University Events Calendar
8 May, 2007

Date/Time: Saturday, 5 May 2007 - Saturday, 19 May 2007, 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Location: Little Theatre
Cost: $25 Full; $20 Concession; $15 University of Adelaide staff and students on Tuesday performances.
More information: Visit website

Directed by June Barnes and Ann Weaver.
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest peeks with witty insight under the petticoats of Victorian morality and class. Part satire, part comedy of manners, and part intellectual farce, this much-loved classic traces the deceptions of Algernon and Jack in their pursuit of love and the determination of Gwendolen and Cecily in their desire to marry "Ernest". From its effervescent first act to its hilarious ending, the play is filled with some of literature's most famous epigrams and is widely considered to be Wilde's most perfect work. Is The Importance of Being Earnest simply the wittiest play in the English language? You be the judge!

CAST:
Norman Athersmith as Merriman
Abby Coleman as Cecily
Gary George as Dr Chasuble
Marieka Hambledon as Gwendolen
Andrew Lawlor as Algernon
Lindy LeCornu as Miss Prism
Pam O'Grady as Lady Bracknell
John Sharpe as Lane
David Thring as Jack

Contact: Melanie Hibberd (email), website, Administrator, University of Adelaide Theatre Guild, Business: +61 8303 5999, Fax: 8303 5019

Date/Time: Tuesday, 8 May 2007, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Location: Lecture Theatre, Lower Ground, Napier Building.
Cost: free
More information: Visit website

Trying to grow plants in Australian conditions is challenging - it always seems to be too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too salty, too infertile. And it is likely to get harder as the effects of climate change become increasingly apparent. The economic and social effects of our harsh environment are significant, reducing yield for farmers and making the sustainable use of land difficult.

We can see around us daily that some plants can survive difficult conditions better than others. I am interested to discover how these plants manage to do better in tough conditions. What genes are in the tough plants that are missing from the wimps? And can we move the `toughness' genes into the wimps to make them tough? In this talk, I will describe how we are hunting down these genes and moving them into our crops in a bid to enhance crop yield and sustainability for farmers, both in Australia and internationally. A serendipitous benefit from the work is the chance to improve food quality. The techniques involve both conventional breeding and genetic modification - issues surrounding these approaches will also be discussed.

Bookings: research.tuesdays@adelaide.edu.au
Phone: 8303 3692

Contact: Research Tuesdays (email), website, Business: +61 8 8303 3692