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Catalyst: The home of Australian science

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External of Australian Academy of Science in Canberra
Catalyst: The home of Australian science

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  5–6, 7–8, 9–10


Australia has a long and proud history of excellence in science.

How should we celebrate this? Watch this clip to find out about an Australian organisation that recognises and promotes outstanding scientific achievement. You'll also find why its Canberra headquarters is referred to as 'the flying saucer'!


Things to think about

  1. 1.How do Australians recognise excellence in fields such as sport and music? Should we recognise excellence in science in a similar way? After all, important scientific discoveries can influence almost any aspect of our lives, and the way we understand the world.
  2. 2.When was the Academy of Science founded? How did Sir Mark Oliphant react to the news of French nuclear tests in the eastern Pacific? What was unique about Professor Dorothy Hill in 2008, when this story was first broadcast? What and who does Sir Gustav Nossal disagree with?
  3. 3.Sir Gustav Nossal respectfully disagreed with a comment made many years earlier by the immunologist Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet. How does this part of the clip demonstrate the way that scientific knowledge changes as new evidence becomes available? What evidence could Sir Gustav Nossal have used to support his claim? Name another female president of the academy and briefly describe her work.
  4. 4.Imagine yourself as a scientist in Australia 30 years from now. What are you investigating? Imagine you have just made a huge discovery in your research. Write a news article or blog about your discovery. Describe how it will change the way we think about the world and how it could change the way we live.



Date of broadcast: 21 Aug 2008


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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