Francesca Calati Participation in chemistry at St Helena Secondary College has tripled in the last few years. The secret? An innovative combination of practical chemistry and nanotechnology introduced into the classroom by Francesca Calati. Francesca is the programme manager of Accelerated Curricula and Nanotechnology at St Helena, a government school in the Melbourne suburb of…
Cheryl Capra Cheryl Capra couldn’t pursue her passion for physics and astronomy as a career. Instead she turned to science teaching and, over a 40 year career, has taught at primary and secondary level and been involved in curriculum development. But it’s in primary teaching at Albany Hills State School in Brisbane that she’s made…
Mandyam Veerambudi Srinivasan An automatic landing system for an aircraft is expensive and complex. And it is just one of many systems that would be required to make a truly robotic aircraft. But a bee can take off, find targets, fly through tunnels, navigate home, and land without any of that complexity. It uses a…
James Whisstock If proteins are the molecular building blocks of our bodies, then proteases are the demolition team – cutting up used proteins and breaking down damaged cells. But who is in charge of the demolition team? In many cases it’s a group of molecules collectively known as serpins. When they don’t do their job…
Naomi McClure-Griffiths Where do we live? And what’s the neighbourhood like? Astronomer Naomi McClure-Griffiths has set about answering these questions with the help of “The Dish”, the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope. Her research has dramatically reshaped our knowledge of the structure and evolution of our galactic home – the Milky Way. It turns out that…
Anna Davis Anna Davis began teaching at Casimir Catholic School in Marrickville in 1998. Since her arrival, results across Year 12 science courses have improved by 17% and students now achieve above the state average. For Anna, it is the culmination of 16 years of teaching and turning her own passion for science into words,…
Marjorie Colvill Marjorie Colvill has a clear idea of the perfect science class. It is one in which students set up their own investigations and make their own discoveries – and she has the proof that it works. From kindergarten and primary, to student teachers – she has taught them all. Not only that, Marj…
David Boger As a young man at the University of Illinois, David Boger was offered a swag of lucrative chemical engineering jobs. Instead, his pioneering spirit took him to the newly established Monash University and a career in fluid mechanics. It was the right move. Today the research teams he created are solving industrial problems…
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…