Royal Society of NSW News & Events

The Royal Society of NSW records with great regret the passing of one of its valued Fellows, Dr Brian Spies FRSN FTSE.Dr Spies worked in research and management in the resource and environmental sectors in Australia and the USA, with positions in industry, academia and government.  His roles in Australia included Chief Research Scientist at CS...

Mathematics in Industry: Optimisation in Action — Unlocking Value in the Mining, Energy, and Agriculture Industries Professor Ryan Loxton Curtin University of Technology A joint public lecture held as part of the Mathematics in Industry Study Group and supported by the Hunter Branch of the Royal Society of NSW, the University of Newcastle,the Austr...

All of us in the Royal Society of New South Wales have been distressed and saddened by the devastating bushfires that have darkened our skies, our landscape, and our spirits over the summer. Some of our Members and Fellows have suffered personal loss of irreplaceable property. Some have been personally involved in firefighting while others have don...

The Society is pleased to note the award in the 2020 Australia Day Honours List of a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) to our Patron, The Honourable Margaret Beazley, Governor of New South Wales. Her Excellency received the award for eminent service to the people of New South Wales, particularly through leadership roles in the judiciary, and...

From time to time, the Society and its Fellows and Members are mentioned or are published, in the media, or in other sources or outlets. This page summarises such mentions, providing links either to the original sources or to news items that include links to original sources.  2022 Mary O'Kane and Barney Glover, Education overhaul: Focus ...

The 2020 Event Program of the Royal Society of NSW concluded for the year on 9 December 2020. The 2021 Events Program will be posted on this website during January 2021.  This page lists the Calandar of Meetings for the Royal Society of NSW in 2020. Follow the links below for meetings held in Sydney, in Newcastle by the Hunter Branch, and in M...

Dr Rebecca Johnson FRSN, Chief Scientist at the Australian Museum and a leading koala conservation expert, has just been appointed to the highly prestigious post of Chief Scientist and Associate Director at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Dr Johnson referred to her new role...

The Royal Society of New South Wales, one of Australia’s oldest societies, deplores the Prime Minister’s proposed restructure of public service departments, in which Arts is moved to a mega-department with responsibilities for infrastructure, transport, cities and communications—surely an unpromising home for the Arts. And the situation is made wor...

The Council of the Royal Society of New South Wales is pleased to announce its Awards for 2019. The award winners are:  •  James Cook Medal — Scientia Professor Matthew England  •  Clarke Medal — Professor Dietmar Müller  •  Edgeworth David Medal — Professor Si Ming Man  •  History and Philosophy of Science M...

The fifth annual Forum of the Royal Society of NSW and the four Academies was held at Government House, Sydney on 7 November 2019, with this year’s theme being Making SPACE for Australia . A comprehensive report of the day's presentations, prepared by the Forum Convenors, Emeritus Professor Roy MacLeod FRSN and Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN, is now availab...

Making SPACE for Australia Government House, Sydney 7 November 2019 Report by the Forum Convenors:      Emer. Prof. Roy MacLeod FRSN              and      Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN This year’s Royal Society of NSW and Four Academies Forum devoted to the ...

The Royal Society of NSW and Learned Academies Forum for 2019, with the theme of Making SPACE for Australia, was hosted at Government House Sydney by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC on 7 November 2019.  Videos of the presentations are available from the playlist on our YouTube channel.  Links to slides from the p...

   Diamonds and High Pressure Physics    Professor Jodie Bradby    The Australian National University Joint Open Lecture of the Australian Institute of Physics, Royal Society of NSW, and Royal Australian Chemical Institute Date: Tuesday 12 November 2019, 6.30pm Venue: University of Technology Sydney, Building 1 (Broadw...

The Royal Society of NSW is delighted that two of its Fellows were named as recipients of the 2019 NSW Premier's Prizes for Science and Engineering, announced at a ceremony held at Government House, Sydney on the evening of Tuesday, 29 October. Scientia Professor Rose Amal AC FAA FTSE FRSN of UNSW Sydney was named as the 2019 NSW Scientist of the Y...

     “An Accidental Astronomer”     Emeritus Professor Anne Green Date: Thursday, 21 November 2019, 6.00pm for 6.30pm Venue: Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney An Accidental Astronomer As one of the first women radio astronomers, Anne Green faced unexpected challenges in undertaking panoramic and...

The Council of the Royal Society of NSW is delighted to announce the awarding of a Distinguished Fellowship to Professor George Paxinos AO FASSA FAA DistFRSN. The honour Distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales is a prestigious award, limited to 25 in number at any time, that recognises internationally-distinguished contributors...

The Royal Society of NSW is delighted that one of its Fellows and the recipient of its 2018 Edgeworth David Medal, Associate Professor Elizabeth New from the University of Sydney, has been awarded the 2019 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year. The Society congratulates Elizabeth New on this momentous achievement, and the recogn...

The Council of the Society is delighted to announce the establishment of a new branch located in the Hunter region of NSW, confirmed recently at its meeting on 16 October 2019.   This follows an inaugural meeting, held in Newcastle on 9 October, at which a branch committee was elected and an invited lecture by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engin...

     “Women at the Frontiers of Biotech”     Dr Susan Pond Date: Thursday, 17 October 2019, 6.00pm for 6.30pm Venue: Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney Women at the Frontiers of Biotech Susan Pond outlined how biotechnology is being put to use for the good of humanity and the planet, and examined...

     “Industries of the Future”      Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte FRSN      NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer Date: Wednesday, 9 October 2019, 6.00pm Venue: Newcastle Club, 40 Newcomen Street, Newcastle NSW Inaugural Meeting An inaugural meeting to establish the Hunter Branch of the Royal Society of New S...