How do we get science into Australia’s culture and more connected with the business community? It’s a question that Australian businessman Peter Yates AM continues to pursue since noticing that science was largely missing from mainstream media and parts of the business community 15 years ago.

He joins Australian Space Agency Head Dr Megan Clark AC as the joint 2019 recipients of the prestigious Australian Academy of Science Medal. These two trailblazers in Australian science have worked across industries to advance the cause of science and technology through the public domain.

Dr Clark has led innovation in science nationally, as the first female chief executive of CSIRO, and now due to her ambitious leadership of the Australian Space Agency Australia is making exciting waves in space research and future space exploration.

President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor John Shine, said the medal recognises outstanding contributions to science by means other than research.

“The medal is awarded to a person outside the Fellowship who has, by sustained efforts in the public domain, significantly advanced the cause of science and technology in Australia or who has made a substantial contribution to the Academy,” Professor Shine said.

Previous recipients of the medal include Bob Hawke (1990), Dr Norman Swan (2004), Professor Sue Serjeantson (2008) and Professor Ian Chubb FAA (2016).

In 2004 Mr Yates noticed that science was missing from the mainstream media.

“It struck me that given how important science is and the decision making around science for our community, that if the leading television station in the country (Channel Nine at the time) didn’t really have any focus on science in any of its program meetings, I felt we had a problem,” said Mr Yates.

In 2005 Mr Yates helped found the Australian Science Media Centre and later the Royal Institution of Australia. His objective was to change the way Australia looked at science. Today he hopes that science can be an even broader influence on society.

“The biggest surprise for me has been the disconnect between the business and science communities in Australia and I think that gets to a deeper issue for our community but also a tremendous opportunity,” said Mr Yates.

“It’s improving a lot and the Academies have done a tremendous job in reaching out to businesspeople, who are starting to learn more about why they need to be involved in that conversation.

“In that regard I am honoured to have received this award and thank all of the scientists and businesspeople as well as the amazing teams at the RiAus and the AusSmc for their tremendous encouragement and support over the past 15 years.”

Dr Megan Clark AC is an Australian geologist with an extensive career in both the private and public sector. Starting as a mine and exploration geologist, she subsequently worked in mineral exploration, mine geology, R&D management, venture capital and technical strategy areas.

In 2009 she was appointed Chief Executive of the CSIRO. Under her leadership CSIRO was credited for several new ventures, including wireless research.

Dr Clark is also currently a director of Rio Tinto, CSL Limited and CARE Australia and recently chaired the Expert Working Group into the Review of Australia’s Space Industry Capability.

Dr Clark said it is a surprise and an honour to be awarded the Academy Medal.

“My career has been dedicated to using breakthrough science to create value for our nation and everyday lives: whether it was using geological science to discover mines or understanding how primitive archaea (single-celled microorganisms) could create a new way to make copper at BHP or new animal vaccines or gene technology for cotton at CSIRO,” Dr Clark said.

“Now I am lucky enough to be building an amazing team working to transform and grow Australia's space industry. I can only accept this wonderful award from the respected Australian Academy of Science on behalf of these extraordinary team members.”

Measles outbreaks are happening across the globe and are reaching Australia. In the past month, there have been confirmed cases in Perth, Sydney, the Gold Coast and Cairns. In light of these outbreaks, the Australian Academy of Science is urging Australians heading overseas, for business or pleasure, to make sure their measles vaccinations are up to date.

According to the Australian Department of Health’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System there have been 172 notifications of measles in Australia so far in 2019, compared to 103 cases in 2018.

The call comes as the Australian Health Department, in partnership with the Academy, releases educational and promotional materials to inform consumers and health professionals about the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease.

Public health expert Professor David Durrheim from the University of Newcastle, who features in the materials, said most measles cases are Australians who are unprotected from the disease, travelling overseas to places where measles is spreading, and bringing it back.

“The Philippines has had a very large outbreak with large numbers of deaths in young children. There have been outbreaks in Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia,” Professor Durrheim said.

While measles is more common in developing countries where vaccines are less widely available—particularly in parts of Africa and Asia—outbreaks have also occurred in destinations that a lot of Australians might consider ‘low-risk’ for getting sick including parts of Europe, the United States and New Zealand.

