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Australian Academy of Science

Coordinates: 35°17′1.2″S 149°7′21.4″E / 35.283667°S 149.122611°E / -35.283667; 149.122611
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Australian Academy of Science
Formation1954
HeadquartersCanberra, Australian Capital Territory
Membership
≈500 Fellows
President
Professor John Shine
Websitewww.science.org.au
Ian Potter House

The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London.[1] The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal charter;[1] as such, it is an independent body, but it has government endorsement. The Academy Secretariat is in Canberra, at the Shine Dome.

The objectives of the academy are to promote science and science education through a wide range of activities. It has defined four major program areas:

  • Recognition of outstanding contributions to science
  • Education and public awareness
  • Science policy
  • International relations

The academy also runs the 22 National Committees for Science which provide a forum to discuss issues relevant to all the scientific disciplines in Australia.

Origins

The Australian National Research Council (ANRC) was established in 1919 for the purpose of representing Australia on the International Research Council. The Council ceased to exist in 1954, replaced by the Australian Academy of Science.[2]

The Shine Dome

The Shine Dome

The Shine Dome (previously known as Becker House) is a well-known Canberra landmark, notable for its unusual structure, and colloquially referred to as "The Martian Embassy", an allusion to its shape and the fact that as the capital of Australia, Canberra is the home of foreign embassies.[3] It was designed by architect Sir Roy Grounds, of Grounds, Romberg and Boyd. When completed in 1959 its 45.75-metre-diameter dome was the largest in Australia.

On 1 December 1956, the academy's building design committee met in Adelaide to look over plans submitted by six architects. The plan accepted involved a 710-tonne reinforced concrete dome, which had to be supported by 16 thin supports. The concrete is approximately 60 cm thick at the base supports, and 10 cm at the top. The dome supports itself, with no internal wall holding it up. It cost £200,000 to build. The foundation stone, laid on 2 May 1958 by Prime Minister of Australia, Robert Menzies, was originally part of the pier of the Great Melbourne Telescope constructed in 1869 under the supervision of the Royal Society and transferred to Mount Stromlo Observatory in the 1940s.

The building was named Becker House, for benefactor and Fellow of the Academy Sir Jack Ellerton Becker, in 1962. In 2000, it was renamed in honour of Fellow John Shine, who donated one million dollars to renovate the dome.

The interior contains three floors: on the ground level, the main auditorium, the Ian Wark Theatre, seats 156 people, the Jaeger Room for functions and meetings, the Becker Council Meeting Room and offices; the upper level includes a gallery to the theatre and the Adolf Basser Library; and the basement houses storage for historical records of science in Australia.

In 2016, the dome appeared in the television documentary series about Australian modernist architecture Streets of Your Town presented by Tim Ross.

On 20 January 2020 the Dome was seriously damaged by a hailstorm with smashed skylights and denting of the copper roof surface.[4]

Education

Science education is a main commitment of Australian Academy of Science. Current activities include following projects:[5]

  • Primary Connections
  • Science by Doing
  • Nova: science for curious minds
  • reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry
  • Science booklets
  • Brain Box

Fellows

Main article: List of Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science

The Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science is made up of around 500 leading Australian scientists. Scientists judged by their peers to have made an exceptional contribution to knowledge in their field may be elected to Fellowship of the academy. Twenty new Fellows may be elected every year.[6]

No more than two Fellows may be elected every three years on the basis of distinguished contributions to science by means other than personal research. A small number of distinguished foreign scientists with substantial connections to Australian science are elected as Corresponding Members.

Fellows are denoted by the letters FAA (Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science) after their name.

Foundation Fellows

When the academy was founded in 1954 there were 24 members, known as the Foundation Fellows:

Name Field
Keith Edward Bullen Mathematics and geophysics
Frank Macfarlane Burnet Virology and immunology (Nobel laureate)
David Guthrie Catcheside Genetics
Thomas MacFarland Cherry Mathematics
Ian Clunies Ross Parasitology and science administration
Edmund Alfred Cornish Statistics
John Eccles Neuroscience (Nobel laureate)
Edwin Sherbon Hills Geology
Leonard Huxley Physics
Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre Chemistry
Max Rudolf Lemberg Biochemistry
Hedley Ralph Marston Biochemistry
Leslie Martin Physics
David Forbes Martyn Physics
Douglas Mawson Geology
Alexander John Nicholson Entomology
Mark Oliphant Physics
Joseph Lade Pawsey Radiophysics and astronomy
James Arthur Prescott Agricultural science
David Rivett Chemistry
Thomas Gerald Room Mathematics
Sydney Sunderland Neuroscience
Oscar Werner Tiegs Zoology
Richard van der Riet Woolley Astronomy

Presidents

Source:[7]

Awards

Early career awards:[8]

