Former Academy President Professor Brian Anderson and polymers pioneer Professor David Solomon have been recognised with Australia's highest honour, Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia, in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Professor Anderson AC received the award for eminent services to information and communications technology, to engineering and higher education, as an academic, researcher and author, to professional scientific associations and as a mentor of young scientists.

Professor Solomon AC was recognised for eminent service to science in the field of polymer chemistry and plastics, and to professional scientific institutions.

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

• Academy Vice President Dr TJ Higgins AO for services to agricultural biotechnology;
• Professor Nalini Joshi AO, for distinguished service to mathematical science and tertiary education, as a role model and mentor of young mathematicians;
• Professor Doug Hilton AO, for distinguished service to medical research and education, and to gender equity and mentoring;
• Professor John White AO for distinguished service to chemistry and for leadership of Synchrotron and neutron science projects in Australia and the Asia-Oceania region.

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

• Academy Council Member Professor Sue O'Reilly AM for significant service to the earth sciences;
• Professor Denis Evans AM for significant services to chemistry and tertiary education.

​The late Professor Michael Raupach AO received a posthumous award for distinguished service to science in Australia and internationally as a leader in climate change research.

(Home page image Professor Nalini Joshi AO)

Retiring members of the Academy’s Council have been honoured and new members appointed, following the Australian Academy of Science’s Annual General Meeting today.

Leading physicist and academic Professor C Jagadish has retired as the Academy’s Secretary Physical Sciences and Deputy President; materials scientist Professor Jim Williams has stepped into the role.

Other retiring Council members are ordinary members in the physical sciences, Professor Bob Vincent, and Professor Brain Schmidt and ordinary member of the biological sciences, Professor Peter Koopman.

Replacing them will be Professor Sam Berkovic (biological sciences), and physical scientists Professor Elaine Sadler, Professor Scott Sloan and Dr Steve Rintoul.

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes welcomed the new members and thanked those retiring for their service to the Academy. 

A Prime Minister’s Prize-winning epilepsy specialist, an internationally recognised astrophysicist, a geotechnical engineer and a Southern Ocean climate scientist have joined the Council of the Australian Academy of Science.

The new members have been elected to join Council for three-year terms that commence after the Academy’s Annual General Meeting, held as part of Science at the Shine Dome in Canberra this week.  

Epilepsy specialist Professor Sam Berkovic AC FAA, winner of the 2014 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, joins the Council as an ordinary member for the biological sciences. Astrophysicist Professor Elaine Sadler FAA, geotechnical engineer Professor Scott Sloan AO FAA FRS FTSE, and oceanographer and climate specialist Dr Steve Rintoul FAA will join as ordinary members for the physical sciences. 

Leading nanotechnologist Professor C. Jagadish AC FAA FTSE is retiring from Council after a four year term as the Academy’s Secretary Physical Sciences and Vice President. Materials scientist Professor Jim S. Williams AM FAA FTSE will take his place. Also retiring are Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt AC FAA FRS, and Professors Bob Vincent FAA, and Peter Koopman FAA. 

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes AM PresAA FRS FTSE welcomed the new members and thanked those retiring for their service to the Academy.

“By joining the Council of the Academy these scientists are demonstrating a huge commitment not only to scientific research but also to participating actively in creating an Australian scientific culture,” Professor Holmes said. “I welcome each of the new members of Council and look forward to working with them.”

“On behalf of the Academy I express my deep gratitude to the outgoing members of Council, and in particular to the outgoing Vice President, Professor Jagadish, for his tireless efforts in the service of science and the Academy.”

Delivered 9 am Wednesday 25 May 2016, Shine Dome, Canberra

E&OE: CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Australian Academy of Science President, Professor Andrew Holmes AM PresAA FRS FTSE

Fellows of the Academy, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Before we begin the proceedings, I would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the land on which we meet—the Ngunnawal people of the Wiradjuri Nation. It is upon their ancestral lands that the Australian Academy of Science is built.

As we share our own knowledge, teaching, learning, and research practices may we also pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever within the Aboriginal Custodianship of Country.