“It’s not just the unvaccinated who pose a risk to public health: many people in Australia may be under-vaccinated without realising it,” said Professor Frazer, who also features in the materials.

The latest immunisation coverage data for two-year old children in Australia shows coverage of more than 93% for the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

“Those most at risk of developing complications tend to be the same people who are unable to be vaccinated against the disease so it’s crucial that others in the community are fully immunised to prevent the spread of disease to the most vulnerable in our society,” Professor Frazer said.

“Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide lifelong protection. Check your vaccination records and if in doubt about whether you’ve had two doses speak with your GP. It is safe to have another MMR vaccine if you don’t have evidence of a second dose. This ensures you’ve got the best possible protection.”

People under 20 years of age, refugees and other humanitarian entrants of any age, can get measles vaccines for free through the National Immunisation Program if they did not receive the vaccines in childhood.

The Department of Health recommends measles immunisation for specific groups of people.

Academy videos and articles

The Academy has produced four short videos and four articles to help people understand the importance of vaccinations to protect against measles.

See all the videos and articles

The new initiative includes:  

• consumer videos on the following topics:
  • Measles alert
  • Are you protected?
  • Travelling? Get vaccinated
• a video for health professionals to raise awareness of increased notifications and the importance of talking to patients about their vaccination status and the availability of catch up vaccines (where appropriate).
• feature articles on the following topics:
  • Who is most at risk of measles
  • Measles: what you need to know
  • Measles info for travellers
  • How measles impacts your immune system

The videos and articles have been rigorously fact-checked by Academy Fellows and feature some of Australia’s leading experts in the field including Professor Karin Leder from Monash University and Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Dr Sonya Bennett from Queensland Health.

Michelle Tapper of the Academy’s Communications and Outreach team has received a Churchill Fellowship to support her to travel across the US, UK and Europe to study science video production with high profile organisations around the world.

A Churchill Fellowship provides an opportunity for talented Australian citizens to travel overseas to investigate inspiring practices that will benefit Australian communities. These Fellowships are delivered by the Churchill Trust in the memory of Sir Winston Churchill, providing an opportunity for Australians to conduct research in their chosen field that is not readily available in Australia.

Michelle’s Fellowship will allow her to visit and make connections with a range of science, media and not-for-profit organisations including NASA, National Geographic, the BBC, the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and the World Health Organization, among others. With 22 years of journalism experience and as Supervising Producer for the Academy’s Communications and Outreach team, her particular area of interest is science video production and digital media. The Academy has focused strongly on this in recent years, creating content designed for a broad audience on social media.

“Our video project at the Australian Academy of Science has garnered more than 1.7 million followers in less than two years, which shows that people have a desire to learn about science when it’s presented in an engaging way,” Michelle said.

When she returns, Michelle will share her learnings with the Academy and her networks across the science and media sectors, further ensuring that Australia will excel at communicating engaging science messages through digital media.

“It’s a huge honour to be awarded a Churchill Fellowship and I’m grateful for the opportunity to improve my knowledge and develop international connections in science video production,” Michelle said.

“Everyone should have access to science information which should inspire, inform and improve lives.”

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes a range of Australia–US bilateral science and technology initiatives announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison during his meetings in Washington.

The initiatives include significant investment of $150 million into local Australian businesses, researchers and new technologies to support NASA’s mission to return to the moon and travel to Mars, representing a boost for the Australian Space Agency.

“The Government’s space investment builds on a long history of cooperation between Australia and the US in space missions and will have a lasting impact on the growing space industry and workforce in Australia,” said Professor John Shine, President of the Academy of Science.

The Academy also applauds a range of other science related initiatives announced by the Prime Minister that will boost cooperation between Australia and the US including:

• an agreement to hold high-level discussions in Washington, DC in November to develop a critical minerals action plan and increase trade in rare earths between the US and Australia. Rare earth minerals are essential to support our high-tech future
• an agreement to work together on reducing /eliminating marine plastic debris and to support efforts on improved waste management, recycling and innovation, which is both timely and essential
• opportunities for Australian scientists to provide advice on lithium-ion recycling and on hydrogen safety, which build on Australia’s strengths
• cooperation between the National Science Foundation and Australian researchers on research projects of mutual and strategic interest.

“The bilateral agreements between Australia and the US provide opportunities for Australian scientists to contribute their expertise to a number of issues of global importance, where science will be critical to finding environmental and technology solutions,” Professor Shine said.

“The announcements are a reminder of the importance science plays as a soft power asset in international engagement.”

STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ALLIANCE

The National Research and Innovation Alliance resolutely takes the view that benefits to the nation and the advancement of knowledge are best served by a culture where researchers can put forward views and present data for discussion and scrutiny free from interference and without fear of reprisal.

As organisations representing researchers across the nation, we commit to the Principle of Universality (freedom and responsibility) of Science (see background note).

In return for scientific freedoms, researchers must ensure they conduct their work responsibly and ethically, respecting regulations and laws. Researchers recognise they have a duty to contribute to the public good by placing societal benefits ahead of personal gain, acknowledging risk and uncertainty, and being accountable for responsible and honest communication of their work.

Principles that guide the scientific enterprise include posing testable and refutable hypotheses; designing studies that test competing counter-hypotheses, using transparent methods that enable other scientists to verify their accuracy, and recognising the importance of independent replication across studies.

Research knowledge forms the basis of innovations and advances that serve the well-being of society, however, it is acknowledged that they can also do harm. Given this, researchers take seriously their obligation to critically reflect upon how their expertise is used, particularly when asked to support decision-making and policy processes.

Peer review as a foundation for dependable and quality research

An important element that unites scientific inquiry is disclosing findings and subjecting them to scrutiny and critique by peer review. Peer review provides evaluation of work by people who are qualified to judge the matter under consideration and who have current or recent research experience and are therefore exposed in turn to the same form of scrutiny.

Peer review is widely regarded as the scientific seal of approval, denoting quality, validity, and importance. This allows knowledge to be generated, compared, tested and refined over time.

This mechanism helps ensure that the scientific record represents the best available knowledge and it is the responsibility of all researchers to participate in this process.

Researchers will not consider a scientific finding as valid unless it has been approved by the process of peer review. In its absence, researchers consider any findings presented as preliminary and potentially flawed.

Those who disagree with peer-reviewed findings should participate in the scientific process and subject their findings to the same level of scrutiny and review.

Attempts to bypass peer review allow unqualified individuals and organisations to compare their often ad hoc views with findings derived from well-controlled analyses of available data and experimental investigations. This has the potential to subject science to political interference.

Peer review is to the governing of the scientific enterprise what democracy is to the governing of the country. The concept of peer review retains the confidence of the majority of researchers and the Australian research funding agencies, assuring that they support the highest quality research.

The confidence of the research community, and of the taxpayer, that the public investment in the national research base is well managed, can be sustained only if an effective form of peer review holds.

The fundamental principles and processes outlined in this statement have underpinned knowledge generation for centuries and are essential to inform decision making by policy makers as well as by members of the broader community. Any attempt to undermine them erodes decision making in our nation.

National Research and Innovation Alliance members:

• Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
• Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes
• Australian Academy of Science
• Australian Society for Medical Research
• Australian Technology Network of Universities
• Group of Eight Australia
• Innovative Research Universities
• Professionals Australia
• Research Australia
• Rural Research and Development Corporations
• Science and Technology Australia

Background note

Principle of Universality (freedom and responsibility) of Science:

“The free and responsible practice of science is fundamental to scientific advancement and human and environmental wellbeing. Such practice, in all its aspects, requires freedom of movement, association, expression and communication for scientists, as well as equitable access to data, information, and other resources for research. It requires responsibility at all levels to carry out and communicate scientific work with integrity, respect, fairness, trustworthiness, and transparency, recognising its benefits and possible harms. In advocating the free and responsible practice of science, the International Science Council promotes equitable opportunities for access to science and its benefits, and opposes discrimination based on such factors as ethnic origin, religion, citizenship, language, political or other opinion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age.” (Freedom, Responsibility and Universality of Science, International Science Council, Statute 5.)

Thirteen Australian institutions have been recognised today for their efforts to improve gender equity and diversity, receiving Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Awards as part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative.

SAGE is a partnership between the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

The awardees, listed in alphabetical order, are:

• Australian National University
• Deakin University
• Federation University
• Flinders University
• La Trobe University
• Macquarie University
• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
• South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
• The George Institute for Global Health
• University of Queensland
• University of South Australia
• University of Sydney
• Western Sydney University

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews congratulated members of the second cohort to achieve accreditation.

“Our Government is committed to increasing the number of women in STEM, and our universities and institutions must be at the forefront when it comes to setting an example,” Minister Andrews said.

“SAGE’s work is an important part of our Women in STEM Strategy and Women in STEM Decadal Plan and that’s why we included a further $1.8 million toward the SAGE initiative in the 2019-20 Budget.”

Executive Director, SAGE, Dr Wafa El-Adhami, said this is the second group of the 45-strong SAGE member institutions from the higher education and research (HER) sector to complete the Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze process. 

“The Bronze Award recognises an institution’s work to set solid foundations for their journey to transformative change; it sets them on the course to Silver and Gold awards,” Dr El-Adhami said.

“This follows the inaugural accreditation of 15 organisations in December last year, and I extend my sincere congratulations to all awardees for their commitment to gender equity in the higher education and research sector in Australia.”

Bond University, Burnet Institute, James Cook University and the University of Tasmania were also recognised for their progress to date towards Bronze Award accreditation and their continued commitment to SAGE.

For more information visit the SAGE website. www.sciencegenderequity.org.au

Dr Jia Wu, an early-career computer scientist from Macquarie University has been selected by the Australian Academy of Science to represent Australia at the highly prestigious 7th Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany from 22–27 September.

The Forum brings together 200 young researchers in mathematics and computer science for a week of scientific exchange with the recipients of the disciplines’ most prestigious prizes: the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal and the Nevanlinna Prize. 

Dr Wu’s work on artificial intelligence and mining data with complex structures has earned international recognition in the field. In his research, he aims to solve long-term problems such as protecting the cybersecurity of Australian business, industry, and society.

In his short career, Dr Wu has proved to be a talented and energetic researcher. He has won a number of awards for his work including the Best Paper Award in Data Science Track (SIAM International Conference on Data Mining 2018) and Best Student Paper Award (IEEE International Joint Conference on Neural Networks 2017). He also serves as the Associate Editor for the top-tier data mining journal ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data.

Dr Wu sees the Forum in Germany as “a good opportunity to establish international collaboration with world-class researchers and institutions and will allow young researchers to share and stay abreast of international knowledge and expertise, increasing the competitive advantage of early career research networks.”

The Academy’s Heidelberg Laureate Forum Fellowship is open to young researchers at all phases of their careers: undergrad, PhD or postdoc.

The Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Law jointly sponsored a symposium on climate change and the law at the Federal Court Sydney on 22 August.

It was based on a hypothetical set of facts. The moderator was Justin Gleeson SC, who questioned a panel of three Fellows from each Academy.

Below are some extracts of the panellists' responses to questions posed during the discussion:

University of Sydney Law Professor Rosemary Lyster:

“So it really is a question of why governments continue to approve new coal mines because governments signed up in 1992 under international law to the United Nations framework convention on CC where they agreed to do everything possible to bring down greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

“What decision makers need to do, when they are considering whether or not to grant permission to new coal mines is to take into account international law, the scientific evidence and they need to interpret the statutes under which they are either going to grant or not grant consent.

“Most statutes have a legal requirement that decision makers take into account, in one way or another, the principles of ecologically sustainable development.”

Australian National University Emeritus Professor Will Steffen:

“If Australia was serious about the Paris target no new fossil fuel developments, be it coal, gas, unconventional gas or oil are permissible. We already have far more carbon facilities in operation today than we need to blow the Paris budget.”

Macquarie University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Lesley Hughes:

“To argue that you can ship off coal somewhere else to be burnt and therefore absolve oneself of responsibility is morally unacceptable.”

