BAMOS October 2021
6
News Prizes recognise science excellence
Melissa Lyne , AMOS
The NSW Bushfire Hub won the 2021 Eureka Prize for Applied Environmental Research . Credit : University of Wollongong .
Every year , the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes celebrate Australian science with one big , glittery , red carpet event .
Dubbed ' the Oscars of Australian science ' this was the second year the Eureka Prizes were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic . But this didn ' t dim the event — and most certainly not the science .
The prizes were announced on 7 October 2021 , with a range of individuals and projects recognised for excellence in research , innovation , and leadership .
Congratulations to the finalists and winners from within the AMOS community :
The NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub
The NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub won the 2021 NSW Environment , Energy and Science ( DPIE ) Eureka Prize for Applied Environmental Research .
AMOS member Hamish Clarke is part of the hub , a research collaboration between Western Sydney University , University of Wollongong , University of Tasmania and University of New South Wales . The award recognises the collaborative effort to address major research gaps relating to droughts , fuel dynamics , and the social and environmental impacts of the catastrophic 2019 – 20 Black Summer bushfires . These efforts directly influenced NSW Bushfire Inquiry recommendations , and will guide future fire management .
Watch the video on the hub at
YouTube . Schools Weather and Air Quality ( SWAQ )
AMOS President Angela Maharaj and AMOS member Melissa Hart ' s citizen science project Schools Weather and Air Quality ( SWAQ ) was a finalist for the 2021 Department of Industry , Science , Energy and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science .
The SWAQ project is the first school-based , comprehensive atmospheric monitoring network in Australia . With researchgrade sensors deployed across schools in metropolitan Sydney , it provides real-time , publicly accessible , local meteorology and air quality data that can be used in science and maths curriculumaligned classroom activities .