April–June 1998 Number 40http://www.science.org.au

NEWSLETTERAUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

The Academy of Science has said that theWest committee’s review of highereducation, while recognising the need forreal change, has not met expectations ofrecommendations for a comprehensiveand sensitive reform of Australia’s highereducation system. The West committee’sreport, Learning for life, released in April,also failed to recommend extra govern-ment finance for research and salaries.

The Academy, through its Presidentand Secretary for Science Policy(Professor John White), argued that theestablishment of the unified nationalsystem gave Australia a greatopportunity to create a knowledge

economy. Although this is recognised bythe report, which also perceptivelydiagnoses serious structural andfinancial problems in the highereducation system, the recipe for thefuture is narrow in its philosophicalbase.

The notion of treating undergraduatetertiary education as another industry issimplistic. The report does notadequately address the cultural aspectsof university life and creativity, thepublic good component of tertiaryeducation and the research and fundingconsequences of this.

The research done in the tertiary

sector is a major contributor toAustralia’s academic renown and theopportunity to deal with the creation ofa necessary diversity has been missed.

The Academy welcomedrecommendations such as thestrengthening of the AustralianResearch Council. The Academy hasbeen advocating this for a long time toachieve a separation between policycreation and the distribution of researchgrants.

The Academy of Science and otherlearned academies will establish aworking group to produce a detailedresponse to the report.

West review misses opportunities

Professor Brian Anderson, Head of theAustralian National UniversityResearch School of InformationSciences and Engineering, was electedto lead Australia’s senior organisationof research scientists and technologistsat the Academy’s annual generalmeeting on 30 April. He replaces SirGustav Nossal, who completed a four-year term.

Professor Anderson, 57, was electedto Fellowship of the Academy in 1974.Then aged 33, he was one of theyoungest researchers to receive thehonour. His research has beenrecognised in Australia and overseas.He is a Fellow of the Royal Society ofLondon (Britain’s science academy) andis frequently invited to conferencesaround the world.

His principal research areas haveincluded electrical networks,communication systems, controlsystems and signal processing. Hiscurrent interests include self-adaptingcontrol systems, where intelligentcontrollers are able to change theircontrol strategy by learning somethingabout what they are controlling. He isalso studying techniques for the controlof systems which include hierarchicaland cooperative structures.

His other interests include family,wind-surfing, music and reading.

Looking forward to his term asPresident, Professor Anderson said,‘Like my predecessors in the job ofPresident, I will be reminding ourleaders and the community of the vitalrole that basic research plays inunderpinning the economics ofprosperity in the 21st century.

‘Unless Australia lifts its game inresearch and industrial innovation weface the real prospect of relativedecline. There are now many morecountries working towards greaterroles in world trade throughinnovation, and a bigger presence inworld science through long-terminvestment in research. The strongbase we have inherited should not besquandered.

‘I will also be pursuing a personalcommitment to building bridgesbetween researchers and innovators inindustry.’

Professor Anderson has beeninvolved in innovation throughmembership of the Board of CochlearLtd, the world’s largest supplier of thebionic ear developed by ProfessorGraeme Clark in Melbourne.

In the past, Professor Anderson hasserved on the Industrial Research andDevelopment Incentives Board, theAustralian Research GrantsCommittee, the Australian Science,Technology and Engineering Council,the supervisory committee of theCooperative Research Centresprogram, and the Prime Minister’sScience and Engineering Council.

Systems engineer is new President

Professor Brian Anderson

Australian Academy of Science Newsletter

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Office-bearers ofthe AcademyPresident

Professor Brian AndersonSecretary (Physical Sciences)

Professor Kurt LambeckSecretary (Biological Sciences)

Professor John YoungSecretary (Science Policy)

Professor John WhiteForeign Secretary

Professor Michael PitmanTreasurer

Professor Athel Beckwith

Telephone numbersExecutive Secretary (02) 6247 5777Publications (02) 6247 5385Awards (02) 6247 5777Finance (02) 6249 1362Fellowshipadministration (02) 6247 3966NationalCommittees (02) 6247 3966Internationalprograms (02) 6247 3966Library (02) 6247 3966Australian Foundationfor Science (02) 6247 5777Facsimile (02) 6257 4620

Emailaas@science.org.au

World Wide Webhttp://www.science.org.au

Published by the AustralianAcademy of Science, GPO Box 783,Canberra ACT 2601.

Honorary editor: Professor NevilleFletcher FAA; production byGreen Words, Canberra. Otherassistance: members of Academycommittees and Academy staff.

Printed by Inprint, Brisbane.

The material in this newsletter iscopyright but may be reproducedwith acknowledgment. To receivea regular copy of the newsletter, tocontribute an item of interest, or torespond to material in thenewsletter, write to the ExecutiveSecretary at the Academy.

ISSN 1031-9204

Print Post Approved PP 255003/00025

Forthcoming events• Biological informatics conference,

6–8 July 1998, see page 3.• Scientists Reflect: The Neurosciences

is the second four-part seriesbased on the Academy’s VideoHistories of Australian Scientistsproject. Programs will be screenedon the Optus Vision educationalchannel 55 in Sydney andMelbourne starting on Friday1 May at 7.30pm and continuingfortnightly, with replays startingon Sunday 3 May at 5.00pm.

• Nobel Laureate and AcademyFellow, Professor Peter Doherty,will visit Australia for the 1998Medical Research Week (31 May to5 June).

The Basser LibraryAnyone wishing to use the BasserLibrary should contact the librarian,Rosanne Walker, telephone(02) 6247 3966 or emailRosanne.Walker@science.org.au

New topics on Nova• Cochlear implants: wiring for

sound• The Southern Ocean and global

climate• Singing the praises of colony

stimulating factors• Fuelling the 21st century

The address of Nova: Science in thenews is http://www.science.org.au/nova/

ConferencesThe Academy’s web site has a list offorthcoming conferences in Australiaand New Zealand. Press the buttonon the Academy’s home page, http://www.science.org.au.

Gifts to the AcademyIf you would like to make a gift or abequest to the Academy of Science orthe Australian Foundation forScience, please contact the ExecutiveSecretary or the Development Officer,telephone (02) 6247 5777.

