Events
School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Melbourne
Featured events
Spotlight On: Time-travel and turtles in The Tale of Urashima Taro scroll
Oct
8
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Seminar or Forum
Uncover the fascinating story of an exquisitely decorated 17th century Japanese handscroll depicting a supernatural and time-bending folk tale in this special lunchtime program. A new acquisition for the Rare East Asian Collection, the scroll brings to life in illustrative detail The Tale of Urashima Taro, the story of a young fisherman who saves a turtle, leading him on a magical adventure in the Palace of the Dragon King lasting three years, but one thousand years in the human world. The scroll provides crucial insights into Japanese and East Asian artistic conventions as well as representing a moral tale for the ages teaching us that good deeds are often rewarded, but impatience, curiosity, and disobedience can lead to irreversible consequences.
Join Dr Mark Erdmann, scholar of East Asian visual cultures, as he explores the significance and medium of the handscroll – discussing its place within Japanese storytelling and the medieval East Asian concept of time and portrayals of the supernatural.
Grimwade Medallist Oration : Professor Abby Dernburg “Counting to one: how reproductive cells choreograph the exchange of genetic information between chromosomes”
Oct
8
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Seminar or Forum
The Grimwade Medal Oration will be hosted by the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute.
The Grimwade Medal for 2026 will be presented to Professor Abby Dernburg, Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology at the University of California, Berkeley, and member of the prestigious US National Academy of Sciences.
The Dernburg Lab uses genetics, microscopy, genome editing, and genome-wide mapping to understand the mechanisms that ensure faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis. They also seek to understand how meiosis contributes to genome stability and evolution.
Abby Dernburg will describe how advances in microscopy are revealing an unexpected diversity of materials and membraneless compartments within cells. Her lab discovered that the synaptonemal complex—a structure that assembles between paired chromosomes during meiosis—is a liquid crystalline material that can transmit signals along chromosomes. This discovery has reshaped our understanding of how chromosomes communicate over long distances and how cells control the exchange of genetic information to ensure faithful chromosome inheritance while generating diversity from one generation to the next.
The Grimwade Medal funded by the Russell and Mab Grimwade Miegunyah Fund has been a significant supporter of academic activity at the University of Melbourne. The Grimwade Medal aims to promote the discipline of biochemistry and molecular biology by inviting a stellar researcher each year to visit the University.
Registrations for this event are essential. Click on “Book Now” (top left)
