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Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
story archive 2004 -2018
Celebrating Australian science
Science in Public were honoured to be chosen to assist with writing and publicity for the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science in a series of competitive tenders from 2004 to 2018.
We were empowered to create a single narrative across the program and to focus on the winners’ stories. The results speak for themselves. We helped grow media coverage eightfold, with 630 stories in 2017 and an ‘iSentia audience’ of five million. Nominations grew nearly threefold, and in 2018, 760 people tweeted with a reach of about 3 million.
Some highlights over the years included: revealing how Australian astronomy made Wi-Fi fast and reliable; how to keep sauce bottles and mineral processes flowing; how bees fly; making markets fair AND efficient; and press calls with lizards and snakes on the forecourt of Parliament House.
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Story archive
The breathing Earth, light beams, frogs, crystals, guidewires: The 2018 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
The 2018 recipients were: Revealing the breathing planet, sea levels and precise navigation: Emeritus Professor Kurt Lambeck AO, ANU, Canberra, $250,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Switching light for faster, more reliable internet: The Finisar team, Sydney, $250,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation Saving frogs, and revealing new extinction threats: Adjunct Research Fellow Lee Berger,…
Revealing the breathing Earth: The 2018 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Emeritus Professor Kurt Lambeck AO Emeritus Professor Kurt Lambeck AO has revealed how our planet changes shape—every second, every day, and over millennia. These changes influence sea levels, the movement of continents, and the orbits of satellites. Kurt’s original work in the 1960s enabled accurate planning of space missions. It led him to use the…
Switching light for faster, more reliable internet: The 2018 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
The Finisar team: Dr Simon Poole, Mr Andrew Bartos, Dr Glenn Baxter and Dr Steven Frisken Finisar have created technologies that make global internet connections faster and more efficient. About half of the world’s internet traffic travels through devices developed by the team and made in Sydney. The global internet we rely on is carried by…
Saving frogs, and revealing new extinction threats: The 2018 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Dr Lee Berger Dr Lee Berger solved the global mystery of disappearing frogs and challenged paradigms about wildlife health, all in the course of her PhD. Starting in the 1970s frogs disappeared in pristine habitats in Queensland and in Central America. Whole species vanished; there was worldwide concern. Was it pollution or UV from the…
Making flexible crystals and new separation technologies: The 2018 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Associate Professor Jack Clegg Our smartphones, like all modern electronic devices, are packed with crystal semiconductors. When we drop them, it’s not just the screen that breaks. Crystals as we know them are brittle, but that will change in the future. Associate Professor Jack Clegg has designed new kinds of crystals that are so flexible…
A steerable guidewire to improve the treatment of heart disease: The 2018 Prize for New Innovators
Dr Geoff Rogers Dr Geoff Rogers has created a robotic guidewire that cardiologists can steer with a joystick through the body to reach a damaged artery. The use of guidewires has replaced open heart surgery for many cardiac patients. However, about 20 per cent of cardiac patients can’t be treated using current guidewire technology, which…
A school where everyone teaches science: The 2018 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Mr Brett Crawford Mr Brett Crawford has transformed science teaching at Warrigal Road State School in Brisbane. All the school’s 50-plus teachers now actively teach science in their classes. Warrigal Road is a large primary school in Brisbane with more than 1,300 students. The students are from 54 cultures, English is a second language for…
Opening young eyes to careers in science, technology, engineering and maths: Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching in Secondary Schools
Dr Scott Sleap Cessnock in New South Wales was traditionally a mining town, but today’s high-value jobs in the Hunter Valley are in agriculture, tourism and increasingly in aerospace. Williamtown is already a maintenance base for Australia’s F/A-18 fighters. Soon it will be a maintenance hub for the Joint Strike Fighter in the Asia-Pacific. Many…
2017 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
The winners of the 2017 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are: Jenny Graves (La Trobe University, Melbourne)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Eric Reynolds (The University of Melbourne/Oral Health CRC)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation Jian Yang (The University of Queensland)—Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year Dayong Jin (University of Technology Sydney)—Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical…
What can kangaroos and platypus tell us about sex and humanity? 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Distinguished Professor Jenny Graves AO FAA Professor Jenny Graves AO has transformed our understanding of how humans and all vertebrate animals evolved and function. In the course of her work, she has kick-started genomic and epigenetic research in Australia, and predicted the disappearance of the male chromosome.
How Australian dairy milk is saving the world’s teeth: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds AO FICD FTSE FRACDS Thirty years ago, a young dental researcher discovered a protein in dairy milk that repairs and strengthens teeth. Today, that protein, sold as Recaldent, is used by millions of people every day as they chew gum and visit the dentist.
Unravelling the complexity of height, intelligence, obesity and schizophrenia: 2017 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Professor Jian Yang The publication of the human genome near fifteen years ago revealed that the human genome is complicated. Jian Yang has created pioneering new techniques to unravel that complexity and solve the ‘missing heritability paradox’.
Watching the processes of life: 2017 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Professor Dayong Jin We need new ways to detect the early stages of disease and cancer. Dayong Jin believes the key is for physicists, biologists, engineers and doctors to work together. And that’s what he’s doing with his team at the University of Technology, Sydney.
The outdoor classroom: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Mr Neil Bramsen In the outdoor classroom at Mount Ousley Public School in Wollongong, primary students are watching and recording bird sightings. They’re down at the beach assessing the level of marine debris. They’re reading, or just thinking, in the butterfly garden.
Bringing science alive: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Mr Brett McKay Kirrawee High School has a rich history in sport and music. Its alumni include six Olympic athletes and several leading musicians. Today, thanks to the work of Brett McKay over the past twenty years, Kirrawee has become a force in science education as well.
2016 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
The 2016 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science recipients are: Defending Australia’s snakes and lizards: Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Professor Richard Shine (The University of Sydney) Making stock markets fair and efficient: Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation Professor Michael Aitken (Capital Markets CRC) Re-engineering nature to fight for global health: Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year Professor…
Defending Australia’s snakes and lizards: 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Richard Shine Northern Australia’s peak predators—snakes and lizards—are more likely to survive the cane-toad invasion thanks to the work of Professor Richard Shine.
Fairness underpins efficiency: the profitable innovations saving Australia billions. 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
Michael Aitken Global stock markets are fairer and more efficient thanks to the work of Professor Michael Aitken. Now he’s applying his information technology and markets know-how to improve health, mortgage, and other markets. He says there are billions of dollars of potential savings in health expenditure in Australia alone, that can go hand in…
Creating new manufacturing jobs by replacing glass and metal with plastic: 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for New Innovators
Colin Hall Dr Colin Hall and his colleagues have created a new manufacturing process that will allow manufacturers to replace components made from traditional materials like glass, in cars, aircraft, spacecraft, and even whitegoods—making them lighter and more efficient.
Re-engineering nature to fight for global health: 2016 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Richard Payne Richard Payne makes peptides and proteins. He sees an interesting peptide or protein in nature, say in a blood-sucking tick. Then he uses chemistry to recreate and re-engineer the molecule to create powerful new drugs, such as anti-clotting agents needed to treat stroke.
Conservation that works for governments, ecosystems, and people: 2016 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Kerrie Wilson What is the value of the services that ecosystems provide—services such as clean air, water, food, and tourism? And what are the most effective ways to protect ecosystems? Where will governments get the best return on their investment in the environment? These questions are central to the work of Associate Professor Kerrie Wilson.
Turning students into scientists: 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Suzy Urbaniak Geoscientist Suzy Urbaniak combined her two loves—science and education—by becoming a science teacher 30 years after finishing high school. But she couldn’t believe it when she saw how little the teaching styles had changed over the years.
Creating better science teachers: 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Gary Tilley Gary Tilley is mentoring the next generation of science and maths teachers to improve the way these subjects are taught in the classroom.
Media Kit
Reptile guru Rick Shine wants to release small cane toads to protect native snakes, lizards and quolls (Sydney) Michael Aitkin is making stock markets fair and efficient; can he do the same for the health system? (Sydney) Colin Hall’s plastic mirrors are the beginning of a new manufacturing technology, and jobs (Adelaide) Kerrie Wilson is…
2016 PM’s Science Prizes – video links
Links to YouTube versions which you can embed in websites, social media, etc. are now available below. Rick Shine – Prime Minister’s Prize for Science: YouTube video Michael Aitken – Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation: YouTube video Colin Hall – Prize for New Innovators: YouTube video Richard Payne – Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Life Scientist of…
2015 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
The 2015 winners are: Graham Farquhar (ANU, Canberra)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Graeme Jameson (University of Newcastle)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation Cyrille Boyer (UNSW)—Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year Jane Elith (University of Melbourne)—Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year Ken Silburn (Casula High School)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in…
Feeding the world, and asking where the wind went: 2015 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Graham Farquhar Life on land depends on plants. Every plant balances opening its pores to let in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis; and closing its pores to retain water.