New Fellows electedTwelve of Australia’s leading scientistswere honoured by election toFellowship of the Australian Academyof Science at its Annual GeneralMeeting on 30 April 1998. The newFellows are:Professor John Andrews, 56, from the

Research School of BiologicalSciences, Australian NationalUniversity

Professor Bruce Chappell, 61,Department of Geology, AustralianNational University

Professor Graeme Clark, 62, Professorof Otolaryngology, University ofMelbourne

Professor David Doddrell, 53,Professor of Magnetic Resonance,University of Queensland

Professor Simon Gandevia, 44,NHMRC Senior Principal ResearchFellow, Prince of Wales MedicalResearch Institute, Randwick

Professor John Kerr, 64, ProfessorEmeritus, University of Queensland

Professor Gus Lehrer, 51, Head, Schoolof Mathematics and Statistics,

University of Sydney; Head of theCentre for Mathematics and itsApplications, Australian NationalUniversity

Professor Jack Martin, 61, Professor ofMedicine and Chairman,Department of Medicine, Universityof Melbourne; Director, St Vincent’sInstitute of Medical Research

Professor Jeremy Mould, 48, Director,Mount Stromlo and Siding SpringObservatories, Australian NationalUniversity

Dr Roger Summons, 51, ChiefResearch Scientist, AustralianGeological Survey Organisation,Canberra

Professor Rodney Tucker, 50, Professorof Electrical Engineering andDirector, Photonics ResearchLaboratory, University of Melbourne

Professor Jim Williams, 62, Professorof Physics, University of WesternAustralia.

There will be more on the new Fellowsin the next issue of the newsletter.

Number 40, April–June 1998

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Australian science in a global context

The Commonwealth Minister forEducation, Dr David Kemp,announced in February that Australiawill join the International GeminiProject, which is building twoastronomical telescopes for optical andinfrared wavelengths in Hawaii andChile.

In welcoming the news, thePresident of the Academy, Sir GustavNossal, said, ‘Astronomers have shownthe scientific community a fineexample in their ability to set priorities.The Australian Academy of Science isdelighted to see the governmentaddressing this long-standing toppriority for Australian astronomy. TheAcademy is particularly pleased thatthis initiative stems from its 1995discipline review, Australian Astronomy:Beyond 2000.’

Australia will contribute a 5 per centshare, through the Australian ResearchCouncil, towards the total cost of$US193 million. The other partners arethe USA, the UK, Canada, Chile,Argentina and Brazil.

Between them, the Gemini twinswill be able to see the whole sky, both

north and south. The Hawaii-basedone will be completed this year and theone in Chile in 2000. All Australianastronomers will have access to thetelescopes, competing for access asthey do for local facilities.

Collecting light with mirrors eightmetres in diameter, the Geminitelescopes will exceed even the HubbleSpace Telescope for studying thefaintest and most distant galaxies. Theyare optimised for working in theinfrared part of the spectrum. Thetelescopes will be able to look back towithin a billion years of the Big Bang tosee galaxies forming and to peer intothe dusty regions of our galaxy to seeplanetary systems like our own solarsystem forming.

Professor Jeremy Mould, Chair ofthe Academy’s National Committee forAstronomy, said the telescopes wouldensure that Australians keep makingworld-leading discoveries inastronomy.

The web site for the InternationalGemini Project is http://www.gemini.edu.

Australia to share heavenlytwins

Conference onbiological informatics6–8 July 1998Becker House,Australian Academy of Science,Canberra

Biological informatics integratesbiology, computers and networks in thecreation, sharing and analysis of sets ofdata. It is used in the Human GenomeProject, pharmaceutical screening andbiodiversity research. Techniquesdeveloped for biological informaticswill be valuable for advanced informat-ion technology, creating knowledge,profits and job opportunities.

Leading international andAustralian speakers will presentbackground and recent developmentsin this rapidly developing field. Theconference will benefit scientists andprofessionals in the informationindustry, environmental research andmedical science.

For more information phoneAustralian Convention and TravelServices on (02) 6257 3299 or consultthe Academy’s web site at http://www.science.org.au/bioinfo.htm.

The Academy has recently commiss-ioned a project aimed at addressing anumber of issues raised in its 1996discussion paper, The Impact ofAustralian Science. The project, fundedby the Australian Research Council, isinvestigating the resources committedto helping Australian PhD studentsand postdoctoral researchers to acquireoverseas training and experience andto establish international networks.These activities are crucial if Australianscience is to prosper internationally.

The project is headed by a Fellow ofthe Academy, Dr Keith Boardman, withthe assistance of Dr Fiona Wood,Research Fellow at the Centre forHigher Education Management andPolicy, Department of Administrationand Training at the University of NewEngland.

Of particular importance to theproject is to investigate theopportunities and resources availableto support young researchers fromAustralia to acquire overseasexperience and to establish

international networks. In this regardinformation will be sought to helpimprove understanding of the role ofuniversities in supporting overseastraining, career development andnetwork opportunities for theirgraduates and staff.

The industry view of the importanceof young researchers acquiringinternational training and networkingopportunities will be canvassed. Careerpaths in industry for both PhDstudents and postdoctoral fellows willalso be examined.

A further task of the project is toinvestigate whether or not Australianresearchers are finding it more difficultto publish in the top internationaljournals and if so why. In this regardthe question of whether foreign andlocal libraries have policies andpractices that may affect the visibilityof Australian science will also beaddressed.

The project is expected to becompleted by the end of October 1998.If you have any comments you would

like to contribute to the project thesewould be most welcome. In particularit would be helpful to know scientists’views and experiences in relation to thefollowing questions:1 In what ways are international

networks important to yourresearch?

2 What sorts of resources do you needto establish and sustain internationalnetworks?

3 Are there any library practiceswhich you consider inhibit thevisibility of Australian science?

4 Are publishers engaging in practiceswhich could lead to greater isolationof Australian science?

If you would like to contribute tothe project, contact Fiona Woodby email: fwood@metz.une.edu.auphone: 02 6773 2582fax: 02 6773 3363, or mail:Department of Administration andTraining, University of NewEngland, Armidale NSW 2351.

