Harvey Millar Mitochondria are the powerhouses of all animal and plant cells. These small semiautonomous units have their own DNA and proteins. They deliver the energy that drives our muscles, our brain and almost all life on earth. Surprisingly, while we know much about animal mitochondria, plant mitochondria are a mystery. Harvey Millar, a 34…
Cameron Kepert Cameron Kepert, a 34 year old professor at the University of Sydney’s School of Chemistry, is at the forefront of a chemical revolution. Chemists are mimicking nature and becoming molecular engineers, constructing new molecules and materials with great precision. Cameron has engineered materials that can grab a small target molecule and then signal…
Mike Roach In the early 1990s Mike Roach realised that space and astronomy ignited a passion in his students for learning about science. Today, Mike has brought space science into much of the science curriculum at Hamilton Secondary School in Adelaide and runs an annual space science school in South Australia, now in its ninth…
Mark Merritt Mark Merritt believes that primary science teachers have a critical role to play in instilling an enduring enthusiasm for science in their students. “We need to make sure that future generations move into science research and science education. It’s vital that we start in the early years so we can embed in the…
Graeme Clark Graeme Clark believes all children should have the opportunity to hear their own parents’ voices. That idea has driven him to provide hearing to more than 55,000 deaf people in more than 120 countries through his invention of a multi-channel cochlear ear implant. What is possible now is the culmination of more than…
Jamie Rossjohn Proteins are the molecular machines of all life. Their shape is the key to understanding how they function, or malfunction. We can use this knowledge to understand the natural world, and to guide the development of tests, vaccines and drugs to fight disease. Jamie Rossjohn is one of Australia’s leaders in structural biology…
Ben Eggleton Just as the transistor and microelectronics transformed communications and human society in the 20th century, “light” transistors and microphotonics will revolutionise the way we communicate in the 21st century. Many of the changes that lie ahead in communications technology are due in part to the work of a young Sydney optical physicist Ben…
Mark Butler Mark Butler realised he had a passion for teaching while researching high power lasers and lecturing at Macquarie University. But he didn’t want to preach to the converted, such as physics undergraduates. So, he turned his back on the possibility of working at Bell Laboratories on ultraviolet lasers and instead pursued a career…
Alwyn Powell Primary science should give each student the opportunity to discover for themselves the wonders of the natural world. That’s the principle that drives Alywn Powell in his role as a Year One teacher at Darling Heights State School in Toowoomba, Queensland. Alwyn receives the 2004 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching…