re just after a free lunch. To this end, free pizza and soft drinks will be provided. The more the merrier!
This is also your best opportunity to sign up for our upcoming excursion to the Australian Synchrotron.
There are no amendments to the constitution this year.
Relevant Documents: