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Premiere annual event

The Academy’s premiere annual event, Science at the Shine Dome, brought together more than 500 attendees for a three-day event featuring 36 speakers. The event hashtag #ShineDome19 trended on Twitter in Australia, garnering 3,480 tweets with a combined reach of nearly 28 million impressions.

This year we had even more reasons to celebrate, as we marked the 65th anniversary of the Academy and the 60th anniversary of the Shine Dome.

The event kicked off on Tuesday 28 May with a one-day symposium ‘Power up Australia, the sustainable way’. Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel delivered a keynote address on ‘Scaling up to meet the energy challenge’ in which he outlined how we can ‘imagine a world which is still magnificent’. This was followed by a series of presentations exploring the role of science in a sustainable energy future.

New Fellows

On Tuesday evening, 22 newly elected Fellows were formally admitted to the Academy in recognition of their outstanding achievements in science. Each new Fellow inscribed their names in the Charter Book, joining previous signatories and science luminaries.

More about the 2019 Fellows

Watch the 2019 Fellows videos

The new Fellows then presented their work on Wednesday 29 May, starting with Professor Alexander Zelinsky, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle. Attendees also heard from Professor Maria Byrne about the impact of warming and acidifying oceans on marine invertebrates.

Wednesday also saw Australia’s ten delegates to the 65th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting gather for a breakfast briefing in preparation for their upcoming travels in June. ‘It has been wonderful to meet Australia's leading scientists and to see the incredible breadth of research being done in Australia today,’ said Fiona Panther, a Lindau delegate and astrophysics researcher at UNSW Canberra.

Honoured guests

The celebrations continued into the night with the annual gala dinner at the National Museum of Australia, where the (Academy) blue carpet was rolled out for special guests His Excellency the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) and Dr Andrew Thomas AO, retired NASA astronaut.

On the final day, the inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Travelling Research Awards were presented over breakfast. Awards presentations continued with 17 remarkable scientists receiving honorific awards in recognition of their outstanding research.

More about the 2019 Honorific award winners

Watch the 2019 Honorific videos

The event finished up with workshops for early- and mid-career researchers on topics such as leadership development and grant writing.

Diversity and inclusion were recurring themes throughout the event, as the Academy and the science sector as a whole continues to prioritise equity. 'We cannot be excellent if we are not diverse,' Professor John Shine AC PresAA said in his address, 'I encourage leaders to do what they can to actively address the under-representation of women and minorities in the science pipeline and to nominate women and under-represented groups for awards and fellowship.'

For the first time, Science at the Shine Dome hosted 10 NSW Science Extension students and their teachers as part of our STEM education program, with support from 3M. ‘We are so fortunate to be at an event of this magnitude,’ said April Abela from Glenmore Park High School, ‘My eyes have been opened up to the work being done around sustainability and renewables.’

Partners

The Academy is grateful to the following organisations that partnered with us to make Science at the Shine Dome 2019 such a successful event.

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the reappointment of the Hon Karen Andrews to Cabinet as the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology.

Academy President, Professor John Shine, said Minister Andrews’ strong and ongoing commitment and advocacy for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is clear.

“A STEM-skilled MP in this portfolio provides the new Morrison government with a minister who has a deep understanding of the issues facing the sector,” Professor Shine said.

“We look forward to working with Minister Andrews to implement the STEM measures announced in the Federal Budget in April, including $3.4 million in new funding to support women in STEM.”

The Budget announcement included new funding for the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative, which is led by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. 

“Science underpins so many portfolios—health, water, agriculture, cities, environment, energy, cyber safety, emissions reduction and defence industry,” Professor Shine said.

“We will work across the ministry to encourage an evidence-informed approach to policy development in these areas and more.”

The Academy also looks forward to working with Education Minister Dan Tehan on STEM education in schools and Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Marise Payne on the completion and release of the Soft Power Review.

The Academy congratulates Warren Entsch on his appointment as special envoy for the Great Barrier Reef—a world heritage listed Australian treasure that needs close attention.

