Starrylady * Teaching
Lesa's lecturing background includes university lecturing in physics, astronomy and scientific modelling. Other educational work includes development of educational materials, introductory astronomy courses and enrichment lectures. Some individual lecture details appear on the Presentations page.
Use these links to jump down to her affiliations with these major institutions:

Lesa lecturing on the Diamond Princess

Macquarie University

  • 2001-2004: Lectures on The Heat Equation, Random Walk, Chaos & Complexity (including the Logistic Map and the Game of Life) for PHYS220 Scientific Modelling.


  • 2002, 2005-2007: Teaching Assistant, GEOS309 Astrobiology.


  • 2006-2008: Manager/administrator and contributor of teaching resources for the Australian Schools Innovation in Science, Technology and Mathematics (ASISTM) Project - Bringing Deep Space into the Classroom.
    Information about a continuation of this project is now here: Space to Grow

The logistic map in Excel

Australian Catholic University: North Sydney
  • 2006: Lecturer in Charge, PHYS504: The Earth in Space.


  • 2007-2011: Lectures on Heat, Measurement, Biomechanics (Physics of the Human Body), Thermodynamics and Fluid Flow & Respiration for BIOL117: Applied Science for Practice 1 and BIOL119: Foundation Biological Science 1.


  • 2008 to 2010: Lecture on Radiation for BIOL118: Applied Science for Practice 2.


  • 2007 to 2011: Lecturer in Charge, PHYS105: Environmental Physics.
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Sydney Observatory
  • 2008 to 2014: Tour guide and developer of curriculum support materials for NSW school students, to be offered in conjunction with observatory visits.
Astronomical Society of NSW Princess Cruises
  • 2011 to the present: Enrichment lectures on diverse topics aboard "Princess" cruise ships (Diamond, Sun, Dawn, Sea and Ocean Princess). Topics include:
    • Global Warming - Fact or Fiction?
           (Notes on the lecture and links to graphs and data now available HERE.)
    • UFOs Identified and Hard-to-explain Sightings
    • Star Stuff - An Illustrated Astronomy Quiz (two versions: Solar System and Deep Space)
    • What star is that? Know your sky this cruise
    • Take me to your Leader - Life on Earth and Elsewhere
    • Ebbs, Flows and Moonshadows - Tides and Eclipses made easy
    • Grand Tour of the Solar System
    • Heroes of Knowledge - Ancient Greeks, Galileo, Newton and More
    • Big Island - Big Telescope - To the Top of Mauna Kea
    • Sound, Earthquakes and Tsunamis - What makes a wave?
    • Light, more than meets the eye
    • The Lives of Stars - From Beautiful Beginnings to Dramatic Endings
    • The Big Bang and why we are still inside it
    • Women in Astronomy - Comets, Pulsars and a Fat Gorilla
    • Great Observatories on and off World
    • The Moon - No Hoax!
    • Time and Date - Don't be Late!
    • Sky Myths from around the World ... and the email Inbox
    • Space Junk, Rocks in Space and Things that Kill our Cows
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Last Updated: 14 February 2022