Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
From genetically engineered plants to the world’s first method to catalogue and describe all ecosystems on Earth, the winners of the 2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were announced in Sydney last night.
The 19 individuals and teams were recognised for their excellence across the categories of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science, at the country’s most comprehensive national science awards.
The Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science was awarded to Professor Euan Ritchie of Deakin University for his work which included creating Cosmos’ Australian Mammal of the Year competition and writing popular articles and influential opinion pieces in the face of dual climate change and extinction crises.
A CSIRO team working with Nuseed won the Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research for their production and commercialisation of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from canola crops. The genetically engineered canola could reduce reliance on wild-caught fish for the world’s supply of omega-3.
The University of Technology Sydney’s Dr Jiao Jiao Li, who leads transdisciplinary research in regenerative medicine to find new treatments for bone and joint diseases, won the Eureka Prize for the Emerging Leader in Science.
Professor David Keith of the University of New South Wales was awarded the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science. His framework to catalogue and describe ecosystems, The Global System Typology, has been adopted by the United Nations and is helping formulate effective conservation strategies.
Professor Peter Banks and the Sensory Conservation Team from the University of Sydney won the Eureka for Environmental Research for their work developing “olfactory misinformation”. Their synthetic odours are deployed to confuse pest animals, acting as decoys or to effectively hide the foods they damage.
From St John’s Anglican College in Queensland, 14-year-old Lestyn R. won the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Secondary. He used animation software and his own illustrations to make a film, Fusion – The Heart of the Sun, which shows how the Sun produces enormous amounts of energy to power our planet’s processes and support life on Earth.
A full list of all 2024 Eureka Prize winners can be found on the Australian Museum website.
