Dr Martin Bush from the University of Melbourne has received the 2023 Moran Award for History of Science Research, for his research proposal ‘Literary skies: the popular astronomy of William Albert Amiet’.
William Albert Amiet (1890–1959) was a Queensland barrister, polymath, author, politician, community organiser and populariser of science. Amiet’s work as a scholar of literature has received some attention, as has his role as a diarist during World War 1. However, the second of Amiet’s two lifelong themes of ‘literature and astronomy’ has never been investigated.
Dr Martin Bush will explore the singular role of astronomy in Amiet’s literary and community activity, to better understand popular science in Australia in the first half of the 20th century.
To do so, Dr Bush will use the William Albert Amiet Collection at the University of Queensland's Fryer Library as his primary archive, reading it against other sources such as Trove's record of Amiet’s community activities and public writing.
Dr Bush said the Fryer Library collection is substantial, including: 56 diaries running continuously from 1903 until 1959; correspondence from 1941 to 1955; and Amiet’s impressions of the skies as seen while on service in World War 1.
“Of particular interest is his personally annotated astronomical field book, a close study of which will reveal the connections between Amiet’s amateur astronomy and his public activities,” Dr Bush said.
“Other relevant collections are at the State Library of Queensland, including correspondence from Amiet, and Eglinton’s archives, and the State Library of New South Wales, where the Angus and Robertson Archives include business files and author correspondence relating to [Amiet's books] Starry Pages and Starry Ages.”
Dr Bush intends to produce a scholarly manuscript for submission for the Australian Academy of Science’s journal, Historical Records of Australian Science.
“The Moran Award has supported so much important research in the history of Australian science, and I am honoured to join the company of previous recipients,” Dr Bush said.
The Moran Award for History of Science Research is aimed at postgraduate students and other researchers with expertise in the history of Australian science. Its purpose is to support access to archives that record the history of science in Australia, especially by younger researchers, and can be used towards travel and accommodation costs.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
