Boyer Lectures
Boyer Lectures
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The 2023 Boyer Lecture series is called 'The Atomic Revolution' and is presented by Professor Michelle Simmons AO, a pioneer in atomic electronics and global leader in quantum computing. Starts Sunday, October 22 at 9.30am. Across the four lectures she’ll explore manufacturing at the atomic scale,  why Australia is perfectly positioned to build the world’s first error-corrected quantum computer, and the importance of doubt in science.
Q&A with Professor Michelle Simmons
What will a quantum computer look like? Will quantum computing supercharge AI? Can it save us from the climate crisis? Professor Michelle Simmons has the answers.
Nov 11, 2023
33 min
04 | The Importance of Doubt
Doubt is often seen as a something to be overcome — a failing, or even a sign of incompetence. But in her fourth and final lecture, Professor Michelle Simmons tells us why doubt is her greatest asset.
Nov 11, 2023
29 min
03 | Imagination and Mindset
In her third Boyer lecture, Professor Michelle Simmons maps how science has changed from 1927 to now — moving from the theoretical to the applicable.
Nov 4, 2023
29 min
02 | The Quantum Promise
In her second Boyer lecture, Professor Michelle Simmons details the international race underway to build the first error-corrected quantum computer.
Oct 28, 2023
29 min
01 | The Atomic Revolution
Computing machinery that used to fill an entire room has now shrunk to the size of individual atoms. In her first lecture, Professor Michelle Simmons tells the story of miniaturisation  — and how Australia found itself at the forefront.
Oct 19, 2023
29 min
05 | We The Australian People
In his fifth and final Boyer lecture Noel Pearson looks at the question of identity, Australian identity, and he argues that our extraordinary diversity and distinctiveness are undermined when we forget the great similarities and commonalities we all share.
Dec 2, 2022
31 min
04 | Transformational School education
In his fourth lecture, Noel Pearson addresses the educational barriers facing young Indigenous people, and the critical need to raise literacy and numeracy rates through transformational school programs.
Nov 26, 2022
32 min
03 | A Job Guarantee For The Bottom Million
In his third lecture Noel Pearson argues that Indigenous Australians have become trapped in the 'bottom million' of the nation when it comes to economic development. He describes the ongoing effect of welfare dependency, or 'passive welfare', which he says is not just a problem afflicting Indigenous communities, it's a human problem.
Nov 18, 2022
30 min
02 | A Rightful But Not Separate Place
In his second lecture, Noel Pearson reflects on the words of 1968 Boyer lecturer W.E.H. Stanner who said that Aboriginal people seek, 'a decent union of their lives with ours but on terms that let them preserve their own identity'. Pearson traces the long process that led to the final proposal for a Voice to parliament enshrined in the constitution. He identifies a speech by John Howard in 2007, which Pearson says offered 'the core rationale for constitutional recognition', and began the 15-year process to a referendum.
Nov 11, 2022
30 min
01 | Who we were, who we are, and who we can be
Noel Pearson argues the case for why a Voice to parliament, enshrined in the constitution, is so important to Indigenous people, ‘to be afforded our rightful place’.
Nov 4, 2022
30 min
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