Welcome back to another edition of SCISOC's fortnightly newsletter PRISM! In preparation for the start of Term 2, we have a couple of exciting events we want to announce in the SCISOC Report, so get ready and get excited! We also talk about the development of self-driving cars, and what that could mean for us in the near future. Finally, befitting of the current times we're stuck in, we give you tips and tricks on how to survive the potentially impending zombie apocalypse in our Fun Corner!

Feeling like you can't have fun after the holidays? Term 2 is just around the corner, but get pumped and keep a keen lookout for the following SCISOC events.

SCISOC Cruise Event

A cruise you can't refuse! This upcoming cruise event with CSESoc will sure be filled with a night of fun so check for further updates on our Facebook Page on this one.

Date: TBA

Location: TBA

SCISOC Sports Tournament

It's time to get geared up！To kick off term 2 in the best way possible, SCISOC is excited to announce an upcoming sports tournament in collaboration with CSESoc. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for further updates via our Facebook Page.

Date: TBA

Location: TBA

In the past five years, autonomous driving has gone from

"maybe possible" to

"definitely possible" to

"inevitable" to

"how did anyone ever think this wasn't inevitable?"

- Alex Davies

Imagine having your feet on the dashboard, hands away from the wheel and behind your head, while you groove to 2000s music, eyes closed and carefree. For some, imagining isn’t difficult because they still haven’t got their driver’s licence. For others, this self-driving car fantasy will be a reality for them in the foreseeable future.

Self-driving cars have been a hot topic in the past decade and have been in development since the early 1900s, with the first-ever autonomous ‘car’ being the Stanford Cart which was built in 1961. With a naive understanding of artificial intelligence and the desire of controlling a remote vehicle using video information, researchers at Stanford were able to make the cart follow a white line at 1.3 kph in the late 60s.

A century has passed and now the state of fully autonomous, self-driving cars have drastically improved. The distinguished company devoted to fully autonomous vehicles, Tesla, is the frontrunner of this technological race with the company being able to successfully mass-produce electric vehicles with a full self-driving feature known as Tesla Autopilot. Tesla Autopilot’s features are now fully available in Tesla’s main markets such as North America, Europe and China.

Other companies have also rapidly undergone research and funding into self-driving cars such as Google, Cadillac, and Ford. Recently, Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi have raised $310 million in their latest funding round for a Chinese startup WeRide which is now estimated to be valued at $3.3 billion.

As good as prospects are for self-driving cars, it should be noted that it is not a substitute for being vigilant on the road. This can be seen through a multitude of accidents in recent memory, such as Elaine Herzberg who was killed by an Uber self-driving car in 2018 as she was biking across the road. Again, in 2019 a Tesla Model S was speeding and hit a tree which killed both passengers due to negligence.

Fully autonomous vehicles are an extremely efficient, useful, and definitely safer niche that is soon to become the new standard of driving. Although there are various areas of self-driving cars that need to be worked on, such as improvements in safety standards and protocols as well as their affordability (e.g. the cheapest Tesla vehicle, the Model 3, is valued at approximately $70 000 in Australia), it is definitely a worthwhile wait to anticipate what kind of changes autonomous vehicles will bring to our lives.

Hey you! Yes, you!

Have you found yourself in the unfortunate predicament of being alive in the middle of a zombie apocalypse or want to be ready for when the time comes? Could you really go for a handy, extensive guide on how to survive said zombie apocalypse? Look no further! SCISOC has got you covered :)

Disclaimer: SCISOC is not liable for any physical or emotional damage caused by following the advice listed in this article.

Step 1: Bunker Down!

Finding cover from the elements and outside danger is a must. While ‘The Walking Dead’ may have given you the idea to bolt up your doors and windows, you should seek out sturdier options i.e. a bunker near you, and pray that your fellow Doomsday preppers are feeling generous.

Take the ‘survival condo’ for instance! Purchased by Larry Hall in 2008, the ‘survival condo’ is a retired missile silo converted into a closed off, green bunker and boasts biological, nuclear, and chemical air filtration, 45 300 feet deep subterranean wells, and water filtration system that utilises UV sterilisation and carbon paper filters. All this and more is on offer if you purchase a penthouse in the condo for a decent 4.5 million. You can never put a price on your life nor the lives of others!

Step 2: Preparation!

Solid preparation is key if you are to prevent yourself from joining the ranks of the undead, so below is our non-exhaustive list on how to do just that:

Water: Find yourself a water filter of some sort i.e a LifeStraw
- Disclaimer: you cannot use the LifeStraw to filter out your own urine (or anybody else’s for that matter). It will still taste like urine.
Food: Stock up on non-perishables such as honey, canned foods, dried fruit, as well as any freeze-dried food that you can rehydrate, and MREs that can last you a decade if need be.

Figure 2: Your ideal situation!

Disclaimer: we cannot guarantee this is what your view will look like once in the apocalypse. The key idea is that it could look like this if you follow our guide!

Figure 1: If you followed our guide, there is a higher chance this could be you!

Sleeping bag/tent: Sleep is important if you want to have the strength to take on each day or each zombie, so make sure you pick a comfortable and durable sleeping bag.
Choice of weapon: In case you find yourself backed up into a corner or in a zombie sandwich, you should keep a weapon with you at all times. We highly recommend the trusty baseball bat for your self-defense needs, but in the worst case scenario, your bare hands will do.

Figure 3: The world if you linked up with your mates and followed steps 1 and 2 in this handy guide.

Step 3: Strength In Numbers!

It is best to join forces with others in the same boat as you in all situations, and the apocalypse is no exception. Link up with your extended family, friends, the one student in your class who flexed their black belt in Taekwondo, and whoever you can find and that you trust.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there even without the living dead so be wary of who you trust with your life and the lives of others!

We hope that you (yes, you) found this to be a helpful manual on how to survive a zombie apocalypse and it serves as a constant reminder that the walking dead may not be too far away after all!

UNSW Science Society is proud to announce our continued partnership with GradReady through 2021. GradReady provides GAMSAT Preparation courses for anyone looking to pursue Medicine after they graduate.
This process starts earlier than you think, so if you’re studying medical science or just have that passion, check out what they have to offer!

This student Club publication is proudly supported by Arc. For more information about Arc Clubs, visit www.arc.unsw.edu.au.