Geoffrey Frew Fellow: Professor Ania Bleszynski Jayich, optics and photonics

Experimental physicist Professor Ania Bleszynski Jayich of the University of California Santa Barbara is the 2021 recipient of the Geoffrey Frew Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to distinguished overseas scientists to participate in Australian spectroscopy conferences and visit scientific centres in Australia.

Professor Bleszynski Jayich leads the Quantum Sensing and Imaging research group at UC Santa Barbara. The group’s current research includes spin-phonon coupling, magnetometry, and diamond growth and spin coherence, with applications such as quantum computing and magnetic resonance imaging.

Professor Bleszynski Jayich has made major research impacts, such as the development of a technique for magnetisation measurements of condensed matter systems using ultrasensitive micromechanical detectors. Prior to her physics career, she held a No. 1 singles tennis ranking in the United States for athletes 18-and-under.

The Australian and New Zealand Optical Society generously matches the Academy's funding support to this Fellowship.

Selby Fellow: Professor Matthias Wessling, chemical engineering and sustainability

Professor Matthias Wessling of RWTH Aachen University has been awarded the Academy’s 2021 Selby Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to distinguished overseas scientists to conduct public lectures and visit scientific centres in Australia.

Professor Wessling is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of membrane technology and is the coordinator of all energy transition programs at RWTH Aachen. His research focuses on technologies that enable the transition to zero emissions in energy and industry. Applications of his research include resource recovery and recycling, energy storage, water treatment and medical engineering.

Having given numerous international lectures on ‘big picture’ topics such as sustainability, Professor Wessling’s Australian visit will further stimulate discussion among the community, industry, researchers and politicians.

“I am honoured and ready to go,” said Professor Wessling. “The topics and challenges we have ahead of us need communication beyond national interests and borders.”

The Selby Fellowship fosters the international exchange of scientific ideas and is financed through the generosity of the trustees of the Selby Scientific Foundation.

Dates and details of all tour dates and lectures will be published on the Academy website once confirmed.

Land, water, sky and fire were the focus of two online Academy events for this year’s NAIDOC Week ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’. The events explored how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have nurtured a connection to Country, with a profound sense of responsibility to the natural world, for more than 60,000 years, and the challenges they face. The recordings of the events are compelling watching—we thank the experts involved and all those who joined us online.

Land, water and fire

On 9 November, a panel discussed their perspectives on the environment, biodiversity and sustainability. The panel was made up of Associate Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher, a Wiradjuri man from the University of Melbourne; Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge, a Murri from the Kamilaroi Nation and from the University of Canberra; and Zena Cumpston, a Barkandji woman from the University of Melbourne.

The panellists explained how Indigenous knowledge and science of land, water and fire can inform and improve the management of the natural world.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people … have built an intricate knowledge of the world around us: Country. Country to us is not only the environment, but it’s us, and by keeping Country healthy, we keep ourselves healthy,” Associate Professor Fletcher said.

“[More broadly than the modern view of science], science is essentially the endeavour of observing, experimenting and predicting, and doing this over and over again. This is an endeavour, a process, that all humans undertake and all humans have undertaken through time. It’s nothing unique to any particular culture—it is something that it ubiquitously human,” he said.  

Associate Professor Moggridge highlighted that Indigenous knowledge is only just starting to be included in learning curricula, and only when that occurs from pre-school to university can there be an “Indigenisation of science”.

“We are the first scientists … [our knowledge] needs to be respected for what it is, and then obviously the culture of science needs to change to accept it.”

According to Ms Cumpston, the way forward requires deep cultural and institutional change in how Indigenous input and knowledge is sought and accepted.

From Twitter

“Excellent conversation! So much deep listening, learning & unlearning to be done” @Jane8Toner, Jane Toner

“Engaging and informative discussion – relationships are important – how can we learn to work together – and modify our expectations in academia” @eileenamcl, Professor Eileen McLaughlin

The sky and stars

As possibly the world’s first astronomers, the First Peoples of Australia observe the sun, moon and stars to inform navigation, create calendars and predict weather. On 12 November, a panel discussed the astronomy knowledge of Indigenous Australians and how it contributes to global knowledge about the sky and stars. Panellists were Kirsten Banks, a Wiradjuri woman from the University of New South Wales and Djarra Delaney, from the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, North Stradbroke Island and from the University of Melbourne. Journalist and science communicator, Rae Johnston, a Wiradjuri woman, facilitated the discussion.  

Ms Banks says she was always driven to learn from a very young age. It was in high school where she realised she needed to learn more about space and the universe.

“I’m studying … the stars and the Milky Way galaxy, trying to find out more about the history and formation of our island universe,” Ms Banks said.