How trillions of bubbles earned billions of dollars for Australia: 2015 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
Professor Graeme Jameson Graeme Jameson’s technologies use trillions of bubbles to add billions of dollars to the value of Australia’s mineral and energy industries.
Making polymers with light: 2015 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
A/Prof Cyrille Boyer Cyrille Boyer uses light to make new and complex polymers. It’s the latest in a series of techniques that have enabled him to create materials which are being applied in areas as widespread as non-stick coatings, anti-fouling technology, precision drug delivery, medical diagnosis and imaging.
Where are the plants and animals we want to conserve, and the invaders we want to control? 2015 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Jane Elith Jane Elith is one of the most influential environmental scientists in the world, though she rarely ventures into the field.
Bringing students to science: 2015 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science – Secondary teaching
Ken Silburn Fifteen years ago Casula High School was just an average state school in Sydney’s south-western suburbs with just eight students doing science at year 12. But something extraordinary has happened. Two-thirds of Year 11 and 12 students now choose science subjects and they are performing well above the state average.
Improved primary science teaching at no extra cost: 2015 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science – Primary teaching
Rebecca Johnson Fifteen years ago Rebecca Johnson, from Windaroo State School, initiated a new method for teaching science more effectively in primary schools without costing the government anything extra.
Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science 2014
The winners of the 2014 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are: Sam Berkovic and Ingrid Scheffer have changed the way the world thinks about epilepsy. They will receive the $300 000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. Their discoveries of the links between epilepsy and genes have opened the way to better targeted research, diagnosis, management and…
The genetics of epilepsy: bringing hope to families: 2014 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Sam Berkovic and Ingrid Scheffer Sam Berkovic and Ingrid Scheffer have changed the way the world thinks about epilepsy, the debilitating condition that affects about 50 million people. Twenty years ago doctors tended to regard most forms of epilepsy as acquired rather than inherited. In other words, they believed epilepsy was mostly due to injury:…
Regulating genes to treat illness, grow food, and understand the brain: 2014 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Ryan Lister Genes are not enough to explain the difference between a skin cell and a stem cell, a leaf cell and a root cell, or the complexity of the human brain. Genes don’t explain the subtle ways in which your parents’ environment before you were conceived might affect your offspring.
Australian crystals set to take over industry: 2014 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Matthew Hill Forty per cent of the energy consumed by industry is used to separate things—in natural gas production, mineral processing, food production, pollution control. The list is endless. Each offers an application for Matthew Hill’s crystals. He has demonstrated that the space inside metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—the world’s most porous materials—can be used as an…
A taste of real-world science to take to the real world: 2014 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Geoff McNamara From the moment students step into ‘Mr Mac’s Lab’, they’re greeted by dinosaurs, skeletons, spacecraft and a model galaxy that hovers overhead. Their eyes can’t help but gravitate towards the huge solar system at the back of the room. No matter where they look, Geoff McNamara wants his students learn something about science—whether…
Combining play, science and language: 2014 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Brian Schiller At Seacliff Primary School in Adelaide’s south, Brian Schiller’s students are describing states of matter, mixing of materials, and products of chemical reactions—in Japanese. It’s just one way that Brian is creatively using science to enhance student learning in a range of curriculum areas. “Science can be a basis for teaching many different…
2013 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science were presented by the Prime Minister assisted by the Hon Bob Baldwin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry at the Prize Dinner in the Great Hall of Parliament House on Wednesday 30 October. More about the winners below.
Fighting cancer by the numbers: 2013 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Terry Speed Terry Speed doesn’t expect to see headlines reading “Statistician cures cancer” any time soon. But he knows that the right mathematics and statistics can help researchers understand the underlying causes of cancer and reduce the need for surgery. A mathematician and statistician, he has written elegant theoretical papers that almost no-one reads. But…
It’s not a jungle out there: rocking the ecological boat: 2013 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Angela Moles If you were a pharmaceutical company searching for a natural plant compound to use as the basis for a new line of drugs, where would you begin? Until recently, this question was a no-brainer. Everyone knows that tropical forests contain the widest diversity of species, all fighting for survival and defending themselves physically…
Quantum computing becomes more than just spin: 2013 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Andrea Morello People have speculated about the potential of quantum computers for decades—how they would make child’s play of constructing and testing new drugs, searching through huge amounts of data and ensuring that information was fundamentally secure. But it all seemed like science fiction. No-one really knew how to build one, despite lots of clever…
Using a motor race to fuel interest in science: 2013 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Sarah Chapman Each year in early July, when its 700 students are on holiday, Townsville State High School becomes the headquarters for one of the races in Australia’s V8 Supercar series. But before and after the race the Year 11 science students are hard at work, slopping their way through the nearby mangroves, and wading…
A teacher’s laboratory becomes a primary source of inspiration: 2013 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Richard Johnson Model pterosaurs flying overhead, a new insect in the terrarium by the window, a cool video on non-Newtonian fluids on the SMART board down the front—every time the students of Rostrata Primary School in Perth’s southern suburbs enter Mr Johnson’s science lab, there’s something new. Nothing keeps them away from school on science…
2012 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes
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…
An Australian who has truly made a galactic impact: 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
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 70th 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.
