From the behaviour of invasive ants in northern Australia, finding black holes in space, to making better wireless computer networks, CSIRO has recognised the outstanding work of some of its scientists and staff today at a ceremony in Melbourne.
The CSIRO Medals are awarded each year to staff of the CSIRO who have made significant contributions to the organisation.
Awarded since 1985, the CSIRO Medals have been presented to a range of scientists and staff across the organisation.
CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Megan Clark said the awards were an example of the enormous talent and commitment of CSIRO staff.
The winners of the major prize, the Chairman's Medal, was the scientific, commercial and legal teams responsible for the development of fast, indoor wireless computer networks for portable devices which is now used in over 800 million devices around the world and growing.
The research team, with backgrounds mostly unrelated to computing, found a solution to the 'multipath' problem which was a major obstacle to the development of fast, indoor wireless networks and had eluded 22 major international research groups.
"CSIRO's solution to the 'multipath problem' and its subsequent commercialisation ranks as one of the most significant achievements in CSIRO's 82 year history," CSIRO chairman Dr John Stocker said.
"The technology is used in over 800 million devices right now and its use is rapidly expanding."
Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry Richard Marles congratulated all of today's winners.
"These awards recognise the remarkable achievements of CSIRO scientists and help raise the profile of the important and ground-breaking research being done," Mr Marles said.
Chairman's Medal - Wireless LAN team
The team receives this medal for delivering major technical benefits to Australia and the world, and for substantial returns to CSIRO from wireless local area networking technology (WLAN) now underpinning wireless communication systems in over 800 million products worldwide.
2009 Fellow - Dr Lincoln Paterson
The CSIRO Fellow designation is appointed to exceptional scientists who have displayed eminence in a significant field of science or engineering.
Dr Paterson is an internationally recognised mathematical physicist whose research has focused on understanding the behaviour of fluid flow in porous media. He has conducted outstanding research in reservoir characterisation, transport in porous media, CO2 sequestration and stochastics. Developing and applying better modelling techniques, he is distinguished by having successfully integrated the disciplines of geophysics, geostatistics and petroleum reservoir engineering.
John Philip Award for Excellence in Young Scientists - Dr Ben Hoffman
Dr Hoffmann received the award for research into the ecology and management of invasive ants, especially on Indigenous lands, that has resulted in internationally significant management outcomes.
CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement (two winners)
Dr Ezio Rizzardo.
Dr Rizzardo made seminal contributions to polymer science and is a pioneer in the area of controlled free radical polymerisation, which has placed Australia and CSIRO at the forefront of polymer chemistry.
His work revolutionised how polymers are made and led the development of a new generation of polymeric materials.
Dr Warwick Wilson.
Dr Wilson has provided inspirational leadership spanning 27 years, ensuring the consistent development and delivery of benchmark research instrumentation that has helped establish and maintain CSIRO's position as a world leader in the field of radio astronomy.
Research Achievement Medal (two winners)
Northern Prawn Fishery Bio-economic Team
The team developed a bio-economic model in collaboration with industry, which is guiding the world-class management of Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery. The model defines harvest levels that achieve maximum economic yield (MEY) while sustaining the fishery resource.
Ophthalmic Biomaterials Team
The CSIRO Ophthalmic Biomaterials Team developed two novel polymer technologies that have the potential to revolutionise vision correction using implantable devices.
Environment Achievement Award - CSIRO Property Services Queensland Water Management Team
The team implemented best practice water management plans to achieve significant and continued reduction in water usage at CSIRO's South East QLD research facilities, resulting in a massive reduction of 76 per cent over four years.
Medal for Business Excellence -
CSIRO-PETRONAS Engagement Team
The team identified and pursued strategic alignment opportunities between the two organisations in the areas of oil and gas exploration and production, advanced materials and renewable energy.
|Contact: Huw Morgan|