PRESIDENT'S NOTES

3 June 2005


Dear Colleague,

It was a great pleasure to welcome so many of our Fellows and guests to this year’sScience at the Shine Dome meeting. As usual, the occasion was a wonderful celebration of science. The feedback has been very positive, from Fellows, science teachers, early career researchers and award winners. Some of the comments follow later in this Note.

On Wednesday 4 May, we began the day with the Matthew Flinders Lecture by Ron Ekers, who took us on a voyage of discovery from the birth of radio astronomy to pulsars and the mysteries of dark matter. The Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture alternates each year with the Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture for research in the biological sciences. Jenny Graves has been awarded the Macfarlane Burnet Medal for 2006 and we look forward to her presentation atScience at the Shine Dome in 2006.

A highlight of the Academy’s calendar is the annual New Fellows Seminar, and once again we were treated to outstanding presentations from our new Fellows. These presentations were recorded, as is usual, and are now available from the Academy’s secretariat in DVD format. If you wish to purchase a copy please contact Jacinta Legg (jacinta.legg@science.org.au, or (02) 6247 5777).

We were very pleased that our two recently elected Corresponding Members, John Boyer and Gunnar Oquist, were able to join us in Canberra for the three days of celebrations and to sign the Charter Book. John Boyer presented his work, talking onIntravenous feeding: helping unravel how plants reproduce when water is limited. Gunnar Oquist was the speaker at the formal dinner held in the Great Hall in Parliament House and talked about the role of science academies in our times. Gunnar is, of course, not only a pre-eminent plant physiologist but also the Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

In 2005 Council elected as Corresponding Members Professor Marc Feldmann and Professor Yongxiang Lu. A short record of the attainments of these eminent scientists follows later in this Note.

Since its foundation, the Academy of Science has devoted part of the AGM week to a symposium on a topical scientific issue. At the first AGM in April 1955, the topic wasThe permeability of living membranes, organised by Jack Eccles (later to receive the Nobel Prize), Colin Courtice and Bob Robertson. This year, the Academy, in presenting the annual symposium on the topic ofRecent advances in stem cell science and therapies, ensured that the very best international science was available to policy makers. This year two Acts of Parliament will be reviewed, theResearch Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 and theProhibition of Human Cloning Act 2002, so our symposium was most timely.

I would like to thank our symposium sponsors for their generous support. I thank the Lion Foundation, the Queensland Brain Institute of the University of Queensland, the ANZ Children’s Heart Research Centre, Cystic Fibrosis Victoria and Cystic Fibrosis Australia, and the Australian Stem Cell Centre. In addition, Biotechnology Australia, an Australian Government initiative, sponsored the sessions on ethical issues in stem cell research.

I congratulate the symposium convenor, Bob Williamson, and the steering group of Julie Campbell, Roger Short and John White for putting together an exceptionally interesting and informative program.

Fellows Ron Ekers and Brian Kennett have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society (London) in recognition of their scientific attainments. Well done and well deserved!

With best wishes,
Jim

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE
The Academy, with the support of Biotechnology Australia, will be hosting a High Flyers Think Tank onBiotechnology and the future of Australian agriculture at the Shine Dome in Canberra on Tuesday 26 July. The draft program can be found at http://www.science.org.au/events/biotechnology. Speakers and breakout groups will discuss biotechnology issues in various agricultural sectors, including horticulture, livestock, new plant products (pharming), aquaculture and crop production.

The Think Tank will be followed by my address to the National Press Club on Wednesday 27 July. EntitledBiotechnology and the agribusiness economy, this will be the Academy’s 5th annual address to the Press Club. As usual, 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 at http://www.npc.org.au (email admin@npc.org.au or phone (02) 6273 3644).

NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE WORKSHOP
The Academy’s National Committee for Earth System Science is organising a workshop onReconstructing past climates for future prediction: Integrating high-resolution palaeo-data for meaningful prediction in the Australasian region, to be held at the Shine Dome on 27 and 28 June.

The aim of the workshop, which is being supported by the Australian Greenhouse Office, is to provide a forum for climatologists and modellers to focus on new ideas, observations, analyses and theories of climate change to highlight ways of improving the understanding and prediction of future climate change and variability in the Australasian region. Further information is available at http://www.uow.edu.au/conferences/canberra.

THRESHOLDS AND PATTERN DYNAMICS
The University of Western Australia will be hostingThresholds and pattern dynamics, a conference in the Sir Mark Oliphant International Frontiers of Science and Technology Conference Series, on 4 to 7 July.

The workshop will focus on novel approaches that will explicitly account for the unobservable nature of those hydrological processes for predicting the effects of climate and land-use change. Further information is available at http://www.oliphant.org.au.
The Sir Mark Oliphant International Frontiers of Science and Technology Conference Series is co-sponsored by the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and Engineers Australia.

MAXIMISING AUSTRALIA’S LINKAGES TO GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES
The Academy has prepared a report, funded by the ARC Linkage–Learned Academies Special Projects Grant, that is a snapshot of the current situation of Australia’s participation in global scientific activities.

The report gives an inventory of significant global scientific organisations and collaborative opportunities in which Australian scientists and scientific institutions might reasonably be expected to be involved, and maps the extent to which Australia is currently engaged in these programs and the benefits that flow from that engagement. The nature and extent of any gaps between current participation in global scientific programs and potential opportunities are assessed. Mechanisms to enhance Australian scientific involvement in global scientific programs, including the mechanism of subscriptions to international scientific organisations, are also evaluated. The report,Maximising the benefits from Australia’s formal linkages to global scientific activities, is available on the Academy’s website at http://www.science.org.au/reports/linkages.htm.

55TH MEETING OF NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS
The Academy has been invited to select ten young Australian researchers to attend the Lindau Foundation Nobel Laureate meeting at Lake Constance in Germany. The group will be led by Phil Kuchel, the Academy’s Secretary, Science Policy, and will travel to Lindau for the week 26 June–1 July 2005 to meet with some 50 Nobel Laureates and 600 students from around the globe. The group will participate in plenary sessions, round table debates and small group discussions within and beyond their respective disciplines. Some of the students will then take part in a week-long tour of scientific institutions and laboratories in Germany. More information about the meeting is available at http://www.lindau-nobel.de.

Phil Kuchel will attend as Observer, if he reports back in a positive way the Academy will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lindau Foundation to ensure that this becomes an annual, ongoing activity.

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

  • ‘The stem cell symposium was top shelf. All speakers were international experts and explained a complex, new field of research well and were unbiased by policies and politics.’

  • ‘This experience has provided me with new mentors and new career goals.’

  • ‘This conference provided inspiration for me to aim to be a world-class scientist.’

  • ‘As a teacher the New Fellows Seminar was the most exciting section ofScience at the Shine Dome. The broad range of science presented by enthusiastic, committed scientists provided a shot in the arm for my teaching.’

  • ‘The presentation of awards and the admission of new Fellows was very inspirational. Such wonderful passion shown for so many incredibly diverse fields.’

NEW CORRESPONDING MEMBERS
Two eminent overseas scientists who have established and maintained strong links to Australia were elected as Corresponding Members of the Academy in March. A Corresponding Member of the Academy is a person who is eminent in respect of scientific discoveries and attainments but is not normally resident in Australia. No more than two Corresponding Members can be elected in any one year.

Professor Marc Feldmann is Head of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division at Imperial College London. He has made important contributions to our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders: his research leading to the development of an effective therapy for patients with resistant rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Professor Feldmann was a joint recipient of both the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2000 and the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award in 2003.

Professor Yongxiang Lu has served as the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 1997 and actively promotes the development of scientific research and education. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, People’s Republic of China. He has published more than 250 papers on engineering and engineering education and is the author of two books; he also owns 20 patents. Professor Lu has received numerous prestigious awards including a Knight Commander’s Cross (Badge and Star) from the Federal President of Germany in 2000.

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 2006 and 30 June 2007 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 are funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training's International Science and Technology Networks, a component of the International Science Linkages Programme announced in the Government's Innovation Statement,Backing Australia's Ability.

The deadline for applications is 24 June 2005. Information and application forms are available at http://www.science.org.au/internat/programs.htm.

HADDON KING MEDAL PRESENTATION
Professor Ross Large, FTSE, Professor of Geology and Director of the ARC Centre for Ore Deposit Research at the University of Tasmania, will be presented with the Academy’s 2005 Haddon King Medal at a dinner to be held on 22 July at the University of Melbourne’s Woodward Centre. Contact Faye Nicholas (email faye.nicholas@science.org.au or phone (02) 6247 5777) if you would like to attend. Information about the Haddon King Medal is available at http://www.science.org.au/awards/haddon.htm.

REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

Victoria
The Victorian New Fellows Symposium will be held on Wednesday 22 June at 6.00pm. 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. Please contact Tony Klein (klein@unimelb.edu.au) for more information.

ANNUAL REPORT AND NEWSLETTER
The Academy’s annual report for 2004-2005 is available as a 62-page PDF file at http://www.science.org.au/reports/2005anrep.pdf. Our most recentNewsletter is available at www.science.org.au/newsletters/aas61.pdf

FOR THE FELLOWSHIP
NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO THE FELLOWSHIP
Fellows are advised that if they wish to nominate a candidate for Ordinary election, theCertificate of a Candidate for Election and all supporting documents must be received by the Secretariat by 31 July 2005.
The closing date for receipt of proposals for Corresponding Members for election in 2006 is 31 August 2005.

DIARY DATES 2005

24 June. Deadline for applications for scientific visits to North America, North East Asia and Europe (see item above).

27–28 June.Reconstructing past climates for future prediction: Integrating high-resolution palaeo data for meaningful prediction in the Australasian region. Shine Dome, Canberra (http://www.uow.edu.au/conferences/canberra/ ). A workshop organised by the Academy’s National Committee for Earth System Science (see item above).

4–7 July.Thresholds and patterns of dynamics (a conference in the Sir Mark Oliphant International Frontiers of Science and Technology Conference Series, co-sponsored by the Academy), University of Western Australia (http://www.oliphant.org.au/index.html and see item above).

22 July. Haddon King Medal Presentation, Woodward Centre, University of Melbourne (see item above).

26 July.Biotechnology and the future of Australian agriculture. A Think Tank hosted by the Academy with the support of Biotechnology Australia, Shine Dome, Canberra. (see item above).

27 July. Jim Peacock to give the Academy’s 5th annual address to the National Press Club

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

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

31 August. Deadline for receipt of proposals for Corresponding Members for election in 2006.

30 September. Deadline for nominations for the Edgeworth David Medal and the Clarke Medal (http://nsw.royalsoc.org.au/awards.html).

29 November–2 December.Epigenetic regulation in development and disease (a conference in the Sir Mark Oliphant International Frontiers of Science and Technology Conference Series, co-sponsored by the Academy), CSIRO Discovery Centre, Plant Industry, Canberra (http://www.oliphant.org.au/index2.html#2).

5–9 December.Bio-engineering and nanotechnology (a conference in the Sir Mark Oliphant International Frontiers of Science and Technology Conference Series, co-sponsored by the Academy), University of Queensland (http://www.oliphant.org.au/index3.html#3).

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

President, Jim Peacock
phone (02) 6246 5250, fax (02) 6246 5000, jim.peacock@csiro.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), Philip Kuchel
phone (02) 9351 3709, p.kuchel@mmb.usyd.edu.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, Phil McFadden
phone (02) 6249 9612, pmcfadde@pcug.org.au