PRESIDENT'S NOTES
24 August 2001
Dear Colleague,
On 9 August Peter Doherty, Sue Serjeantson and I met the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Nick Minchin, and, later, the Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley, and the Shadow Minister for Education, Michael Lee. As you can imagine, knowing the people involved, we had frank discussion on what must be done to help science and the country progress. The responses from both sides were positive, especially in relation to education. Of course, we need to see how words will be translated into action.
Best wishes,
Brian D O Anderson
SCIENCE MEETS PARLIAMENT
On 21 and 22 August, the annual gathering of scientists and parliamentarians took place in Canberra. The Academy is pleased to be a sponsor of FASTS' Science meets Parliament Day. About 150 parliamentarians took time away from the House and the Senate to meet with 180 scientists from research organisations around the country. It was excellent that a number of Fellows attended. This is a great opportunity to directly impress our concerns upon our representatives.
PRIORITIES
The Academy's paper, ‘Priorities in Research and Development for the next Australian Government’, has been drafted for consideration by the Academy Council. Meanwhile, the Academy has provided, at short notice, comments to the Federal Government on thematic and discipline priorities for research and funding agencies. Some of the comments will be included in the 'Priorities in Research and Development for the next Australian Government'.
EDUCATION QUEENSLAND ADDRESS
Recently I was asked at short notice to address Education Queensland but I was unable to accept. I was pleased that Queensland Fellow Bob Porter could take up the opportunity to contribute to the centres of excellence in technology, maths and science that are being set up in Queensland. He prepared an excellent paper on the teaching and learning of science, entitled 'Priorities in science, mathematics and technologies'. Professor Porter's talk will be available on the web early next week.
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
My Telstra Address at the National Press Club on 25 July received positive feedback. I hope I was able to emphasise the social and economic significance of information and communication technologies and the need for Australians to produce more of the technology they love to consume. The text of my talk is available at http://www.science.org.au/media/npc.htm.
MAJOR NATIONAL RESEARCH FACILITIES
On 21 August, Minister Nick Minchin announced the allocation of $155 million under the Commonwealth Government's Major National Research Facilities (MNRF) Program. Fifteen proposals will be funded over five years. More information is available at http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/documents/dir70/doc570270.html.
SIR MARK OLIPHANT CENTENARY LECTURE AND DINNER
This promises to be a wonderful evening to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Academy's first President. I am honoured to be Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Professor Erich Weigold will speak briefly about Sir Mark, before introducing our guest lecturer, Dr Brian Schmidt. As you are aware, Brian is our current Pawsey Medallist and winner of the 2000 Malcolm McIntosh Prize. He will deliver an address entitled 'Taking Measure of the Universe.' The event will be held at the Shine Dome on Monday, 8 October 2001, commencing at 6pm. Payment and booking details will be available soon on the web. Contact mailto:ds@science.org.au for more information.
DOHERTY TO RETURN
I was pleased to hear that Peter and Penny Doherty are planning to return from Memphis to Australia. Peter will be working in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. There is great symbolic significance in Australia's Nobel laureates actually working in this country. I hope that new science policies can bring back some of our other great minds.
ARC MEMBERS VISIT
Lawrence Cram, Bill Sawyer and Stephen Walker, members of the Australian Research Council, visited on 1 August to meet the Academy's Executive Committee. We discussed the issue currently before PMSEIC, national priority setting for research funding agencies, and how the ARC would implement funding for identified priorities. We stressed that any research priorities set in place should be sustained for a number of years as these may well be disappointments if outcomes are assessed within too short a time frame.
SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL COMMITTEES
The Academy Council proposed that the chairs of the national committees meet once a year to discuss policy issues. The first such meeting will be held in conjunction with the Academy's annual general meeting in 2002.
Another Council proposal was to assign new Fellows to national committees. However, the expertise of some Fellows does not fit readily into the national committee discipline structure. When new Fellows are elected to the Academy, they will be sent a list of national committees and asked if they will nominate committees where they feel they could make a useful contribution.
CORRESPONDING MEMBERS
The Academy's capacity to elect Corresponding Members - leading overseas scientists with Australian connections - helps strengthen our international research networks. The Academy Council is reviewing procedures for their election. The new procedures will be more stringent than before: candidates will be referred to appropriate Sectional Committees for consideration, referees' reports may be sought and documentation of the strength of the connection of the candidate with Australian science will be required.
