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Volume 6, Edition 7 – December 2010 |
ATN in PROFILE
The ATN congratulates
Dr Katherine Trinajstic, Research Fellow from Curtin University’s School of
Science, who was recently awarded the prestigious Malcolm McIntosh Prize for
Physical Scientist of the Year in the 2010 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes.
ATN Chair, Professor Ross Milbourne, commented that the award illustrated
the importance of widespread investment in Australia’s research capacity.
“Universities obviously don’t produce world-leading research overnight, but it is also clear that an investment in growth builds long-term results that are in the best interests of the country,” Professor Milbourne said. “Building research volume over time eventually leads to world-class research capabilities, and much faster than people might think.
“ATN universities have been growing their research capacity at a prodigious rate for the last decade and punch well above their weight for our age profile. Dr Trinajstic’s achievement illustrates the effect that such investment has had at Curtin University, which has also been ranked in the top 500 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities for the last two years.”
Dr Trinajstic received the prestigious award for her work in the preservation of fossilised soft tissue of ancient fish. Her work has found muscles and internal organs of ancient fish preserved along with fossilised bones, and has led to a series of discoveries including the oldest known fossilised vertebrates with soft tissue and discovery of the ‘first womb’.
The Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year recognises early career researchers who have made outstanding achievements in the physical sciences and comprises a solid silver medallion and a cash prize of $50,000.