The physics of a gas-powered world: 2012 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
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 1/600th the volume of the original…
Drawing ahead of cancer: Science Minister’s Prize for Life 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…
The primary foundation of community awareness: 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Michael van der Ploeg 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.
Science schooling for students with special needs: 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary 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…
Prime Minister’s Science Prizes 2011
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science were presented by the Prime Minister and the Innovation Minister at the Prize Dinner in the Great Hall of Parliament House on Wednesday 12 October.
Changing the world one molecule at a time: 2011 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Ezio Rizzardo and David Solomon In the coming years when you buy a tyre, lubricant, adhesive, paint, computer or any one of hundreds of other products, there’s a good chance that some of its component materials will have been produced using revolutionary chemical theories and processes invented in Australia by research teams led by Professors…
A new chlorophyll – redefining photosynthesis: 2011 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Min Chen Among the single-celled cyanobacteria—formerly known as blue-green algae—which live in the ancient rock-like accumulations called stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia, Associate Professor Min Chen of the University of Sydney last year found the first new form of chlorophyll in 67 years.
How did the Universe light up – filling a billion years of cosmic history: 2011 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Stuart Wyithe The Universe was born in a hot Big Bang. But after 300,000 years of expansion it became a cold dark place—no galaxies, no stars, no light. A billion years later nuclear fusion lit up the Universe as hydrogen atoms clumped to form stars and galaxies.
Puppets break the science language barrier: 2011 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Brooke Topelberg In 2003, Mrs Brooke Topelberg—only three years out from an education degree and just back from two years’ teaching in inner London—was appointed science coordinator of Westminster Primary School. The school is set in a high immigrant, low socio-economic suburban area in northern Perth. Science was a low priority at the school.
A part of her students’ lives: 2011 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Jane Wright Students at Adelaide’s Loreto College have been investigating extra-sensory perception, finding the best way to neutralise spills of household cleaners, and testing the antibiotic effects of Manuka honey. They present their results not just by writing reports, but using talks, videos, role-plays and stories. Their activities are typical of the practical, can-do attitude…
Prime Minister’s Science Prizes 2010
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science were presented by the Prime Minister and the Innovation Minister at the Prize Dinner in the Great Hall of Parliament House on Wednesday 17 November.
GGAGG—five letters that launched a biotechnology revolution: 2010 winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
John Shine As a PhD student at the Australian National University, John Shine discovered the importance of a brief sequence of genetic code. It took him three years to determine that sequence and what it does. At its core are five letters—GGAGG—which tell ribosomes, the protein factories in all living things, to start making a…
The first mother: how our deep ancestors lived, loved and died: 2010 winner of the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Katherine Trinajstic Three hundred and eighty million years ago, on the Gogo Barrier Reef in what is now the Kimberley Ranges, our early ancestors were developing teeth, jaws, limbs, and even a womb.
Finding a cancer gene’s day job: making blood stem cells: 2010 winner of The Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Benjamin Kile Benjamin Kile is unravelling the secrets of blood in a series of discoveries at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne. He has discovered why platelets—the blood cells responsible for clotting—have a short shelf life at the blood bank. There’s a molecular clock ticking away that triggers cell death.
Scientists are created in primary school: 2010 winner of The Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Matthew McCloskey Matthew McCloskey is in the vanguard of the renaissance of primary science teaching in Australia—bringing real science experiments back into the classroom, building on his own experience as a research scientist and zoologist.
Science teaching has to be practical: 2010 winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Debra Smith Over thirty years of teaching, Debra Smith has not only inspired thousands of students, she has helped redefine how science is taught in Queensland and across Australia.
