Space science and technology was on the political agenda following the Parliamentary Friends of Science breakfast held in Canberra on Tuesday 14 February.

Presented by Science & Technology Australia in partnership with the Australian Academy of Science, the event was hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Science group, co-convened by the Hon Richard Marles MP and the Hon Karen Andrews MP.

Experts in space science and technology shared their work and unique perspectives on the sector in an effort to highlight Australia’s current contributions, and where the possibilities lie for space science in Australia moving forward.

Panellists included Director of UNSW Canberra Space, Professor Russell Boyce; UNSW Canberra Rector, Professor Michael Frater; CEO of space start-up Myriota, Alex Grant; co-founder of Cuberider, Solange Cunin; and International Space Station Flight Operations Engineer with the European Space Agency, Andrea Boyd. The panel was chaired by Professor Joan Leach, Director of the Centre for the Public Awareness for Science.

The event at Parliament House was followed by a public forum at Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre. More than 100 members of the public joined in on the lively discussion on Australia’s future in space science, the benefits of a space agency, and the potential economic and scientific benefits of investing more in the sector.

The Australian Academy of Science and STA is grateful to all those who attended both events, and to the inspiring panellists for sharing their insights with Australian decision makers at all levels.

Story courtesy of Science and Technology Australia.

Sixty years ago, the dawn of the space age was marked by the launch of Sputnik. Fifty years ago this April, Australia joined in the space game with the flight of two Skylark rockets from Woomera in April 1967.

So where have we gone from there, and what’s next? As the world enters a new era of space science and technology, Australian researchers are:

• delivering experiments designed by high school students to the International Space Station
• facilitating communication between satellites and sensors to obtain data on climate, defence, agriculture and mining at locations not serviced by current communication networks
• giving satellites the ability to avoid each other and space debris in our increasingly busy skies
• speaking to astronauts on the International Space Station to make sure their experiments are on track.

Today in Canberra at an event convened by the Australian Academy of Science and Science and Technology Australia five Australian space experts and entrepreneurs are sharing their stories, and giving an insight into Australia’s contribution to space science and technology.

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes said “Australia is highly regarded internationally in the fields of astronomy and space science. The next step is in commercialising the technologies that drive science and progress in space, and that is where we are headed.”

One of the speakers is Professor Russell Boyce, a leading space scientist from the University of New South Wales and chair of the Academy’s National Committee for Space and Radio Science. He said that Australia has a proud heritage of outstanding space science that helps the world operate the satellites we depend on, and helps us understand our origins,

“Our location on the planet makes us ideal partners for watching and listening to the skies. But we’re also reversing the brain drain. We have the talent pool to build highly capable spacecraft with the innovative payloads that can help meet national needs,” he said.

Solange Cunin, the 24 year old founder of Australian company Cuberider that recently launched a satellite to the International Space Station agrees. “This isn’t just a game for the big countries, from what I’ve seen a space industry would definitely be viable in Australia, we just need to foster it,” she said.  

All panellists are available for interview and they will take part in a public forum at Questacon at 11am.

Contact

Toni Stevens  |  E: media@science.org.au | M: 0401763130

Dion Pretorius | E: dion.pretorius@sta.org.au | M: 0418 281 777 

The Academy has announced the recipients of the J G Russell Award to help talented younger researchers in the basic sciences.

The four awardees are working towards cheaper solar cells, understanding brain plasticity, harnessing self-assembling molecules for manufacturing and employing computers to help make sense of the waves of data coming from modern biology.

Each researcher receives $6000 towards the costs of equipment, maintenance and travel as a top up to their Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, supported by the generosity of the late Miss J Russell.

Dr Brett Hallam, from UNSW Australia, is studying the process by which defects in cheap silicon solar cells can be ironed out with hydrogen.

Dr Pengyi Yang from the University of Sydney is employing machine learning to help find links between the studies of separate biological processes, such as epigenetics and protein and metabolic processes.

At the University of Queensland, Dr Iris Tong Wang is exploring neural plasticity and how receptors for the amino acid L-glutamate are controlled in the communication between neurons.

