Australians must start treating waste as a resource rather than a problem, says recycling science expert Professor Veena Sahajwalla.

In a feature published today Professor Sahajwalla welcomed plans by Federal and State Governments to develop a so-called ‘circular economy’ but said Australians also need to change the way we think about waste.

The role of science to help drive a circular economy is just one of the issues that will be explored in a new initiative, Science for Australians, launched today by the Australian Academy of Science.

“Australians may be shocked to know that on average we each generate 2.7 tonnes of waste each year,” says Professor Sahajwalla, who is Director, Centre for Sustainable Materials, Research and Technology (SMART) at UNSW Sydney and Director of the NSW Circular Economy Innovation Network.

“But waste doesn’t mean rubbish! Among all that waste is an opportunity to reuse, recycle and reform the materials and products we no longer use for new applications.”

Professor Sahajwalla – who joins 200 leaders in Canberra tomorrow (Monday 2 March) for a national summit to discuss Australia’s plastic waste problem and identify new solutions to the challenge – has developed breakthrough micro-recycling technologies to reform waste into new materials and products.

Academy President Professor John Shine AC PresAA said the Science for Australians series will highlight how science benefits all Australians and how it can be used to inform policy.

“Australians are looking for trustworthy information and answers for how science can help in these challenging times we are facing as a nation. This is reflected in a record-breaking near 250,000 unique users to our website in January.”

The initiative will also include a series of features for policy makers to highlight the conditions that are needed to make science thrive in Australia.

“Globally STEM will play an increasingly important role in industry, in the economy and in the way communities shape their future. It is important that an environment is created within which we can support our scientific workforce, remain globally competitive, and ensure science and industry have the tools they need to work together and prosper,” says Professor Shine.

“As part of the initiative, the Academy will also invite discussion about issues that are important to building the capacity of science to support Australia now and into the future.”

Other topics to be explored in the Academy’s Science for Australians series include: How can science make our energy requirements more sustainable? Is gene editing food crops the only way to feed the population? How do we advance communications technologies and ensure national security is not compromised?

Dr Michael-Shawn Fletcher and Mr Frank Loban are the recipients of the Australian Academy of Science Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Travelling Research Award for 2020.

Dr Fletcher, a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, will use the award to visit researchers at Udayana University in Denpasar and field sites at Lakes Buyan and Beretan in Bali. His work looks at the long-term interactions between humans and climate using environmental data.

Lake sediment cores provide a natural archive or ecological record of what happens before, during and after times of environmental change—including changes in the rainfall associated with summer monsoons over northern Australia and South-East Asia over the past 1,000 years.

Dr Fletcher is aiming to use lake sediment cores to help track the response of the East Australian Summer Monsoon to changes in solar radiation during the Little Ice Age. There is strong evidence that the monsoon failed to reach northern Australia during this time, having a profound impact on the people and vegetation of the region.

Mr Loban, a PhD student at James Cook University, will use the award to visit New Zealand. He will meet with and learn from members of Terra Moana New Zealand (the largest Maori-owned fisheries company in New Zealand) about their fisheries management and governance framework with the aim of applying this knowledge to assist in managing the Torres Strait fisheries into the future.

“The key objective of my project is to investigate existing national and international research knowledge on the management of fisheries that have recognised Indigenous interests, how this knowledge interfaces with commercial enterprises, and sustains the health of the fisheries and the cultural traditions of the Indigenous people,” Mr Loban said.

The award recognises research primarily in the natural sciences by outstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early- and mid-career scientists and PhD students. It also supports the expansion and growth of each scientist’s research networks and international knowledge exchange, through visits to relevant international centres of research.

The award is part of the Academy’s national effort to champion diversity and inclusion in the sciences and empower the next generation of scientists. This will strengthen the voice of science and support scientific excellence.

This award recognises research primarily in the natural sciences, but also supports interdisciplinary and socio-cultural research that incorporates the social sciences and humanities. Applications are now open for the 2021 award. More information about the award.

Above: Professor Laura Mackay was awarded the 2019 Gottschalk Medal by the Academy and later in the year a Prime Minister’s science prize.

Shining a light on researchers

Nominations are now open for the Academy’s 2021 honorific awards, and applications open for support for research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships.

These awards and funding opportunities shine a light on researchers who are making outstanding contributions to science and progressing the advancement of science in Australia.

The awards recognise remarkable achievements in research fields including Earth sciences, biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry, experimental biomedicine, genetics and more.

