Lyn Beazley

Lyn Beazley AO FTSE (born 1944) is a neuroscientist and educator based in Perth, Australia.

Beazley was Chief Scientist of Western Australia from 2006 to 2013. This role involved advising the Western Australian Government on science, innovation, and technology. She acted as an ambassador for science to the public. She serves on the Federal Government’s Bionic Vision Australia, the State Government of Western Australia’s Technology and the Industry Advisory Council. She was a Trustee of the Western Australian Museum from 1999-2006.

In 2009, Beazley was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia. Later that same year, she was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. In 2011, she was inducted into the inaugural Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame, followed by election as a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators and a Companion of Engineers Australia. She was the second recipient of the Governor’s Award for Giving, in 2012.

In 2014, Beazley was inducted into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame, and was appointed by Sir Walter Murdoch, Distinguished Professor of Science at Murdoch University. She served on the Board of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research.

In November 2014, Beazley received the Australian of the Year Award for 2015. She was a national finalist for the 2014 Australian of the Year Award.

Career

Beazley worked for thirty years in the field of neuroscience, researching brain damage recovery and treatment of pre-term infants who may be at risk.

Government

Beazley was WA's Chief Scientist from 2006 to 2013, advising the State Government on science, innovation, and technology. She helped set up a nationwide hotline for laboratory technicians in schools, worked for healthier waterways across the state by establishing Dolphin Watch, and was involved in the negotiations for the Square Kilometre Array, a radio telescope project.

Philanthropy

She is a member of several boards such as the Western Australian Art Gallery Foundation, the Medical Research Foundation of Royal Perth Hospital and Monash Vision Group for Bionic Vision, Australian Research Council Centre for Integrative Brain Function and the Ear Sciences Institute of Australia. Beazley is also a member of the Technology and Industry Advisory Council (TIAC) of the Western Australian Government.

International advisor

Beazley advised the state government on science, innovation, and technology as Chief Scientist of Western Australia from 2006 to 2013. She served as science ambassador both in Australia and internationally. She was a Mission Leader for the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce (WA) to Israel in 2008.

Recognition

Beazley is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and was formerly a Winthrop Professor at (UWA). Whilst at UWA, she also helped develop the inaugural Brightwater Lyn Beazley PhD Scholarship.

In 2009, a new species of sponge discovered in the Perth Canyon off Rottnest Island was named after Beazley, who at that time was WA's Chief Scientist. The sponge was found in 2005 during an expedition to conduct the first survey of the popular marine area. It was identified by WA Museum's Dr Jane Fromont and was named Manihinea lynbeazleyae. The former Science and Innovation Minister John Day said the naming acknowledged Beazley's dedicated advocacy of science in WA and her strong support of research, as well as the work of the WA Museum.

• 2009 – Awarded Officer of the Order of Australia for her services to medical science.
• 2011 - Inducted into the inaugural Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame and elected as a Fellow of the College of Educators.
• 2012 - Second recipient of the Governor’s Award for Giving.
• 2013 - Admitted to the Science Hall of Fame by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and became a Companion of the Institute of Engineers.
• 2014 - Western Australian winner in the Australian of the Year Awards for 2015.
• 2014 – Became a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, in recognition for her support for education programs supported by Rotary Clubs

Personal life

Beazley is married to Richard Tarala, director of postgraduate medical education at Royal Perth Hospital, and they have three daughters.

Publications

• Gaze, R.M., Keating, M.J., Szekely, G. and Beazley, L.D. "Binocular interaction in the formation of specific intertectal neuronal connections". Proc. Roy. Soc. B., 1970, 175, 107-157.
• Dunlop, S.A. and Beazley, L.D. Changing retinal ganglion cell distribution in the frog Heleioporus eyrei. J. Comp. Neurol., 1981, 202, 221-236.
• Humphrey, M.F. and Beazley, L.D. Retinal ganglion cell death during optic nerve regeneration in the frog Hyla moorei. J. Comp. Neurol., 1985, 236, 382-402.
• Dunlop, S.A. and Beazley, L.D. Changing distribution of retinal ganglion cells during area centralis and visual streak formation in the marsupial Setonix brachyurus. Dev. Brain Res., 1985, 23, 81-90.
• Beazley, L.D., Sheard, P.W., Tennant, M., Starac, D. and Dunlop. S.A. The optic nerve regenerates but does not restore topographic projections in the lizard Ctenophorus ornatus. J. Comp. Neurol., 1997, 377, 105-120.
• Dunlop. S.A., Archer, M., Quinlivan, J., Newnham, J.M. and Beazley, L.D. Repeated prenatal corticosteroids delay myelination in the ovine central nervous system. J. Mat. Fetal. Med., 1997, 6, 309-313.
• Rodger, J., Bartlett, C., Beazley, L.D. and Dunlop, S.A. Transient up-regulation of the rostro-caudal gradient of ephrin A2 in the tectum coincides with reestablishment of orderly projections during optic nerve regeneration in goldfish. Exp. Neurol. 2000, 166, 196-200.
• Arrese, C. A., Hart N. S., Thomas N., Beazley L. D., and Shand J. Trichromacy in Australian Marsupials. Curr. Biol. 2002, 12, 657-660.
• Beazley, L.D., Rodger, J., Chen, P., Tee, L.B.G, Stirling, R.V. and Dunlop, S.A. Training on a visual task improves the outcome of optic nerve regeneration. J. Neurotrauma. 2003, 20, 1263-1270.
• Arrese, C. A., Beazley, L. D. and Neumeyer, C. Behavioural Evidence for Marsupial Trichromacy. Curr. Biol., 2006, 16,193-194.
• King, Carolyn E.; Rodger, Jennifer; Bartlett, Carole; Esmaili, Tammy; Dunlop, Sarah A.; Beazley, Lyn D. (2007-05-01). "Erythropoietin is both neuroprotective and neuroregenerative following optic nerve transection". Experimental Neurology. 205 (1): 48–55. doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2007.01.017. ISSN 0014-4886. PMID 17328893.
• Davies, W.L., Carvalho, L.S., Cowing, J.A., Beazley, L.D., Hunt, D.M., Arrese, C.A. The visual pigments of the platypus: an alternative route to mammalian colour vision. Curr. Biol. 2007, 6, 17.

External links

• Icrar.org
• Australianoftheyear.org.au
• Abc.net.au
• Perthnow.com.au
• Au.news.yahoo.vom
• Media.murdoch.edu.au
• Atse.org.au
• Walis.wa.gov.au
• Museum.wa.gov.au
• Whaleshark.org.au
• Watoday.com.au
• Powerof100.com.au
• Medicalhub.com.au