Australian Museum Eureka Prizes: and the winners are…

27 August, 2015
Bulletins, Science stakeholder bulletins

We can tell you all about the work of the Eureka Prize winners today – from tiny crystals shining a light on diseased cells, to salt batteries for renewable energy, and more.

The winners were announced at a fantastic dinner last night at the Sydney Town Hall, with hundreds of guests from science, business, government, and media.

Nicknamed the ‘Oscars of Australian science,’ these awards recognise researchers, leaders and communicators breaking new ground in their fields and inspiring those around them to follow suit.

There are also prizes for budding scientists or science communicators in the primary and secondary school sections. You can see the winner of the secondary prize Paige Bebee with her grandfather… on the front page of the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald this morning.

Also look out for the amazing winners and finalists of the Eureka Prize for Science Photography.

Press releases, videos and photos are all online and on twitter: @eurekaprizes @scienceinpublic, and #eureka15.

More below.

Also in this bulletin:

If you’d like to find out more drop me a line.

Kind regards,

Niall

Salt batteries for renewable energy and vaccines for oysters: winners of the 2015 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes announced

  • For development of the ‘red list’ global standard for assessing environmental threats, the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems team (University of New South Wales) won the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For multi-dimensional mathematical techniques that allow computer software to pick out patterns from a huge cloud of data, Dacheng Tao (University of Technology Sydney) has won the Scopus Eureka Prize for Excellence in International Scientific Collaboration. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For development of an innovative new hepatitis B treatment, Marc Pellegrini and Greg Ebert (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) won the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For their invention of an energy-storage system based on fast-melting salts that could allow solar and wind power to generate a much larger slice of Australia’s electricity, Frank Bruno, Martin Belusko and Steven Tay (University of South Australia) won the ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For development of early, concrete benefits from the developing field of quantum computing, Michael Biercuk (University of Sydney) won the Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For unlocking a mechanism that produces stem cells in blood, Peter Currie and Phong Nguyen (Monash University) and Georgina Hollway (Garvan Institute of Medical Research) won the University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Scientific Research. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For the Secure Communications System for military and government, Northrop Grumman M5 Network Security won the Defence Science and Technology Group Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science for Safeguarding Australia. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For creation and use of nanocrystals that can illuminate hidden diseased cells in a living body, the Super Dots team of Dayong Jin (University of Technology Sydney and Macquarie University), Tanya Monro (University of South Australia and University of Adelaide) and Bradley Walsh (Minomic International and Macquarie University) won the University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For his work in breeding disease-resistant oysters that are also more resilient to climate change, David Raftos (Macquarie University) won the Rural Research and Development Corporations Eureka Prize for Rural Innovation. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • In recognition of his leadership on the Belle II international particle-accelerator experiment in Japan, Phillip Urquijo (University of Melbourne) won the 3M Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For work that has positioned Australia at the forefront of quantum computing – set to become a multi-billion-dollar industry – Michelle Simmons (University of New South Wales) won the CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For mentoring and leadership that has created a cadre of skilled biologists, marsupial guru Marilyn Renfree (University of Melbourne) won the University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For educating public and policy makers about marine science, Emma Johnston (University of New South Wales) won the Department of Industry and Science Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Australian Science Research. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • For her article ‘A Statin a Day’ in Cosmos magazine, Elizabeth Finkel won the Department of Industry and Science Eureka Prize for Science Journalism. Watch the video. Read the release.

Soft Coral. Gary Cranitch

  • For his image, Soft Coral (right), which captures the beauty of this little-understood family of corals, Gary Cranitch (Queensland Museum) won the New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography. This image, two other finalists, and seven highly-commended photographs, are available for publication. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • Georgia (Gigi) Souyave-Murphy and Ella Woods of St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School (QLD) won the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary for their short film Cry Stoppers, which explains the science behind the infamous, unpleasant effect that onions have on our eyes. Watch the video. Read the release.
  • Paige Bebee from Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School (VIC) won the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary for the film The Secret of the Appendix, which explains the little-known organ and busts a few myths about its purpose in our body. Watch the video. Read the release.

Last night the 2015 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winners were announced at a gala Award Dinner at Sydney Town Hall, affectionately referred to as the Oscars of Australian science. A total of 16 prizes were given for outstanding contributions to Australian science, including new prizes for international scientific collaboration and rural innovation.

“It’s an honour to be able to recognise and reward the very best of the valuable, inspiring scientific research being done around the country,” Kim McKay AO, Executive Director and CEO of the Australian Museum said.

“The sponsors and supporters of the Eureka Prizes help us reward excellence in Australian science and I take my hat off to them,” she said.

Established in 1827, the Australian Museum is the nation’s first museum and one of its foremost scientific research, educational and cultural institutions. The Eureka Prizes are the most comprehensive national science awards, honouring excellence in Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Communication and Journalism, and School Science. 

Last night, in addition to celebrating the winners of 16 Eureka Prizes, the 2015 Australian Museum Research Institute Medal was awarded to Dr Mark Eldridge, Principal Research Scientist, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Australian Museum Research Institute.

The medal is presented to an individual staff member, senior fellow or team from the Australian Museum for outstanding science and communication of their research outcomes and recognised Dr Eldridge’s work informing conservation and biodiversity management, and his outstanding mentorship.

Full media releases for each prize winner are available at australianmuseum.net.au/eureka.

Next year’s Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will open for nominations on 5 February, and will include the brand new Johnson and Johnson Eureka Prize for Innovation in Medical Research.

For media enquiries please contact the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes media team:

Four $25,000 L’Oréal-UNESCO Fellowships announced

8 September in Sydney

This year’s $25,000 L’Oréal Australia & New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowships will be awarded in Sydney on Tuesday 8 September

It’s the Fellowships ninth year in Australia and once again L’Oréal Australia are awarding three future leaders of Australian science with Fellowships to help them consolidate their careers.

The inaugural L’Oréal New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowship will also be presented.

All four Fellows are inspiring young women tackling problems in diverse fields of science.

The Fellows will be announced at 4pm on Tuesday 8 September via @LOrealAustraliaand and @Sci_Women. The awards will be presented at a dinner at Est. restaurant that evening.

Once again the jury found it challenging to pick just four Fellows from the 240 applications.

“These candidates are amazing. I am feeling simultaneously really inspired and rather mediocre,” said Angela Moles, former L’Oréal Fellow, Prime Minister’s Prize winner, Eureka Prize winner and a member of the For Women in Science jury.

The day after the Ceremony we’re also bringing the Girls in Science forum to the University of New South Wales.

It’s a hugely popular event where high school students can hear from the Fellows about their research and experience as women in science. Students will then tour the facilities at UNSW seeing science in action in the labs.

For more information visit: http://loreal.scienceinpublic.com.au

Growing Science-Minded People

14 September in Melbourne

  • How is drug discovery like Sudoku – and what important role does maths play in medicine?
  • What do 3D printing and art have to do with the design of a Cochlear implant?
  • How can diffraction analysis be used for ‘solving crimes’?

Last year 100 students worked with scientists at La Trobe University, University of Melbourne and the Australian Synchrotron to answer those very questions, as part of the Growing Tall Poppies Science Partnership Program.

More than 750 students from 12 Victorian schools have participated in the program since it began in 2008: ‘growing science-minded’ students, scientists and citizens by getting kids to collaborate with real scientists.

The pilot project at Santa Maria College in Melbourne has increased girls’ engagement with science and increased the retention of girls to Year 12 physics to 80 per cent.

These immersion programs are giving students a real-world understanding of science and its role in society – and recent funding from the Australian Government Australian Maths and Science Partnership Program is helping to grow these initiatives nationally.

On 14 September, Growing Tall Poppies will be celebrating this funding and announcing the Teacher and Junior Tall Poppies Awards for 2015.

RSVP below to find out how your school, university, or science organisation can get involved.

When: Monday 14 September
Time: 5:30pm for 6pm start, networking to follow.
Where: Royal Society of Victoria
RSVP via Eventbrite https://growing-tall-poppies-2015-awards.eventbrite.com

Read more about the:
2015 Junior Tall Poppies
2015 Teacher Tall Poppies
The Growing Tall Poppies Program

Science in Public – planning, mentoring, communicating

Contact me to find out more about our services to train, mentor, plan and deliver media and communication strategies for science.  We offer:

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We can review your stakeholders, messages and tools and help you and your communication team refine your plans. We offer this service for individual announcements or for a whole program or institute.

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We can help you develop an outreach program, from a simple media release through to a launch, a summit, a conference, or a film.

Publications and copy-writing
From a tweet to a newsletter; from a brochure to a Nature supplement, we can write compelling and accurate science-driven copy which captures the essence of your story and purpose.
Kind regards,
________

Niall Byrne

Creative Director
Science in Public

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