A talented local scientist’s work to develop a form of ‘electronic skin’ that monitors the environment and the human body has been recognised with the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE).

Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran from RMIT University, who was nominated by the Australian Academy of Science for the prize, beat a strong international field of candidates from countries including the United States, China, Russia, Malaysia and Canada. She is only the second Australian to win the prize since the award’s inception in 2011.

The ASPIRE Prize, valued at US$25,000, recognises scientists under the age of 40 who are working in APEC nations. This year it was announced at the 12th APEC PPSTI Meeting in Papua New Guinea in August.

Associate Professor Bhaskaran’s work combining oxide, elastic and plastic materials at high temperatures, has led to sensors that can be worn as “electronic skin”. The sensors are currently being integrated into new health monitoring technology to improve aged care, and can potentially be used for detecting dangerous gases in mines, in monitoring UV rays and as smart contact lenses.

Watch a video about Associate Professor Bhaskaran’s work

Find out more about the ASPIRE prize

Five Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among 16 recipients of the Australian Research Council’s prestigious Laureate Fellowships, announced by the Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham.

The recipients are:

• Professor Christine Beveridge FAA from the University of Queensland. Awarded $2.9M to investigate the genetic mechanisms of shoot branching in agricultural and horticultural plants.
• Professor Karl Glazebrook FAA FASA from Swinburne University of Technology. Awarded $2.8M to develop deep learning techniques for use by the James Webb Space Telescope (launching in 2020 as successor to Hubble) in mapping and understanding the universe during its first billion years.
• Professor Julian Gale FAA from Curtin University. Awarded $2.5M to develop new predictive methodologies for crystallisation processes that underpin food and minerals processing, and pharmaceutical development
• Professor Bostjan Kobe FAA from the University of Queensland. Awarded $2.8M to investigate mechanisms of innate immunity in plants and animals.
• Professor Peter Visscher FAA FRS from the University of Queensland. Awarded $3.5M to use big data and genomic technologies to understand the causes and consequences of human trait variation.

The Academy warmly congratulates these distinguished Fellows on the awarding of one of Australia’s most distinguished research Fellowships.

More information about the Laureate Fellowships can be found here: http://www.arc.gov.au/australian-laureate-fellowships

Australian mathematician Akshay Venkatesh has become only the second Australian to win a Fields Medal, often described as the Nobel Prize for mathematics. The first was Terence Tao FAA FRS in 2006.

The medal is awarded every four years to between two and four researchers under 40 years old, to recognise outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement.

The medal is named after the Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields (1863–1932), who conceived the award to celebrate the great achievements in the area. In addition to a gold medal, the winner receives $15,400.

Venkatesh is a professor of mathematics at Stanford University, USA and has spent the past year as visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, where he will soon take up a longer-term role.

He has been recognised for ‘his synthesis of analytic number theory, homogeneous dynamics, topology and representation theory.’

The other winners of the 2018 Fields Medal, announced at the International Congress of Mathematics in Brazil, are Alessio Figalli, Caucher Birkar and Peter Scholze.

Professor Venkatesh said just manipulating numbers makes him feel happy.

“A lot of the time when you do math, you’re stuck, but at the same time there are all these moments where you feel privileged that you get to work with it. And you have this sensation of transcendence, you feel like you’ve been part of something really meaningful,” Professor Venkatesh said.

Academy Fellow and UWA professor Cheryl Praeger AM FAA, has known Akshay since he was 12 and says he is extraordinary.

‘At our first meeting I was speaking with Akshay’s mother Svetha, while Akshay was sitting at a table in my office reading my blackboard which contained fragments from a supervision of one of my PhD students, just completed,’ recalls Professor Praeger.

‘At Akshay’s request I explained what the problem was. He coped with quite a lot of detail and I found that he could easily grasp the essence of the research.

‘Akshay became the youngest ever student to study at UWA and went straight into second year maths units, writing exam papers over the summer for core first year maths courses he had never taken to demonstrate that he did not need to do those units. He was not seeking credit but rather exemption from the courses,’ says Professor Praeger.

Venkatesh earned a BSc in mathematics and physics with first class honours at UWA in 1997, becoming the youngest ever to achieve this feat. At the age of 16 Venkatesh left Australia for the United States on a UWA Hackett Scholarship, completing his PhD in maths at Princeton in 2002.

‘He’s had such a stellar career since then. A Clay research fellowship taken in New York; full professorship at Stanford and this year he will be moving back to Princeton. Twice Akshay has visited UWA as Professor at Large where it was great hearing his lectures and seeing his interactions with students,’ recalls Professor Praeger.

Watch the video about Akshay’s Fields Medal here. https://www.facebook.com/AustralianAcademyofScience/videos/1769303643147159/

The importance of soils to food and nutrition security was the focus an international summit of scientists held in Argentina recently. 

Academy President, Professor John Shine, joined more than 200 other scientists at the Science 20 (S20) Summit in Argentina, from which recommendations for achieving a sustainable food future were made. The S20 is made up of academies of sciences of G20 countries and is a powerful voice for science across the world.

The group's recommendations, Food and Nutrition Security: Improving Soils and Increasing Productivity was presented to Dr Lino Barañao, Argentine Minister of Science, Technology and Innovative Production. The minister was also presented with four books containing research on food and nutritional security by the InterAcademy Partnership, an organisation that represents 120 academies of science from around the world including Australia, for consideration by the G20 leaders.

The S20’s statement focused on promoting good soil governance and knowledge about soil. It encouraged new international programs to boost scientific cooperation on sustainable soil management, and the creation of opportunities for professionals and scientists from developing countries. Academy Fellows Dr TJ Higgins and Professor Alex McBratney contributed to the statement. 

More information on the summit and the recommendations

PhD student and social roboticist Siva Leela Krishna Chand Gudi has been selected by the Australian Academy of Science to represent Australia at the highly prestigious 6th Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany in September.

The forum will see 200 leading young mathematicians and computer scientists from around the world ‘engage in a cross-generational scientific dialogue’ with the laureates of the most prestigious prizes in their fields: the Abel Prize, Turing Award, Nevanlinna Prize and Fields Medal.

Mr Gudi, who is based at the University of Technology Sydney’s Magic Lab/Centre for Artificial Intelligence, is one of only 30 of 200 researchers worldwide attending this year’s forum that will present their research.

Mr Gudi said social robotics research is an emerging field which explores how robots can assist humans.

“For example, the role of a robot to act as a companion to an elderly person or to ensure they take their medications on time. In the future, I can also see robots taking on the role of coach or giving advice to humans in different situations,” Mr Gudi said.

“My goal is to make a ground-breaking contribution in the field of robotics using artificial intelligence, which can make a big impact on society.”

At the age of 26 Mr Gudi has already registered patents for a range of new technologies including a drone based wireless network, a wearable smart tight cross-legged detector, an infant mental state analysis system and an autonomous reconnaissance bot.

The 6th Heidelberg Laureate Forum will take place from 23 to 28 September 2018. 

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

The 2018 Fellowship has been made possible thanks to support from the Science and Industry Endowment Fund with the successful delegate receiving a travel grant of $3,500 and complimentary registration for the Academy’s annual Science at the Shine Dome event.

Honours and awards to Fellows

• Professor Martin Green AM FAA FRS FTSE—Global Energy Prize
• Professor Terry Hughes FAA—Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award for Climate Change
• Dr Brian Walker FAA FTSE—Blue Planet Prize

More about these awards

The Australian Academy of Science has welcomed Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham’s statement about the importance of qualified science and maths teachers in Australian schools.

The Academy said there aren’t enough well-trained and well-supported science and maths teachers to be placed in all Australian schools and pointed to alarming decreases in student enrolments in advanced science and maths subjects, particularly among girls.

Attracting more STEM graduates into teaching and ensuring better STEM training for teacher trainees is part of the solution, however, only about five per cent of the teaching workforce turns over each year so this is a long-term strategy—we need to do a much better job supporting our existing teachers in the meantime.

With support from the Australian government, industry, philanthropists and some state governments, the Australian Academy of Science is committed to developing and delivering inquiry-based science curriculum resources and teacher professional learning programs, recently expanding to a national maths learning program.

The Academy has engaged with over 70% of Australian science teachers, and delivered professional learning workshops to over 23,000 teachers over the past decade.

This has taught us that targeted professional development for existing teachers—particularly those without formal training in their disciplines, and those teaching in regional and remote areas—is critical and urgent if we are to give all teachers the skills and confidence to engage and inspire their students to pursue maths and science.

Evidence shows that programs like the Academy’s Primary Connections, Science by Doing and ReSolve: Maths by Inquiry work, however, they have not been implemented in all schools. The Academy stands willing and able to work with state governments and the Federal Government to do more.

The contributions to Australian science and industry by the late Sir Ian William Wark CMG CBE FAA FTSE were commemorated this month with the Australian Academy of Science’s Ian Wark Medal and Lecture.

The award was inaugurated in 1987, two years after Sir Ian’s death, and was created by the Academy through a legacy received from Sir Ian and donations by his friends. It recognises research which contributes to the prosperity of Australia through the advancement of scientific knowledge and its application.

This year the Ian Wark Medal was awarded to Professor Calum John Drummond FTSE, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at RMIT University.

Professor Calum Drummond has made outstanding contributions to advancing the fundamental understanding of the key factors governing molecular assembly, and particle and surface interactions in liquids.

A hallmark of his research has been the use of sophisticated high-throughput preparation and characterisation techniques to fast track the creation of materials, and the determination of the structure and properties of materials, at the nanoscale.

This fundamental research in chemistry has enabled the development and commercialisation of advanced high-performance materials for economic and societal benefit. The materials have been applied in diverse areas including energy storage, medical therapy and diagnosis, household consumer and industrial large-scale uses.

Seventy-five people attended the presentation dinner in Melbourne to hear Professor Drummond’s lecture titled: ‘One scientist’s journey in advanced materials and product development in Australia.’

Watch a video about Professor Drummond's award

More information about the Ian Wark award

Nominations will be open in early 2019 for the 2020 award.

Seven Academy Fellows have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday honours list, including four who have received Australia’s highest accolade for their work, named as Companions in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

Professor Rose Amal AC FAA FTSE has been named as a Companion for her eminent service to chemical engineering, education as a researcher and academic, and to women in science as a role model and mentor.

Professor Geoffrey Burnstock AC FAA FRS has been recognised for eminent service to biological sciences in the field of pharmacology and toxicology as an academic, author and mentor.

Professor San Thang AC FAA FTSE has been honoured for eminent service to science, and to higher education, particularly in the fields of polymer chemistry and materials science, as a research innovator and mentor.

The late Professor David Cooper AC FAA FRCP was awarded a posthumous accolade for his eminent service to medicine, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS research, including the development of treatment therapies, and to health programs in South East Asia and the Pacific.

Three Academy Fellows have also been recognised as Officers in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

Professor Sever Sternhell AO FAA FRACI was named for his distinguished service to education in the field of organic chemistry, as an academic and researcher, and to scientific institutions.

Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop AO FAA was recognised for her distinguished service to laser physics and nano-optics as a researcher, mentor and academic, to the promotion of educational programs, and to women in science.

Professor James McCluskey AO FAA was acknowledged for his distinguished service to medical education, as an academic in immunology, and through research into immune systems response to viruses.

A talented local scientist’s work to develop a form of ‘electronic skin’ that monitors the environment and the human body has been recognised by the Australian Academy of Science.

The Academy nominated Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran from RMIT University for the prestigious APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE), valued at US$25,000. The ASPIRE Prize will be announced at the 12th APEC PPSTI Meeting in Papua New Guinea in August 2018.

ASPIRE recognises young scientists from Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in innovation, research and education.

Associate Professor Bhaskaran is Australia’s 2018 nominee for ASPIRE for her work in developing stretchable electronics and sensors with applications such as detecting dangerous gases in mines, reducing skin cancer with widespread use of UV sensors or smart contact lenses which can analyse tears for biomarkers.

The Academy also recognised the work of two runners up: Professor Michael Milford from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Professor Igor Aharonovich from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Professor Milford’s research covers robotics, neuroscience and computer vision. His work looks at how the brain performs tasks like navigation and perception, with his findings leading to applications across intelligent transport, mining and space exploration.

Professor Aharonovich’s breakthrough research on next generation technologies spans healthcare, energy, communications and information. His work on atomically thin materials will support the development of revolutionary techniques to enable early detection of many diseases.

Since 2011, ASPIRE has recognised scientists under the age of 40 who are working in APEC member economies and have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in scientific research and cooperation with other APEC scientists.

More information, including past Australian finalists