Dr Nicole Rijs won her award for a project at the Queensland University of Technology to use advanced mass spectrometry techniques to explore how molecules assemble themselves, with the aim of more efficient manufacturing of high-technology materials.

More on the JG Russell Award

Full details of the awardees

We live in a risky world. Risks from antibiotic resistance, environmental impacts and international security are hot issues in research, but delaying action until the science is settled isn’t always feasible.

The Australian Academy of Science has today released a think tank report discussing how risk and uncertainty impact the decisions we make as a society.

The report addresses specific risks from antibiotic resistance, environmental challenges, international security, and also the challenges of making decisions when data is uncertain.

“Risks are part of life, and we need to learn how to make decisions when the data is uncertain,” said Professor Hugh Possingham, from the University of Queensland, who chaired the think tank steering committee.

“Some uncertainty is not worth resolving, it’s better to act sooner than wait until you are absolutely certain. Australians, as big gamblers, already love to embrace that uncertainty.”

Media are invited to attend the official launch of the report at the Shine Dome in Canberra today at 12.15 PM, by Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes AC PresAA FRS FTSE. It is the product of the 2016 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank, which brought together 60 early and mid-career researchers from across the research sector from the humanities, social sciences and sciences.

“The think tank was a unique opportunity for the nation’s next generation of research leaders to inform the direction of Australia’s future,” Professor Holmes said.

Dr Roisin McMahon from Griffith University and Dr Maurizio Labbate from University of Technology Sydney attended the think tank and contributed to writing the recommendations report.

“Loss of effective antimicrobials could claim 10 million lives a year by 2050. We risk being unable to safely perform routine medical procedures such as hip replacements and caesarean sections,” Dr McMahon and Dr Labbate said.

They recommended changes to antibiotic prescription and usage, and proposed that antibiotic usage in foods be included on labels to inform and empower consumers.

The group also identified areas needing further study, such as the role of environmental pollution, including human and animal waste in the development of antimicrobial resistance.

The difficulty of adequately costing environmental impacts and factoring them into cost-benefit analyses when allocating resources for environmental projects was also discussed at the think tank.

The group flagged risks that unfold or change over long time periods as particularly difficult to grapple with.

They recommended that policy makers and scientists jointly develop a set of guidelines for cost-benefit analysis, and that tools used by scientists for sequential decision making could be simplified and adopted for policy makers.

 “More data is not always better,” said Dr Kirsty Kitto from Queensland University of Technology.

“But sometimes uncertainty is misinterpreted as a lack of evidence by decision makers.”

The group found that even their own discussion of uncertainty was hampered by the differing language used between research fields. So they recommended the development of a common set of terminology to clarify communication between scientists and policy makers.

Uncertainty plays a large role in the risks inherent in negotiating international security concerns. The think tank also covered and offered recommendations on a broad range of international security issues such as global migration flows, Australia’s compliance with international legal obligations, environmental change and disruptive technologies.

The full report is available here /think-tanks/risky-world.

Professor Possingham, Dr Kitto and Dr Labbate are available for interview.

Contact Academy Media Manager Dr Phil Dooley on 02 6201 9452, media@science.org.au

Image: Cross section of advanced fibres produced by bi-component extrusion by CSIRO

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes has been recognised with Australia’s highest honour, Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the 2017 Australia Day Honours list.

Professor Holmes AC PresAA FRS FTSE received the recognition for his lifetime of service to science including his pioneering research at the interface of chemistry, biology and materials science, as an academic leader and mentor, and through his leadership of scientific organisations. At Cambridge, Professor Holmes led a team that made the breakthrough discovery of light-emitting polymers and co-founded Cambridge Display Technology to commercialise the now-pervasive technology. He received the 2003 Descartes Prize of the European Union, the 2011 John B Goodenough Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the 2012 Royal Medal from the Royal Society. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2004.

Professor Holmes returned to Australia in 2004 as a Federation Fellow to lead the Bio21 Institute of the University of Melbourne. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2000 and to the Fellowship of Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2006. He served as Foreign Secretary of the Academy of Science from 2010-2014 and became its President in May 2014.

Fellows recognised as Officers in the General Division of the Order of Australia were:

• Professor Max Lu AO FAA FTSE, Vice Chancellor of the University of Surrey in the UK for his pioneering work in chemical engineering and nanotechnology
• Professor Gordon Wallace AO FAA FTSE from the University of Wollongong for his research on electromaterials for energy storage and conversion as well as biomedical applications
• Professor Colin Masters AO FAA FTSE Senior Deputy Director of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health for his ground-breaking work understanding the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
• Professor David Vaux AO FAA Deputy Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research for his research that led to new understanding of the genetic and molecular bases of cell death in cancer and other diseases

Fellows recognised as Members in the General Division of the Order of Australia were

• Professor Evan Simpson AM FAA Director Emeritus of the Hudson Institute of Medical Research for his ground-breaking research on the biological synthesis of oestrogen and its application in breast cancer and other diseases
• Professor Malcolm Walter AM FAA Director of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of NSW for his pioneering research on microbial biology in extreme ecosystems
• Professor Richard Harvey AM FAA Deputy Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute for his work understanding and developing cellular pathways for treatment of cardiac disease.

The Australian Academy of Science has welcomed newly-appointed Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science—Senator Arthur Sinodinos AO, and congratulates Minister Greg Hunt MP on his appointment as Minister for Health and Sport.

“The science sector has sincerely appreciated Minister Hunt’s commitment to science and innovation, his willingness to engage with and understand issues facing the sector and his leadership of the National Innovation and Science Agenda,” said Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes.

“During his term as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Hunt established the Office of Innovation and Science Australia and made a number of timely and welcome commitments to science and innovation as drivers of Australia’s economy and social prosperity for the future.”

“His commitment to building international links, including ties to South East Asia and the United States has positioned Australia’s innovation sector to make a real global impact, and he recognised and affirmed the importance of the CSIRO as Australia’s flagship science and innovation agency.”

“The Academy of Science looks forward to continuing to work with Minister Hunt in his new portfolio on the many pressing challenges in health and medical research.”

Professor Holmes also welcomed the appointment of Senator Arthur Sinodinos as the new Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science.

“Minister Sinodinos brings a wealth of public policy experience to this portfolio that will help translate Australian research in areas such as medicine, clean energy and the basic physical and biological sciences into the economic growth that underpins a strong nation,” said Professor Holmes.

“We look forward to working with Minister Sinodinos to continue building Australia’s science and innovation capacity and underlying policies to ensure that Australia remains a leading nation driven and underpinned by ideas, research and innovation.”

Distinguished Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC FAA FTSE has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Indian Academy of Science, one of only two elected in 2017.

This is the latest in a long list of honours and awards for Professor Jagadish, who was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2005. In addition to his ground-breaking research in nanotechnology, photovoltaics and semiconductor optoelectronics, Professor Jagadish has actively fostered international research links with Japan and China, as well as his native India.

He said he was humbled and grateful to receive the honour from his country of birth.

Over the past decade Professor Jagadish has worked tirelessly to promote links between Australia and India, which he hopes will bring opportunities and benefits for scientists from both countries. In one example, Professor Jagadish and his wife Dr Vidya Jagadish set up an endowment fund to support students and researchers from developing countries to travel to ANU and pursue collaborative research for up to 12 weeks.

Professor Jagadish was the Academy’s Secretary for Physical Sciences and Vice President from 2012 to 2016. He is currently the Chair of the Academy’s National Committee for Materials Science and Engineering.

He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2016 for his contributions to Australian science.

Download the Christmas Reading List

The Australian Academy of Science has released its first annual Christmas Reading List that could inspire thousands of stumped Australians searching for a last minute Christmas gift.

The Christmas stocking recommendations by Australia’s leading scientists who are Fellows of the Academy cover research into halting ageing, a future dystopian United States governed by Chelsea Clinton, a new view on the importance of Asian empires in the development of society, and how to teach quantum mechanics to your dog.