Australian Academy of Science Newsletter

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Six awards were presented at theAcademy’s Annual General Meeting on30 April 1998. Profiles of the winnersare on this and the following pages.The Gottschalk and Pawsey Medalsand the Frederick White Prize areawarded to young scientists who arenot Fellows of the Academy.

When the awards were announcedin March, the President of theAcademy, Sir Gustav Nossal, said ofthe young scientists, ‘These are some ofthe most capable young scientists inthe world. We are privileged that theycall Australia home and arecontributing to our strengths inresearch.

‘Their achievements equal indistinction the stellar performances ofour Olympic medal winners and, in myview, are of even greater significancefor the future of this country. TheAcademy is pleased to be able torecognise their work and to encouragethem to keep it up.’

Gottschalk Medal

Dr Douglas HiltonDr Hilton is distinguished for hispurification and characterisation of theblood cell regulator, leukaemiainhibitory factor; for his cloning andidentification of the membranereceptors for two other regulators -IL-11 and IL-13 – and for his discoveryand cloning of a new family of geneswhose products modulate cellularresponses to signalling by bloodgrowth factors. Each of these threedistinct discoveries required innovativeapproaches and represent a majoradvance in our understanding of thecontrol of blood cell formation. Hisdiscoveries have aroused intenseinternational interest and research.

Dr Hilton is Director of theCooperative Research Centre forCellular Growth Factors at the Walterand Eliza Hall Institute of MedicalResearch in Melbourne.

The Gottschalk Medalcommemorates the work of AlfredGottschalk, who was a leadingauthority on glycoproteins. It isawarded annually for distinguishedresearch in either the medical orbiological sciences.

Pawsey MedalThe Pawsey Medal is awarded eachyear to a young scientist or scientistsfor distinguished research in physics. Ithonours the work of an Australianastrophysicist, Joseph Lade Pawsey.This year two medals were awarded.

Dr Igor BrayDr Bray is a world leader in thecalculation of reactions involvingelectrons and atoms or their ions. Heand a collaborator developed theconvergent close-coupling method, amethod so exact that someexperimental physicists are re-examining their work to discover whytheir results do not fit Dr Bray’s theory.In physics, the relationship is usuallythe other way round.

The method’s agreement with awide range of experimental results isalmost perfect and the method hasbecome the international standard fordata used in many industrial andscientific applications. These includethe building of efficient plasmadisplays, the study of fusion plasmas,and interpretation of the spectra seenby the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr Bray is an Australian ResearchCouncil Senior Research Fellow in the

Electronic Structure of Materials Centreat the Flinders University of SouthAustralia in Adelaide.

Dr Yuri KivsharDr Kivshar has established himself as aworld leader in the study of thebehaviour of light, particularly in thefield of non-linear optics. He hasdeveloped the theory of self-trappedbeams for light switching devices. Thisis of central importance to theemerging technology of photonics,where light is used in informationprocessing and communications.He has also advanced the theory ofstability of solitary waves. This hasbeen applied by others to manydifferent physical problems. He hasworked closely with severalexperimental groups in verifying manyof his predictions. He received the 1995International Pnevmatikos Award.

Dr Kivshar is a Senior Fellow in theOptical Sciences Centre at theAustralian National University and aKey Researcher at the AustralianPhotonics Cooperative Research Centre.

Awards to young scientists

The outgoing President of the Academy, Sir Gustav Nossal, centre, with four awardwinners, from left, Dr Igor Bray, Dr Yuri Kivshar, Dr Douglas Hilton and Dr GeoffreyMcFadden.

Number 40, April–June 1998

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Frederick White Prize

Dr Geoffrey McFaddenIn collaboration with scientists fromthe USA and Canada, Dr McFaddenhas demonstrated that the malaria andToxoplasma parasites contain achloroplast. In 1996 his findings werepublished in the journal Nature and theresearch received world-wide mediaattention. Finding a chloroplast in theseparasites revolutionises ourunderstanding of their evolution andopens new avenues for combatingthem. Since parasites causing malariaand toxoplasmosis are like plants,novel ways can be tried to treat thesediseases. Dr McFadden has initiated aprogram to determine the function ofthis enigma and to test the potential ofthe chloroplast as a target fortherapeutics to combat these veryserious diseases.

Dr McFadden is a Senior Lecturer inthe School of Botany at the Universityof Melbourne.

The Frederick White Prize wasestablished by the distinguishedphysicist, Sir Frederick White. It isawarded to younger scientists whohave contributed to an understandingof natural laws and new concepts.

Emeritus Professor Bill CompstonThe 1998 Flinders Lecture wasdelivered by Professor Bill Compstonat the Academy’s Annual GeneralMeeting on 30 April 1998. ThePresident of the Academy, Sir GustavNossal, also presented ProfessorCompston with the Flinders Medal.The Matthew Flinders Lecture is one ofthe Academy’s most prestigiousawards, made every two years to ascientist of the highest standing.

Professor Compston isdistinguished for his outstandingcontributions in the application of massspectroscopy to the dating of rocks. Heestablished his leadership in the fieldthrough high quality measurementsand perceptive investigations,particularly using the uranium-leadand rubidium-strontium radioactivedecay series.

He predicted that radiometricgeochronology would require in-situmeasurement at microscopic scale ofthe parent and daughter isotopes andled an ambitious project to design andbuild a mass spectrometer to satisfythese requirements. The resultinginstrument, called SHRIMP (SensitiveHigh Resolution Ion MicroProbe), wasfirst operated successfully in 1980.Further development led to acommercial version of SHRIMP with asale price in excess of $2.5 million. Theoutstanding success of his work andthat of his research team is shown bythe large number of research papers ofwhich he is author or co-author.

Until his recent retirement, ProfessorCompston was Professor of IsotopeChemistry in the Research School ofEarth Sciences at the AustralianNational University.

Professor Compston spoke on thetopic, Zircons, SHRIMPS and tales ofdetection. The mineral zircon usuallycontains enough lead, accumulatedfrom radioactive decay of uranium, toallow measurement of its absolute age.Over the past decade, microbeam agedeterminations and imaging ofsectioned grains have shown thatzircons often have two or moreepisodes of crystallisation that may bedifferent in age by many millions ofyears. Microbeam dating is the onlyreliable method for such grains.

