The social committee officially started in 2025. This committee was created off the back of feedback from the 2024 Culture Survey where our members requested more social events across and within nodes.

The overarching goal of the social committee is to strengthen the TMOS community and people’s sense of belonging within the Centre.

The following members were involved, Yang Xu from University of Melbourne, Damini Rangaswamy from University of Western Australia and Phuong Le Yen from University of Melbourne.

Canvas and Conversation at The University of Western Australia

The first event was organised by Damini at UWA; the event was titled: Canvas and Conversation. A causal and fun, drop-in social session held as a National Science Week wrap-up and to mark Faraday’s 1831 discovery of electromagnetic induction. Damini organised a light lunch and invited staff and students to contribute a short message, quote, or sketch to a shared canvas. The canvas encouraged conversations from simple questions (‘What are you drawing? What does this represent?”) and then expanded into broader discussions about research, motivations, and shared experiences.

Damini said that the highlight was seeing senior scientists (Mariusz, Charles Musca, Lorenzo and Gilberto) completely lean into the activity – almost like kids – taking their time to translate ideas into something they wanted to communicate on the canvas. The space naturally encouraged conversation across career stages, with people sharing what inspires them, laughing, and collaborating informally while painting.

The event concluded with a completed canvas that is now kept within MRG as a lasting memento of the afternoon. Damini Rangaswamy won the IDEA Award this year for her thoughtful contributions to the social committee.

Minigolf with RMIT University

The second event was organised by Phuong at RMIT University, this event was to recognise RUOK Day. The team spent a few hours playing minigolf and sharing light lunch together. The relaxed activity naturally encouraged teamwork and helped break down formal work barriers, especially for their newest members who hadn’t had the opportunity to meet everyone. The RMIT node reported that it was a wonderful opportunity to connect and get to know our colleagues better outside the office.

VR Laser Tag with the University of Melbourne

The third event was organised by Yang at University of Melbourne. The activity was VR laser tag followed by dinner to promote social connection and team bonding. The activity was chosen for its engaging, tech-forward theme, aligning with the node’s research in optics and metasurfaces. With two rotating teams, the event encouraged friendly competition, and informal networking across the group.

In addition to these node-based events, the social committee worked with the Education and Professional Development committee when they were organising the annual Student/ECR Conference. The social committee took charge of the evening activities which included Trivia and organising dinner at a games venue where attendees could try out a wide range of board games.

We look forward to seeing what the social committee comes up with in 2026!