Celebrating Success

A distinguished honour for space pioneer, science leaders in Chief Scientist roadshow, four Flinders people make this year’s 40 under 40 list, and historians pen their support against national memorial redevelopment.

Distinguished honour for space pioneer

Associate Professor Alice Gorman (image: Daniel Kukec Photography)

Associate Professor Alice Gorman has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of New England, where she completed her PhD in 2001.

The university announced its 2020 winners last week, honouring Associate Professor Gorman for pioneering the field of space archaeology and her extensive research and communications since.

She was also recognised for advocating for responsible space policy and other issues close to her heart, including promoting and supporting women in the space sector, and her work helping to protect Australia’s Indigenous cultural heritage.

Associate Professor Gorman’s current focus includes a collaboration with NASA, and Associate Professor Justin Walsh from Chapman University in California, to explore the archaeology of the International Space Station. They are using machine learning to analyse millions of images in the NASA archives as well as its inventory management system to show how crew members have interacted with objects and technology over time.

Science leaders in Chief Scientist roadshow

Professor Caroline McMillen, Professor Colin Raston and Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni at Flinders last week.

SA Scientist of the Year contender Professor Colin Raston and Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology postdoctoral research associate Dr Kasturi Vimalanathan gave a presentation to the Minister for Innovation and Skills Mr David Pisoni and SA Chief Scientist Professor Caroline McMillen, as part of a roadshow to visit and promote finalists in this year’s SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards. They were joined by  the Member for Davenport Steve Murray MP, College of Science and Engineering Vice President and Executive Dean Professor Alistair Rendell and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Robert Saint.

The VIPs also visited the Medical Device Research Institute (MDRI) at Flinders University’s Tonsley campus, and industry partner Micro-X, a company located in the Tonsley Innovation District. The Flinders MDRI Medical Device Partnering Program is a finalist in the Excellence in Science and Industry Collaboration awards category for its strong track record of facilitating the delivery of medical devices and technologies to end-users.

The College of Science and Engineering has close ties with Micro-X research and development, including graduate and student work placements.

The Micro-X Carbon Nano Tube Project Team – a finalist in the Innovator of the Year awards category – celebrates the development and commercialisation of a novel light-weight, mobile X-ray unit ‘Nano’, which is based on ground-breaking carbon nanotube technology. ‘Nano’ negated the need for heavy cooling systems in X-ray scans, which resulted in a fully integrated X-ray unit weighing a fraction of traditional mobile X-ray devices. The ‘Nano’ technology has wide applications and has been adopted in various sectors, with multiple units deployed globally since the onset of COVID-19.

Mr Pisoni and MDRI director Professor Karen Reynolds during the roadshow.

MDRI director Professor Karen Reynolds took Professor McMillen and Mr Pisoni through MDRI laboratories, showcasing some of the commercialisation projects enabled by the State Government Medical Device Partnership Program.

The SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards final celebrations are scheduled for 4 December.

Four in 40 under 40

Four Flinders University alumni and students have been recognised in the latest 40 under 40 list, which is compiled by InDaily each year. The awards recognise South Australia’s top businesspeople under the age of 40, and were announced at a celebration event on 22 October.

Congratulations to:

Sam Ackland (BBus(Mktg)’16), whose business Build Clean Adelaide Pty Ltd specialises in commercial and residential construction cleaning, also won SA’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Andres Donoso (BCom ’10), who is General Manager for his family’s Hong Kong based international consultancy, Donoso & Sons Pty Ltd.

Eloise Hall, who is currently studying a double degree in Business and International Studies. Eloise started TABOO Sanitary Products with friend Isobel Marshall several years ago with the aim to ensure women around the world have access to safe menstrual hygiene products.

Louka Parry (DipLang ’09; BEd(MS),BA ‘09), who founded The Learning Future, a strategy and professional learning organisation that supports schools, educators and organisations.

Historians pen support against memorial redevelopment

More than 70 high-profile Australians including Flinders University’s Professor Melanie Oppenheimer (President of the Australian Historical Association) and Dr Romain Fathi have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister opposing a $498m redevelopment of the Australian War Memorial.

The letter was organised by the Australian Heritage Council, which is the Australian government’s principal adviser on heritage matters and has already voiced its concern on several aspects of the redevelopment through a submission during the consultation process. The organisation is concerned about several aspects, including:

  • demolition of the award-winning Anzac Hall
  • loss of the free-standing form of the Memorial building, to be swamped by a huge glazed addition
  • loss for most visitors of the existing commemorative entry
  • a “hardening” of the current “respectful balance of built and landscape elements.”
Inside Anzac Hall – to be demolished if the redevelopment goes ahead

 

 

 

 

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