News and views

How will we provide enough food, water and energy for the 9.7 billion people living on Earth in 2050? This will be one of the questions to challenge school students in National Science Week this August, thanks to a new sustainability science resource by the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).

An expert in optoelectronic engineering has been announced as the Australian nominee for the 2017 international ASPIRE Prize.

Mr Nicholas Leseberg from the University of Queensland and Dr Marta Yebra from the Australian National University are the first two recipients of the Academy’s Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award.

The Academy has awarded the Douglas and Lola Douglas Scholarship to Dr Bianca Middleton for her research on improving the health of Indigenous children.

Melanie is a PhD qualified medical research scientist turned professional science communicator. She joins us from the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) where as Manager of Business Development she was a driving force in the launch of their new breaking science news venture, Scimex.

Smarter bank notes, health-protecting wearable electronics, and bendy solar cells are just some of the ways that polymer science is making plastic fantastic. Next week, three Australian researchers will tell audiences in Sydney and Melbourne how they are putting polymers to work.

Dear Academy person…

Space science and technology was on the political agenda following the Parliamentary Friends of Science breakfast held in Canberra on Tuesday 14 February.

The Academy has announced the recipients of the J G Russell Award to help talented younger researchers in the basic sciences.