Category: Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science 2012

The 2012 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science winners:

• Prime Minister’s Prize for Science – Ken Freeman
• Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year – Eric May
• The Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year – Mark Shackleton
• The Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools – Michael van der Ploeg
• Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools – Anita Trenwith

PM’s Science Prizes recipients with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Senator Chris Evans. Credit: idphoto

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Ken Freeman

In April 2010, an unusual party was held under the clear skies of the Namibian desert. It was an international science conference to celebrate the 70^th birthday of Professor Ken Freeman, the Duffield Professor of Astronomy at the Australian National University’s Mt Stromlo Observatory, a man regarded internationally as Australia’s most renowned astronomer.

Read More about An Australian who has truly made a galactic impact: 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science

Eric May

Fifty years ago, natural gas was usually burnt off because it was too expensive to transport it long distances to customers. Then liquefaction became practical. That made the exploitation of Western Australia’s remote gas reserves possible. The gas can be transported as liquid natural gas (LNG) at 1/600^th the volume of the original gas. Today, Australian LNG is powering the economic transformation of Asia. It’s the cleanest fossil fuel. And Professor Eric May is on a mission to make it cleaner still. Read More about The physics of a gas-powered world: 2012 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year

Mark Shackleton

When he was five, Mark Shackleton’s grandmother asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. “I am going to cure cancer,” came the confident reply amid raucous family laughter.

Although he’s not there yet, the winner of the 2012 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, Dr Mark Shackleton, is already changing the way researchers view, approach and treat cancer. Read More about Drawing ahead of cancer: Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year

Students in the northwest of Tasmania are entering the wide world of science, thanks to Mr Michael van der Ploeg, assistant principal and specialist science teacher at Table Cape Primary School in Wynyard. His work is having an impact in schools right along the coast. Read More about The primary foundation of community awareness: 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools

Anita Trenwith

Mrs Anita Trenwith is a born teacher who thinks science should be fun—and that every student deserves a science education. Her current focus is science for special education students, a field in which she has instituted something of a revolution at Salisbury High School, north of Adelaide. It used to be principally a show-and-tell class. Under Mrs Trenwith it is a hands-on experience which teaches both knowledge and life skills. Read More about Science schooling for students with special needs: 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools