It has been an active period for the Australian Academy of Science and the EMCR Forum. The NHMRC Fellowship Scheme consultation—a process that signals one of the most significant reviews of government research funding—has concluded. Thank you to everyone who contributed to helping shape the EMCR Forum submission.
In April, the EMCR Forum held its showpiece conference, ‘Science Pathways 2015: Effective Science Communication for EMCRs’ in Adelaide. In this issue of Pathways, Andrew Siebel (EMCR Forum Executive Deputy Chair and conference co-convenor) reviews the highlights from the meeting. Feedback from the meeting suggests that science communication is a popular topic with the EMCR community. If you have any suggestions about themes that you would like to see at the next meeting, get in contact with us via email or Twitter: @EMCRForum.
Building on this enthusiasm, Melanie Bagg from the Australian Science Media Centre describes their recent initiative, Scimex: the Science Media Exchange, that seeks to assist scientists get their research into the public arena by connecting them with journalists in need of expert opinion. You can read more about this exciting initiative and learn how you can register to get connected. Similarly, the Academy has just relaunched its public engagement website, Nova, and is looking for EMCRs in a variety of fields to be experts, answering questions from readers and writing short articles for the website.
May was a busy time for the Academy. The EMCR Forum continued its focus on gender equity in science with a special evening with Professor Jenny Martin (ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, The University of Queensland) at Monash University. Nyssa Drinkwater gives an impassioned and thought-provoking report on the talk in which Professor Martin outlined what we as individuals can do to address gender equity, particularly within our own work environments. It is a great piece that I encourage you to read. The Academy held its annual three-day meeting, Science at the Shine Dome, in its iconic building in Canberra. Science at the Shine Dome incorporates the Academy's annual general meeting, induction of new Fellows, presentation of awards and a vibrant scientific symposium. This year, the scientific symposium theme was ‘Minerals to medicines: 100 years of X-ray crystallography’. Alistair White from the CSIRO illustrates the important role that x-ray crystallography plays in a diverse array of scientific endeavours from geophysics and statistical learning theory to plant hormones and disease genetics. You can read more about leading Australian research in the area in Alistair’s report.
In the coming months we will be announcing a call for new members to join the EMCR Forum Executive. Keep watching Pathways, Twitter and the email updates for more details. We are also interested in hosting local events, such as the recent presentation by Professor Jenny Martin on gender equity, at local universities around Australia. If you have a great idea and are interested in hosting a local event, then let us know. The EMCR Forum may be able to provide assistance.
I hope that you enjoy the July issue. If there is something that you would like to hear about in Pathways, contact the Pathways Editor.
Adrian Carter
EMCR Pathways Editor
adrian.carter@monash.edu
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
