Australia's new Chief Scientist has predicted the
majority of her time will be spent dealing with
climate change issues.
Image: Australian National University
Only days into her appointment, Australia’s new Chief Scientist, Professor Penny D Sackett has stressed the need to keep the role as independent as possible from government.
"It's absolutely clear that this role is an independent one and can only function best if it is independent,” Professor Sackett said after the September 30 announcement of her appointment to the full-time post.
She succeeds Dr Jim Peacock, who held the role on a part-time basis.
Professor Sackett has resigned from her research position at Australian National University, where she spearheaded the University’s involvement in the international Giant Magellan Telescope project, but will continue working with the research students she is currently supervising.
“I’m excited and honoured to take up the Chief Scientist role,” Professor Sackett said.
“It is absolutely vital for Australia’s future that we encourage all young people to engage with science and technology.”
Professor Sackett said the biggest scientific challenges facing Australia are climate change, water and sustainable energy.
"Climate change is clearly an issue that affects both the health and the wealth of the nation going forward. We have to call on all sectors of society for their advice."
A physicist by training and an astronomer by profession, Professor Sackett considers herself an “educator by inclination”. She holds a PhD in theoretical physics and has received certification to teach science and mathematics at primary and secondary school levels.
Professor Sackett has extensive experience in managing large and complex science projects involving broad international partnerships.
Her work was some of the first to observationally demonstrate that dark matter in galaxies is aligned with, though more broadly distributed than, the visible stars in galaxies.
She was also instrumental in the innovative use of microlensing, a phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein, to search for planets orbiting distant stars in our galaxy. This led to the discovery of some of the lowest-mass extrasolar planets known, and the first indication that small planets such as Earth may be much more common than large, massive Jupiter-like planets.
Professor Sackett is a strong advocate for increasing the number of young people contributing to the future health and wealth of Australia through science, engineering, technology and innovation. The Australian Government Office of the Status of Women has selected her as one of seven Australian women in science to highlight science as a career to secondary school students.
She will take up her new role in November 2008.
Click here to read an interview with Professor Sackett.
A story provided by ScienceNetwork WA - Activate your connections to science. This article is under copyright; permission must be sought from ScienceNetwork WA to reproduce it. To comment on this article go to the original story here.
|
