The Laborastory

Sean Elliott is a writer and presenter who has worked for over a decade in science communication, working with groups such as the CSIRO, Museum Victoria, University of Melbourne, and the Victorian Space Science Education Centre. He tells the story of chief electrician of the transatlantic telegraph cable Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse.

Simon McKenzie-Nickson is undertaking a PhD in Neuropharmacology with a focus on Alzheimer’s Disease and Menkes disease. He is a science blogger and regularly blogs for sciengage and the royal institution of Australia. He tells the story of the dishonest and irresponsible medical researcher Andrew Wakefield.

Dr Nick Beaton is a research fellow in mathematics at the University of Melbourne. He works in combinatorics and statistical mechanics, which essentially comes down to drawing squiggly pictures and then counting them, or working out how to make a computer do that for him. He tells the story of the world's strongest American checkers player.

Dr Ramona Muttucumaru is training to be an Infectious Diseases Specialist at the Alfred Hospital. As such, she is particularly excited by bugs, worms and other gross things that most of us would rather avoid. She tells the story of pioneering microbiologist Robert Koch.

Burkard Polster is a maths lecturer and Monash University's resident mathemagician. Together with his colleague Marty Ross he writes the weekly Maths Masters column for The Age. He tells the story of recreational mathematician Martin Gardner.

Dr Jan de Gier completed a PhD in theoretical physics in Amsterdam and works since 2002 in the department of mathematics and statistics at the University of Melbourne. He enjoys riding his bike and has a weak spot for chess. He tells the story of the most influential scientists of all time, Isaac Newton.

Dr Alex Dunn was a Monash medical school undergraduate, who after a few years working in South Australia has returned to physician training at Monash Health. He tells the story of Australian speech and language therapist Lionel Logue.

Dr Christina Guo is a medic. Easily distracted on ward rounds by hot air balloons and odd smells, she could never be a surgeon as she enjoys sedentary activities too much. She tells the story of the father of gastric physiology, Dr William Beaumont.

Dr Krystal Evans is a medical researcher from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, working on the development of a new malaria vaccine. She is also a regular presenter on the 3RRFM science radio show "Einstein A Go Go". She tells the story of Australian bacteriologist Dora Lush.

Dr James Carter is a paediatric registrar at the Royal Children’s Hospital and is contented in paediatrics as it affords him the opportunity to work with a patient group who can communicate at his level. James completed a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Brain Imaging & Analysis Centre of Duke University. His hero of science tonight is Professor Graeme Clark.