According to Dr Lara Malins, one of many award recipients featured recently in Science Matters magazine, the JG Russell Award she received is more than just extra funding. “It was just really fantastic to have that support. Awards that recognise early-career researchers set them on a trajectory that helps them be more successful.” 

The Academy is committed to celebrating and supporting diversity. It is seeking nominations of outstanding scientists from all career stages, backgrounds and genders, and strongly encourages more nominations of women for all awards, in particular the career and mid-career honorific awards.

Two new awards

Two brand new career awards are open in the Academy’s 2021 award round. These awards, the Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture and the Suzanne Cory Medal, honour two of Australia’s pioneering women scientists.

The closing date for honorific award nominations is 1 May 2020.

The closing date to apply for research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships is 1 June 2020.

Find out more about the Academy’s awards, including how to nominate or apply.

Two brand new career awards will form part of the Academy’s 2021 award round, honouring two of Australia’s pioneering women scientists.

Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture for women in science

The Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture for women in science recognises researchers of the highest standing in the physical and/or biological sciences.

Along with the Macfarlane Burnet and Matthew Flinders medals, it is one of the most prestigious career awards of the Academy and honours Ruby Payne-Scott’s pioneering contribution to radiophysics and radio astronomy. The lecture is given at an annual general meeting of the Academy and complements that of the other prestigious awards.

Suzanne Cory Medal for research in the biological sciences

The Suzanne Cory Medal recognises outstanding research in the biological sciences (initially excluding the applied medical sciences).

It is a career award that honours the contributions made to science by Professor Suzanne Cory AC FAA FRS who, as a molecular biologist, made major contributions to understanding the genetic causes of cancer. Professor Cory was President of the Academy from 2010 to 2014.

“I am thrilled that the Academy has named this new medal in my honour. The award enables the Academy to highlight the truly remarkable advances being made by the life sciences in our understanding and appreciation of our extraordinary world,” Professor Cory said.

Both awards are made annually, and are restricted to candidates who are normally resident in Australia and for research conducted mainly in Australia.

Find out more about the Academy's awards, including how to nominate.

The Academy is proud to announce the recipients of two prestigious top-up awards, the J G Russell Awards and the; Douglas and Lola Douglas Scholarships in Medical Science

The 2020 J G Russell Awardees

The J G Russell Award is for highly ranked Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awardees, topping up their existing funding. It is aimed at financially helping talented younger researchers in the basic sciences as a token of the community’s regard for them. It recognises the costs involved in experimental research, and can be used towards the costs of equipment, maintenance, and travel.

Dr Blanca del Rosal Rabes, Swinburne University of Technology

$7000

Dr del Rosal's research aims to develop a contactless method based on near-infrared (NIR) light to get real-time maps of the temperature of the nervous system in living animals, to reveal the links between local heating and neural function. She will use the award to improve and expand her spectroscopy system to use laser sources, allowing her to study different fluorescent nanomaterials for use in research.

Dr Annie Colebatch, Australian National University

$7000

Dr Colebatch's research focuses on using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), which can release energy on demand and be “refuelled”, to meet the challenge of clean energy. She will use the award to purchase a second pressure reactor to facilitate multiple students conducting experiments concurrently, allowing flexibility in project design and improving productivity.

Dr Laura Grogan, Griffith University

$7000

Dr Grogan's research aims to model the relationship between tolerance, and resistance of, chytridiomycosis (an infectious disease that affects amphibians worldwide) in Fleay’s, Great and Giant Barred frogs. She will use the award to genetically sequence the tissues that are involved in immune response, allowing her to examine a greater range of genes related to immunity.

Dr James Baker, University of Sydney

$6940

Dr Baker studies soil erosion driven by flowing fluids with the aim of predicting, and ultimately preventing, intense soil loss or problematic build-up of sediment. He will use the award to fund a two-day collaboration of Australian researchers, as well as for new X-ray equipment for measuring 3D velocities and real-time positions of eroded particles.

The 2020 Douglas and Lola Douglas Awardees

The Douglas and Lola Douglas Scholarship in Medical Science for PhD candidates awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship, topping up their existing funding to cover costs of small items of equipment, research materials, travel, or research assistance. It was made possible through a generous bequest made by Lola Rachel Maude Douglas, a philanthropist with a keen interest in medical research. One of her great wishes was to support young researchers and this bequest enables the Academy to help to fulfil this wish.

