Research Story

University dominates inaugural Premier's Science Excellence Awards

The inaugural Premier's Science Excellence Awards [1] announced in August 2005 came close to becoming an all-University of Adelaide affair with our scientists winning three of the five categories while seven others were finalists.

The winners and finalists shared $120,000 and were recognised for their leadership in raising the public awareness of science in South Australia.

It was also a night to remember for the Rathjen family. Professor Peter Rathjen, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences [2], won the award for Research and Leadership for his research and work in stem cell biology and stem cell therapies; and his father Dr Tony Rathjen was a member of the South Australian Cereal Breeding team that won the award for Excellence in Research for Commercial Outcomes.

In a third award, University scientists teamed with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) [3] for Excellence in Research for Public Good.

"This result is a clear indication of the outstanding work being undertaken by our scientists at this University," said Professor Neville Marsh, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) [4].

"There is a mix of youth and experience among this list which is a healthy position for us to be in," he said.

The 2005 winners and finalists from the University of Adelaide were:

Research and Leadership:
Winner: Professor Peter Rathjen, Executive Dean, Faculty of Sciences.
Finalist: Professor Rob Norman, Director, Research Centre for Reproductive Health [5].

Excellence in Research for Commerical Outcomes:
Winner: South Australian Cereal Breeding Team - Dr Tony Rathjen, Dr David Sparrow, Professor Andy Barr and Professor Gill Hollamby.
Finalists: Turbulence, Energy & Combustion (TEC) Group [6], Schools of Mechanical [7] and Chemical Engineering [8]; and Professor John Wallace, School of Molecular & Biomedical Science [9].

Excellence in Research for Public Good:
Winner: SARDI Food Research Program, SA Research and Development Institute (with University of Adelaide). Team: Andrew Pointon; Ben Daughtry; David Padula; David Hamilton; Tom Madigan; Dr Andreas Kiermeier; Dr Ian Delaere; Jo Slade; Geoff Holds; Viv Mattei; Felicity Brake; Samuel Phua; Sita Balshaw; Dr Connor Thomas and Dr Ken Davey.
Finalist: Don Roberton, Professor of Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics [10] and Women's and Children's Hospital.

Science Educator of the Year:
Finalists: Belinda Barr & Heather Bray, Joint Leaders, Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics [11] and Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre [12], Waite Campus.

Science Communication Excellence:
Finalist: Dr Chris Daniels, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences [13].

Story by Howard Salkow