Australian Science Media Centre

The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) ostensibly aims to provide a link between the scientific community and the Australian news media and is based on the model of the UK Science Media Centre. The organisation was launched by then South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Susan Greenfield on 2 August, 2005.Australian SMC (2013), Our History, accessed 18 September 2013
==Origins==
In April 2005 Rebecca Morelle of the UK Science Media Centre alerted Australian science communicators that she was involved in setting up the Australian SMC: 
:As some of you may have already heard - and I think there has been some talk on this forum - that there is going to be an Australian version of the Science Media Centre, based in Adelaide. It is currently in the process of being set up. I am going to be coming over to Australia at the end of this month for a period of 6 weeks to lend a helping hand to this process, which I am obviously very excited about! One of the things I'll be working with Aus SMC on, will be to help carry out a similar process to one that the SMC Director (Fiona Fox) and I carried out in the UK before we opened - and that was to consult widely with the UK community (science correspondents, press officers, news journalists, scientists, politicians etc)Becky Morelle BMorelle at ri.ac.uk ASC-list - Australian Science Media Centre: hello from the UK Fri Apr 8 01:30:14 EST 2005
Morelle appealed for help with the consultation:
:during my 6 week visit (28th April to 10th June), I will be based in Adelaide but spending time in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne etc and I would like to consult people from the groups of key stakeholders of the centre: ie the science correspondents, press officers, news journalists, scientists, politicians, science communicators etc. So... it would be incredibly helpful if you could: 
::a. let me know if you are one of the above people that I should be meeting 
::b.Let me know of your top 10 people that I should be meeting. 
::c.If you could point me to any sites/documents on science and the media in Australia that would also be great!
On the launch of the Australian SMC its CEO Susannah Elliott noted that: ‘A National Consultation process directed by Becky Morelle, co-founder of the SMC in the UK, was used to guide the establishment of the Centre.’Susannah Elliott ASC-list - Australian Science Media Centre, Mon Nov 28 18:45:19 EST 2005, accessed 13 August 2013.
==Activities==
===Nuclear===
In July 2013 the SMC published an online 'Background Briefing: Is nuclear the answer to Australia’s energy needs?' on its website ahead of a national conference held by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (AATSE) in Sydney.
The conference, titled 'Nuclear Energy for Australia?' included presentations by Australian SMC Patron Professor Alan Finkel, Professor Ken Baldwin, Director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University, and Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe from Griffith University, who also sits on the SMC Advisory Panel. BACKGROUND BRIEFING: Is nuclear the answer to Australia’s energy needs?, ONLINE BRIEFING – Wednesday 24 July at 10:00 AEST, acc 26 August 2013 Full presentation, Science Media Centre, Recording date:Wednesday, July 24, 2013 9:32 am Australia Central Standard Time (Adelaide), Panelist Information: [nil] Duration: 54 minutes 
The SMC briefing discusses the following issues: 
*Does Australia need to resume the nuclear debate?
*Cost of current renewable and low emission technologies – where does nuclear fit in?
*What are the Australian public’s current attitudes to and concerns about nuclear power?
==People==
===Staff===
Staff team in 2013Australian Science Media Centre (2013), Staff, accessed 18 September 2013:
*Susannah Eliott, CEO 
*Lyndal Byford, Media Manager (part-time) 
*Nigel Kerby, Project Manager 
*Joseph Milton, Senior Media Officer 
*Marilyn Arnold, Office Manager (part time) 
*Lucy Simmonds, Communications Officer 
*Annika Dean, Media Officer 
*Karen Noble, Executive Assistant to the CEO 
*Annie Hastwell, Journalist (Part time) 
===Australian Patron===
*Professor Alan Finkel, currently Patron of the Australian SMC. Is President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
===Board Members===
The Board is chaired by Peter Yates AM and meets four times a year. Deputy chairs are Robyn Williams from the ABC andDr Graham Mitchell, Chief Scientist of Victoria. Other board members include:Australian SMC Board members, accessed 26 August 2013.