Ms Roxanne Jones, Australian National University

$14,000 (over two years)

Ms Jones' research aims to understand the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children admitted to paediatric intensive care units, through a quantitative analysis of a national dataset and supplemented by interviews with parents of those children admitted. She will use the award to attend an international conference, undertake professional development, and travel to interview study participants across Australia.

Dr Emily Papadimos, Menzies School of Health Research

$7,000 (with possibility of second year $7,000 funding, if requested)

Dr Papadimos' research looks at understanding the impact of in-utero diabetes exposure on early childhood growth outcomes and cardio-metabolic risk, which could help identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who would benefit from early intervention. She will use the award to fund critical research equipment, training and travel in order to collect better data and perform health assessments.

In a statement on the Australian bushfires published on 10 January 2020, the President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor John Shine, stated that ‘the scale of these bushfires is unprecedented anywhere in the world’.

Australia has extraordinarily high levels of biodiversity and is one of 17 countries with ‘megadiversity’ of plant, insect and animal life. Of the more than 600,000 predicted species in Australia, only 30% have so far been discovered, documented and named.

In terms of hectares burnt the Australian fires are the largest to affect any of the megadiverse countries—that is, larger than the 2019 Amazon and 2019 Californian fires.

Fires of greater geographical extent have occurred in Australia in the past (e.g. fires in central Australia in 1974-75 covered over 100 million hectares). However, these fires burned largely the grasslands of inland Australia. Unlike forest fires these grassland fires are less intense and the ecosystems can more rapidly recover. Also, there is far lower economic impacts or loss of life because these fires occur in vast remote landscapes.

Australian Academy of Science Fellow Professor Chris Dickman has estimated that Australia has lost at least a billion birds, mammals and reptiles this bushfire season. This figure does not include insects, bats, fish and frogs.

Australia is at risk of losing a significant proportion of its biodiversity as a result of these bushfires and because much of Australia’s biodiversity occurs only here in Australia, it’s a global loss.

On this biodiversity measure alone, the scale of these bushfires is unprecedented anywhere in the world. With many species residing in already burnt or threatened areas, the impact of the fires on species extinction will be ongoing after the bushfire season.

The combination of a number of other factors also make this fire unprecedented in Australia’s history. These include:

• the intensity of the fires early in Australia’s fire season
• current dry, warm and windy conditions
• unusual fire behaviour
• the indirect and direct impact on Australia’s environment, including greenhouse gas emissions and severe air pollution across population centres.

Five Academy Fellows are among the Australians recognised in the 2020 Australia Day Honours List.

Professor Anthony Thomas received the highest honour as one of just five people Australia-wide to be appointed a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC), which recognises ‘eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large.’

Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)

Professor Anthony Thomas AC FAA—For eminent service to scientific education and research, particularly in the field of nuclear and particle physics, through academic leadership roles.

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

Dr Brian Walker AO FAA FTSE—For distinguished service to science, particularly to ecosystem ecology and research, and to professional scientific bodies.

Professor Rachel Webster AO FAA—For distinguished service to education in the field of astrophysics, to astronomical research, and to young women scientists.

Professor Robyn Williams AO FAA—For distinguished service to science as a journalist, radio presenter and author, and to education.

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

Emeritus Professor Anthony Guttmann AM FAA FTSE—For significant service to the mathematical sciences, and to education.

The Academy has announced its inaugural group of twelve STEM Women Changemakers.

From start-up founders to organisational advocates, these women are using their knowledge, experience and networks to share their ideas and solutions for gender equity in Australian science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The STEM Changemakers are:

• Dr Emma Camp, DECRA Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney—who is also the recipient of the Academy’s 2020 Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award.
• Ruwangi Fernando, Founder of STEM Sisters
• Dr Momeneh Foroutan, Research Fellow in Computational Cancer Immunotherapy at Monash University
• Associate Professor Muireann Irish, ARC Future Fellow at the University of Sydney
• Tishiko King, Community Support Officer at Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia
• Dr Marit Kragt, Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia
• Jerusha Mather, Phd Candidate at Victoria University
• Dr Mary McMillan, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at the University of New England
• Dr Kirsty Nash, Founder of aKIDemic Life
• Jessie Panazzolo, Founder of Lonely Conservationists
• Catherine Royans, Swift Program Coordinator at the University of Adelaide
• Professor Tanya M. Smith, Professor at Griffith University

Thanks to the generous donation by Professor Michelle Coote of her Georgina Sweet Fellowship, the group will be supported to attend Catalysing Gender Equity 2020, a two-day outcome-driven conference in February guided by the Women in STEM Decadal Plan.