Her favourite example of Indigenous knowledge is the celestial Emu. “We call it Gugurmin in Wiradjuri … you’re looking at the negative spaces, the dark parts of the Milky Way galaxy. Its position in the night sky tells us when it’s the right time to go looking for emu eggs, so the night sky is basically like a celestial menu.

“We should be proud of the huge historical scientific achievement that we’ve had in this country, that we now call Australia, for over 60,000 years.”

Acknowledging that all things are connected, Mr Delaney has been sharing Indigenous knowledge including that related to weather. “Indigenous weather knowledge calendars … are based on observable patterns in the environment,” he said.

“With climate change there is dramatic cause for concern because the knowledge has to move so fast now to keep up with these changes. It’s really important knowledge and vital in understanding how climate change is going to impact Australia.”

From Twitter

“What an amazing #NAIDOC2020 event on ‘The sky &stars: the science of a continuous cultre’ hosted by @Science_Academy yesterday! Thank you so much to @AstroKirsten @raejohnston and Djarra Delaney for sharing your knowledge and passion for #IndigenousScience! #NAIDOCWeek2020” @matilda_hd, Matilda Handsley-Davis

“Very engaging talk about the importance of recognizing and respecting Indigenous Science!” @GabriellaAlleg5, Gabriella Allegretto

The Academy’s Reconciliation Action Plan

The Academy’s Reconciliation Action Plan leads with the vision that ‘the traditional knowledge and cultures of Australia’s First Peoples are highly valued and respected by all Australians, and as one we contribute to creating a better nation and a better world.’

See our progress towards reconciliation.

Uncovering rare metal-hoarding plants, mangrove desalination techniques and great hammerhead shark populations are the aims of some of the researchers awarded the Australian Academy of Science's 2021 Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology.

The grant is funded through a generous philanthropic bequest to the Academy from the estate of the late Thomas Lewis Davies. The fund offers annual research grants of up to $20,000 each to early- and mid-career researchers in the fields of marine, soil and plant biology.

Six researchers are recipients of research grants this year.

Dr Caitlin Byrt from the Australian National University will study the mechanisms that allow mangrove species (Avicennia officinalis) to separate salt and water, which could potentially help to manage freshwater resources. Recent advances in desalination technologies have drawn inspiration from biological systems, such as mangroves, to make the processes more energy-efficient and cost-effective.

Dr Byrt’s research will focus on the water and salt transport properties of mangrove aquaporins, a type of water channel protein embedded in leaf membranes. “This project will contribute to our understanding of how nature has solved the problem of separating salt and water,” said Dr Byrt.

Dr Antony van der Ent from the University of Queensland will continue the search for undiscovered hyperaccumulator plants, which have the unique ability to accumulate metal and metalloid elements. Hyperaccumulators have great potential in the fields of phytomining (harvesting metals from crops), phytoremediation of soils for agriculture and environmental management, and biofortification of crops to address human micronutrient deficiencies.

“Just 700 hyperaccumulator plant species have been identified globally, although it is expected that many more exist and await discovery,” said Dr van der Ent. He will use the innovative technique of x-ray fluorescence ionomics to extract elemental data from plant species held at the Queensland Herbarium.

Several hyperaccumulators have already been discovered in this collection in recent years, and the insights from this research will advance knowledge about their biology and physiology.

Dr Adam Frew from the University of Southern Queensland will investigate how different communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can affect defence traits in their host plants. AM fungi are sometimes used in bio-fertilisers—they promote plant growth and stress resistance, and can enhance their host plants’ immune systems. They also play a key role in maintaining soil health.

Dr Frew will investigate the role of AM fungal diversity in plant resistance to herbivores. He will study how diverse fungal communities drive defence mechanisms against root-feeding insects in three important crops: sugarcane, wheat and sorghum. This is an important step forward since most research to date has focused only on a few commonly used AM fungal species.

Dr Jana Sperschneider from the Australian National University will help uncover the mechanisms behind how rust fungi infect plants. Rust fungi are a significant threat to major agricultural crops like wheat, as well as iconic Australian plants, such as tea tree and lemon myrtle.

There is currently a lack of understanding surrounding how rusts infect plants—their unusual genomic structure is believed to be a major contributor to their virulence. Dr Sperschneider aims to shed light on how the rust genome is organised during the distinct stages of plant infection. This will help develop durable and effective strategies to protect crops and native ecosystems from rusts.

Dr Bonnie Holmes from the University of the Sunshine Coast will carry out one of the first studies to explicitly assess the distribution of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) across multiple ecosystems in QLD and NSW. Her research will collect detailed ecological information on great hammerheads, including seasonal movements, fishery interaction and population genetic dynamics, particularly in the face of climate change.