The preservation of different growthzones within single zircons shows thatthermal diffusion of lead and otherelements within the crystal lattice is

extremely slow, even at rock-meltingtemperatures. This has led to therealisation that many zircon ages inigneous rocks that formed by theremelting of older crustal rocksactually refer to the older crust, not tothe remelt, which allows us to identifyboth the time of remelting and the agesof the rock’s antecedents.

This type of geochronology requiresa large microanalytical instrument thatsimultaneously delivers both the highmass resolution and the highsensitivity needed for analysis of leadand uranium at low levels. No suitablecommercial instrument was availablein the early 1970s so the geochronologyresearch group at the ANU took therisk, time and expense to design andbuild its own.

SHRIMP has been applied from theearly 1980s to a variety of geologicalapplications. The multiple ages of lunarzircons show that magmatism on themoon continued after the formation ofits initial crust and prior to the ‘lateheavy bombardment’ of the lunarsurface 3900 million years ago.Terrestrial zircons of granitic affinitythat have ages from 4100 to 4300million years were found in Archaeansediments from Western Australia.

Their existence shows that felsiccrust formed on earth during theotherwise-lost terrestrial recordbetween 4100 and 4500 million yearsago. Igneous rocks as old as 4000million years have been found inGreenland and Canada, and the searchcontinues for older preserved rocks.

Flinders Medal and Lecture

Professor Bill Compston

Visitors fromVietnamTwo officials from the VietnameseMinistry of Science, Technology andEnvironment, Dr Thai Van Tan and MrDang Vinh Thien, visited the Academyon 18 February to discuss theAcademy’s activities. The Vietnameseare keen to increase collaborationbetween Vietnam and Australia.

Australian Academy of Science Newsletter

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Mawson medalProfessor Bruce ChappellProfessor Chappell has madeoutstanding contributions in two areasof geoscience. The first relates to ourunderstanding of the origin of granitesand the role that those rocks play in theevolution of the earth’s crust, thesecond is his contribution to the field oftrace element analysis by x-rayspectrometry.

Early in his career he recognisedthat many granite magmas do notinitially separate as melts from theirsource rocks deep in the crust, butmove bodily away from those sourcesas a mixture of melt and solid residualmaterial. Consequently, whenseparation of melt and solid materialtakes place, there are compositionalvariations in granite suites. This workhas made it possible to infer thecomposition of the source rocks ofmany granites from a study of thatcompositional variation.

One consequence of this restitemodel was the recognition of thefundamental subdivision of granitesinto two groups, the S and I-types,derived from older sedimentary andigneous rocks, respectively.

Professor Chappell was the firstperson to measure trace elementsaccurately and in significant numbersby the technique of x-ray spectrometryon a wide range of rock types, and heplayed a key role in developing thattechnique, which provided the crucialdata for him to develop his granitemodels.

The Mawson Medal marks thecontribution to the earth sciences of thegreat geologist and Antarctic explorer,Sir Douglas Mawson.

Professor Bruce Chappell

Fellows shareAustralia PrizeTwo Fellows of the Academy wereamong the four winners of the 1998Australia Prize. The Director of theWalter and Eliza Hall Institute ofMedical Research in Melbourne,Professor Suzanne Cory, and theDirector of the Department ofCytogenetics and Molecular Genetics atthe Women’s and Children’s Hospitalin Adelaide, Professor GrantSutherland, shared the $300 000 prize.

The other winners were the Chair ofthe Department of Microbiology andImmunology at the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco, ProfessorElizabeth Blackburn, and the RoyalSociety Wolfson Research Professor atthe University of Leicester in the UK,Sir Alec Jeffreys.

The prize, this year for excellence inthe field of molecular genetics, wasannounced on 1 May.

Professor Cory’s research hascontributed to understanding themolecular basis of certain cancers. Sheand her husband, Professor JerryAdams, tracked down the geneticmutation which leads to Burkitt’slymphoma, a malignancy of antibody-producing cells called B lymphocytes.She also produced a paradigm shift ingenetics with her work on Bcl-2, a generesponsible for the most common typeof lymphoma, follicular lymphoma.

At its Annual General Meeting theAcademy replaced four retiring office-bearers. Those elected were:

Professor Brian Anderson, President,replacing Sir Gustav Nossal. See page 1.

Professor John Young, Secretary (Biol-ogical Sciences), replacing ProfessorJim Pittard. Professor Young has been aProfessor of Physiology at the Univer-sity Sydney since 1976 and is currentlyPro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences).

Dr Dick Manchester, a Member in thephysical sciences. Dr Manchester is aChief Research Scientist at CSIRO’sAustralia Telescope National Facility inEpping, New South Wales.

Professor Don Melrose, a Member inthe physical sciences. Professor

Melrose is Professor of Physics(Theoretical) and Director of theSpecial Research Centre for TheoreticalAstrophysics at the University ofSydney.

Professor Jack Pettigrew, a Member inthe biological sciences. ProfessorPettigrew is Professor of Physiology,and Director of the Vision, Touch andHearing Research Centre at theUniversity of Queensland.

Professor John Shine, a Member in thebiological sciences. Professor Shine isExecutive Director of the GarvanInstitute of Medical Research at StVincent’s Hospital in Sydney andProfessor of Medicine and Professor ofMolecular Biology at the University ofNew South Wales.

New members of Council

Professor Sutherland developedmethods to allow the reliableobservation of fragile sites inchromosomes. His study of these sitesculminated in the recognition of fragileX syndrome as the most commonfamilial form of mental retardation.More than a dozen genetic diseases arenow recognised as having theirmolecular basis in this new mutationprocess.

Professor Blackburn identified anenzyme, telomerase, crucial to thesuccessful replication of chromosomesin cell division, a discovery hailed asone of the most important in moleculargenetics. Telomerase adds DNA to theends of chromosomes.

Sir Alec Jeffreys discovered and thendeveloped DNA fingerprinting andprofiling. DNA fingerprinting usesgenetic markers to identify anindividual. It has been used to identifycriminals, to test paternity, to study theevolution of species and inconservation biology. DNA profiling,which produces patterns representing aperson’s father and mother on x-rayfilm, is now standard in forensiclaboratories.

