PRESIDENT'S NOTES

18 April 2002

Dear Colleague,

I congratulate the following scientists who were elected to Fellowship on 28 March 2002, and I look forward to the New Fellow’s Seminar on 1 May. This has become a very important and exciting part of Science at the Shine Dome, a three-day event that also includes the Academy's AGM, a public symposium and a formal dinner. This year the dinner will be held at the National Museum of Australia and we are delighted that the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson, Minister for Science, Education and Training, will be joining us as our after-dinner speaker. I am also pleased to report that Senator Kim Carr, Shadow Minister for Science and Research, will be attending the New Fellows' Seminar and joining us for lunch. (More information about Science at the Shine Dome, to be held from 1 to 3 May, is available at http://www.science.org.au/sats.)

This is my last note to you as President, Jim Peacock takes over as President at 4.00pm on 3 May, 2002. May I say that it has been a great privilege to have served the Academy in this way over the past four years.

Best wishes,
Brian D O Anderson

NEW FELLOWS

Professor Michael Archer, Director, Australian Museum, Sydney; Professor of Biological Science, University of New South Wales

Professor Murray Esler, Associate Director, Baker Medical Research Institute; Professor of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne

Professor Robin Evans, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne

Professor Christopher Goodnow, Director, Medical Genome Centre, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra

Professor Robert Graham, Executive Director, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute; Professor of Medicine and Conjoint Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of New South Wales

Professor Anthony Guttmann, Professor of Mathematics (Personal Chair), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne
Professor John Hutchinson, Professor and Head of Department of Mathematics, School of Mathematical Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra

Dr John Jacobsen, Honorary Research Fellow, CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra

Professor Yuri Kivshar, Professor and Head of the Nonlinear Physics Group, Director's Unit, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra

Professor Pauline Ladiges, Professor (Personal Chair) and Head, School of Botany, University of Melbourne

Professor Eugenie Lumbers, Scientia Professor, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales

Professor Suzanne O'Reilly, Professor (Personal Chair), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Macquarie University; Director, ARC National Key Centre for the Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC), Sydney

Dr Ezio Rizzardo, CSIRO Fellow, CSIRO Molecular Science, Melbourne

Professor Tamarapu Sridhar, Head, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne

Professor Fiona Stanley, Director, TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; Professor of Paediatrics, University of Western Australia

Professor Robert Sutherland, Director, Cancer Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney; Senior Principal Research Fellow of the NHMRC; Professor, School of Medicine, University of New South Wales

New Corresponding Members

Emeritus Professor Joseph H Connell, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Professor Charles J Krebs, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

NSW VISIT
On April 10, the Executive Committee of the Academy met in Sydney, followed by gracious hospitality and a three-course lunch hosted by John Young, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Health Sciences, in his rooms at the Edward Ford Building at Sydney University. John is the out-going Vice-President (Biological Sciences) of the Academy, and this was his penultimate meeting of EXCOM.  I am going to miss his wit, as well as his wise and considered contributions to meetings of EXCOM and Council.  In the afternoon, EXCOM met with some members of the NSW Innovation Council and senior NSW government officers, in the Boardroom on the 44th Floor at Grosvenor Place in George Street, with spectacular views of the Harbour. The meeting was attended also by Don Napper, Chair of the NSW Regional Group of Fellows, and Bob Frater.  Don hosted an evening reception for the NSW Fellows to meet with me and the Officers. This was a most successful and enjoyable event and I thank the NSW Fellows for their friendship and hospitality.
Australia-Taiwan joint projects
Dr Joseph Yang, Director General, International Programs of the National Science Council (NSC), Taiwan, met with the President and the Foreign Secretary on 2 and 3 April respectively. NSC would like to identify Australian organisations that would be interested in participating in four bilateral cooperative activities:

• R&D on biotechnology for animal health and biomedicine (Animal Technology Institute of Taiwan);

• Taiwan-Australia bilateral food biotechnology symposium (College of Life and Resource Sciences);

• Joint research in particulate technologies (National Taiwan University);

• Joint research in the sustainable development area (National Central University).

Academy Fellows who are interested in any of the above activities should contact the International Programs Officer, Nancy Pritchard, mailto:nancy.pritchard@science.org.au.

Nominations for membership of the Therapeutic Goods Committee
The Academy has been invited to provide nominations for membership for the next triennium by 1 May. The Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) is seeking expertise in microbiology and virology, biomedical engineering, biological safety of biomaterials, biotechnology, and the pharmaceutical sciences. The Minister for Health and Ageing makes appointments to the Committee. Two meetings are held in Canberra per year with a small amount of work being conducted out-of-session. The TGA has advised that they are especially interested in receiving names from the Academy.

Academy Fellows interested in being nominated to the Therapeutic Goods Committee, or seeking further information should contact Trish Nicholls on (02) 6247 3966 or mailto:trish.nicholls@science.org.au for details.

Priority setting
The Academy is involved in an exercise to examine the process of setting national research priorities. Planning has progressed since my last note. A scoping meeting will be held on 29 May with the four learned Academies and other invited participants; a forum will be held on 26 and 27 June 2002; and Michael Barber, Secretary, Science Policy will be giving an address on priority setting at the National Press Club on 26 June.

Research Infrastructure
The Academy received funds to undertake a study on major national research facilities. That study is now completed and there are some funds remaining which will enable the Academy to examine the applications to last year’s Major National Research Facilities Program and to also review the programs that support research infrastructure for Australian science. The Academy considers that the broader question of infrastructure should be examined, as research is not well served by the existing fragmentation. Michael Barber chairs the recently appointed Steering Group of Fellows, namely Phil McFadden, David Doddrell, Steve Redman, John White and Peter Colman.
National Committee meeting
The Secretary, Physical Sciences, Bruce McKellar is chairing a meeting of the Chairs of National Committees on 30 April with the aim of reviewing their roles and structures. A number of National Committees consider it is now time to review their operation, particularly in the life sciences and the environmental sciences.

Strategic Plan for Earth Sciences in Australia
The National Committee for Solid Earth Sciences is in the process of developing a strategic plan for earth sciences in Australia. The reason for developing the plan is to provide a framework within which the discipline can develop over the coming decade. The goal is to define priorities in earth sciences for the ARC and will contribute to the ongoing national debate about setting priorities in Australian research and development.

DIARY HIGHLIGHTS

30 April – Meeting of Chairs of National Committees, Shine Dome.
1-3 May – Science at the Shine Dome, including Academy AGM, more information is available at http://www.science.org.au/sats.

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