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Past Fresh Scientists
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ScienceNOW! background informationAfter the demise of the ANZAAS Congress, several leaders in the fields of science and science communication became increasingly concerned about the lack of an effective national forum to bring together scientists, the media and the general public. These people formed the original ScienceNOW! organising committee. ScienceNOW! the first National Science Forum was based on a couple of simple premises: Australia needed to improve and expand its reporting of science. It also needed a means by which its best young scientists can present their work before an audience much broader than their peers. With this in mind, in December 1997, with the active suppport of Sir Gus Nossal and the Australian Academy of Science, the ScienceNOW! organising committee secured a two year $200 000 commitment from Mark Birrell, the Victorian Minister for Science Industry and Technology. In January 1998, a $60,000 commitment was made by the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Technology (also over two years). Funds from private sources were also obtained. ScienceNOW! was launched in February 1998 and held from 7 to 10 May 1998. In February 1998, thanks to the advocacy of Sir Gus Nossal, Ian Anderson and others, the then Victorian Department of State Development agreed to sponsor the new national science forum. The first ScienceNOW! was held in Melbourne from 7 to 10 May 1998. It aimed to: · present fresh, new research, in particular involving young scientists · provide the media with access to information and research which has only been aired previously with little fanfare at specialist gatherings of scientists and technologists (the best papers delivered by young scientists to their specialist societies are sought as an on-going principle of the forum) · encourage the participation of the general public in the discussion and airing of contemporary issues raised by scientific research · encourage the use of multimedia in the presentations and on-line dissemination of the proceedings · involve the ABC, both nationally and locally, in the lead up to the forum and its presentation. For more information on the establishment of the first ScienceNOW! read our first report at ??? Fresh Science contributers in 1998
Forums in 1998· Cloning – should it extend to humans · Turning Smart Ideas into Smart Business (with Thinking Melbourne and Telstra) · Hollywood Meets the Labcoats · Marijuana – does it really blow your mind? · What’s hot with dinosaurs · The next plague – are we ready · Women in science in 21C: Hypatia's inheritance · Science and the Media ScienceNOW! 1999The second ScienceNOW! was held from 7 to 9 May 1999 again in conjunction with the Great Australian Science Show. Our aim was to consolidate on the success of the first ScienceNOW! and set the scene for long term development of the event. HighlightsAttendance was up – the joint attendance for ScienceNOW! and GASS in 1999 was 22,500, a 50% increase in the overall attendance and a 150% increase in booked school groups. · The event made more of a mark on the Australian media conciousness - the Australian, the Age and the SMH each sent representatives to ScienceNOW! · The Menzies Foundation cosponsored a major forum, while many organisations expressed their desire to collaborate closer with ScienceNOW! in future years. · The overall quality of Fresh Science nominations improved · The Fresh Science Dinner was established. Fully sponsored, it provided a focus for networking between the scientists and journalists. · We were able to invite several prominent international speakers, in part through closer collaboration with other National Science Week events. We had a very successful promotion program for schools, and for the media but were overreliant on National Science Week publicity to generate interest amongst the general public. This will be remedied in 2000. Fresh ScienceThe
Fresh Science presenters were: ·
Andrew Conway,
Silicon Genetics: Spying on the program of life ·
Sherry Randhawa,
Associate Lecturer in Engineering, Flinders University of South Australia, A
"Gut" Feeling of How Your Intestine Works. ·
Paul Francis,
Mount Stromlo Observatory, Pink Black Holes? ·
Lexa Grutter,
University of Queensland, 150 cleans a day keeps the parasites away from Barrier
Reef fish. ·
Alexandra
Sharland, Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand, Transplant
rejection - sometimes more is less. ·
Robyn Wallace,
Women's and Children's Hospital, Genes and Epilepsy: How do they
"fit"? ·
Edmond Lascaris,
Swinburne University of Technology, Mean Green Recycling Machine ·
Scott Power,
National Climate Centre, Ocean unlocks more clues to Australia's climate as El
Nino goes walkabout ·
Chris Tinney,
Anglo-Australian Observatory, Weather out of this world : the Turbulent Lives of
Brown dwarfs ·
Tonia
Woodberry, QIMR The Bancroft Centre, New vaccine concept applied to HIV vaccine ·
Janet Bryan,
CSIRO Human Nutrition, Speedy thought may mean better memory for older adults ·
Ben Wilson,
Charles Sturt University, 320 tonnes of acid spills into river ·
Myra Keep,
University of Western Australia, Making Mountains: the Wonderful World of Plate
Collision ·
Dr Keith
Sircomb, Geological Survey of Canada, Antarctica on the Gold Coast ·
Amanda Gett,
Centenary Institute Sydney, Cracking the immunological code. · Gary Sheridan, ARRB Transport Research Ltd and The University of Queensland, Building environmentally friendly mountains in the outback Forums and other activities.· Overpopulation - an environmental time bomb? A Youth Forum for schools and the public · When technology fails - lessons from the Millennium Bug. A business and public forum · The global fight against disease - The Menzies Foundation Lecture at ScienceNOW! with Laurie Garrett · Time & time travel - a forum for schools and the public · Business for the 21st Century: hatching new businesses with technology precincts. A business and public forum · The Docklands Stadium: Showcasing Innovative Australian Building Technology · Australia's role in space. · The Matrix Man - Andrew Mason - talked about his leading edge work in graphics and the movies including "The Matrix" · Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers' Guide to The Galaxy, Last Chance to See) talked about his latest projects · Hollywood Meets the Labcoats - scientists and film makers dissected science in the movies, with Douglas Adams, chaired by Adam Spencer, and clips from the latest releases and the archives. · Science in the Pub - Emerging diseases - are we ready? With Laurie Garrett and Sir Gus Nossal ·
Bright Sparks
with the Young Australian of the Year, Dr Bryan Gainsler and Dr Andi on RRR's
Einstein A Go Go ·
Cures for
Cancer? Separating fact from hype. · Science and the Media: A public forum - Frankenstein food and magic bullets. |
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Media contacts:
Niall Byrne 0417 131 977 and Sarah Brooker 0413 332 489
Fresh Science is managed by Science in Public and ASN Events
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