UQ Diamantina Director Professor Ian Frazer’s speech on being awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, Thursday, October 16, 7pm, Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra
I’m honoured to be chosen as the 2008 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, and I'm delighted that our government chooses to acknowledge the importance of science in our community through this award.
When we’re faced with problems that require solutions, whether in health, in the environment, or in people’s behaviour, there are only two options.
We can make a guess at the best way to proceed, an approach which in the past has been found significantly inadequate (in issues as “obvious” as providing text books to schools in the developing world to improve educational outcomes, and raising the age at which driving is permitted in an attempt to lower teenage motor vehicle fatalities).
Alternatively we can rely on research, and make an informed decision. Now, not everyone wants to BE a scientist, and pursue research – the constant battle for funding, and the ongoing uncertainty about future career, is not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, if you've got what it takes to BE a scientist you can also work out that there are a few things needed to make science an attractive career.
However, it is critical for a successful society that everyone understands, to the best of their personal abilities, what scientists do, and how they produce evidence about the best solution to a problem.
Otherwise, when it comes to solving personal or community problems, we are all potentially at the mercy of the best wordsmiths around. I’ve seen over my career what a great job our science teachers do. Let’s make sure these mentors and role models and teachers of future scientists, and here I acknowledge with pleasure the place that mentorship from people such as Sir Gus Nossal and Professor Ian Mackay played in my career, are backed by adequate resources.
I’ve also seen what a great job Australian scientists do to solve problems with what’s available at the moment – imagine what they could achieve if we were to give them and their institutions the cash for the infrastructure
support they need, that would allow them to use productively the competitive research grants they win from within Australia and overseas.
Formal provision of infrastructure support would be a great investment in our children’s future. If you think I sound like a preacher tonight, you’re right – all good Scots families aspired to include a preacher, a teacher, a doctor, and a lawyer – this was seen to be a good cost-saving measure! I only hope, after some wordsmithing of my own this evening, and in such an august place, I'll not be in need of the doctor or the lawyer!
I would not be where I am today without the support of my parents, my wife and my children, all present tonight, and I acknowledge their full support for me.
I also acknowledge the contribution to my research work, particularly on the cervical cancer vaccines, from my former partner, the late Dr Jian Zhou, represented here this evening by his widow Dr Xiao Yi Sun.
I’ve been given a few titles over the past couple of years. My children’s favourite was in the Weekend Australian – a story about the vaccine, a picture of me, and the headline “God's gift to women”.
Of course it was the vaccine they were talking about and I’ve had to point out to my children that this is not a hereditary title.
Perhaps the one that brought me down to earth was a similar story in Cosmopolitan magazine – another story about the vaccine with a picture of me, and the headline “the little prick that may save your life”!
It’s as well to be reminded of some realities.
Prime Minister, I thank you for the honour you have done me in the award of your Prize for Science, and I hope that we can work together to ensure a great, research-based future for Australia. Thank you.