  • Anton Hales Medal to recognise distinguished research in the Earth sciences;[9]
  • Dorothy Hill Medal to recognise research in the Earth sciences by female researchers;[10]
  • Fenner Medal, to recognise distinguished research in biology;[11]
  • Gottschalk Medal, to recognise outstanding research in the medical sciences;[12]
  • John Booker Medal, to recognise outstanding research in the sciences that underpin engineering;[13]
  • Le Fèvre Medal, to recognise outstanding basic research in chemistry;[14]
  • Pawsey Medal, to recognise outstanding research in physics;[15]
  • Ruth Stephens Gani Medal,[16] to recognise distinguished research in human genetics, including clinical, molecular, population and epidemiological genetics and cytogenetics.[17]
  • Moran Medal to recognise outstanding research in one or more of the fields of applied probability, biometrics, mathematical genetics, psychometrics and statistics (awarded every two years).[18]

Mid career awards:[19]

Career awards recognising lifelong achievement:[23]

Other awards include:

  • Academy Medal for outstanding contributions to science by means other than through scientific research;[34]
  • Lloyd Rees Lecture, for lectures in chemical physics;[35]
  • Selby Fellowship awarded to distinguished overseas scientists to visit Australia for public lecture/seminar tours.[36]

Other learned Academies

There are three other learned Academies in Australia, those of Humanities (Australian Academy of the Humanities), Social Science (Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia) and Technological Sciences and Engineering (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering). The four Academies cooperate through the Australian Council of Learned Academies, formed in 2010.

Arms

Coat of arms of the Australian Academy of Science
Adopted
Granted by the Kings of Arms, 1 March 1965 (Earl Marshal's warrant, 30 December 1964).
Crest
On a Wreath of the Colours a demi Swan rousant Sable Ducally gorged Or, the wings charged with a conventional representation of the nucleus of an Atom with three Particles in orbit Or.
Torse
Argent and Azure.
Helm
A closed Helmet.
Escutcheon
Azure, a representation of the building of the Australian Academy of Science at Canberra ensigned of a Mullet of seven points Argent on a Canton Argent a representation of the Royal Crown proper.
Supporters
On the dexter side a Kangaroo and on the sinister side a Talbot both proper and Ducally gorged Or.
Compartment
A field of Grass Vert.
Other elements
Mantling Azure doubled Argent.
Symbolism
Escutcheon: The seven-pointed silver star on a blue field represents the Commonwealth of Australia as it appears on the National Flag. The representation of the Academy building, the Shine Dome that was completed in 1959, follows the practice of armigers including a representation of their own castle. The royal crown in the canton was included by special permission of Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of the royal charter of the Academy, while the three animals in the arms (kangaroo, talbot, and swan) are gorged (collared) by a coronet to signify the Royal oversight of the Academy through the charter. Crest: Biological science is represented by the Black swan (which also appears as a supporter on the Coat of Arms of the City of Canberra), and physical science by the atom symbol on its wing. Supporters: The Red Kangaroo is taken from the Australian arms, while the White hound supporter is identical to the supporters of the arms of the Royal Society of London and was included by permission of the Royal Society to signify the close relations of the two bodies and the role of Royal Society Fellows in the Australian academy's establishment.[37][38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Charter". Australian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
  2. ^ Australian National Research Council (1919–1954) Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of Australian Science, www.eoas.info
  3. ^ "Engineering feat stands test of time". The Canberra Times. 2 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  4. ^ Burnside, Niki (21 January 2020). "Canberra hailstorm damages valuable research as record number of emergency calls lodged". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Education | Australian Academy of Science". Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Election policies and procedures". Australian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  7. ^ "The president". Australian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  8. ^ Early-career awards Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  9. ^ Anton Hales Medal Archived 21 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  10. ^ Dorothy Hill Award Archived 17 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  11. ^ Fenner Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  12. ^ Gottschalk Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  13. ^ John Booker Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  14. ^ Le Fèvre Medal Archived 20 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  15. ^ Pawsey Medal Archived 6 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  16. ^ Ruth Stephens Gani biography Archived 30 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  17. ^ Ruth Stephens Gani Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  18. ^ Moran Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  19. ^ Mid-career awards Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  20. ^ Gustav Nossal Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  21. ^ Jacques Miller Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  22. ^ Nancy Millis Medal Archived 28 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  23. ^ Career awards Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  24. ^ David Craig Medal and Lecture Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  25. ^ Haddon Forrester King Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  26. ^ Hannan Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  27. ^ Ian Wark Medal and Lecture Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  28. ^ Jaeger Medal Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  29. ^ Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal Archived 4 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  30. ^ Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  31. ^ Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture Archived 20 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  32. ^ Mawson Medal and Lecture Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  33. ^ a b "Academy launches two new career awards for 2021 | Australian Academy of Science". science.org.au. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  34. ^ Academy Medal Archived 28 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  35. ^ Lloyd Rees Lectures Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  36. ^ Selby Fellowship Archived 1 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine, www.science.org.au
  37. ^ "The Academy's coat of arms". About the Academy. Australian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  38. ^ Low, Charles (1971). A Roll of Australian Arms. Adelaide: Rigby Limited. p. 5. ISBN 0-85179-149-2. OCLC 246821.
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