I welcome all the new Fellows including two Corresponding Members (Professor Sir Philip Cohen Dundee elected in 2014 and Professor Matthias Hentze Heidelberg elected this year) as well as the award holders who will present their lectures this morning.

In the year since I last had the privilege of delivering this annual address, Australian science and Australian scientists have experienced a range of highs and lows. On December 7 last year, just 65 days into his Prime Ministership, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull and the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science the Hon Christopher Pyne announced the National Innovation and Science Agenda.

This ambitious policy was presented as an important first step towards a future economy based on scientific discovery and innovation, and was welcomed by the science sector with genuine excitement and enthusiasm.

Such commitments to science can be very fruitful. Bob Grubbs, who won the Chemistry Nobel Prize in the same year as Barry Marshall and Robin Warren won the Prize for Medicine/Physiology, described his scientific achievements as being a product of the ‘sputnik era.’  The Soviet Union launched the sputnik in 1957. Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space in April 1961, and on 25 May 1961 (exactly 55 years ago) President Kennedy announced the intention to place a man on the moon within a decade. The resulting commitment to investment in science and technology was the reason given by Professor Grubbs for his successful scientific career, and presumably for his nation’s prosperity.

The National Innovation and Science Agenda announced last December included many noble aspirations, with a new Cabinet committee for science and innovation chaired by the Prime Minister, and more than $1 billion in new funding for science education, for programs to promote gender equality in science and industry, and significant funding for research translation and commercialisation programs.

Of great interest to many in our sector, the package also included a commitment of $1.5 billion over ten years to support the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme—NCRIS—and $520 million in new funding for the Australian Synchrotron.

Given that just nine months previously the future of the NCRIS program had been in grave doubt, the announcement was welcomed particularly by the 35,000 Australian and international researchers who use these facilities and the 1,700 highly trained staff who operate them.

After significant ups and downs, 2015 had ended on a high for scientists in the country.

Climate science

However, less than two months later, some of this optimism was turned on its head with the CSIRO’s announcement of planned cuts to its oceans and atmosphere and land and water divisions; an announcement that reverberated in the media throughout Australia and the world.

On behalf of the Academy, I expressed great disappointment in the decision that appeared to have been taken, and while recognising that this was not a political decision, I did call on government to ensure that Australia retained its excellence and essential capabilities in research in climate and environmental science to meet national and international needs.

I took the opportunity to express to the Minister for Environment the Hon Greg Hunt that Australia is literally the custodian of the Southern Hemisphere in the body of climate knowledge it generates, and was heartened by his genuine willingness to listen. I am hopeful that the ongoing efforts of the Academy and others will lead to an acceptable solution.

2016 federal election

And now, two months later again, we are approaching a federal election in which for the first time in recent memory it seems that science is on the political agenda of both major parties.

With the election in mind the Academy has launched its statement, entitled Science Priorities for an Innovative Australia.

In this statement the Academy argues that science is the engine-room of innovation, and that Australia’s future economic and social prosperity depend above all else on improving achievements through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

We propose that a long-term vision and stable funding for science is needed to ensure:

• that all Australians have the understanding and skills to use and apply STEM in their lives and careers
• that the most intellectually and experimentally able scientists are empowered to solve Australia’s current and future challenges, and:
• that Australia has a strong, secure and globally connected research capability.

Within these three overarching priorities there is a need for:

• continued support for evidence-based science and maths education programs
• relevant work-placement opportunities for university students in STEM disciplines
• equal opportunities for people of all genders and from all backgrounds to study and achieve a successful career in science
• stability in research funding; support for indirect costs of research and an increased investment in the basic and translational research supported principally by the ARC and the NHMRC
• continued support for public good research in areas of pressing national importance such as climate change and the environment.

The policy statement also recognises the need for targeted support to enable industry and academic researchers to engage more effectively. And we stress that innovation will quickly falter if support for the basic science that drives it is neglected or withheld.