Numbers of hammerhead sharks have undergone significant reductions off the Australian east coast and the species was classified as critically endangered in 2019. As keystone predators, they play a critical role in influencing the marine ecosystem, and Dr Holmes’s work will provide data that is essential for Australian management strategies.

Dr Amelia Wenger from the University of Queensland aims to develop evidence-based wastewater pollution guidelines that will preserve ecosystem health. Wastewater treatment services tend to focus on removing pathogens harmful to humans, but may not address pollutants that can harm coastal environments.

Dr Wenger’s project will draw on ecotoxicology statistics to develop wastewater pollution guidelines for tropical coastal and marine ecosystems. These guidelines will be used by conservation organisations, sanitation and health practitioners, and policymakers to implement ocean-friendly sanitation management.

Three early-career researchers have been awarded funding for ecology projects in 2021 thanks to the Australian Academy of Science’s Margaret Middleton Fund for endangered Australian native vertebrate animals.

The fund provides grants to support emerging researchers with ecology projects that have tangible conservation outcomes for endangered native vertebrates.

The 2021 recipients are:

• Dr Jenna Crowe-Riddell, University of Adelaide
• Ms Finella Dawlings, Monash University
• Ms Angela Simms, La Trobe University.

From detecting creatures in grasslands and oceans to improving turtle incubation and investigating sea snakes, all three projects promise to provide valuable insights for conserving our native vertebrates.

Dr Crowe-Riddell will use the funding to research critically endangered species of Western Australian sea snakes. By analysing environmental DNA and tissue samples, she’ll investigate the population densities and distributions of two similar-looking (cryptic) sea snake species in the Exmouth area.

This data will be useful for assessing how best to protect sea snake populations and for managing environmental impact studies for oil and gas exploration or infrastructure developments proposed in the area.

Ms Dawlings’ project also involves detecting biodiversity and population numbers, but is focused on small mammals and birds in eastern Australian native grasslands. Dawlings’ project will use thermal scanners to detect the presence of endotherms (heat-emitting animals) such as the plains-wanderer and fat-tailed dunnart.

The use of this more efficient and effective thermal scanning method is likely to improve long-term monitoring projects and assist in conserving small grassland fauna.

Ms Simms received funding for a project that will investigate the conditions of river turtle egg incubation to find out how young in these vulnerable species can get the best start in life.

The findings will have direct impacts on management of captive incubation programs for endangered turtle species.

The Margaret Middleton Fund for endangered Australian native vertebrate animals was established in 2000 with Dr Margaret Middleton, who donated generously to this fund across her lifetime. Dr Middleton was a long-time supporter of the Academy and early-career scientists, with the fund supporting almost 90 projects to date.

Applications for the 2022 awards will open in early 2021.

More information about the Margaret Middleton Fund for endangered Australian native vertebrate animals

Henrietta Byrne from the University of Adelaide is the recipient of the Academy’s 2021 Moran Award for History of Science Research.

She receives the award for her proposal entitled ‘Legacies of exposure: Tracing scientific and Indigenous understandings of exposures from the Maralinga atomic testing (1956–84)’.

Ms Byrne will explore how Australian science has responded to the question of intergenerational impacts of environmental exposures on bodies over time, focused around the British atomic testing conducted in Maralinga, South Australia between 1956 and 1968.

The National Archives of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies library, as well as interviews with leading anthropologists, will inform her research.

Her work will not only provide an important examination of scientific understandings of environmental exposure, but will also focus explicitly on the Indigenous aspects of this history.

Ms Byrne said that the award will allow her to study the relationships between Indigenous knowledges, settler colonial histories and science and technology studies.

“I'm honoured to have the support of the Australian Academy of Science to undertake this study. It is a great opportunity to engage with the archives in a way that highlights the experiences and ongoing activism of Aboriginal people whose land was exposed to radiation.”

This research is part of her broader PhD project in Anthropology and Gender Studies on environmental exposures and epigenetics in Indigenous Australian contexts.

The Moran Award for History of Science Research is worth up to $5000, and is aimed at postgraduate students and other researchers with expertise in the history of Australian science. Applications for the 2022 award will open in early 2021.

The Australian Academy of Science congratulates Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE on her appointment as Chief Scientist of Australia.

Academy President, Professor John Shine, warmly welcomed the appointment.

“As an accomplished physicist, the first dedicated Chief Scientist of CSIRO and numerous leadership roles, Dr Foley has made outstanding contributions to Australian science from discovery to commercialisation and in influencing policy development.

“Cathy is an inspirational role model for her peers and the next generation,” Professor Shine said.

“We look forward to continuing our work with the Office of the Chief Scientist under Cathy’s leadership to provide science evidence to inform Government decision making, as we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic through initiatives such as the Rapid Research Information Forum.”

Dr Foley’s research is in the field of solid-state physics and its applications, combining quantum physics, material science and research translation. Her remarkable career achievements have allowed Dr Foley to advance all areas of STEM nationally and internationally.

Dr Foley’s appointment as Chief Scientist follows her election as a Fellow of the Academy earlier this year, for her outstanding contributions to science.

“Science is absolutely critical for Australia’s future,” Dr Foley told the Academy shortly after her election.

“If you look at the things we’ve been facing recently, like bushfires, the COVID 19 virus, even looking at how we can have our sovereign capability so that we can manufacture onshore in difficult times, where transfer of goods of services and boundaries is difficult,” Dr Foley said.

“That all requires us to be able to have high quality science which then leads to new ways of doing things, but also working out how to translate it from the laboratory, that is something that makes an impact and is used by everyone.”

Dr Foley’s appointment as Australia’s Chief Scientist is for three years, starting in January 2021.

Professor Shine also thanked outgoing Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO FAA FTSE for his strong leadership and for advancing science in Australia.

After celebrating its anniversary in August 2020, STEM Women has published its successes and future development in its first-year impact report.

The online directory STEM Women was established as a simple tool to combat the lack of representation of women in science, technology engineering and mathematics. By creating a STEM Women profile, women can gain more opportunities to share their expertise and progress their careers and personal capabilities.

STEM Women set a target to publish more than 1000 profiles in its first year. This target was well and truly exceeded. Over 2600 women have created a STEM Women profile, and more than 41,000 people have visited the site.

STEM Women members demographic

Earlier this year, STEM Women carried out an evaluation to determine the directory’s demographic and how the website is accessed by women in STEM, including current and potential members. Three-quarters of STEM Women members work and study in the higher education and research (HER) sector, with substantial variety in STEM subject matter expertise. Over 10 per cent of profiles identify with several diversity attributes including culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQI+, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, having a disability and neurodiverse.

STEM Women members indicated that visibility, support, opportunities, and community were some of the main reasons they decided to join STEM Women. Additionally, 30% of survey respondents regularly used the search function on STEM Women, indicating that members are taking the initiative to learn more about and engage with their community. 

Seekers find women in STEM

STEM Women allows seekers to search for experts via six filters: expertise, state, city, opportunity type, diversity attribute, and whether they have a working with children check. Out of the total 9570 searches made over the first year, seekers searched by expertise in 76 per cent of searches, which cements STEM Women as a discovery database.

Seekers searched with 1574 different expertise terms, the most common being chemistry, cancer, astronomy and nutrition.

Opportunities

The survey asked members to identify what opportunities they would like to be offered, such as speaking and outreach opportunities, media engagements, committee and board invitations or award nominations.

Committee and board invitations were the most highly regarded opportunity by respondents, which provides a key focus area for future promotion and partnering strategies.

Beyond year one

Moving forward, STEM Women will set the target to reach 5000 profiles by August 2021. It aims to grow member representation across all sectors of the STEM workforce, particularly industry and government sectors, as well as those with VET qualifications. It is also aiming to increase the representation of senior women in STEM to inspire the next generation of senior executive women. Achieving more equal representation of profiles across the states and territories is also a priority.

Additional functionalities for profiles are being explored, such as calls for blog submissions and showcasing examples of STEM Women members connecting and collaborating.

STEM Women was created and supported by the Australian Academy of Science in partnership with CSIRO, Science & Technology Australia and the Australian Science Media Centre, along with financial support from the Australian Government. STEM Women aligns with the visibility opportunity outlined in the Women in STEM Decadal Plan, and the vison of the Australian Government’s Advancing Women in STEM strategy.

This previously published story has been updated to include the timelapse video of the dome's repair

A shiny dome

The home of Australian science, the Shine Dome, will sport a shiny new top and be far more energy efficient as works begin to repair the damage from the January 2020 hailstorm which severely dented the dome’s copper roof tiles.

Australian Academy of Science Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia said she is thrilled that the restoration works are underway.

“When the Shine Dome was first built, its design was described as unconventional and futuristic. It created all sorts of challenges for the architects and engineers involved and the restoration is no different today,” said Ms Arabia.

“This 21st century restoration of the Shine Dome will see innovative solutions used to bring the outside of the building back to its former glory.”

The concrete roof of the dome is sheathed in copper—and under the copper is a layer of vermiculite which partly insulates the interior from outside temperatures.

