Of the day
Google announces recipients for its 2021 research scholar programme (up to $US 60 000), including,
Kelly Blincoe (Uni Auckland): Towards more inclusive software engineering practices to retain women in software engineering
Chitchanok Chuengsatiansup and Markus Wagner (Uni Adelaide): Automatic post-quantum cryptographic code generation and optimisation
Mojtaba Golzan, (UTS) and, Jack Phu (UNSW): Autonomous grading of dynamic blood vessel markers in the eye using deep learning
Xin Yu and Linchao Zhu (UTS): Sign language translation in the wild (it’s in machine perception category)
Of the week
Merlin Crossley (UNSW) wins the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Lemberg Medal. Erinna Lee (La Trobe U and Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Centre) receives the Shimadzu Research Medal. Awards go to, Lahhiru Gangoda (the research organisation formally known as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute), Lois Balmer (Edith Cowan U) and Anton Calabrese (University of Leeds).
Sammy Bedoui (Un Melbourne) is appointed research director for its School of Biomedical Sciences.
CSIRO’s Data61, with the Victorian Department of Land, Water and Planning win the environment and sustainability category in the 2020 Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards. They modelled climate change impact on Port Phillip Bay coastline. Allison Kealy (RMIT) wins the eminence award.
Rifaat Ebied (emeritus professor Uni Sydney) wins the All Graduates Interpreting and Translating Language Services award at the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Community Award.
Melinta Grant (UTS) receives a 2021Dunlop Fellowship, from the AsiaLink Leaders Programme, “given annually to Australians committed to making a lasting contribution to Australia-Asia relations.” The other fellowship goes to Melissa DeLaney, CEO of ANAT (art+science+technology).
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is awarded the 2020 McKinnon Prize in political leadership. His House of Reps colleague Anne Aly (Labor-WA) is named McKinnon emerging political leader. The prize is a collaboration between the Susan McKinnon Foundation and Uni Melbourne (CMM November 28 2017).
Griffith U reports Niru Nirthanan (Deputy Head of School, Health Group) is a fellow of the American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics.
Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles is New Zealander of the Year for her science communication of COVID-19. Dr Wiles is a microbiologist at Uni Auckland.