*Peter Yates AM, Chair	Chairman, RiAus and Chairman, Business and Economics Board, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne
*Jim Carroll	Executive Producer, World News Australia, SBS
*John Croll	Chief Executive Officer, iSentia
*Professor Merlin Crossley	Dean of Science, The University of New South Wales (UNSW)
*Professor David Day	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Flinders University
*Michael Ellies	Business and media consultant
*Brad Hatch	Director of Communications, Fairfax Media
*Oona Nielssen	General Manager: Communication, CSIRO
*Professor Mary O’Kane	NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
*Melvin Mansell	State Editorial Director, SA, WA & NT, News Corp Australia
*Fiona McLeod	External Affairs Manager, Australia Pacific LNG
*Dr Graham Mitchell, Deputy Chair	Chief Scientist, State Govt of Victoria
*Professor Rob Morrison	Freelance science communicator
*TBA	The University of Melbourne
*Hon Jay Weatherill	Premier, Govt of South Australia
*Robyn Williams, Deputy Chair	Presenter, Science Show, ABC
*Dr Paul Willis	Director, RiAus
===Science Advisory Panel===
The Science Advisory Panel membership includes:Australian SMC Board members, accessed 26 August 2013.
*Professor Snow Barlow	Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture, School of Agricultural and Food Systems, University of Melbourne
*Dr Alan Finkel AM	President, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) (and AusSMC patron)
*Professor Lyn Beazley AO	Chief Scientist of WA, Professor of Zoology, University of Western Australia
*Emeritus Professor Max Brennan AO	Former Chief Scientist for South Australia
*Professor Adrienne Clarke AC	Chancellor, La Trobe University, Melbourne
*Professor Alan Cooper	Director, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide
*Professor Marcello Costa FAA	Professor of Neurophysiology, School of Medicine, Flinders University
*Professor Derek Denton AC	Department of Physiology, University of Melbourne
*Professor Peter Doherty AC	Laureate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne
*Professor Tim Flannery	Macquarie University
*Profesor Michael Holland	President, Science and Technology Australia
*Professor Bryan Gaensler	Institute of Astronomy, University of Sydney
*Dr Geoff Garrett AO	Queensland Chief Scientist
*Baroness Professor Susan A Greenfield CBE	Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK (Also International Patron of the AusSMC)
*Professor Richard Head	Director, Sansom Institute for Health Research
*Professor Robert Hill	Head of Sciences, SA Museum and Executive Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Adelaide
*Professor Marcia Langton AM	Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies, School of Anthropology, Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Melbourne
*Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO	School of Science, Griffith University and President, Australian Conservation Foundation
*Professor Caroline McMillen	Vice Chancellor, The University of Newcastle
*Emeritus Professor Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE	Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne
*Professor Linda Rosenman	President, Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS)
*Professor Michelle Simmons	Federation Fellow, School of Physics, University of New South Wales
*Professor Fiona Stanley AC	Director, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
*Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich	Faculty of Science, School of Geosciences, Monash University
*Professor Malcolm Walter	Director, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales
*Professor Bob Williamson AO	Senior Principal Research Fellow of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Professor of Medical Genetics, University of Melbourne
====Past SAP members====
*Professor Ken Baldwin	former President of FASTS
*Stuart Cunningham	former President of CHASS
*Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner AC CMG MBE	Visiting Fellow at John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University
*Professor David Henry	University of Newcastle (now based overseas)
*Professor Peter Andrews AO	Former Queensland Chief Scientist
*Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis AC MBE	Department of Microbiology, University of Melbourne
*Professor Robin Batterham AO	University of Melbourne
==Resources==
*Rebecca Morelle Consultation Report for the Australian Science Media Centre, June 2005.
*Susan Greenfield Getting to the Future First, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Adelaide SA 5001, January 2006.
==Contact==
:Address: Australian Science Media Centre, C/- The Science Exchange, 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
:Website: http://www.smc.org.au 
:Tel: +61 8 7120 8666 
:E-mail: info [AT] smc.org.au 
:Twitter: @AusSMC
:Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AusSMC
==Notes==
Category:ScienceCategory:Public relationsCategory:Science Media Centre Category:Nuclear Spin