The 1999 Australia Prize will beawarded in the field of energy scienceand technology. Nominations close on31 July 1998.

Number 40, April–June 1998

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Pests degrade Australia’s environment,reduce agricultural production andaffect human health. In the past,control has relied on external measuressuch as predators, pathogens orcompetitors. In the future, geneticengineering could make some pests,such as mice or starfish, reduce theirown numbers through contraception orsterilisation. Other pests could becontrolled by the food they eat – forexample, cotton plants could beengineered to produce their owninsecticides.

The Academy’s Annual GeneralMeeting symposium, titled Pests andpeople: Prospects for 2020, was held inCanberra on 1 May 1998. Scientists,teachers and others heard the latestscientific research on dealing withpests in Australia.

The speakers, who came from theCSIRO and universities, are leaders inpest control research programs. Theprogram was in three parts: what pestspecies are, current ways to controlpests, and the 2020 solutions.

Dr Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe, formerlyof CSIRO and now at the AustralianNational University, described pests asorganisms that affect people adversely.They may be native species respondingto changes in land use, such as fruitbats in Queensland, kangaroos inrangelands or Heliothus moths incotton, or introduced species, such asrabbits, goats and horses. They mayarrive by ship, aeroplane or othermeans. Dr Tyndale-Biscoe describedold and new ways of dealing withpests.

Dr Steve Morton, from the CSIRODivision of Wildlife and Ecology inCanberra, discussed the pests of farmand outback. He asked whetherAustralian ecosystems are peculiarlysusceptible to invasion. The answer ispartially yes, but in several cases pestscan be interpreted as a symptom ofunsuccessful land management,indicating that our use of the land hascaused decline in native species andprovided opportunities for pests. Pestsmay be a sign that the continent iscalling out for help.

Dr Ronald Thresher, from the CSIRODivision of Marine Research, talkedabout monsters of the sea, the 172 non-endemic species in Australian coastalwaters which sometimes dominatetheir new environments. These includeseaweeds, seastars, fanworms and

large fish. Little can be done to controlthese species or slow the rate ofintroductions; biological control isprobably the only option.

The Chief of the CSIRO Division ofEntomology, Dr Jim Cullen, spoke onwhether weeds can be beaten.Biological control programs againstskeleton weed, salvinia, Harrisiacactus, St John’s wort and heliotropeshow the complexities of success andfailure. Improving knowledge of theweed’s ecology and using other controlmethods in conjunction with biologicalcontrol may be the best means ofsuccess.

Dr Gary Fitt, from the CSIRO CottonResearch Unit at Narrabri, describedchemical and biological methods ofgetting the bugs out of cotton.Transgenic cotton plants have beenengineered to produce an insecticidalprotein which kills Heliothiscaterpillars. This offers a chance toreduce the use of pesticides and useother biological control agents.

Dr Brian Cooke, from the CSIRODivision of Wildlife and Ecology, hasspent many years considering methodsof controlling rabbits: ripping warrens

with bulldozers, using fleas to carrymyxomatosis and using rabbitcalicivirus disease. In inland areascalicivirus, working alongsidemyxomatosis, holds rabbit numbers at10 per cent of their former numbers.However, genetic changes in the virusmay reduce its benefits.

Dr Jeff Ellis, from the CSIRODivision of Plant Industry, spoke of thetraditional tool of plant breeders, usingplant genes to make agricultural plantspest resistant. Cloning and geneticmarkers have refined this method ofnon-chemical control.

Professor Geoff Shellam, from theDepartment of Microbiology at theUniversity of Western Australia,described contraception for feralanimals. A virus is engineered tocontain genes which infect the targetspecies and induce immune responseswhich block fertilisation. He has beenworking on contraception for wildmice.

Professor Ian Lowe, from GriffithUniversity, spoke on the economicimperatives of pest control, suggestingthat the problem could be people, notother species.

New ways to control old pests

The winners of the Pioneer Award for Science Teachers and the Queen’s Trust forYoung Australians, with officers of the Australian Science Teachers Association duringthe Academy’s 1998 Annual General Meeting and symposium.

Participants in theAcademy’s AnnualGeneral Meetingsymposium.

Australian Academy of Science Newsletter

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A number of the Academy’s NationalCommittees have been active in theirdiscipline areas over recent months.

The Chair of the NationalCommittee for Microbiology, ProfessorJohn Mackenzie, recently commentedthat, ‘One of the most important issuesis that of emerging and re-emergingdiseases, an issue of very considerableinternational debate and discussion.’Infectious diseases which are spreadingbeyond their usual territories includetuberculosis, viral haemorrhagic feverssuch as Ebola virus, Japaneseencephalitis, malaria and dengue fever.

Professor Mackenzie stated thatalmost all developed and manydeveloping countries have formulatedplans, held meetings and fundedresearch. ‘Australia has yet toformulate plans on any internationalprogram and, although discussionshave been held for emerging diseasessurveillance within Australia, there aremany gaps with much of thesurveillance and monitoring beingdone by interested groups withoutCommonwealth funding.’

Regional global change meetingswere held at the Academy on 22 and 23January 1998. The Global ChangeSystem for Analysis, Research andTraining – the international scientificcommunity’s response to the need forregional environmental changeresearch – promotes interdisciplinaryresearch at the regional level bydeveloping research networks. ItsChair is Professor Roland Fuchs.

The Chair of the Academy’sNational Committee for Climate andGlobal Change, Dr Graeme Pearman,also chairs the South East AsiaRegional Committee which hasmembers from the ASEAN nations.Priorities have centred on capacitybuilding, land use and coastal issues.An Oceania group has been establishedwhich will have a regional secretariaton the University of the South Pacificcampus in Suva. Dr Kanayathu Koshyhas been elected interim Chair.

The Chair of the NationalCommittee for Physics, Professor EricWeigold, and the President of theAustralian Institute of Physics,Professor Jan Oitmaa, have completeda survey of Australian universityphysics departments. Their greatest

concerns are that funding cuts arehaving adverse effects on teaching andresearch. Professor Weigold isconcerned that ‘people aredisappearing in an unplanned anduncoordinated way, leaving physicsvulnerable’.

The National Committee for theEnvironment prepared comments onthe Industry Commission (nowProductivity Commission) Inquiry intoEcologically Sustainable LandManagement.

The National Committee for Animaland Veterinary Sciences prepared aresponse to the review of theAustralian Biological Resources Studyand Biodiversity Program (see AASNewsletter number 39). It alsocontributed decisively to the policydebate about quarantine, highlightingthe key role of taxonomy (see AASNewsletter number 38).

The National Committee forNutrition has expressed concern aboutthe abolition of the NutritionCommittee of the National Health andMedical Research Council.

The National Committees forCrystallography and Chemistry havehelped prepare Academy responses togovernment inquiries into the newresearch reactor and the definition ofresearch and development for taxationpurposes, and contributed to theNational Science and Industry Forumon endocrine disruption reported onpage 12.

Many of the committees worked onthe Academy’s submission to the Westreview of higher education.

New populationand environmentfundPopulation and environment:almost every Australian has anopinion on the subject, but theseopinions are very rarely backed bysolid research from a wide range ofscientific disciplines.

The Academy of Science wantsthis debate to be informed – to beargued on the basis of facts, ratherthan emotion. To this end, theAcademy has established thePopulation and Environment Fund,a capital fund whose interest will beused to encourage, support anddisseminate research about thisissue.

In particular, the Population andEnvironment Fund will supportempirical research into how thesize, distribution, materialaspirations and other characteristicsof the human population are likelyto affect significant aspects ofAustralian life, such as theenvironment, health, the economy,social cohesion and defence. Someof the problems arising in Australiamay of course be due to externalpopulation pressures, and this willalso be part of the research agenda.

The Academy can provide aforum for the discussion of some ofthese issues – for example, byarranging conferences or publiclectures, or by publishingproceedings or scientific reports.

The first donor to the fund haspledged at least $150 000, partly asa donation and partly as a bequest.The Academy is appealing foradditional donations so that thisresearch, which is so vital toAustralia’s future well-being, cancommence as soon as possible. Allcontributions to the fund are taxdeductible.

For more information about thePopulation and Environment Fundand how you can contribute to it,contact the Academy’s ExecutiveSecretary, Mr Peter Vallee, or theDevelopment Officer, Dr NancyLane, on phone (02) 6247 5777, fax(02) 6257 4620, or emailaas@science.org.au.

Emerging diseases andother issues

Professor Roland Fuchs at the globalchange meetings at the Academy inJanuary.

Number 40, April–June 1998

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The Academy is undertaking eight newinterviews for its Video Histories ofAustralian Scientists project. Theseinterviews are being funded by theFenner Fund, the AustralianFoundation for Science and OptusVision.

Dr Max Blythe, from the VideoArchive of the Royal College ofPhysicians and Oxford BrookesUniversity, conducted interviews inMelbourne from 31 March to 2 Aprilwith six eminent scientists in thebiological and medical fields. Theywere Professors Derek Denton, MollieHolman, Priscilla Kincaid-Smith,Donald Metcalf, Sir Gustav Nossal andAlan Wardrop.

Professor Bob Crompton hascompleted an interview with ProfessorBernhard Neumann, and will be

interviewing Professor David Craig inmid-May.

Scientists Reflect: The Neurosciences isthe second four-part series based onthe video histories. Programs will bescreened on the Optus Visioneducational channel 55 in Sydney andMelbourne starting on Friday 1 May at7.30pm and continuing fortnightly,with replays starting on Sunday 3 Mayat 5.00pm.

In this series, four scientists whowork in the neurosciences reflect ontheir early interests, the people whoinfluenced them, and the highlights oftheir career. Those featured areProfessors Max Bennett, Peter Bishop,David Curtis and Jonathan Stone.

Supported by the AustralianFoundation for Science

New video interviews

Twelve Australian scientists will visitJapan in 1998 under the Japan Scienceand Technology Agency PostdoctoralFellowships scheme.

Mr Jingjing Bi, of the CSIRO’sDivision of Molecular Science(Chemicals and Polymers), will visitthe National Institute of Materials andChemical Research in Ibaraki fromApril 1998 to April 2000 to study thesynthesis and fabrication of tailoredmembrane morphology for highseparation performance.

Dr Laure Bourgeois, of theUniversity of Melbourne’s School ofPhysics, will visit the National Instituefor Research in Inorganic Materials atIbaraki from April 1998 to April 2000 toexamine electron energy lossspectroscopy and high-resolutiontransmission electron microscopy ofboron nitride nanotubes and relatedmaterials.

Mr Gordon Cheng, of theDepartment of Systems Engineering atthe Australian National University, willconduct research on the global stabilityof complex real world interactionsystems at the Humanoid InteractionLaboratory of the Agency for IndustrialScience and Technology in Ibaraki fromJuly 1998 to June 2000.

Ms Emma Duncan, of theChildren’s Medical Research Institutein Westmead, NSW, will visit theNational Institute of Bioscience and

Human Technology at Ibaraki fromMay 1998 to May 1999 to study theidentification of mortalin-associatedproteins in human cells.

Mr Parham Mokhtari, of the Schoolof Computer Science at the AustralianDefence Force Academy, will visit theMachine Understanding Division ofthe Electrotechnical Laboratory atIbaraki from September 1998 to March2000 to study multi-speaker speechsynthesis.

Mr Ampalavanapillai Nirmalathas,of the Photonics Research Laboratoryin the Department of Electrical andElectronics Engineering at theUniversity of Melbourne, will studythe optical generation and transport ofmillimetre-wave signals over fibre-optic networks at the High-SpeedNetworks Division of theCommunications Research Laboratoryin Tokyo from July 1998 to December1999.

Ms Donna Perera, of the School ofChemistry at the University of Sydney,will study the experimental andtheoretical characterisation of glass-forming multi-component metallicalloys at the National ResearchInstitute for Metals in Ibaraki fromJune 1998 to June 1999.

Ms Bronwyn Robertson, of theSchool of Microbiology andImmunology at the University of NewSouth Wales, will visit the

Environmental MicrobiologyLaboratory at the National Institute forEnvironmental Studies at Ibaraki tostudy the molecular systematics andphylogeny of cyanobacteria as a modelfor assessing global biodiversity fromMay 1998 to April 2000.