And finally, it recognises that within the context of the National Innovation and Science Agenda, some of this work is already well underway. Under the leadership of Bill Ferris, Innovation and Science Australia has commenced an audit of the Australian innovation, science and research system that will inform the development of what is already being referred to as the 2030 Strategic Plan for science and innovation in Australia.

We appreciate that political leaders of all persuasions have shown their commitment to long-term planning and a continued focus on science in public debate.

The Academy

I’ll now turn to the achievements of the Academy during a very active year.

The Academy has embarked on new projects and has sought, found and taken up diverse opportunities.

Education programs

Among these is the new national education program reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry. reSolve is a bold new program funded by government that aims to promote innovative mathematics teaching in Australian schools. The Academy is operating this program in conjunction with the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers.

This is a timely initiative, given the recent results announcing Australia’s declining performance in maths and other subjects in comparison with standards in other countries (I refer here to the PISA tests).

We have sustained our commitments to growing and developing our primary school program, Primary Connections, with new course modules and development opportunities for pre-service and working teachers. Thanks to philanthropic support this year for the first time we have also been able to offer professional development to teachers from remote and disadvantaged schools.

This past year we’ve also proudly completed all the modules for our secondary school science education program, Science by Doing, whose number of users has grown exponentially.

And we’ve launched a new phase for our long-standing public education and explainer website, Nova—with the support of a generous donation from Telstra we have completely refreshed and redeveloped Nova, which is reaching new audiences daily with the wonder of science and igniting curiosity in the world around us.

SAGE

Our other new program—a joint initiative between the Academy of Science and the Academy of Technology and Engineering—is the Science in Australia Gender Equity—or SAGE—Initiative that has been established to improve gender equality in Australian universities and other research organisations.

It is doing so by piloting the Athena SWAN Charter in 32 Australian universities, medical research institutes and other publicly funded research organisations, with an intention of expanding the program to accommodate all Australian research organisations over the coming years.

For those of you unfamiliar with Athena Swan this is a program that was developed in the UK and has been operating there for over ten years. It offers research institutions and individual departments the opportunity to apply for accreditation at bronze, silver and gold levels to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research.

The SAGE pilot was launched at Parliament House in September last year, just after we had formalised the partnership with ATSE, and I’d like to express my thanks to our new Chief Scientist and former President of ATSE, Dr Alan Finkel, for his support in helping to instigate and finalise this partnership.

I’m also delighted that the SAGE Initiative was given a significant boost from Government with funding under the National Innovation and Science Agenda to support expansion of the program in a shorter timeframe than would otherwise have been possible. The program is in the process of engaging with those 32 institutions who have signed up, and plans are in hand to strengthen the administration with the appointment of an Executive Director.

The Australian Council of Learned Academies

This year by rotation I have assumed the Presidency of the Australian Council of Learned Academies—or ACOLA. This organisation was established after a review of the original National Academies’ Forum, but it received its greatest boost when the former Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb arranged funding of $10 million to enable the four learned academies jointly to develop policy and foresight documents on multidisciplinary topics of interest to government under the collective title Securing Australia’s Future.

This program was modelled on the long-standing operations of the US National Research Council (the research arm of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine) in the development of scientific reports for government on matters of public policy.

We are coming to the end of this program with some thirteen reports produced by ACOLA, and are now planning how the organisation will proceed. We will aim to have commissioned up to three major reports per annum in areas that have a defined end user in government or other parts of civil society.

A feature of the Securing Australia’s Future reports has been the inter-disciplinary nature of the work, engaging Fellows from all four learned academies who can provide expert views on particular topics drawing on the knowledge of the experts, and where appropriate, using commissioned research to provide a collective body of information which is used and analysed in the report.

This model has worked well. The Academy of Science managed the preparation of a substantial report on Technology and Australia’s Future chaired by Professor Bob Williamson (of Data 61 and ANU) and Professor Rob Evans (from the University of Melbourne). Launched in September, the report raised powerful arguments about the importance of technology in driving new jobs and growth (do these words sound familiar?).

This theme will continue as we inform government and society on developing the National Innovation and Science Agenda. Another Securing Australia’s Future report—Skills and Capabilities for Australian Enterprise Innovation—is highly relevant in recognising features that can be identified with successful companies in a modern innovative society, while a Review of Australia’s Research Training System, commissioned by the Department of Education and Training and jointly managed by this Academy and the Academy of Technology and Engineering, has much to say about the need to align research training more effectively with industrial research needs.

Finally, the work of all the projects will be drawn together in a synthesis volume that will cluster various projects and try to draw out some common threads. The summaries of these projects will also be available in attractive brochure form for distribution to individuals in various environments including meetings with politicians or for casual visitors to the Academy.

One of the reasons that I devoted some considerable time to the mention of ACOLA and the Securing Australia’s Future program is that an external review of the work instigated by the ACOLA Council concluded that ACOLA could promote more effectively the existence of the SAF reports through our own Academy Fellows. As we draw to the phase of preparing a final report for ARC I hope you will make time to read these reports.

International collaborations

We note with some satisfaction that the introduction of funding for multilateral international scientific collaborations has been provided under the recently announced National Innovation and Science Agenda, and that the Academy will play a significant part in assisting with the administration of these programs. I welcome a group of six Brazilian PhD students who have been in Australia for the last few weeks under the auspices of the Academy to undertake research projects with a number of Australian host institutions.

Public funding for climate and environmental research

As I noted earlier, a particularly widely debated topic has been the decision of CSIRO to reduce its activities in the area of climate science and environmental research. Many Fellows have been keen to see the Academy take strong action on this decision. While I expressed great disappointment in the decisions that appear to have been taken, I do not believe it is appropriate to dictate to CSIRO how their operations are prioritised. I am reminded of some wise words that have stayed with me. You may have heard this yourself: “If you have to shout at them you have lost the battle”.

I took the view that what really matters is that Australia can continue to deliver the basic scientific knowledge to understand, mitigate and accommodate the effects of the change in climate imposed by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. I was privileged to attend the conference CSIRO Greenhouse 2015: Atmosphere, oceans and ice in Hobart last October and was most impressed with the high quality of atmospheric physics and chemistry, glaciology, Antarctic research, oceanography, ecology and social science that is conducted in Australia.

This is a jewel in the crown of Australia’s knowledge base, and generation of excellent knowledge must be sustained and nurtured. I learnt that Australia is literally custodian of the Southern Hemisphere in the body of knowledge that it generates and in the discharge of its international obligations.

I support those who are speaking out loudly against reductions in investment in these areas of science. I also believe the Academy’s proper role is to work constructively with government and civil society to identify our needs and capabilities and to propose effective approaches to generate solutions to these requirements.

It is with this in mind that I proposed to Minister Hunt and the Chief Scientist that the Australian Academy of Science would conduct an assessment and review of the needs and capabilities in the area of climate science. The Minister and the Department of Environment welcomed this offer.

The review will be headed by Professor Trevor McDougall. It will determine which of Australia’s current climate science capabilities are critical to the national interest, and explore the capabilities that will need to be maintained or developed into the future. Between them, members of the committee have expertise from the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, international research hubs including the Hadley Centre in the UK and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the USA, the Victorian Centre for Climate Adaptation Research and considerable expertise in university climate research.

However, I do understand that the needs are much broader and that an assessment of scientific knowledge and the provision of scientific advice in Australia by Australians for Australia is essential. This knowledge and advice must take into account the harsh and arid environment of our continent in the areas of ecology, evolution and sustainability. It is with this in mind that I am hoping that the Australian Council of Learned Academies will be invited to provide a comprehensive “deep dive” assessment of the issues needed to deliver the appropriate knowledge and scientific capability in the area of the Science and Research Priority “Environmental Change”. In the meantime I continue to maintain a dialogue with the Chief Scientist and CSIRO on these most important matters.

Science for the public good

Much of the debate about the need for research into climate science and the environment falls under the general subject of ‘science for the public good.’ 