These inaugural STEM Changemakers are listed with thousands of others on STEM Women, an online directory of women in Australia working in STEM.

STEM Women aims to promote gender equity in STEM by enabling a diverse range of women to be offered exciting opportunities to progress their careers and personal capabilities.

More than 2300 women have joined STEM Women and a broad range of people and organisations are using the resource to showcase and access the depth of talent of those working in the field.

Academy Fellow Professor Lisa Kewley has been named as the recipient of the 2020 James Craig Watson Medal by the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC for her pioneering contributions to the study of galaxy formation and evolution.

She is the first person in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere to be recognised with the major US award in its 133-year history. Professor Kewley is the director of ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3D (ASTRO 3D) and ARC Laureate Fellow at ANU’s Research School for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Widely cited by astronomers around the world, she produced the first models for star-forming galaxies to include a variable galactic temperature and density distribution, developed theoretical models to identify galactic power sources, and investigated oxygen distribution left by colliding galaxies, among many other accomplishments.

Professor Lister Staveley-Smith, chair of the Academy’s National Committee for Astronomy, noted that “Professor Kewley is one of Australia’s leading astronomers, and in recognition of her contributions to the discipline in this country, the Australian Academy of Science elected her as a Fellow in 2014.

"She was appointed chair of the National Committee for Astronomy from 2016 – 2018. In December 2019, Nature Astronomy published her article, Diversity and inclusion in Australian astronomy, highlighting equity programs in Australia that are having an important impact.”

She is currently looking at the oxygen history of galaxies like the Milky Way.

In an ASTRO 3D press release, Professor Kewley said that advances in technology have made it a ‘golden era’ for astronomy.

“Early in my career, I benefited from the Hubble Space Telescope and the 10 metre Keck telescopes in Hawaii.

“Students starting today are going to have access to amazing new telescopes including the James Webb Space Telescope, massive new optical telescopes in Chile and the Square Kilometre Array in Australia and South Africa. We’re going to require astronomers, engineers, data experts and artificial intelligence to use these new instruments, taking us back to the moment of the Big Bang, finding new planets and more.”

The National Academy of Sciences presents the James Craig Watson Medal every two years for outstanding contributions to the science of astronomy. She will receive the award on 26 April during the National Academy of Sciences' 157th annual meeting. Winners receive a gold-plated bronze medal, a $25,000 prize, and $50,000 to support the recipient’s research. It was established by NAS Member and Canadian–American astronomer, James Craig Watson.

Australia’s top scientists are counting the cost of yesterday’s hailstorms after Canberra landmark the Shine Dome sustained serious damage during the extreme weather event.

The hailstorm dented the heritage listed Shine Dome’s copper roof tiles and smashed several skylights, exposing the building’s nationally significant scientific archives to the hail and rain.

The archives include the collections of some of Australia’s most famous scientists, including Australian Academy of Science Fellow, Frank Fenner best known for overseeing the eradication of smallpox, and the control of Australia's rabbit plague.

The Frank Fenner manuscript collection was added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register in 2019.

The archives also include the collection of Frank Leslie Stillwell, a geologist who formed part of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Douglas Mawson in 1911. 

Australian Academy of Science Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia said there was no damage to the archives thanks to a rescue effort by staff, who formed a human chain to move the boxed archives to safety.  

“The extreme weather events of the past few months have demonstrated that fire and storm damage are real and present dangers and this incident has highlighted the urgent need to accelerate the digitisation of this significant and unique historical collection,” Ms Arabia said.

“The Academy is the only place in the world that holds these scientific collections and we continue to receive strong global interest to access the archives, with historians and researchers regularly visiting Canberra to access them.

“The Academy has been fundraising to have the archives digitised but we have not yet met our target of at least $10 million to achieve this,” Ms Arabia said.

Donate to support digitisation of the archives

The Australian Academy of Science’s historic Ian Potter House, where staff are based, also suffered extensive damage, with dozens of windows smashed, rendering the building unsafe for staff for the immediate future. Ian Potter House was placed on the ACT Heritage Register in 1998.

The vehicles of 34 staff were also severely damaged by the hailstorm and were unable to be driven home.