The Panel consisted of:

• Professor Lesley Hughes, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Macquarie University
• Professor David Karoly FAA, Leader of the NESP Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub, based in CSIRO
• Professor Rosemary Lyster, Professor of Climate and Environmental Law, University of Sydney Law School
• Professor Jacqueline Peel, Professor of Law, University of Melbourne Law School
• Professor Will Steffen, Emeritus Professor, Australian National University
• Professor Erika Techera, Professor of Environmental Law, University of Western Australia Law School

Watch a 10-minute summary of the discussion or watch the full symposium.

The Australian Academy of Science discovered a winning formula for its latest science outreach event, with record numbers attending its Adults-Only Science night.

Close to 2000 tickets were sold for the event held at Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre in September.

The Academy partnered with Questacon for the first time to invite the public to experience pop-up science, interactive displays and live music without children, guided by 30 of Australia’s emerging leaders in chemistry, physics and medicine, fresh from mentorship with Nobel prize-winners in Germany*.

The Academy’s Secretary for Education and Public Awareness, Professor Hans Bachor, said he’d never seen so many people come together to celebrate science.

“Young ones, old ones, everybody was there. I really loved it,” Professor Bachor said.

Exit surveys found that many attendees enjoyed the variety of science on offer during the evening.

For some the drawcard was the opportunity to see Academy Fellow and Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt in conversation with The Bachelor’s Dr Matt Agnew to discuss astrophysics. Dr Agnew recently graduated with his PhD.

Watch Dr Agnew and Professor Schmidt in conversation

What an incredibly humbling experience. Absolutely wonderful to chat with Nobel prize winner @cosmicpinot about science, rockets and some of the exciting questions in astrophysics! https://t.co/t5sy6pjdqb

— Matt Agnew (@DrMattAgnew) 2 September 2019

The evening by numbers

• 1934 tickets sold
• 30 Lindau alumni engaging with hundreds of guests
• 1 Bachelor
• 1 Nobel Laureate
• Countless selfies at the selfie wall

*About the Lindau alumni

Every year, the Australian Academy of Science and the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) send top early-career scientists to Lindau, Germany, to spend a week with Nobel laureates. For the first time, we brought these remarkable researchers back together for a unique social event at Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre.

Research Fellow Dr Elena Schneider-Futschik from the University of Melbourne is the winner of the fourth Falling Walls Lab Australia event, hosted yesterday by the Australian Academy of Science.

Second place was awarded to Ms Kate Secombe, a PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide, with University of Queensland PhD candidate Mr Rhys Pirie in third place.

Twenty emerging innovators gathered at the Shine Dome in Canberra to present their ideas, research and initiatives on the theme ‘Which walls will fall next?’.

Each participant had just three minutes to make their pitch in front of a jury of eminent academics and leaders from government, business and finance, chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel.

Dr Schneider-Futschik spoke about ‘breaking the wall’ of pharmacology for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. She has developed a technique for measuring drug concentrations in CF patients’ blood plasma and an accompanying model to evaluate and predict patient outcomes.

Ms Secombe is investigating the gut microbiome’s role in personalising cancer treatment to prevent debilitating intestinal toxicity.

Mr Pirie has developed a chemical recycling process for the more than 60 million tonnes of glass that ends up in landfill because it is too small to be sorted by traditional recycling methods. [UPDATE: Rhys Pirie took out the international prize in Berlin]

The three winners will travel to Berlin to represent Australia at the Falling Walls Lab Finale. They will present their three-minute pitch alongside 100 other finalists selected from more than 55 Labs across the globe.

Falling Walls, this year on 8 and 9 November, is an annual conference held in Berlin. It fosters discussion on research and innovation and promotes the latest scientific findings among a broad audience from all parts of society. The Lab is an international forum for the next generation of outstanding innovators and creative thinkers.

In addition to a larger cohort of Lab participants from Australia, the Academy's role will be expanded at this year's Falling Walls event in Berlin. Director of Communications and Outreach Paul Richards has been invited to join the jury for the Falling Walls Engage competition.

The Academy will also be holding an exhibition stall and presentation during Berlin Science Week at the Museum of Natural History on 6 and 7 November.

Falling Walls Lab Australia is organised by the Australian Academy of Science in association with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Australia.

More information on the international Falling Walls event