In a number of conversations with Fellows who are concerned about this aspect of the nation’s science base I consider that it would be timely to propose that a national debate be held on this topic.  

I started to do some reading on the topic and came across a publication by the US National Academies Press [The Role of Scientific and Technical Data and Information in the Public Domain: Proceedings of a  Symposium (2003)] with a chapter entitled ‘Scientific Knowledge as a Global Public Good: Contributions to Innovation and the Economy.’ The authors argued that the notion of “public goods” is not new, although it has less often been strongly associated with the natural sciences.

Traditionally the acquisition of basic scientific knowledge has been the preserve of the public sector whereas the private sector has been more associated with applied research. We can all think of modern examples of knowledge for the public good related for example to high energy physics and cosmology as well as understanding control of disease, whereas an important applied focus of the public sector has been the improvement of agricultural production. It is against this background that CSIR (later CSIRO) was founded in 1926 (initially as the Advisory Council for Science and Industry in 1916).

Much of the scientific and technological advances in developed countries has been accelerated by military need, particularly in wartime. This just emphasises that the interpretation of the words ‘public good’ is still strongly influenced by society in general as the end users.  The use of DDT as an insecticide in controlling the spread of malaria is another example of the ambiguity of the interpretation of what constitutes ‘the public good.’   Alongside this sits the concept of protection of intellectual property that is probably aimed directly at a national benefit that provides an incentive for individuals and entities.

The age of industrial enlightenment followed by the huge advances in scientific and technical knowledge in the period from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century afforded the opportunity to harness the knowledge in effective ways through the formation of national (and private) laboratories. It was only during this period that the collective ability and techniques to acquire knowledge and harness it for economic gain became a compelling necessity.

The justification of the added economic benefit to our nation’s economy through worldwide investment in the physical, biological and mathematical sciences has been convincingly demonstrated in the Academy’s recent publication The importance of advanced physical, mathematical and biological sciences to the Australian economy (2015).

Working with the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Centre for International Economics, we showed in this report that global advances in basic physical, mathematical and biological sciences over the past 30 years directly and indirectly underpin one quarter of Australia’s economic output.

It is clear that public investment in our national science laboratories is valuable to the economy. But we know that it is also extremely valuable for the acquisition of new knowledge, surely one of the most important activities of civilisation.

Dr Sue Meek

I now turn to recognise the enormous strides that the Academy has made over the last eight years under the leadership of Dr Sue Meek, our Chief Executive. I am very sad that Sue has decided to step down. I am constantly reminded of how much she has initiated that needs to be sustained. In doing so we shall have to learn to soldier on in her absence until her successor is appointed, a task that is well in hand. May I publicly thank you Sue for everything you have done for the Academy. Your dedication to getting everything working properly, your attention to detail and your personal investment are known to the Fellows and indeed well beyond the walls of the Shine Dome. We wish you much happiness and fulfilment in the next phase of your career.

Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to the end of my address for the Annual Meeting 2016. Thank you very much.

A physicist, Professor John Spence and a molecular biologist, Professor Matthias Hentze have been admitted to the Academy for outstanding contributions to their fields.

Corresponding members are a special category within the Academy's Fellowship comprising eminent international scientists with strong ties to Australia.  

Professor Spence, based at Arizona State University, was born in Australia and is internationally recognised for his contributions to the development and application of X-ray lasers to biology and molecular movies, and to atomic-resolution electron microscopy.

Professor Hentze is based in Heidelberg in Germany and is an early pioneer of RNA research. In collaboration with Australian scientists, his recent work has led to the discovery of hundreds of new RNA-binding proteins involved in gene regulation that foreshadow a new phase of our understanding of genome functions and metabolism. 

Along with corresponding members, the Academy elects up to twenty ordinary Fellows and normally one specially elected Fellow each year. These new Fellows will be announced in the final week of May.  

Improving chemistry research and education will be vital in supporting future industries, according to a new plan for the future of chemistry in Australia. 

The plan, developed by the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Chemistry, envisages improved links between chemistry researchers and industry, as well as better quality school and tertiary chemistry education in Australia.