“Our Fellows’ interests are much broader than just science,” said Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes.

“Their thought-provoking recommendations will provide hours of inspiration and entertainment for Australians heading off for a relaxing break.”

Professor Tim Flannery’s choice is Against elections: the case for democracy for its heretical look at how elections have led us away from the original intent of democracy, while Laura Snyder’s The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four remarkable friends who transformed science and changed the world is the choice of Professor Robert C Williamson of the University of Melbourne.

Professor John Mattick, Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research recommends The patient will see you now by Eric Topol, for its glimpse into the massive changes coming down the pipeline in medicine and healthcare, while infectious disease expert Professor Eddie Holmes prefers The private science of Louis Pasteur for its depiction of a “devious, ruthless and ultimately fascinating” character.

Being mortal by Atul Gawande is the choice of ANU mathematician Professor Alan Carey, who found it indispensable after a family member was diagnosed with cancer, while Malcolm Macmillan’s biography of Snowy Campbell, an Australian pioneer of brain researcher from the late 19th century is fellow neuroscientist Professor John Furness’ suggestion.

And for those who can’t choose a single discipline, Western Australia’s Professor Fiona Stanley recommends The Best Australian Science writing of 2016 as an uplifting and inspiring read.

Academy Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia slipped her own recommendation into the reading list – The Geek Manifesto: Why science matters by Mark Henderson.

“Henderson’s book shows that, more than ever, it’s important for scientists to engage in the political process,” Ms Arabia said.

“More than ever they need to make sure the scientific evidence base informs policy decisions.”

Contact Chris Hatherly| E: Chris.Hatherly@science.org.au | T: (02) 6201 9458 | M: 0417 209 425

Download the Christmas Reading List

The Australian Academy of Science has released its first annual Christmas Reading List, delving into the favourite reads of Australia's brightest academics.

Fellows of the Academy submitted their favourite books, covering research into halting ageing, a future dystopian United States governed by Chelsea Clinton, a new view on the importance of Asian empires in the development of society, and how to teach quantum mechanics to your dog.

“Our Fellows’ interests are much broader than just science,” said Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes.

“Their thought-provoking recommendations will provide hours of inspiration and entertainment for Australians heading off for a relaxing break.”

Professor Tim Flannery’s top choice is Against elections: the case for democracy for its heretical look at how elections have led us away from the original intent of democracy, while Laura Snyder’s The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four remarkable friends who transformed science and changed the world is the choice of Professor Robert C Williamson of the University of Melbourne.

Professor John Mattick, Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research recommends The patient will see you now by Eric Topol, for its glimpse into the massive changes coming down the pipeline in medicine and healthcare, while infectious disease expert Professor Eddie Holmes prefers The private science of Louis Pasteur for its depiction of a “devious, ruthless and ultimately fascinating” character.

Being mortal by Atul Gawande is the choice of ANU mathematician Professor Alan Carey, who found it indispensable after a family member was diagnosed with cancer, while Malcolm Macmillan’s biography of Snowy Campbell, an Australian pioneer of brain researcher from the late 19th century is fellow neuroscientist Professor John Furness’ suggestion.

And for those who can’t choose a single discipline, Western Australia’s Professor Fiona Stanley recommends The Best Australian Science writing of 2016 as an uplifting and inspiring read.

Academy Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia slipped her own recommendation into the reading list – The Geek Manifesto: Why science matters by Mark Henderson.

“Henderson’s book shows that, more than ever, it’s important for scientists to engage in the political process,” Ms Arabia said.

“More than ever they need to make sure the scientific evidence base informs policy decisions.”

A special opportunity was made during Science at the Shine Dome for the donors to the following awards to meet the 2015 recipients of those awards: Ruth Stephens Gani Medal, Gustav Nossal Medal, Jacques Miller Medal, Moran Medal and Anton Hales Medal.

This provided a rare opportunity for donors and awardees to meet and chat over lunch in a relaxed atmosphere at the Shine Dome.