The Shine Dome, Academy staff cars, and Ian Potter House (not in photo) were severely damaged by the hail storm.

Australia’s top scientists are counting the cost of yesterday’s hailstorms after Canberra landmark the Shine Dome sustained serious damage during the extreme weather event.

Academy Fellow Professor Lisa Kewley has been named as the recipient of the 2020 James Craig Watson Medal by the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC for her pioneering contributions to the study of galaxy formation and evolution.

The winners of the STEM Women Changemakers grant. From L-R: Catherine Royans, Dr Emma Camp, Jerusha Mather, Jessie Panazzolo, Dr Kirsty Nash, Dr Mary McMillan, Professor Tanya M. Smith, Tishiko King, Ruwangi Fernando, Associate Professor Muireann Irish, Dr Momeneh Foroutan, and Dr Marit Kragt  

The Academy has announced its inaugural group of twelve STEM Women Changemakers.

From left: Professor Robyn Williams, Professor Rachel Webster, Emeritus Professor Anthony Guttmann, Dr Brian Walker and Professor Anthony Thomas 

Five Academy Fellows are among the Australians recognised in the 2020 Australia Day Honours List.

In a statement on the Australian bushfires published on 10 January 2020, the President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor John Shine, stated that ‘the scale of these bushfires is unprecedented anywhere in the world’.

(From L-R) Recipients of the 2020 J G Russell award: Dr Blanca del Rosal Rabes, Dr Annie Colebatch, Dr Laura Grogan, Dr James Baker. Winners of the 2020 Douglas and Lola Douglas Award: Dr Emily Papadimos, Ms Roxanne Jones

Two brand new career awards will form part of the Academy’s 2021 award round, honouring two of Australia’s pioneering women scientists.

Above: Professor Laura Mackay was awarded the 2019 Gottschalk Medal by the Academy and later in the year a Prime Minister’s science prize.

It’s been a very difficult six or so months for Australians, with many parts of the country—including millions of people—experiencing ongoing drought as well as extreme heat, bushfires, air pollution, floods and storms. I extend the thoughts and kind wishes of the Fellows and staff of the Academy to all those affected, both directly and indirectly, by what we have experienced and are still experiencing.

Academy Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia (far left) attended a roundtable of peak bodies and government ministers in January.

The Academy is actively responding to this season’s bushfires through its Fellows and its capabilities in policy and communications.

© 2025 Australian Academy of Science

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