Welcome back to PRISM, the SCISOC newsletter! In this week's newsletter, we present to you our Annual Ball: CASINO ROYALE. Tonight is the last chance to buy individual tickets! In our Science News, we explore the potential for cigarette-eating oyster mushrooms to tackle one of the world's biggest litter problems, and for our Fun Corner, we dare publicize some of our controversial (but correct) opinions.

UNSW Science Society Presents: CASINO ROYALE BALL 2021

Exams may have shaken you but can you stir enough courage to come?

UNSW SCISOC formally invites you to our Annual Ball! Join us for a night of cocktails, hor d'oeuvres and dance at Cockle Bay Wharf Dockside where you can enjoy the wonderful backdrop of Sydney Harbour alongside endless glasses of delectable drinks. Remember the night with high-quality photos taken by our professional photographer or our photo booth!

------------DETAILS ------------
Location: Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf
Date: Tuesday, 14th December 2021
Time: 6:00pm - LATE
Dress code: Formal (Casino Royale)

The price per individual ticket is as follows:

ARC Member : $145pp

Non-ARC Member: $160pp

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS GO ON SALE TONIGHT at 6:00PM MONDAY 15TH NOVEMBER.

Follow the Facebook page here for more information!

Who would’ve thought that oyster mushrooms could solve one of the world’s biggest litter problems – 4.5 trillion cigarette butts tossed away into the environment every year. In Australia each year, 8 billion butts are thrown out into the environment – about one-third of the total number of cigarettes consumed. Furthermore, even if they are disposed into bins, they end up in landfills, and emissions occur over a long period of time.

However, there is perhaps a solution to this problem. Oyster mushrooms are being conditioned into devouring cigarette butts to break down microplastics and generate a recyclable product. Generally, as mushrooms break down food sources, they release digestive enzymes thus bringing the nutrients into their system. The mushrooms will have eaten the microplastics in the cigarette butts’ filters after this process, leaving behind a material that may be reused to make other items such as cigarette butts collection boxes.

In a research trial conducted by Fungi Solutions founder Amanda Morgan, “Mushrooms put out fine webs of mycelium and the roots spread through the cigarette butt to gather nutrients,” says Morgan. During this trial, mushrooms will be trained to recognise a food called cellulose acetate in the filter of the cigarette butt and eat it, which breaks down the plastics in the filter.

This ground-breaking solution has resulted in the Wollongong City Council partnering up with Fungi Solutions researchers including Amanda Morgan, to address this waste issue involving cigarette butts. This involved collecting some cigarette butts from cigarette butt bins throughout the community and sending them to be used in this trial which is expected to take up to 2 years. Morgan states that her goal is to set up a remediation facility in Wollongong where cigarettes butts can be transported to, treated, and turned into usable materials, in order to fight this litter problem.

There are some things we can all agree on - like how dogs are adorable, and how pasta is the greatest food invention to date. And then there are my opinions. Below are some of my (many) hot-takes that may go against the grain, but they’re 100% correct (and I will 100% fight you on it).

Take 1: Apple juice is better than orange juice

This one is a no-brainer. Orange juice is so incredibly sour and acidic and leaves your tongue and teeth feeling weird. If we're talking morning breakfast juices, who in their right mind craves the disgustingly thick and heavy texture of orange juice after eating toast and cereal? Orange juice is so inconsistent that it can taste bad in so many different ways. It can taste metallic and nasty and even orange-juice drinkers only drink particular types of orange juice like only freshly-squeezed, or only a particular brand. It's also worth noting that orange juice tastes horrendous after brushing your teeth! Not only does apple juice taste way better and is easier to drink no matter what you eat, but you also don't have to worry much about inconsistencies or about pulp at the bottom of your drink. This take isn't a controversial opinion, this is facts. #applejuicesuperiority

Take 2: Kids' meals shouldn't only be for kids.

A $4 kids meal – 3 nuggets and fries is priced that way because the portion is smaller, not because it is for kids. Why should I not be allowed to pay for portions that are worth its price, and why can only kids get the ‘kids meal’? Adults should be allowed to eat what they pay for and it doesn’t help that generally, serving sizes are huge. More often than not, I’ve gone into a restaurant and just knew I could not finish a monstrous $19 burger but the kids’ meal – a small $10 cheeseburger meal with fries would entice me and suffice. If I was hungry then I would order something else but the point is that I’m not hungry so I can only eat a smaller portion.

On top of that, what does the kid gain anyway? The majority of the time, the parent pays for the kid so it’s not like the kid is ‘saving money', if that’s what the restaurant intended to be the incentive.

To conclude, adults should be allowed to buy kids' meals, just as how you pay less for a small meal as opposed to a large meal. No “for kids under 10 only” nonsense.

Take 3: Bean sprouts contribute nothing of value to society

Bean sprouts are typically added as a topping on noodle dishes such as phở and ramen. But what for? They taste like nothing and worst of all, they disrupt the soft texture and flow of noodles. One of my favourite things about noodles is that it is smooth, silky and soft (not crunchy). However, there have been too many times when bean sprouts have camouflaged as a strand of noodle and I've bitten into it expecting the magical gentle texture of noodles, but getting a disgusting crunch instead. It squeaks against my teeth and just ruins my noodle-eating experience as a whole. It tastes like nothing, and ruins the texture of the noodles - what good does it even add?

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!