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Write an account of the work and techniques
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Sir William Bragg (Physics 1915)
Sir Laurence Bragg (Physics, shared with his father 1915)
Lord (Howard) Florey (Physiology and Medicine 1945)
Sir Robert Robinson (Chemistry 1947)
Sir Macfarlane Burnet (Physiology and Medicine 1960),
Sir John Eccles (Physiology and Medicine 1963)
Sir Bernard Katz (jointly, Physiology and Medicine 1970)
Sir John Cornforth (Chemistry 1975)
Peter Doherty (jointly, Physiology and Medicine 1996)
Note: you might like to compare the career details of the Nobel Prize winners listed above and decide for yourself who you think is really Australian.
To assist you in preparing for your class, there is a variety of information available at this site:
Bright Sparcs is a biographical and bibliographical database of Australian scientists and contains over 3,000 entries. It includes both scientists who were Australian by birth and those who undertook significant scientific work in Australia.
Each Bright Sparcs entry contains: the scientist's name, dates, place of birth, and some details of their professional life. There are at least a few lines of information on each of these scientists and this can act as a starting point for further research in libraries and a jump point to other online sources, where you can find more information about that particular scientist.
The Physics in Australia to 1945 site contains more detailed information on Australian physicists, with listings of their publications and biographical details. The introduction is an excellent place to start with this site.
When you access the Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, you will find lengthy, detailed life stories of over eighty famous Australian scientists. These files can then be downloaded and/or printed out for later use at home or in the classroom.
For especially keen students, or if you need to find out much more information on a particular scientist, a Bibliography is now available through Bright Sparcs. This resource lists any biographical books or articles about an Australian scientist, which can then be located in your library.
To start you on your way, a number of Australian scientists are listed below. All did significant work in Australia, and all have detailed online resources, in addition to their basic Bright Sparcs listings:
Hanna Neumann, a German mathematician who protested against the Nazis during the Second World War, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Department of Pure Mathematics at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, a Nobel Prize winning medical scientist who worked in the fields of immunology and virology.
John Turner, botanist and plant physiologist, was a leader in the field of conservation in Australia. Turner was concerned with what natural resources still existed and the best way to protect them from commercial development. Turner was foundation member of the Victorian National Parks Association, and through the Australian Academy of Science was instrumental in focusing conservation issues, especially those involving the High Country of south-eastern Australia. In 1961 he and A.B. Costin, Robert Crocker and John Evans published a paper on the proposal to establish a primitive area in the Koscuisko National Park. Turner was also instrumental in the establishment of the Australian Conservation Foundation, and was a founding member and Chairman of the Landscape Preservation Council of the National Trust.
Dame Jean Macnamara, a medical scientist who undertook research on Poliomyelitis at a time when it was a major health concern. She was an champion and supporter of myxomatosis for rabbit control in Australia.
Jock Marshall, a zoologist who fought in Papua New Guinea in the Second World War and established the Zoology Department at Monash University, despite having lost his left arm by accident in his youth.
Joan Freeman, a celebrated Australian physicist who overcame great obstacles to follow her chosen career. She studied at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University, and worked at the British Atomic Energy Research Establishment. In 1976 she became the first woman to be awarded the British Institute of Physics' prestigious Rutherford Medal.
Richard van der Riet Woolley, the British astronomer who, during his time as Director of Mount Stromlo Observatory, changed its direction from solar physics to astronomy and astrophysics. He was an early and consistent advocate for the Anglo-Australian telescope.
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Report on the activities of scientists during
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Scientists - as investigators, advisors and researchers - are involved in most of the major natural disasters that occur. For example, geologists, engineers and seismologists are often called upon to give expert opinions about volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and land slides. Epidemics and the spread of such viruses as Ebola and AIDS also involve a huge committment from many scientists (microbiologists, virologists, molecular biologists, epidemiologists, medical practitioners, medical researchers and more) .
Here are just a few names of Australian scientists who have been involved in such events, but you can search for yourself using the Bright Sparcs Search engine. There are many others of course...
Keith Edward Bullen, a Mathematician and Seismologist.
Edward Edwards, a mining engineer, researched earthquakes and volcanic activity .
Frank Fenner, a microbiologist, served in the Australian Army Medical Corps during the Second World War. He worked on malaria control and helped eradicate smallpox.
Howard Florey, a pathologist, developed the antibiotic 'Penicillin', which saved many lives during the Second World War.
Elizabeth Kenny, a nurse, developed a successful and innovative technique for treating polio patients.
John Tebbutt, a largely self-educated astronomer, discovered several comets and also recorded detailed accounts of floods on the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers between 1857 and 1869.