REGIONAL GROUPS OF FELLOWS
On 23 July I attended a meeting of more than 40 Fellows from the ACT region. We discussed internal Academy matters, outreach activities and the political environment. Fellows supported the idea of the Academy taking a leadership role on questions of energy and sustainability but felt that basic research should not be overlooked in the enthusiasm to identify priority areas.
The Executive Committee has been looking at ways to build up regional groups. We want to encourage groups to interact with State advisory bodies and to take an active role in science policy debate. The other Academy Officers and I will endeavour to meet with regional groups and join in their activities. I will attend a meeting of the South Australian Regional Group of Fellows on 18 September. Details are in the diary below.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
As part of this process of moving Academy activities around the country we will be holding meetings of the Executive Committee in Melbourne on 29 November and Sydney in autumn 2002.
Professor John White, immediate past Secretary (Science Policy), has agreed to continue to be the Academy's spokesperson on human stem cell research, until AGM 2002 in the first instance.
LEMBERG FELLOW
The Academy's 2001 Lemberg Fellow, Petra Fromme, of the Technical University of Berlin, is visiting Australia until 14 September. Professor Fromme's laboratory has recently refined the crystal and molecular structures underlying photosynthesis. She will visit Brisbane, Heron Island, Canberra, Sydney, Wollongong and Katoomba. More information is available at http://www.science.org.au/awards/lemberg.htm#schedule.
GOLDEN JUBILEE
2004 will be the 50th anniversary of the Academy's foundation. The Australian Foundation for Science and others are starting to think about how we will celebrate the jubilee.
RECORDS OF SCIENCE
The Academy's Basser Library plays a major role in the preservation of the papers of leading Australian scientists. The National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science is keen for a document entitled 'Preserving the records of modern science' to be distributed widely in the scientific community. It is available mailto:nr@science.org.au.
FELLOWS’ WEBSITES
The Academy's website includes a list of the Fellowship at http://www.science.org.au/academy/fellows/fellow.htm. For those Fellows who wish it, we are adding the URLs of their personal and institutional websites. Send your website details to Maureen Swanage at mailto:pm@science.org.au.
DIARY HIGHLIGHTS
30 August: Deadline for nominations for the Academy's 2002 awards for early career researchers and senior awards. Information is available at http://www.science.org.au/awards/index.htm.
3-6 September: Fenner Conference on the Environment - Nature tourism and the environment. More information is available from mailto:r.buckley@mailbox.gu.edu.au, phone: (07) 5552 8677.
15 September: Deadline for applications to the Academy's international exchange programs with Europe. More information is available at http://www.science.org.au/internat.
18 September: Meeting of the South Australian Regional Group of Fellows, 6pm, Boardroom of the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide. Information is available from mailto:cookeha@wch.sa.gov.au.
30 September: Deadline for nominations for the Academy's 2002 research conferences and travelling fellowships. Information is available at http://www.science.org.au/awards/index.htm.
1 October: Deadline for applications to the Academy's international exchange programs with Asia. More information is available at http://www.science.org.au/internat.
1 October: Deadline for applications to the Academy's postdoctoral fellowships program. More information is available at http://www.science.org.au/internat.
8 October: Oliphant centenary dinner and public lecture. Contact mailto:do@science.org.au for more information.
12 October: Haddon King dinner at the Shine Dome. Contact mailto:ac@science.org.au for more information.
19 October: Deadline for proposals to support research on the conservation of endangered Australian vertebrate species. Information is available at http://www.science.org.au/awards/conservation.htm.
2 November: Deadline for applications to the Academy's international exchange programs with North America. More information is available at http://www.science.org.au/internat.
OFFICE BEARERS
President, Professor Brian Anderson
phone (02) 6125 8667, fax (02) 6125 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 Michael Barber
phone (08) 9380 2460, mailto:mbarber@acs.uwa.edu.au
Foreign Secretary, Professor Kurt Lambeck
phone (02) 6125 5161, mailto:kurt.lambeck@anu.edu.au
Treasurer, Professor Ian McDougall
phone (02) 6125 4136, mailto:Ian.McDougall@anu.edu.au