Dr Jill St John, currently living inFukushima, will study the ecology ofjuvenile serranid fish at the SeikaiNational Fisheries Research Institute inNagasaki from May 1998 to May 2000.

Dr Lukman Thalib, of theAustralian School of EnvironmentalSciences at Griffith University, will visitthe National Institute of Agro-Environmental Science at Ibaraki tostudy the limitation of statisticalapplication in the analysis of huge datasets from April 1998 to March 1999.

Mr Liejun Wang, of the ResearchSchool of Earth Sciences at theAustralian National University, willstudy the electrical conductivitystructure of Japan with the GeologicalSurvey of Japan in Ibaraki from July1998 to July 2000.

Mr Shaobin Wang, of theDepartment of Chemical Engineeringat the University of Queensland, willvisit the Department of SurfaceChemistry at the National Institute ofMaterials and Chemical Research,Ibaraki, to study the oxidative couplingof methane over metal oxide catalystsfrom April 1998 to March 1999.

Scientific exchanges with Japan

Indian exchangeThere will be an exchange of medicalscientists between Australia and Indiain 1998 under the Academy’sagreement with the Indian NationalScience Academy. The Australia-IndiaCouncil will fund the exchange.

Doherty to visitAustralian Nobel Laureate andAcademy Fellow, Professor PeterDoherty, will visit Australia for the1998 Medical Research Week (31 Mayto 5 June). He will deliver lectures andpresent awards around the country.Medical Research Week is organised bythe Australian Society for MedicalResearch to raise awareness of thevalue of medical research.

Australian Academy of Science Newsletter

10

Deaths

Catherine Le FèvreDr Catherine Le Fèvre, a Patron of theAustralian Foundation for Science andactive promoter of women in science,died on 9 March 1998.

Catherine Gunn Tideman was bornin Glasgow on 1 November 1909. Shestudied science at University College,London, where she met a chemistrytutor, Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre,whom she later married. He describedher as ‘a hockey player of enthusiasm,a tireless dancer, a rider of horses’.

She held positions as a teacher andmicrobiologist but later collaboratedwith her husband in research. Togetherthey pioneered methods for measuringthe orientation and polarisability ofmolecules.

Catherine raised two childrenduring the second world war while herhusband served overseas. After the warthey moved to Australia, whereRaymond took up the position ofProfessor of Chemistry at theUniversity of Sydney. Together theycontinued their research.

The University of London awardedher a Doctor of Science degree in 1952.Raymond became a Foundation Fellowof the Australian Academy of Science.

Dr Le Fèvre was the first womanelected to the Council of the AustralianAcademy of Forensic Sciences. She wasin the thick of debates on drugdependence and law enforcement. Formany years she was a correspondentfor The Lancet.

In memory of her husband, whodied in 1986, Dr Le Fèvre established anew Academy prize for youngresearchers in chemistry. She served onthe Australian Foundation for Science

Spencer Smith-WhiteThe pioneer of the study of cellphysiology in Australian plants,Emeritus Professor Spencer Smith-White, died on 26 March 1998. He wasborn on 14 April 1909.

Smith-White gained his Bachelor ofScience in Agriculture degree in 1932,then went to work as a field assistant atthe Griffith Research Station in NewSouth Wales. The next year he becamescience master at Scotch College inMitcham, South Australia.

He returned to the New South WalesDepartment of Agriculture in 1935 as aplant breeder, specialising in specieshybridisation in Nicotiana and tuberousSolanum. There he discoveredresistance to blue mould in nativeNicotiana.

In 1937 he became research officerand botanist at the Museum of AppliedScience in Sydney. There he conductedresearch into essential oils in eucalypts,and began the study of cells inMyrtaceae and other native flora. As apioneer in a new field of Australianbotanical research, he madeoutstanding contributions to theknowledge of cells, taxonomy andevolutionary history.

David ZeidlerThe distinguished chemical engineerand industrialist, Sir David Zeidler,died on 12 March 1998.

David Ronald Zeidler was born inMelbourne on 18 March 1918. He wentto Scotch College in Melbourne andgained a Master of Science degree fromthe University of Melbourne.

He then went to work for theCouncil for Scientific and IndustrialResearch (the precursor of CSIRO)from 1941 to 1952. He worked in theDivision of Industrial Chemistry andsoon became leader of the ChemicalEngineering Section.

In 1947 he did postgraduate researchat the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.

In 1952 he joined Australia’s leadingchemical manufacturer, ICI Australia,as Research Manager. He progressedthrough the ranks of DevelopmentManager, Controller of the Dyes andFabrics Groups to Director in 1963,Managing Director in 1971 andChairman in 1973. He retired in 1980,when he was created a KnightBachelor.

While working at ICI he studiedbusiness at the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology and Harvard BusinessSchool.

Under his guidance, ICI grew andprospered. With his researchbackground he consistently supportedcompany research in chemical andrelated fields. He backed Australianinnovation, including CSIRO’sSirotherm and Sirofloc processes.

Advisors Commitee, where sheinstigated the Academy’s involvementin the National Forensic Summit in1995. She also supported New SouthWales primary schools with specialneeds to take up the PrimaryInvestigations science program.

She encouraged women in sciencethrough her work for special programs,travelling scholarships and lectures.

Dr Catherine Le Fèvre

In 1948 he was appointed seniorlecturer in the Botany Department atthe University of Sydney, where hestayed until his retirement as Professorof Botany. Research initiated by Smith-White and carried out by hispostgraduate students extendedknowledge of cell physiology inProteaceae, Casuarinaceae,Goodeniaceae and Ranunculaceae.

In 1956 he was awarded a Doctor ofScience in Agriculture degree. In thesame year he spent time in the botanyand genetics departments at Oxfordand other British universities.

In 1958 Smith-White was electedPresident of the Linnean Society ofNew South Wales. He was elected toFellowship of the Academy of Sciencein 1962.

Professor Spencer Smith-White

Number 40, April–June 1998

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He was committed to cooperationbetween industry, researchorganisations and universities. Whilein CSIRO he set up a cooperative high-pressure chemical engineering unit atthe University of Sydney.

