PRESIDENT'S NOTES

20 May 2004

Dear Colleague,

Each autumn for the past 50 years Fellows and friends of the Academy have gathered in Canberra to celebrate Australian science. This year marks our golden jubilee, and I was pleased to welcome so many of you, along with early career researchers and science teachers, to some special events during Science at the Shine Dome. Some of the appreciative feedback we received from the early career researchers and teachers follows later in this note.

We were privileged to host the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. John Howard MP, at the formal AGM dinner held in the Great Hall of Parliament House for 340 guests. The Prime Minister gave the 50th anniversary address and expressed his appreciation of the visionary scientists who founded the Academy and of the contributions of Australia's current scientists. The Prime Minister concluded his address with the words:

'Can I express my admiration for your dedication and marvel at the willingness of many of you with comparatively little reward, in many cases for long years, to commit yourselves to your respective discipline out of a sense of professionalism and a desire to produce a better world. We are all in your debt and you will all play a major role in the further growth and development and enhancement of our nation. Thank you.'

An edited transcript of the evening's program, including a most thoughtful vote of thanks to the Prime Minister by Sir Gus Nossal, was prepared by Academy Fellow Robyn Williams for the Science Show and is available at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s1100268.htm.

I was delighted to be able to present Dr Norman Swan and Mr Peter Wills with their Academy Medals at the dinner. As I said in the media release announcing the awards, both recipients have made substantial contributions to the cause of science and technology over the years. Professor Rod Home was also awarded an Academy Medal but was unable to attend the dinner as he is currently overseas.

One other highlight of the week was the launch of the Academy's travelling science exhibition, in partnership with the National Museum of Australia. The exhibition profiles Australian scientific innovations that have changed our lives. (The exhibition will travel from city to city; as it travels, I will contact the Chairs of Regional Groups to discuss how the exhibition might be used as a catalyst for associated events to promote science and technology in their States.) Our three days of celebrations were packed with exciting talks from new Fellows, Academy award winners and leading young scientists. Fellows and our guests were treated to a treasure chest of cutting-edge research achievement. The symposium looked to the future of Australian science by featuring eight of our top younger scientists, previous winners of the most prestigious national awards in physical sciences and life sciences; they gave us great confidence in the talent and creativity of the next generation of Australian researchers.

With best wishes,
Jim

4th ANNUAL ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
Professor John Shine, Executive Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, will be giving the Academy's 4th annual address to the National Press Club on Wednesday 21 July. Entitled Humanity's heritage: The human genome and stem cells, the address will be televised live on the ABC at 1.00pm. Information on how to book for the lunch is available from the Press Club (http://www.npc.org.au/, mailto:npc@npc.org.au or (02) 6273 3644).

PUBLIC FORUM ON EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
The Academy has for some years advocated the need for refinement in the way research excellence is measured. There has also been recent criticism over the current methodology used for assessing research performance and the linkage of this with various granting processes. These factors led to the National Academies Forum, a joint initiative of the four learned Academies, holding a workshop on 23 March to plan a public forum on the topic of measuring excellence in research and research training.

The public forum will be held in the Shine Dome on June 22-23 and will focus on measures of excellence in research and research training as they contribute to socioeconomic well-being and international competitiveness. Further information about the forum, including the program and registration form, will be available soon at http://www.naf.org.au/researchexcellence/index.htm.

FEEDBACK FROM EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS ATTENDING SCIENCE AT THE SHINE DOME

• 'There were great opportunities to mingle with the Fellows. I felt like a fan at a rock concert seeing all my scientific idols in the one place. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for me. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.'

• 'My favourite part was the presentations by the new Fellows as this has changed my perspective on my own field of research. I now have a broader view of what can be achieved in scientific research and developed some vision for how many of these research areas can benefit each other.'

• 'I had a truly wonderful time. I felt I was living the pages of New Scientist magazine each day! I am incredibly appreciative for the renewed enthusiasm I have as a result of attending the week’s activities. I feel encouraged by the successes of those I saw and met.'

• 'I was very pleased to meet Fellows of the Academy, including iconic Australian scientists. My interactions made me feel as though outstanding achievements in science are more tangible than I had thought. I was impressed by the Fellows’ enthusiasm for our participation in the week’s events.'

BACKING AUSTRALIA'S ABILITY II
The Academy's media release welcoming the boost to Australia's science and innovation from phase 2 of Backing Australia's Ability also warned that, for the last decade, the gap between Australia's gross expenditure on R&D and the OECD average has continued to widen and this is an issue that Australia must address. The Academy was pleased that BAA II incorporates many of the recommendations from our 2003 Policy Statement on Research and Innovation in Australia.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS PROGRAM – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
The Academy invites applications from professional scientists to visit Europe, North America (USA, Canada and Mexico), and North East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan), between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2006 to collaborate with researchers in those countries.

Proposals in any field of natural science, basic and applied, including mathematics and engineering science, will be considered. The duration of the visits must be between two and six weeks.

These programs are administered by the Academy and funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training's International Science and Technology Networks, a component of the Innovation Access Program announced in the Government's Innovation Statement, Backing Australia's Ability.

Information, deadlines and application forms are available at http://www.science.org.au/internat/programs.htm.

NATIONAL COMMITTEES FOR SCIENCE
The Academy has been funded under the ARC’s Learned Academies Special Projects Scheme to undertake a study on maximising the benefits from Australia’s international scientific linkages. The planned outcomes are to ensure more targetted investment in areas of national priority and increased leverage of international scientific resources for the benefit of Australia.

On 28 April at the Shine Dome, the Academy held a meeting of the Chairs of the 22 National Committees for Science and the national and international roles and responsibilities of the National Committees were discussed. The Academy believes it is important for the National Committees to undertake the task of planning the development of their discipline. Committee Chairs are currently identifying the personnel, infrastructure and resource needs in their discipline areas, on a national basis, and this information will be presented to the Academy's Council when it next meets in June.

SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY UNIT FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM
The Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Unit was established by the Government to implement a research program to coordinate SET, together with the humanities and social sciences, to support Australia's counter-terrorism needs. It has identified nine initial priority areas of interest which have been endorsed by a high-level Australian Government Committee on counter-terrorism. The Unit is in the process of developing specific requirements in each of these areas with the counter-terrorism agencies through a series of workshops and consultancies. It received $7.2 million over 4 years in the 2004-05 Budget to implement its research program. Further information on the Unit can be found at http://www.pmc.gov.au/docs/science_unit_index.cfm.

REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

Queensland
The Queensland Fellows held a public forum at the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville on 29 April. The gathering was welcomed by Professor Bernard Moulden, Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University. Ms Linday Nelson-Carr, Member for Mundingburra and Parliamentary Secretary assisting the Premier in North Queensland, gave a talk on Queensland – the Smart State, and Chair of the Queensland Fellows, Professor Julie Campbell, described the role and work of the Academy. Professor Ross Crozier, Professor Terry Hughes, Professor Perry Bartlett and Professor Mark von Itzstein – all Academy Fellows – gave presentations of their work. The evening concluded with general discussion and questions from the audience, followed by refreshments.

Victoria
The Victorian New Fellows Symposium will be held on Thursday 3 June at 6pm. Newly elected Fellows of the Academy from Victoria will give a brief presentation of their work. The symposium, of special interest to students and scientists of all ages and all fields, is free and open to the public.

The symposium, organised by Professor Tony Klein, Chair of the Victorian Fellows, will be held in the Elizabeth Murdoch Theatre (Old Pathology), University of Melbourne (enter via Gate 1, Cnr Tin Alley and Swanston Street). Parking is available on the University of Melbourne campus after hours for a $2 coin.

The new Fellows and the titles of their presentations are listed below:

Professor Peter Forrester (School of Mathematics, University of Melbourne)
The lore of prime numbers

Professor Rao Kotagiri (Head of Computer Science, University of Melbourne)
Data mining: extracting useful facts from huge data sets

Professor Ary Hoffmann (Department of Genetics, La Trobe University)
From parasite to symbiont: weird passengers

Professor Nancy Millis AC (Department of Microbiology, University of Melbourne)
Genetically manipulated organisms: what is there to fear?

Mr John Ralph AC (Chairman, Commonwealth Bank of Australia)
The Academy's role in education through the Australian Foundation for Science

Professor David Smyth (School of Biological Sciences, Monash University)
The organs of flowers and how they develop

Professor Marelyn Wintour-Coghlan (Department of Physiology, Monash University)
Life before birth – how it may influence health ever after

ANNUAL REPORT
The Academy's annual report for 2003-2004 is available as a 68-page PDF file at http://www.science.org.au/reports/2004anrep.pdf. Printed copies are available from Maureen Swanage at mailto:maureen.swanage@science.org.au or (02) 6247 5385.

FOR THE FELLOWSHIP

SYMPOSIA TOPICS FOR 2006 AND 2007
Fellows are invited to nominate topics for the Academy's annual symposia for 2006 and 2007. Please send your suggestions to Sue Serjeantson at mailto:sue.serjeantson@science.org.au.

EXCOM PROPOSAL
Robyn Williams will be meeting with EXCOM on 29 July to discuss his propositions for Academy involvement in ABC Science Media Fellowships and in a Foundation to fund quality science television and radio programs. I'll be inviting suggestions from the Fellowship to help advance these propositions.

NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO THE FELLOWSHIP
Fellows are advised that if they wish to nominate a candidate for Ordinary election, the Certificate of a Candidate for Election and all supporting documents must be received by the Secretariat by 31 July 2004.

DIARY DATES 2004

11-28 May. Australian synchrotron – potential for medical research. Seminars to be held in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne Canberra (http://www.synchrotron.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=1466).

4 June. Deadline for nominations for the new Science Writers Award, part of the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards (http://www.literaryawards.qld.gov.au/).

22-23 June. Public forum on Excellence in Research. See item above.

2 July. Deadline for applications for scientific visits to North America and Asia (see item above).

5-6 July. Australian Biotechnology Summit, 2004, Sydney Convention Centre (http://www.acevents.com.au/biotechnology2004).

7 July. Deadline for applications for scientific visits to Asia (see item above).

21 July. John Shine to give the 4th Annual Academy of Science address to the National Press Club

30 July. Deadline for nominations for the ATSE Clunies Ross Award 2005 (http://www.cluniesross.org.au/).

31 July. Deadline for receipt of Certificate of a Candidate for Election. See item above.

9-13 August. 5th Association of Pacific Rim Universities Doctoral Students Conference, Research at Pacific Rim universities: economic, scientific and cultural perspectives, Sydney.

11-13 August. International Congress of Clinical Nutrition 2004, Brisbane.

23-26 August. Insect sensors and robotics (a conference in the Sir Mark Oliphant International Frontiers of Science and Technology Conference Series, co-sponsored by the Academy), Brisbane (http://isr.rsbs.anu.edu.au/).

29 August-1 September. 7th International Hydrocolloids Conference, Melbourne (http://www.icms.com.au/7ihc).

5-9 September. 19th World Energy Congress, Sydney.

26 September-1 October. Australian Society for Microbiology National Conference 2004, Sydney.

30 September. Closing date for nominations for the Edgeworth David Medal, the Clarke Medal and the Walter Burfitt Prize (http://nsw.royalsoc.org.au/awards.html).

11-12 November. The role of Antarctic research in Australian science and policy advice, Canberra (http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=13961). A conference organised by the Academy's National Committee for Antarctic Research, and the Australian Antarctic Division.

COUNCIL MEMBERS (www.science.org.au/fellows/council/)

President, Jim Peacock
phone (02) 6246 5250, fax (02) 6246 4866, president@science.org.au

Secretary (Physical Sciences), Robert Frater
phone (02) 9886 5628, rfrater@resmed.com.au

Secretary (Biological Sciences), John Shine
phone (02) 9295 8120, j.shine@garvan.org.au

Secretary (Science Policy), Michael Barber
phone (02) 6276 6388, michael.barber@csiro.au

Secretary (Education and Public Awareness), John McKenzie
phone (03) 8344 6407, dean@science.unimelb.edu.au

Foreign Secretary, Bruce McKellar
phone (03) 8344 5122, b.mckellar@physics.unimelb.edu.au

Treasurer, Ian McDougall
phone (02) 6125 4136, Ian.McDougall@anu.edu.au