2009 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
How astronomy freed the computer from its chains
Testing new technologies in the computer not the real world
Breaking the link between fat and diabetes
…news, citations, photos, speechs and videos from the 2009 Prizes
How astronomy freed the computer from its chains: 2009 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
John O’Sullivan Nearly a billion people use John O’Sullivan’s invention every day. When you use a WiFi network—at home, in the office or at the airport—you are using patented technology born of the work of John and his CSIRO colleagues.
Breaking the link between fat and diabetes: 2009 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Michael Cowley Why do we get fat? What’s the link between obesity, diabetes and hypertension? Can we break the link? These are critical questions for Australia’s long-term health, and Michael Cowley may have the answers.
Testing new technologies in the computer not the real world: 2009 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Amanda Barnard Every new technology brings opportunities and threats. Nanotechnology is no exception. It has the potential to create new materials that will dramatically improve drug delivery, medical diagnostics, clean and efficient energy, computing and more. But nanoparticles—materials made small, just a few millionths of a millimetre in size—could also have significant health and environmental…
Creating new careers in the rocks: 2009 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Len Altman Geoscience is at the heart of some of humanity’s biggest challenges in the 21st Century: access to water; alternative energy sources like geothermal and hydro; and adapting to climate change. “So why,” asks Len Altman, “Are students in our schools more likely to learn about the moons of Jupiter or the rings of…
Living science: 2009 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Allan Whittome Badgingarra Primary School is perched on a hill three hours north of Perth, looking out across fields of canola and wheat. The approach to the school is lined with sculptures of native animals and a model of the Solar System made in limestone, set amongst native plants. In the classroom the students are…
A hero of women and science: 2008 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Ian Frazer Follow this link to Ian Frazer’s acceptance speech: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=16238 Ian Frazer has created four vaccines to fight cervical cancer. Two of them-Gardasil and Cervarix-are now on the market. Both prevent infection with the virus responsible for most cervical cancers. The other two vaccines are in clinical trials and are designed to treat women…
When quality control fails in our immune system: 2008 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Carola Vinuesa Nature paper, child, Nature paper, child, Nature paper… Carola Vinuesa has had a busy few years. Her research has revealed key steps in how our immune system produces high quality, long lasting antibodies to fight disease. And she has discovered what happens when things go wrong: that a single letter change in the…
Holey fibres shine the light on safety: 2008 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Tanya Monro Optical fibres are the backbone of the internet, carrying vast amounts of data across cities, countries and oceans. Without them global communication would be more expensive and much slower. Tanya Monro’s research has contributed to their performance. But she thinks that optical fibres can do much, much more for humanity. She’s dreaming of…
Engaging techniques to cultivate scientific curiosity: 2008 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Clay Reid He wanted to be a funeral director, but he wasn’t old enough. So, to fill in time, Clay Reid went to teacher college, and fell into a career he has made his own. After twenty years of secondary science teaching, he is highly respected as an inspirational teacher and leader, both in his…
Nurturing curiosity: 2008 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Bronwyn Mart Bronwyn Mart believes that science should have a central role in the primary school curriculum. “Children are born curious about the world around them. We need to nurture and harness that curiosity from the early years of school. That’s why science matters in primary school. Taught well, it engages students and can act…
Gene silencing triggers a new revolution: 2007 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Peter Waterhouse and Ming-Bo Wang The human genome project found we have around 32,000 genes—only a few more than other animals, insects and most plants. Knowing how those genes are turned on and off is a key to understanding how a few thousand genes interact to create a human, a fly or a wheat plant.
‘Sim’ ocean satisfies: 2007 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Elizabeth (Beth) Fulton We live on an island. And we’re placing increasing pressure on the oceans around us — relying on them for recreation, tourism, oil and gas, and food. In total, the marine environment contributes $70 billion and 2 million jobs annually to the Australian economy.
Protecting the engineering giants of the ocean: 2007 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Mark Cassidy Mark Cassidy is battling immutable forces of nature – storms, ocean currents and earthquakes – that threaten to topple the giant oil and gas platforms off the North West coast of Australia. From his geophysics laboratory at the University of Western Australia, he models the way the feet of these giant platforms push…
Nanotechnology in the classroom: 2007 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
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…
Teaching children healthy scepticism: 2007 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
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…
2006 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
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…
2006 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
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…
2006 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
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…
2006 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
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,…
2006 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
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…
2005 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
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…
2005 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
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…
2005 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
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…
2005 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
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…
2005 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
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…
2004 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
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…
2004 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
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…
Bandwidth Leads to Democracy: 2004 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
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…
From Star Wars Lasers to Science Teaching: 2004 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
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…
2004 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
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…
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