This month the Academy hosted virtual Falling Walls Lab Australia in partnership with the German Embassy in Canberra and EURAXESS Australia and New Zealand. Chaired by Academy President Professor John Shine and overseen by Academy Secretary for Education and Public Awareness Professor Hans Bachor, the ten contestants presented their research remotely via livestream. Broadcast across the world, it was an ambitious project. But the new format was no obstacle for the talented Falling Walls participants whose three-minute presentations outlining their unique and innovative research work were fast paced and inspirational. Congratulations to winning finalists Jessica Hamilton, Alan Robertson and Andrew Law, who will represent Australia at the international Falling Walls Remote 2020 in November.
We have again reached the bushfire season. The Academy continues to work with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and provide evidence-based briefs to decision makers. So far we have released briefs on the impacts of bushfires in relation to wildlife recovery, soil conditions and, most recently, in conjunction with the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, the long-term health impacts of bushfire smoke. With more briefs underway, Academy Fellows and other experts will continue to provide their expert scientific advice to assist in bushfire prevention, preparedness and management.
The success of the SAGE (Science in Australia Gender Equity) three-year pilot has seen the SAGE establish itself as an independent entity, SAGE Ltd. Founded by the Academy and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2015, SAGE is the only national and transformative gender equity initiative of its kind. I could not be more proud of its success and would like to extend a warm welcome and congratulations to Libby Lyons, who has just been announced as inaugural Chair of SAGE Ltd.
I am equally proud to share that the Academy has partnered with Minderoo Foundation to examine the use of data in Australian professional sports. The Expert Working Group will establish current data collection practices and examine issues affecting the rights of athletes, particularly data integrity, privacy and access. With data capture and analytics rapidly accelerating in Australian sports, this project sets the stage for greater oversight of sporting data to ensure it best serves our athletes and wider sporting community.
I hope you enjoy catching up with all our news in this month’s newsletter.
Wishing you all good health.
Anna-Maria
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