Advances in chemistry currently underpin more than $24 billion of Australia’s economic output, and more than 60,000 people are employed in the chemical industry. 

“Chemistry is the central science. A vibrant chemistry community in Australia that is fully engaged with industry will be vital to addressing some of our key challenges, including increasing agricultural productivity, developing new life-saving drugs and creating novel sustainable materials,” Academy of Science President Professor Andrew Holmes said. 

“We already have great chemistry expertise in Australia that bridges materials and biological sciences. Now is the time to start really taking advantage of this knowledge to drive new ideas and economic development,” Professor Holmes said.

“This is the first plan of its kind that brings together the chemistry community to consider the discipline as a whole and look at what it can offer Australia.”

The report also outlines strategic goals for chemistry, including improving teacher expertise, strengthening links between industry and the chemistry research community, and creating a positive image for chemistry. 

Professor Holmes and the chair of the plan’s working group Professor Paul Mulvaney are available for interview. Please contact the Academy’s media officer Bella Counihan 0419212219. 

The 2017 round of nominations and applications for the Academy's awards and grants is now open. 

The Academy’s honorific awards are open to senior scientists as well as mid- and early-career researchers across a range of disciplines in the physical and biological sciences.

The Academy is also calling for applications for research, conference and travel grants.

The closing date for award nominations is 30 April 2016 and the closing date to apply for travel, conference and research grants is 15 June 2016.

More about the Academy's awards and opportunities for scientists

Australia’s world-leading climate and environmental science capability is facing an uncertain future with the news of more major job cuts at CSIRO, according to the Australian Academy of Science. 

The announcement comes on top of cuts of more than $20 million to climate and environmental science in the 2014-15 Federal Budget. Media reports indicate that up to 300 positions in the organisation will change, mainly within the Oceans and Atmosphere and Land and Water divisions. 

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes said there was now serious concern about Australia’s future capacity to conduct climate and environmental science, and our ability to contribute to the global monitoring of climate change. 

Read the Academy's media release

^{Photo caption: CSIRO headquarters, Limestone Avenue, Canberra (Photographer : David McClenaghan)}

Australia’s world-leading climate and environmental science capability is facing an uncertain future with the news of more major job cuts at the CSIRO, according to the Australian Academy of Science. 

The announcement comes on top of cuts of more than $20 million to climate and environmental science in the 2014-15 Federal Budget. 

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes said there was now serious concern about Australia’s future capacity to conduct climate and environmental science, and our ability to contribute to the global monitoring of climate change. 

“Whilst the Academy is seriously concerned that CSIRO will no longer be leading Australia’s climate and environmental science research effort, we want to ensure that our national research capability is not lost in these important areas,” Professor Holmes said. 

“We call on the government to quickly make alternative arrangements to continue a comprehensive national program of climate research. Without a nationally coordinated effort, our diminished research capacity will mean Australia lacks the local knowledge necessary to adapt to a changing climate.

“Our climate and environmental scientists are some of the best in the world. We wouldn’t stop supporting our elite Olympic athletes just as they’re winning gold medals. Nor should we pull the rug out from under our elite scientists.

“Australia is internationally recognised for its expertise and unique position in climate and environmental research. Realistically, there are no other countries in the Southern Hemisphere that are able to do what we do. We have a singular contribution to make towards global and regional climate knowledge, and with this role comes a great responsibility to the global community.”

Professor Andrew Holmes is available for comment. To arrange an interview please contact Bella Counihan on 0419212219. 

Advances in the physical, mathematical and biological sciences in the past 20 to 30 years underpin $330 billion a year of Australia’s economic output, according to a new report commissioned by the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Australian Academy of Science.

Produced by the Centre for International Economics (CIE), the report found that without the last 30 years of advances in the biological sciences alone, our economy would be five per cent smaller than it is today, an annual difference of about $65 billion. 

The report synthesised a 2015 report on the importance of advanced physical sciences with a new study into the importance of advances in biological sciences.

Both reports were launched at the Shine Dome on 22 January by Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes and Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb.