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EARLY AUSTRALIAN BOTANICAL TALES SHARE TOP ESSAY PRIZE
5 July 2006

The inaugural National Museum of Australia Student Prize for the History of Australian Science will be shared by Sara Maroske from The University of Melbourne and Rachel Sanderson from James Cook University. Sara and Rachel will share the $2500 prize and their winning entries will be published in Historical Records of Australian Science.

The essay prize is a joint initiative of the Australian Academy of Science and the National Museum of Australia and is open to students undertaking research at any tertiary educational institution. President of the Academy, Professor Kurt Lambeck, presented the prizes at the National Museum of Australia last night and described the essay competition as 'recognising the enormous contribution science has made to our lives and the influence it has on our culture'.

In her essay, Ferdinand Mueller and the shape of nature: Nineteenth-century plant classification, Sara Maroske explores how Australia's most famous botanist travelled more than 40,000km collecting specimens and classifying Australia's unique flora.

Rachel Sanderson's essay, Many beautiful things: Colonial botanists' accounts of the North Queensland rainforests is a thrilling portrayal of the exploits of early botanists surveying Australia's ancient tropics.

Jock Given, from The University of Melbourne received an honourable mention for his rollicking account of the development of radio in Australia in Not being Ernest: Uncovering competitors in the foundation of Australian wireless.

The judging panel, chaired by Professsor Rod Home, Chair of the Academy's National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science, was impressed by the number of entries and the quality of the essays. 'The winning essays stood out from the other entries and by coincidence, they both explore botanical issues in the early days of Australia,' Professor Home said.

National Museum director Craddock Morton said the prizes helped to foster good scholarship and research. 'The National Museum recognises the importance of underpinning its work with solid research and is pleased to join the Academy of Science in encouraging young students to pursue sound historical studies,' Mr Morton said.

In presenting the prizes, Professor Lambeck said, 'It is important to acknowledge Australia's scientific history and to this end the Academy publishes the highly regarded journal, Historical Records of Australian Science. I would like to pay tribute to Professor Rod Home, the journal's editor, and Professor David Curtis, the chair of the editorial board, for ensuring that we celebrate the contribution of science to Australia's socio-economic and environmental well-being.'

The Student Prize for the History of Australian Science will be awarded in alternate years with the Student Prize for Australian Environmental History. Entries are now open for the 2007 Student Prize for Australian Environmental History. For information and conditions of entry visit www.science.org.au/natcoms/hps-award-has.htm.

Photographs of the winners are available from the Australian Academy of Science.