Rather than removing the existing copper tiles, the dome will be covered by a second layer of new copper, with a waterproof material placed between the two layers.

The dual layer will create an innovative ventilated roof. Airflow between the copper sheets will provide insulation and improve the building’s energy efficiency.

Work has begun to replace the copper over each of the 16 arches, where water drains from the roof into the moat.

The original copper was intended to oxidise to a dark green-brown over 10 years, but the clean air of Canberra meant that it took much longer.

The same will be true for the new copper which initially will be very shiny, fading to a dark brown over the coming 12 months and eventually to a light green over several decades.

Completed in 1959 and designed by Roy Grounds to provide a home for the Australian Academy of Science, the Shine Dome, previously known as Becker House, was the first Canberra building to be added to the National Heritage List.

It continues to attract worldwide attention and awards for its unique architectural design.

The restoration work on the Shine Dome is being carried out by ARC Roofing and is expected to be completed by early 2022.

The Shine Dome remains open for business as an event venue during the repairs and bookings are welcome.

Read more about the history of the Shine Dome.

Ian Potter House renovation

Repair and refurbishment works have also begun on Ian Potter House, the office space of the Academy staff, which also suffered severe hailstorm damage. Ian Potter House is located adjacent to the Shine Dome.

Built during the Federal Capital Commission's building program for the transfer of public servants to Canberra in 1927, Ian Potter House was originally the Acton Private Hotel. Ian Potter House was placed on the ACT Heritage Register in 1998.

The restoration work on the building is expected to be completed in mid-2021.

Eric Martin and Associates Architects are involved in both the Ian Potter House and Shine Dome restoration projects.

Three Academy Fellows have taken out NSW Premier’s Prizes with virologist Professor Edward Holmes named the 2020 NSW Scientist of the Year.

Professor Suzanne O’Reilly received the Prize for Excellence in Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Chemistry or Physics, while Professor Ian Wright received the Prize for Excellence in Biological Sciences.

Professor Holmes, who will receive a prize of $60,000, was honoured for his research on the emergence, evolution and spread of viruses. His particular focus is on how viruses can jump species boundaries, with the potential to cause disease epidemics and pandemics.

Professor Holmes was involved in key research that showed that SARS-CoV-2 was the causative agent of COVID-19. In January this year he was the first person to publicly release the genome sequence of the virus, enabling the rapid development of diagnostic tests.

He followed this with fundamental research into the animal origins of SARS-CoV-2, helping to demonstrate the presence of related viruses in bats and pangolins, and showing that coronaviruses have an ability to jump species boundaries and emerge in new hosts.

“It’s a tremendous honour to receive this award, which is built on the hard work of my team and collaborators over many years,” Professor Holmes said.

“I’m so thankful and proud to be living in a state and country in which the science has been listened to and used to help build such an effective response to COVID-19.”

Professor Holmes explained the origins of COVID-19 in an in-depth interview with the Australian Academy of Science in April.

“I was not at all surprised this happened. We’d been predicting it for a long time,” said Professor Holmes in the interview.

The NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science & Engineering is an annual event held by the NSW Government to celebrate the achievements of the state’s finest scientists, engineers and educators.

Academy Fellows Emeritus Professor David Blair, Professor David McClelland and Professor Susan Scott, with their colleague Professor Peter Veitch, have been jointly awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for their significant contribution to the first direct detection of gravitational waves, while Academy Fellow Professor Thomas Maschmeyer has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation. 

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science were presented by the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews during an online public event.

Traditionally, the Academy acknowledges prize recipients the morning after the awards with a breakfast at the Shine Dome, but this year it is celebrating online to recognise the leading researchers, innovators and teachers.

Academy Fellows have featured each year since the prizes’ inception in 2000.

All four recipients of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science are Chief Investigators at the ARC Centre Of Excellence For Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav).

Gravitational wave detectors allow scientists to detect and understand parts of the universe that are invisible to all other methods of detection.

OzGrav's work ensured the stability of high-power laser beams and the optical perfection of mirrors in the detectors, and provided the theoretical underpinnings to the model for black hole collisions that enabled the detected signal to be definitively identified.

Academy Fellow Professor Thomas Maschmeyer received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation for his work in developing a process for recycling mixed plastics and a new energy storage platform.

His catalytic thermal reactor efficiently converts mixed plastics into smaller hydrocarbon components that can be used to produce sustainable chemicals or as a sustainable fuel, while his ‘Gelion’ energy storage platform uses safe, low-cost zinc-bromide battery technology to store renewable energy, reducing our reliance on lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries.