PRESIDENT'S NOTES
22 July 2009
Dear Colleagues,
Recently, I invited Fellows to comment on a combined analysis of the 2009–10 federal science budget and the innovation white paper Powering ideas in the context of the Academy’s 2007 Research and innovation in Australia policy statement. The complete analysis and further details were posted on the ‘Fellows only’ section of the website and a summary document is available from the page www.science.org.au/reports. Thank you to the Fellows who took the time to provide input. It will be important to monitor the implementation of the commitments that were made.
The government’s appetite for reviews inquiries and consultations in a range of areas of interest to the Academy continues, including several inquiries on aspects of climate change where our submissions have consistently emphasised a need for continued investment in climate change science. Our new Secretary for Science Policy, Professor Bob Williamson, had to begin work immediately to coordinate the provision of Academy input into the current reviews of the NHMRC’s Research Fellowships Scheme and the ARC’s Centres of Excellence program.
I was pleased to see that six Academy Fellows and four members of national committees each received one of the 15 new ARC Australian Laureate Fellowships in June, and wish them all the best with their research.
A strong relationship between the Australian and French academies has existed since the mid 1980s when both organisations signed an MOU and began fruitful links, instigated in great part by the late Professor Bede Morris FAA. The French government subsequently recognised his contribution to France’s science by awarding him the honour of Knight of the National Order of Merit (Chevalier dans l'Ordre Nationale du Mérite). In 1988, shortly before his death, he was awarded France's highest honour the Legion of Honour.
I am delighted to advise that a second member of the Academy and Foreign Fellow of the French Academy of Sciences, Professor Suzanne Cory, was similarly honoured at a ceremony at the French Embassy in June. In addition, the Academy’s former Executive Secretary, Professor Sue Serjeantson, and Manager for International Relations, Ms Nancy Pritchard were recently made Officer and Knight, respectively, of the Order of Academic Palms. All received their awards for their services in promoting bilateral collaborations in science, education and culture.
With best wishes,
Kurt Lambeck
GOVERNMENT AND RELATED REVIEWS AND SUBMISSIONS
Since the last President's Note, the Academy has commented on or responded to the following inquiries or reviews:
- Inquiry into the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change
- Senate select committee on climate policy
- Inquiry into long term meteorological forecasting in Australia
- NHMRC review of Research Fellowships Scheme
- ARC review of Centres of Excellence
Academy reports and submissions are available from www.science.org.au/reports.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
2009 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI) program orientation in Canberra
The Academy hosted twenty American PhD students selected to participate in the 2009 EAPSI program, run by the Academy and the US National Science Foundation. The orientation session, held from 22 to 24 June, was the beginning of the students’ eight week stay in Australia, during which they will undertake a research project at an Australian institution. The participants of the program come from a number of research areas, and are hosted by various institutions including universities, CSIRO divisions, museums, teaching hospitals and government institutions.
During the orientation session the students toured the National Museum of Australia and New Parliament House and attended Question Time in the House of Representatives. Dr Joe Hlubucek, Executive Director of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, and Professor David Lindenmayer FAA of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University presented at the opening session.
Australia-Singapore Energy Workshop
The Academy of Science and the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, organised the Australia–Singapore Energy Workshop held at University House in Canberra on15 and 16 June.
The Singaporean delegation was led by Professor Charles Zukoski, chairman of the Science and Engineering Research Council of A*STAR. The Australian co-convenors were Professor Andrew Holmes FAA and Mr Peter Laver Vice-President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Approximately thirty Singaporean and Australian invited participants explored collaborative opportunities during plenary discussions and presentations in the areas of carbon capture and utilisation, bioenergy, organic photovoltaics, energy storage devices and intelligent energy distribution systems.
NATIONAL COMMITTEES
Upcoming meetings
The following national committee meetings are planned:
- National Committee for Nutrition - 28 July
- National Committee for Medicine - 5 August
- National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science - 28 August
Meeting of the Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany
The 59th Meeting of Nobel Laureates on the theme of chemistry was held from 28 June to 3 July. The Academy provided support for seven early-career researchers to attend the meeting. The Lindau meeting provides an opportunity, not only for the attendees to meet Nobel Laureates in their chosen field, but to also develop international networks and contacts that may be useful in their future careers. For further information regarding the Nobel Laureate meetings in Lindau go to www.science.org.au/internat/lindau.html or www.lindau-nobel.de.
National Museum of Australia Student Prize winners
The winners of this year's prizes are:
- Jodi Frawley, Trans/nationalising wattle from the Sydney botanic gardens
- Benedict Taylor, It is curious how the convict loves a pet: Animals in Australia
- Lawrence Niewójt, Gadubanud society in the Otway Range, Victoria: An environmental history.
The awards were presented at a function held at the Shine Dome on 2 June by Dr Sue Meek, Chief Executive of the Academy and Mr Craddock Morton, Director of the National Museum of Australia. The prize is a joint initiative of the Academy's National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science and the National Museum of Australia.
Symposium and public lecture on salt in the diet
The National Committee for Nutrition will be holding a symposium Salt in the diet: The elephant in the room: Why health professionals need a shake up on 13 August 2009. The objective of the symposium is to raise consumer and health professional's awareness of the health consequences of our excessive salt intake and to disseminate strategies that can be implemented at national, state and community levels to reduce dietary salt intake. For further information and the registration form, go to www.science.org.au/natcoms/nc-nutrition.html.
SCIENCE AT THE SHINE DOME PROCEEDINGS
The transcripts of most of the presentations from the Academy's symposium Evolution of the universe, planets, life and thought are now available from www.science.org.au/sats2009/symposium. The remaining transcripts will be posted as they become available.
PRIMARY CONNECTIONS UPDATE
Stage 3 of the Primary Connections project is now complete. A total of nineteen units have now been published and are available for sale through the Academy website. Over 170,000 Primary Connections units have been distributed throughout Australia and overseas to the end of June 2009: 47 per cent of Australian primary schools now have at least one of the units.
Nine more units will be published by mid 2011 as part of the Stage 4 contract with the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The new units will align with the work of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority who are charged with developing a national curriculum for science education.
To date the Primary Connections team has provided 2 or 3 days of training for 120 university facilitators, 880 teacher leaders and approximately 400 professional learning facilitators. The teacher leaders work in their schools to assist teachers to implement the program. The facilitators also assist other schools in their region or state to implement the inquiry-based approach. Over the next two years, master facilitators will be trained to take up a leadership role to train facilitators in preparation for the implementation of a national curriculum in science from 2011.
For more information about Primary Connections go to www.science.org.au/primaryconnections.
FOR THE FELLOWSHIP
Ordinary election to the Fellowship
Fellows are reminded that if they wish to nominate a candidate for Ordinary Election in 2009, the Certificate of a Candidate for Election and all supporting documents must be received by 31 July.
Updates for continuing candidates
Fellows are also requested to submit updated documentation for continuing candidates for Ordinary Election by 31 July to ensure inclusion with the initial material circulated to Sectional Committees. However, updates may be submitted at any time throughout the year.
Special election to the Fellowship
Fellows are reminded that the closing date for receipt of proposals to Council of a candidate for Special Election is 31 August.
Submitting supporting documentation
Supporting documentation should be supplied as electronic files (.pdf or .doc) via email to caroline.giddings@science.org.au. The 20 most significant publications may be submitted as hardcopy or on a CD. In the event of difficulties with the electronic format paper copies will be accepted.
REMINDER ABOUT CLOSING DATES FOR 2010 ACADEMY AWARDS
Nominations for early-career and career research awards close on 31 July:
Early-career awards
- Anton Hales Medal (Earth sciences)
- Dorothy Hill Award (Earth sciences, reef sciences, marine geology and taxonomy)
- Fenner Medal (biology - excluding biomedical sciences)
- Gottschalk Medal (medical sciences)
- Le Fèvre Memorial Prize (chemistry)
- Pawsey Medal (physics)
- Ruth Stephens Gani Medal (human genetics including clinical, molecular, population and epidemiological genetics and cytogenetics)
Career awards
- David Craig Medal (chemistry)
- Haddon Forrester King Medal, sponsored by Rio Tinto (mineral exploration)
- Ian Wark Medal and Lecture (applied sciences)
- Mawson Medal and Lecture (Earth sciences)
- 2011 Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture (physical sciences - nominations from Academy Fellows only)
Information and forms are available from www.science.org.au/awards.
Research support awards close on 31 August:
- Boden Conference (biological sciences)
- Elizabeth and Frederick White Conference (physical sciences)
- Fenner Conference on the Environment
- Conservation of endangered Australian vertebrate species awards
- Graeme Caughley Travelling Fellowship (ecology)
- Rudi Lemberg Travelling Fellowship (biological sciences)
- Selby Fellowship (all fields)
Information and forms are available from www.science.org.au/awards/awards/research.html.
DIARY DATES 2009
31 July. Nominations close for the Academy's early-career and career research awards.
31 July. Close of early bird registrations for Salt in the diet: The elephant in the room: Why health professionals need a shake up. Registration forms and program available at www.science.org.au/natcoms/nc-nutrition.html.
31 July. Closing date for receipt of nominations of a Candidate for Ordinary election to the Fellowship.
4 August. The contribution of renewables in Australia’s future energy mix. Final presentation in the renewable energy lecture series by Dr John Wright, Advisor, Sustainable Energy Partnerships, CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship. The Shine Dome, Canberra. Go to www.science.org.au/events/publiclectures/re/wright.html.
13 August. Salt in the diet: The elephant in the room: Why health professionals need a shake-up. One-day symposium held by the National Committee for Nutrition and sponsored by the Nutrition Society of Australia. The George Institute for International Health, Sydney. Go to www.science.org.au/natcoms/nc-nutrition.html.
13 August. Should you be eating that much s**t (salt). Free public lecture by Dr Bruce Neal. This is the final lecture in the symposium Salt in the diet: The elephant in the room: Why health professionals need a shake up. The George Institute for International Health, Sydney. Go to www.science.org.au/natcoms/nc-nutrition.html.
19 August. Climate change, human aspiration and the finite capacity of planet Earth. Public lecture for National Science Week by Dr Michael Raupach FAA. The Shine Dome, Canberra. Go to www.science.org.au/events/lectures-and-speeches/raupach.
31 August. Nominations close for the Academy's research support awards.
31 August. Closing date for receipt of proposals to Council of a candidate for Special Election.
9 September. Internationalisation of Australian science. National Press Club address by President Professor Kurt Lambeck. National Press Club, Barton, Canberra. Go to www.npc.org.au/upcomingSpeakers.
1 October. Shine Dome open day. Shine Dome, Canberra.
22-23 October. Agriculture and climate change: Science and technology responses and adaptations. High Flyers Think Tank. Melbourne.
24-25 October. Nuclear astrophysics in Australia. 2009 Elizabeth and Frederick White Research Conference. The Shine Dome, Canberra. Go to www.cspa.monash.edu.au/activities/white-conference.
