Flinders University has received two nominations for this year’s Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, Australia’s leading science awards now in their 34th year.

With 19 prizes across four categories – Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Engagement and School Science – the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the nation’s premier science awards, celebrating the very best of Australian scientific discovery, invention, communication, innovation and leadership.

Flinders University’s Passport to Recovery, led by Professor Karen Burke Da Silva, has been nominated for the Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science, in the Science Engagement category.

More than 3,500 tourists and locals have contributed to Passport to Recovery, providing critical insights into Kangaroo Island’s recovery after the 2019/2020 bushfires. It brings 12 programs together in one website and app, including initiatives on native bees, roadkill and koala movements. Ongoing data collection will also help other areas in Australia recovering from fires.

Meanwhile Associate Professor Mike Morley is part of the Extinction vs Adaption Team, nominated for the Aspire Scholarship Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research in the Research & Innovation category.

Led by Macquarie University and bringing nine disciplines together, the Extinction vs Adaption Team solved long-standing primate mysteries by establishing why some species became extinct while others survived. Using novel dating techniques and fieldwork at multiple cave sites in Asia, they discovered why some species are more vulnerable to environmental changes. This knowledge will help to conserve threatened primate species.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday 4 September at a ceremony held at Sydney Town Hall. A livestream of the awards will also be available online.

For more information and a full list of finalists: australian.museum/get-involved/eureka-prizes/2024-eureka-prizes-finalists