A researcher whose work assesses the conservation challenges and management risks associated with sea level rise has been chosen as Australia’s nominee for the US$25,000 APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE).

Dr Nicholas Murray from UNSW Sydney was selected by an expert panel convened by the Australian Academy of Science. He will compete with 20 other scientists from APEC economies for the award.

Dr Murray’s work, combining cloud computing and machine learning to analyse vast archives of satellite data, has helped to conserve ecosystems across the Asia-Pacific.

His research on the global distribution of tidal flats – one of the primary costal ecosystems that fringe the Pacific rim - has led to world-heritage listing nominations, the identification of endangered costal ecosystems and the improved protection of species that move through the Asia-Pacific during their annual migrations.

Dr Murray, along with runner-up Dr Peter Macreadie from Deakin University, and the third placed winner, Dr Jenny Fisher from the University of Wollongong, will receive $2,000 each.

Dr Macreadie was recognised for his work on carbon sequestration in coastal vegetated ecosystems (“blue carbon”) and Dr Fisher for her work on predicting how atmospheric pollutants respond to environment change.

ASPIRE is an annual award which recognises scientists under the age of 40 from the 21 APEC economies who have demonstrated excellence in scientific research, as well as cooperation with scientists from other APEC nations. Chile is hosting the award this year and chose “Natural Laboratories” as the nominating theme. The winner is expected to be announced in August.

Last year’s ASIRE Prize was won by Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran from RMIT University. She became only the second Australian to win the prize since the award’s inception in 2011.

An Australian scientist whose research changed international food laws and set infant nutrient recommendations worldwide is among a group of scientists who are being acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to science.

Nutrition researcher, Professor Maria Makrides, is one of eight women among 22 scientists elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

This list also includes neuroscientist Professor Lyn Beazley, who has made a major contribution to the advancement of Australian science and was the first female to hold a Chief Scientist role nationally. She joins genetic statistician Professor David Balding, who co-developed a probability formula that has been used in hundreds of criminal cases worldwide to interpret DNA profile evidence.

The new Fellows’ pioneering contributions also include research that has underpinned the safe and cost-effective construction of offshore oil and gas platforms; increased our understanding of why people move differently in pain; and provided new insights into the role of DNA that is unrelated to its genetic function.

Australian Academy of Science President, Professor John Shine, congratulated the new Fellows for making significant and lasting impacts in their scientific disciplines.

“These scientists were elected by their Academy peers following a rigorous evaluation process. What stands out among the new Fellows elected this year is the collective impact of their science on an international scale,” Professor Shine said.

“As the Academy celebrates its sixty-fifth anniversary, we are committed to acknowledging excellence in science, but we recognise that to achieve this we must celebrate and embrace diversity and inclusion in all its forms.

“We have adopted a range of best-practice measures to ensure that the outstanding contributions of our female scientists are properly recognised. These measures are working with 36% of Fellows elected in the past five years being women, but there is more to do.

“We call on the leaders of the science and research sector to help us identify diversity candidates who have made an outstanding contribution to science, so that they may be considered for election to the Academy in 2020,” Professor Shine said.

The new Fellows for 2019 are:

• SOUTH AUSTRALIA
  • Professor Maria Makrides – South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (nutrition researcher)
• WESTERN AUSTRALIA
  • Professor Lyn Beazley – Murdoch University (neuroscientist)
• AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
  • Dr Surinder Singh – CSIRO (plant scientist)
  • Professor David McClelland – Australian National University (physicist)
• QUEENSLAND
  • Professor Christopher Barner-Kowollik – Queensland University of Technology (polymer chemist)
  • Distinguished Professor Peter Corke – Queensland University of Technology (roboticist)
  • Professor Debra Bernhardt – University of Queensland (chemist)
  • Professor Paul Hodges – University of Queensland (medical researcher)
• VICTORIA
  • Emeritus Professor David Karoly – CSIRO (atmospheric scientist)
  • Professor David Balding – University of Melbourne (genetic statistician)
  • Professor John Hamilton – University of Melbourne (medical researcher)
  • Professor Kerry Landman – University of Melbourne (mathematical biologist)
  • Professor Mark Cassidy – University of Melbourne (civil engineer)
  • Professor Warren Alexander – Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (medical researcher)
  • Professor Joanne Etheridge – Monash University (physicist)
  • Professor James Whelan – La Trobe University (plant scientist)
• NEW SOUTH WALES
  • Professor Maria Byrne – University of Sydney (marine biologist)
  • Professor Alex Molev – University of Sydney (pure mathematician)
  • Professor Catherine Stampfl – University of Sydney (physicist)
  • Professor Cynthia Whitchurch – University of Technology Sydney (microbiologist)
  • Professor Ian Wright – Macquarie University (plant ecologist)
  • Professor Alexander Zelinsky – University of Newcastle (engineer)

More information on each Fellow

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the newly elected Morrison Government and will work with it to ensure the economy and workforce can benefit from advances in science and technology of the highest quality and intensity.

Academy President, Professor John Shine AC, said the Academy is a Fellowship of the nation's most distinguished scientists who stand ready to provide independent, timely and relevant science advice to government and to the parliament.

The Academy welcomes the Morrison Government’s ongoing commitment to have a Science Minister in Cabinet and to their 2017 National Science Statement.

“Science can help inform almost every policy challenge—from solving major national and global challenges to spawning new industries, keeping existing ones competitive, and creating jobs,” Professor Shine said.

“Some of these opportunities are laid out in the Academy’s 10-year plans for agricultural sciences, geography, women in STEMand geosciences, all published within the past 12 months.

“Science offers solutions on adapting to climate change and identifying ways all Australians and the economy can benefit from reducing emissions and meeting Australia’s global emissions targets.”

The Academy welcomed the government's Advancing Women in STEM strategy published in April which committed $1.8 million to deliver the next phase of Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE), the only national transformative gender equity program of its kind. The Academy looks forward to working with the Morrison Government to progress this important agenda.

The government strategy responds to the issues outlined in the Women in STEM 10-year plan released on 1 April 2019 by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

“We look forward to meeting with the government to discuss science, research and technology priorities,” Professor Shine said.

Sixty years ago, on 6 May 1959, the Shine Dome was officially opened as the home of the Australian Academy of Science. It continues to serve that original purpose and is a great source of pride for the Academy. The Shine Dome is both a meeting place for Australia’s leading scientists and an iconic building that many people in Australia—and across the globe—recognise.

Reflecting some of the more adventurous architectural ideas of the mid-20th century, the Shine Dome, originally known as Becker House, remains one of the most unusual buildings in Australia. The dome—roof, walls and structure combined—dives down beneath the still water of its moat to give the sense that it is floating.

The Shine Dome’s historical and architectural significance led to it being the first Canberra building to be added to the National Heritage List.

As part of the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival on 5 May, the Academy hosted public tours through the Shine Dome, providing an insight into this extraordinary building and the Academy’s history. The tours, along with a showing of the film Hidden Figures in the Shine Dome theatre, were sold-out events.

While Academy staff took the opportunity on Monday 6 May to mark the Shine Dome’s 60th birthday with a small gathering, our official celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Shine Dome as well as the 65th anniversary of the formation of the Academy will take place at Science at the Shine Dome at the end of May.

Canberra media also marked the anniversary, including Strange but true facts about Canberra’s Martian Embassy and Canberra’s Shine Dome to celebrate 60th anniversary.  

Interested in the Shine Dome as a unique venue for a special event? The Academy welcomes conferences, meetings, art events, weddings, family celebrations and more. Find out more about the Shine Dome as an event venue.

Australian Academy of Science Fellow Professor Jenny Graves AO is one of 125 scientists recently elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and the only Australian scientist to be elected this year.

Professor Graves, from La Trobe University, was elected as a Foreign Associate in recognition of her distinguished research in genetics. She is renowned for her pioneering investigation into the genetics of sex, and her work mapping the genomes of the kangaroo and platypus.

“I’m delighted to have been elected into the National Academy of Sciences and to join a group of such world-leading scientists,” Professor Graves said.

Professor Graves was elected to the Australian Academy of Science for her seminal work on the mammalian genome. In 2017, she was awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.

Australian Academy of Science Corresponding Member Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, a chemistry researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, was also announced among the new Members of the NAS.

Professor Matyjaszewski is known for inventing a method of polymerisation that has spawned a prolific area of chemistry research and practical applications.

Election to the NAS is considered one of the greatest honours a scientist can receive. There are only a handful of Australian scientists among the NAS membership.

Similar to the Australian Academy of Science, the NAS is a private, non-profit organisation. Scientists are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. A maximum of 100 new members, who must be US citizens, are elected each year. Foreign Associates are non-US citizens and only 25 are admitted per year.

The Academy congratulates both Professor Graves and Professor Matyjaszewski for their achievements.

The economic and scientific benefits to Australia’s membership of major global science organisations have been outlined in a report released today by the Australian Academy of Science.

The report, Benefits of Australian membership of the International Science Council and International Scientific Unions, also highlights the important role that science has as a soft power asset in diplomacy.

Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, former Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister, launched the report today in Canberra in his role as President-elect of the International Science Council (ISC). The Australian Academy of Science represents Australia on the International Science Council. 

The report shows that Australia benefits as a member of global science organisations by:

• receiving a direct economic return—estimated at $118 million from 2000 to 2017— through hosting scientific union meetings in Australia and other activities
• receiving indirect benefits such as the invaluable opportunities for Australian scientists, especially young scientists, to collaborate with international leaders in ways that greatly accelerate delivery of the long-term economic benefits of scientific progress for Australia
• providing opportunities for Australian perspectives to contribute efforts to use science to solve global challenges
• enhancing Australia’s international scientific profile and reputation.

“As members of international science organisations, Australians scientists have the opportunity to help shape science in our region and beyond,” said the Academy’s Foreign Secretary, Professor Elaine Sadler FAA.

“While Australia benefits from its membership of the International Science Council and the International Scientific Unions, we would derive greater scientific and economic benefits by taking a more strategic approach.”

Diplomacy through science also provides benefits to Australia and the national interest is well served when scientific activities open doors and broker dialogue with other nations, especially where geopolitical issues might otherwise slow positive cooperation.

“In Australia science is an under-used element in diplomacy and it is not yet recognised as a key soft power asset, whilst in countries around the world science diplomacy is fast becoming a strategic part of the national tool kit,” Professor Sadler said.

Australia has felt the absence of an international engagement strategy for science, technology and innovation with long-term resourcing.

Such a strategy would enable Australia to:

• maintain participation in key international decision-making science bodies
• support bids to attract international scientific conferences to Australia
• contribute to bilateral and multilateral partnerships and research programs where they align with research priorities, or serve our diplomatic objectives
• allow Australia to meet its agreed Sustainable Development Goal obligations
• develop a program for early- and mid-career researchers to establish partnerships with international leaders in their field, building networks that will be beneficial to Australia for decades to come
• expand the network of science counsellors and attachés in Australian embassies in priority countries and regions around the world
• target programs to provide scientific support to assist Australian foreign affairs and trade policy objectives.

Internationals scientific engagement is a key priority included in the Australian Academy of Science priorities for the 2019 federal election: Earning Our Future.

Since it was formed in 1954, the Academy has received funding from the Australian Government to oversee membership of these organisations on the nation’s behalf. It manages these memberships with guidance and assistance from the Academy’s 22 National Committees for Science and the more than 450 scientists who are active in various levels of the organisations at any time.

The report, Benefits of Australian Membership of the International Science Council and International Scientific Unions is available here: www.science.org.au/isc-benefits

Professor Elaine Sadler FAA and Sir Peter Gluckman are available for media interview on release of the report at 7.30am AEST Wednesday 17 April.

Background

Australia has been a member of the International Science Council (formerly known as the International Council for Science), since its establishment in 1931. The International Science Council (ISC) serves as an interface between the scientific community and high-level international policy forums, and are important features of the global science and diplomacy landscape. 

Specifically, the ISC advances science as a global public good by convening the scientific expertise and resources needed to generate international action on issues of major scientific and public importance; provides advice to international bodies such as the United Nations; and champions the universality of science to promote free and responsible conduct of science, by protecting the freedom of movement, association and expression of scientists, ensuring equitable access to data and other resources and supporting capacity development in developing countries.

The ISC has a membership of 40 international scientific unions and associations and over 140 national and regional scientific organisations. On behalf of the Australian Government, the Academy is a member of the Council and 30 of its member bodies.

The Australian Academy of Science has announced the successful recipients of its 2019 J G Russell Award.

The award is aimed at financially helping talented younger researchers in the basic sciences as a token of the community’s regard for them.

Awardees are chosen from the recipients of the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards. The award recognises the costs involved in experimental research, and can be used towards the costs of equipment, maintenance, and travel.

The recipients are:

• Dr Giulia Ghedini from Monash University to resolve how entire ecological communities respond to global warming and identify the mechanisms that drive these responses.
• Dr Yu Heng Lau from the University of Sydney to uncover a new and generalisable platform technology for controlling chemical reactions on the nanoscale, which could benefit the manufacturing industry.
• Dr Tatiana Soares da Costa from La Trobe University to identify novel and smarter herbicide development strategies for effective weed management to sustain our fauna, flora and agricultural industry.
• Dr Qi Wu from the University of Adelaide to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent that communicates with humans on the basis of visual input and can complete a sequence of actions in environments by combining computer vision (CV), natural language processing (NLP) and reinforcement learning (RL).

The awards are valued at $6,000 each and are supported by the generosity of the late Miss J Russell. Find more information about the award here.

The Independent Assessment of fish deaths in the lower Darling final report released by Minister David Littleproud today is a welcome contribution to the growing evidence base to help inform action to improve the health of Australia’s rivers.

ANU Professor Craig Moritz FAA, who chaired the multidisciplinary panel of experts convened by the Australian Academy of Science, said although the scope and expertise of the Government and Academy expert panels differ in parts, there is strong consensus across both reports.

This includes agreement on:

• The immediate causes of the fish kills, with severe drought and extreme temperatures as major contributors, and the latter being attributable to ongoing climate change;
• The strong likelihood that increased upstream diversions have contributed to deteriorating flow regimes in the Darling River;
• The need for improved measurement of all diversions, monitoring of river conditions, and modeling of the system as a whole for management and policy needs, the last including better modeling of the effects of climate change on the Northern Basin;
• The need for Water Resource Plans now under development by NSW and QLD to:
  1. fully consider downstream flow requirements; and
  2. implement active management to ensure that low flows are maintained and that environmental flows are protected and effective.
• The opportunity to rethink how state and federal agencies manage the Menindee Lakes system for improved environmental and social outcomes;
• The need for stronger engagement with local communities in advising on management strategies and participating in their implementation;
• The need to support research that is essential to management actions that will improve understanding of the hydro-ecology of the system, restore and maintain the health of fish populations and enable more effective intervention as critical conditions approach;
• The importance of the Murray Darling Basin Plan as the key instrument for managing water for environmental and social needs.

Professor Craig Moritz said the Academy’s expert panel welcomed recent moves by the Murray Darling Basin Authority to increase engagement with local stakeholders, including Indigenous elders, in river management, and to improve the understanding of climate change impacts on the system.

“Announcements from both the Federal Government and Opposition of initiatives to address some of the recommendations from each of the reports are also welcome, though more remains to be done,” Professor Moritz said.

“If we are to successfully manage this system, especially as climate becomes more challenging, a bipartisan approach will be important,” Professor Moritz said.