PRESIDENT'S NOTES
20 April 2000
Dear Colleague,
We are now two weeks away from the Academy's AGM, most of which is open to the public. I hope to see many of you at one or more of the New Fellows' Seminar, the Symposium on Australia's Science Future, or the awards and admissions at the formal session on Friday morning. Details on the Symposium can be found on the Academy's website at http://www.science.org.au/future and the New Fellows' Seminar at http://www.science.org.au/future/newfel.htm.
With best wishes,
Brian D O Anderson
REVIEW OF THE ACADEMIES
The Academy has prepared a submission to the five-year review of Australia's learned academies. The review is being conducted for the Minister of Education, Training and Youth Affairs since the ARC is responsible for part of our funding. We have recommended:
- a program of Academy Distinguished Researcher positions, including positions for younger researchers;
- a program of international activities aimed at attracting to Australia more of the leading researchers from overseas, similar to the work of the Humboldt Foundation of Germany;
- an increase in support for policy-for-science studies;
- an educational equivalent of PMSEIC;
- an Academy role in the proposed Quality Assurance Council;
- an Academy role in an Australian research assessment exercise;
- infrastructure support for the Academy's science education projects.
The submission will be available on the Academy's website at the end of April at http://www.science.org.au/academy/review.htm.
RESEARCH ASSESSMENT
The Secretary (Science Policy), John White, and I had a dinner meeting with the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr David Kemp, last month. Among other things, we talked about the research assessment exercise proposed by the Academy to bring real quality control into the funding of research and research infrastructure. We stressed that an Australian exercise would be much smaller than the British equivalent.
At the Minister's request, John spent some time during a visit to Britain meeting the former head of the UK Research Assessment Exercise, Professor Follett, who strongly endorsed the value of the exercise to higher education in Britain.
For more on the the Academy's proposal go to http://www.science.org.au/
academy/media/green2.htm.
SCIENCE PhDs
John White has also been making progress pursuing the evidence behind assertions about the rate of completion of science PhDs.
NATIONAL INNOVATION SUMMIT
The National Innovation Summit Implementation Group has reported on its progress in following up the summit. I am concerned that the voice of higher education and research is heard clearly by the Group. We will make strong representations to the Group directly and through the National Academies Forum Symposium, 'The Drivers of Innovation: More with less, or more with more?', to be held in Canberra on 15-16 June at the National Library. Outcomes of the symposium will feed into the deliberations of the Innovation Summit Implementation Group. I will also speak to the Chief Scientist, Robin Batterham, and consult the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. We are considering producing a public statement on the necessary, high priority actions, as we see them.
JOHN SHINE DONATION
It is a great pleasure to report the generosity of one of our Fellows, Professor John Shine, Director of the Garvan Institute in Sydney, who has contributed $1 million to the fund-raising for renovating our Dome building. The donation, part of a $20 million legal settlement, is the result of an argument over intellectual property rights.
When Professor Shine was at the University of California in San Francisco in the 1970s he developed new genetic techniques, cloned a human hormone gene and, with colleagues, cloned human growth hormone. Biotechnology companies started selling the hormone in the mid-1980s and today the worldwide market is worth billions of dollars a year.
The University of California held patents over the technology, with Professor Shine and his colleagues named as inventors. When the biotechnology companies refused to pay royalties the university started legal proceedings. When the case was settled at the end of 1999, a large sum was paid to the university with smaller amounts going to the inventors of the technology.
The media release the Academy issued at the time of Professor Shine's donation gives a more detailed version of this intriguing story (http://www.science.org.au/media/shine.htm).
MAJOR FACILITIES
On 6 April there was a very productive meeting of directors of major national research facilities. This was part of the Academy's study of policy options for such facilities. A report of the meeting is being prepared. For a copy email Ros Wallace at mailto:ns@science.org.au.
CSIRO REAL ESTATE
The proposed sale and lease back of CSIRO's land and facilities is a matter of concern to the Academy. I have spoken to staff in the offices of the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources and of the Prime Minister.
ELECTIONS
On 24 March the Academy elected 12 new Fellows from among Australia’s leading scientists. The new Fellows are Professor Bruce Armstrong, New South Wales Cancer Council; Professor Adrian Baddeley, University of Western Australia; Professor Julie Campbell, University of Queensland; Professor Victor Flambaum, University of New South Wales; Dr Bruce Kemp, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne; Professor Keith Nugent, University of Melbourne; Professor Mark Randolph, University of Western Australia; Professor Peter Reeves, University of Sydney; Professor Richard Robson, University of Melbourne; Professor Lesley Rogers, University of New England; Professor Joseph Sambrook, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne; and Professor Curt Wentrup, University of Queensland.
The Academy's media release is available at http://www.science.org.au/
academy/media/newfel00.htm
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ENQUIRY INTO HUMAN CLONING
Oliver Mayo and Sue Serjeantson (consultant) attended the 31 March public hearing and represented the Academy. A total of about 20 people representing very different views and covering religious, ethical and scientific perspectives were seated around a U-shaped table for the day. There were very few members of the general public in the audience. A similar hearing was held in Melbourne on 1 March and Roger Short, a member of the Academy's Steering Group, attended.
DIARY HIGHLIGHTS
2000 AGM
2 May: New Fellows' Seminar
3-4 May: Australia's Science Future: the 2000 AGM Symposium
5 May: Admission of New Fellows; Award presentations and formal business
15-16 June: National Academies Forum Symposium, 'The Drivers of Innovation: More with less, or more with more?' (for more information contact Nancy Lane, mailto:do@science.org.au or phone 02 6247 5777).
NATIONAL COMMITTEES
Minutes of the following meetings are available at http://www.science.org.au/
internat/natcomm/natcom.htm. Copies can be requested from Ros Wallace at mailto:ns@science.org.au or (02) 6247 3966.
- Plant sciences (18 October 1999)
- Animal sciences (13 August 1999)
- Geography (30 July 1999)
- Astronomy (12 July 1999)
- Quaternary research (11 June 1999)
- Biophysics (21 May 1999)
OFFICE BEARERS OF THE ACADEMY
President, Professor Brian Anderson
phone (02) 6279 8667, fax (02) 6279 8688,
mailto:brian.anderson@anu.edu.au
Secretary (Physical Sciences), Professor Bruce McKellar
phone (03) 9344 5122, mailto:b.mckellar@physics.unimelb.edu.au
Secretary (Biological Sciences), Professor John Young
phone (02) 9351 4600, mailto:johny@physiol.usyd.edu.au
Secretary (Science Policy), Professor John White
phone (02) 6249 3578, mailto:jww@rsc.anu.edu.au
Foreign Secretary, Professor Kurt Lambeck
phone (02) 6249 5161, mailto:kurt.lambeck@anu.edu.au
Treasurer, Professor Athel Beckwith
phone (02) 6249 3234, mailto:beckwith@rsc.anu.edu.au