Sir David served on the boards of anumber of other large companies,including BHP, Amatil, the CommercialBank of Australia and Westpac BankingCorporation. He supported science andtechnology through his work on theboards of research organisations suchas the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute ofMedical Research in Melbourne. Hewas a member of many scientific andprofessional societies.

Sir David contributed to Australianeducation, serving on theCommonwealth Advisory Committeeon Advanced Education and othercommittees looking at overseasqualifications, academic salaries, andeducation and training. He worked ongovernment inquiries into electricitygeneration and distribution.

He was President of the AustralianAcademy of Technological Sciencesand Engineering and joined theFellowship of the Academy of Scienceby special election in 1985.

Sir David Zeidler

Five major science groups have formeda new committee to promote the publicunderstanding of science andtechnology in Australia.

The committee will be made up ofthe presidents of the five groups, aswell as the President of the NationalPress Club, Mr Ken Randall, who hasbeen invited to join to ensure eventsappeal to journalists and reach thewidest possible audience. The groupsare:• the Australian Academy of Science• the Australian Academy of Techno-

logical Sciences and Engineering(President Mr Tim Besley)

• the Australian ScienceCommunicators (President ProfessorIan Lowe)

• the Federation of AustralianScientific and TechnologicalSocieties (President Professor PeterCullen)

• the Australian and New ZealandAssociation for the Advancement ofScience (President Professor PaulAdam).

Dr Jim Peacock, a member of bothscience academies and head of theCSIRO Division of Plant Industry, hasbeen elected chair of the committee.

Sir Gustav Nossal, then President ofthe Academy of Science, said he wasdelighted Mr Randall has agreed tojoin the committee. ‘The forum is tohave a media focus. The perspective ofthe working journalist will assist us to

Science alliance to boost coveragereach all Australians and help makethem aware of the economic andenvironmental possibilities of scienceand technology’, he said. ‘It’s a terriblyimportant issue.’

The first event the committeeoversaw was the three-day forum inMelbourne in May called ScienceNOW!This forum included sessions oncloning and emerging diseases, as wellas on the way scientists are portrayedin the cinema. A session called ‘Freshscience’ was presented by 16 youngerscientists and engineers speciallyselected for having the latest and mostinteresting new science.

Cooperation on journalsOn 6 February 1998, the President of the Academy, Sir Gustav Nossal, and the ChiefExecutive of CSIRO, Dr Malcolm McIntosh, signed a new agreement between theAcademy and CSIRO to cooperate in the publication of the Australian Journals ofScientific Research.

Closing dates1998Haddon Forrester King Medal 22 JuneJaeger Medal 26 JuneKanagawa Museum Award 14 AugustBoden Research Conferences 14 AugustSelby Fellowship 30 AugustFor further information email FayeNicholas at the Academy onac@science.org.au.

France exchange 10 JuneUK exchange 1 JulyKorea exchange 1 JulyTaiwan exchange 1 JulyJapan postdoctoral andshort-term fellowships 1 AugustChina exchange 1 OctoberGermany program 1 OctoberFor further information email ThérèseLewis on io@science.org.au.

BiographersProfessor Harry Poulos, of CoffeyPartners International, and ProfessorsRoger Tanner and John Carter, both ofthe University of Sydney, will write abiographical memoir on the late JohnBooker for publication in Historicalrecords of Australian science.

Australian Academy of Science Newsletter

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An Academy of Science forum was toldin April that the female hormone,oestrogen, is coming throughAustralian sewerage outfalls. In inlandAustralia, this water is later used forirrigation and stock and humandrinking water.

The topic of the Academy’s 58thNational Science and Industry Forum,held in Canberra, was Endocrinedisruption: Australia’s role in aninternational issue. Oestrogen is one of agroup of chemicals called endocrinedisrupters. Other disrupters includesubstances such as DDT, PCBs andsome pesticides, which are no longermanufactured in Australia but whichcan remain in soils and water supplies.There are other chemicals still in usethat some laboratory screeningtechniques have indicated could haveendocrine effects.

Such endocrine disrupters could beassociated with breast cancer, testicularcancer and male infertility. Theoestrogen in the sewers probablycomes from plant-derived foods, fromthe natural secretions of women andfrom birth-control pills but it is not yetknown whether these very low levelsof hormone pose a health risk tohumans or wildlife.

Is there something in the water?

Participants in a workshop at the National Science and Industry Forum.

Although the United States willsoon undertake a massive screeningprogram for endocrine disrupters infood and water and in agricultural andindustrial chemicals, the Australianforum agreed that we do not yet knowhow big the problem is and how mucheffort should be put into it. Moreresearch is needed to work out therisks, the ways that the chemicals affecthumans and wildlife, and the levelsthat are hazardous.

The Secretary (Science Policy) of theAcademy, Professor John White,

undertook to pursue ideas for bettercommunication between industry,government and the community. TheAcademy will act as a clearing houseand will offer a web site for disseminat-ing current knowledge and prioritiesfor the future. ‘Clear information, and aclear acknowledgment of our igno-rance, is very important,’ said Profes-sor White. ‘While we cannot state thehazards of endocrine disruption at themoment, we can say that there is likelyto be a problem unless we do some-thing soon.’

Honours to FellowsThe US Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers has awarded its 1997 Control SystemsAward to the Director of the Research School ofInformation Sciences and Engineering, ProfessorBrian Anderson. The award recognises hisoutstanding contributions in adaptive and optimalcontrol, stability and system identification.

The Director of the CSIRO Biomolecular ResearchInstitute, Dr Peter Colman, has been elected to theAustralian Academy of Technological Sciencesand Engineering.

The former Professor of Isotope Geochemistry atthe Australian National University, EmeritusProfessor Bill Compston, has been elected to theAustralian Academy of Technological Sciencesand Engineering.

The Royal Society of New Zealand has electedProfessor George Dracoulis, from the Departmentof Nuclear Physics at the Australian NationalUniversity, to Honorary Fellowship of the society.This honour is reserved for overseas scientistswho have contributed significantly to NewZealand science.

Visitor from NorwayProfessor Helge Tverberg, centre, a distinguished mathematician fromthe University of Bergen in Norway, who was visiting the AustralianNational University, met Fellows of the Academy on 3 April 1998.