Australian Science Global Impact

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Australia’s population might be small in world terms but our science is internationally recognised as first-rate. We’ve made breakthroughs that have changed the face of medicine, communications, agriculture, transport and much more. The Australian Academy of Science is plugging into its network of top Australian scientists to bring to the public an unprecedented celebration of Australian science in the world. We’ll feature the scientists behind such immense breakthroughs as changing our understanding of the way the universe works, the invention of the bionic ear that has brought sound to tens of thousands of hearing-impaired people around the world; the development of the cervical cancer vaccine and its implications for world health; and WiFi, which has transformed communications globally.

The series is Chaired by Professor Brian Schmidt, who won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for his startling discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

Law of the locust:  a tale of swarms, cannibals, ageing and human obesity
Professor Steve Simpson, Tuesday 4 June 2013
The star of ABC Television’s Great Southern Land, Professor Simpson will explore the implications for obesity and conservation biology of his ground-breaking work on insect swarming behaviour.

Professor Graeme Clark, Tuesday 2 July 2013
Professor Clark was a key figure in the research and development of the Bionic Ear – a multiple-channel Cochlear Implant. More than 220,000 people worldwide have now been fitted with cochlear implants.

Professor Ian Frazer, Tuesday 6 August 2013
Immunologist Professor Ian Frazer will describe how his research to prevent women from dying of cervical cancer led to the world’s first cancer vaccine, Gardasil, 40 million doses of which have now been provided to young women around the globe.

Dr Steve Rintoul, Tuesday 3 September 2013
Dr Steve Rintoul is internationally recognised as a leading authority on the circulation of the Southern Ocean and how it affects global climate systems. He has contributed to the design of a multi-national Southern Ocean Observing System, information from which has world-wide implications.

Dr John O'Sullivan, Tuesday 1 October 2013
Dr John O' Sullivan led the team who;invented WiFi - a technology that has changed the way in which we communicate and the way in which we interface with technology. In 2009 Dr O’Sullivan was awarded the Australia's highest scientific honour, the Prime Ministers Prize for Science, for his efforts.

Professor Thomas Maschmeyer, Tuesday 5 November 2013
Professor Maschmeyer leads a team of innovative chemists who are using heat and water to turn waste products into stable, environmentally friendly bio-oil for use as fuel and in industrial applications.

Seeing the Light with Polymers - Printed Solar Cells as a Commercial Reality
Professor Andrew Holmes, Tuesday 3 December 2013
Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Holmes is a lead researcher at the innovative Bio21 Institute and CSIRO. He’s developing flexible polymer solar cells which can be printed and applied to any shape or surface, potentially turning whole buildings or vehicles into power generators

Previous lectures in this series

Harnessing death for life
Professor Suzanne Cory, Tuesday 5 February 2013
Internationally recognised molecular biologist and President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Cory will describe how her cancer research has led to the development of an exciting new class of cancer drugs, currently being trialled in the clinic.

Exploring the last frontier: Australia's pioneering work in astronomy
Professor Brian Schmidt, Tuesday 5 March 2013
Winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Schmidt will explore Australia's pioneering work in astronomy.

Weird mammal genomes, sex and the future of men
Professor Jenny Graves, Tuesday 2 April 2013 
Renowned geneticist and Academy Secretary for Education and Public Awareness, Professor Graves will describe how the map of the marsupial genome is unlocking genetic secrets with deep implications for human health.