Duane Hamacher
Associate Professor of Astrophysics and Director of The Burunh Program University of Melbourne
Media
Social
Biography
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
CAPAS Fellow, Centre for Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic Studies, University of Heidelberg
2022-09-30
WHEN STARS FALL: UNDERSTANDING APOCALYPTIC EXPERIENCES OF METEORITE IMPACT EVENTS
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, Australian Research Council
2013-12-31
"Exploring Astronomical Knowledge and Traditions in the Torres Strait"
The purpose of this study is to chart Torres Strait Islander customs and traditions with a deep connection to the sun, moon, and stars before they are lost to the world. A well-researched and documented library of astronomical knowledge will help Islanders continue longstanding traditions in developing knowledge about their place in the world.
Education
University of New South Wales
Master of Science (by Research)
Astrophysics
2008
Thesis title: "A search for transiting extrasolar planets from the Southern Hemisphere"
University of Missouri-Columbia
Bachelor of Science
Physics
2004
Macquarie University
Doctor of Philosophy
Indigenous Studies
2012
Thesis title: "On the astronomical knowledge and traditions of Aboriginal Australians"
New Bloomfield High School, Missouri
Diploma
High School
1996
New Bloomfield, Missouri.
Affiliations
- Astronomical Society of Australia
- International Society of Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture
- Royal Society of Victoria
- International Astronomical Union
Media Appearances
Look up! There's an Emu in the Sky
TEDxNorthernSydneyInstitute tv
2013-08-30
A trained astrophysicist, Dr Duane Hamacher is a lecturer in the Nura Gili Indigenous Centre at the University of New South Wales. After studying planets orbiting other stars for two years, his interest in the crossroads of science and culture was too great and he decided to complete a PhD in Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University. He researches in how navigating the boundaries between Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science can show how these ways of understanding the natural world are beneficial to both.
Research Grants
List of Minor Grants and Scholarships
Monash University
2014-12-26
List of grants with details.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Australian Research Council
2013-12-31
The astronomical knowledge of Indigenous people across the world has gained much significance as scientists
continue to unravel the embedded knowledge in material culture and oral traditions. As social scientists gain a stronger role in emerging scholarship on Indigenous astronomy, growing evidence of celestial knowledge is being rediscovered in artefacts, iconography, document archives, literature, folklore, music, language and performances. This project seeks to investigate an underexplored area of astronomical knowledge in Australia. It will be the first comprehensive study of the astronomical traditions of Torres Strait Islanders and will add to the growing body of knowledge regarding Indigenous astronomy.
Courses
PHYC30025: Astronomy and Society in the Space Age
As we study the universe, better understand our place within it, and expand our presence into the cosmos, we must consider several sociological and philosophical questions and address important social challenges. This trans-disciplinary subject will explore the intersection of the arts, sciences, and humanities with respect to astrophysics, space exploration, sociology, and philosophy that relate to ethics, land rights, history, law, policy, tourism, the military, the arts, and cultural heritage, with a special focus on Indigenous issues.
University of Melbourne
PHYC20017: Archaeoastronomy
Ancient and Indigenous cultures of the world developed knowledge systems and constructed monuments that reflect ancient understandings of the Sun, Moon, and stars. The Sun and night sky played an important role in ritual, ceremony, power structures, architecture, and social development. Today, much of this knowledge is restricted to the material record in the form of artefacts, rock art, stone arrangements, and monuments, paying particular reference to the local landscape and skyscape. This subject will introduce students to the inter-discipline of archaeoastronomy (a branch of cultural astronomy) with respect to the astronomical knowledge and material culture of ancient Indigenous cultures around the world, focusing on the ancient cultures, such as Mesoamerica, the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, east Asia, and Africa. The subject will provide a rigorous study of the ancient developments of astronomy while offering reflections on cross-cultural studies of science.
University of Melbourne
PHYC10010: Indigenous Astronomy
Indigenous cultures of the world have long developed complex knowledge systems focused on the Sun, Moon, and stars. Elders teach that "everything on the land is reflected in the sky", with the stars serving as a map, calendar, timepiece, and mnemonic memory aide that inform Law and social structure. These knowledge systems are wholistic and multi-layered, including cultural understandings of science and applications of scientific practice that have been passed down through oral tradition for millennia. This subject will introduce students to the discipline of Cultural Astronomy, focusing on the astronomical knowledge and traditions of contemporary Indigenous cultures around the world, with an emphasis on Australia.
University of Melbourne
ATSI 3006: The Astronomy of Indigenous Australians
Students will then learn about the various ways in which the sun, moon, and stars inform and guide Indigenous practices such as navigation, calendar development, and food economics, as well as identity, spirituality, social structure, marriage laws, and totem classes.
ATSI 2015: The Science of Indigenous Knowledge
ATSI2015 Science and Indigenous Knowledge provides a framework for students to explore the history and development of science in both Western and Indigenous contexts by learning how knowledge systems are developed and how this knowledge is passed down to successive generations through oral tradition and material culture.
Articles
Complete List of Publications
University of Melbourne2019-10-20
All publications, listed with links to published papers or available preprints.
