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Australian Academy of Science |
| About the Academy |
The Academy was founded in 1954 by Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London with the distinguished physicist Sir Mark Oliphant as founding President. It was granted a Royal Charter establishing the Academy as an independent body but with government endorsement. The Academy's Constitution was modelled on that of the Royal Society of London. It receives government grants towards its activities but has no statutory obligation to government. The objectives of the Academy are to promote science through a range of activities. It has defined four major program areas:
The Fellowship of the Academy is made up of over 400 of Australia's top scientists, distinguished in the physical and biological sciences and their applications. Each year sixteen scientists, judged by their peers to have made an exceptional contribution to knowledge in their field, are elected to Fellowship of the Academy. Election is subject to a searching appraisal of the candidate's published works, including reference to leading scientific researchers around the world. Fellows are employed by universities, CSIRO, government and private research organisations. They contribute to the Academy in an honorary capacity by serving on Council, committees and as advisers. No more than two Fellows may be elected every three years on the basis of distinguished contributions to science by means other than personal research. A small number of distinguished foreign scientists with substantial connections to Australian science are elected as Corresponding Members.
The Fellows of the Academy elect the Council which manages the business of the Academy. The decisions of the Council are carried out by the secretariat in Canberra, supervised by the Executive Committee.
The Academy has published many reports on public issues such as national research policy setting, stem cell research, human cloning, pesticides, ecological reserves, food quality, genetic engineering, space science and climate change. The Academy also makes submissions to government ministers and parliamentary inquiries. The President of the Academy is, by virtue of that position, a member of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. The Council advises the Prime Minister on important scientific issues. The role of the 22 National Committees of the Academy is to foster a designated branch of natural science in Australia, to serve as an effective link between Australian scientists and overseas scientists in the same field, and to advise Council on relevant matters. National Committees are frequently called on to advise on science policy matters, on proposals for Academy sponsorship of scientific conferences and on proposals for grants from special purpose funds. They are also encouraged to prepare occasional reports and other documents on the state and outlook of their respective disciplines. National Committees maintain active links with relevant scientific societies and international organisations. Interaction with international bodies The Academy is Australia's representative on the International Council for Science (ICSU) and many of its constituent organisations. The Academy has taken a leading role in Australia in some international programs, for example the International Geosphere Biosphere Program. The Academy supports delegates to business meetings and provides information about ICSU within Australia. At any time about 300 Australians hold honorary offices in ICSU organisations. International Scientific Collaborations Program The Academy operates an international scientific collaborations program to improve Australian access to global science and technology in North America, Europe and North East Asia. The program gives Australian researchers the opportunity to collaborate with foreign colleagues, widen research perspectives and experience, to exchange ideas, to be recognised in the international arena, to gain information and knowledge of techniques that will stimulate and advance Australian research, and to be involved in large international projects. This scheme is funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training's International Science Linkages Programme announced in the Government's Innovation Statement, Backing Australia's Ability. Science education and publishing The Academy produces an on-line educational website (Nova: Science in the news) for schools, reference books, works on the history of science in Australia and a variety of reports and conference proceedings. It also produces a Newsletter three times a year and an Annual Report. The Academy also shares editorial responsibility with CSIRO for the twelve Australian Journals of Scientific Research. The Academy has interviewed some of Australia's greatest scientists for the Interviews with Australian scientists program. Scientists talk about their research and scientific achievements, as well as their early life, role models and how they became interested in science. Videos of the interviews can be purchased from the Academy, and the transcripts and teachers notes are available online. The Academy’s journal, Historical Records of Australian Science, is published twice each year. Its focus is the history of science and its contents include high-quality articles and reviews, biographical memoirs of deceased Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science commissioned by the Council of the Academy, and an annual bibliography of the history of Australian science. The Academy sponsors awards for a teacher from each State and Territory to attend its annual Science at the Shine Dome event in Canberra. The awards are open to primary and secondary teachers. The Academy's primary school science program, Primary Investigations, is widely used in Australian schools. The Academy is also involved with an innovative initiative linking the teaching of science with the teaching of literacy in Australian primary schools. This project, called Primary Connections: linking science with literacy, provides a comprehensive approach to the development of scientific literacy and consists of a rich curriculum resource integrated with a professional learning program. The Academy is currently managing a pilot of the Science by Doing program which is seeking to increase the engagement of secondary school students in their science studies. The Academy advises governments on science education and supports professional development for science teachers. The encouragement and reward of excellence in science is at the heart of the ethos of the Academy. The Academy awards several medals regularly. The Pawsey Medal is awarded annually to a young physicist, the Gottschalk Medal to a young medical researcher and the Fenner Medal to a young biologist. Among other awards are the Ian William Wark Medal and Lecture, and the Rees Lecture, both established to encourage those whose research bridges science and industry and the Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal, for research workers in mathematics and physics. In alternate years the Academy holds the Flinders and Burnet lectures, given by senior physical and biological scientists. There are also medals or lectures in chemistry (the David Craig Medal), Earth sciences (the Mawson Lecture, the Jaeger Medal, the Haddon King Medal, the Dorothy Hill Award) and in mathematics (the Moran Medal, the Hannan Medal). Support for scholarship is provided on a competitive basis for research conferences (the Boden, Fenner and White Research Conferences), for travel to conferences in the Earth and plant sciences and in physiology, for visiting lecturers to Australia (the Lemberg and Selby Travelling Fellowships) and to support forestry research and study (the Jacobs and Gentle Funds). The Shine Dome (previously known as Becker House) opened in 1959 and has become a Canberra landmark. Many national and international meetings have been held in the Wark lecture theatre. The Academy's administration is in the adjacent Ian Potter House. Both buildings are registered as part of the National Estate. The Adolph Basser Library was established in 1962, by a gift from Sir Adolph Basser, to document the history of science in Australia and to support related research. Housed in the Shine Dome, the library contains printed and manuscript material, the latter providing a unique source for historical research. Each year the Library offers a fellowship of $2,500 to encourage use of the collections by postgraduate students and other independent researchers. Silk ties and scarves with the Academy logo are available for purchase.
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