NSW Scientist of the Year 2010 - Hugh Durrant-Whyte
Credit: ATSE
One of Durrant-Whyte's autonomous robots, which is used for counting cuttlefish on the ocean floor.
Credit: Hugh Durrant-Whyte
SYDNEY: Leader of the robotics revolution, Hugh Durrant-Whyte is the 2010 NSW Scientist of the Year. He's developed underwater robots, flying weed-spraying drones and massive mining automation systems.
Held at Government House in Sydney tonight, the awards ceremony saw winners in six categories take out the $5,000 prize, while Durrant-Whyte from the University of Sydney secured the top prize and $55,000.
“He is literally leading a robotic revolution, not only for Australia, but the world,” said Minister for Science and Medical Research, Jodi McKay. “He is an outstanding example of the research being carried out in NSW and positions us as Australia’s leading clever State.”
Australia the ideal place for robotics
Responsible for the birth of several companies, including Marathon Robotics, which develops highly-armoured free-ranging robots used by the U.S. Marines to train marksmen, Durrant-Whyte's team are putting Australia on the map as the ideal robotics playground.
"Australia is the perfect place to develop and apply robotics," said McKay.
"Robotics works for things that are big and expensive and things you don't want to put people into - from mining to underwater exploration."
Neutron star expert a winner
Of the six category winners, former Young Australian of the Year and member of the Cosmos advisory board, Bryan Gaensler, took out the prize for the Physics, Earth Sciences, Chemistry and Astronomy Category.
A world leader in neutron star and supernova remnant research, Gaensler is set to be the first Director the the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), a project which recently received funding of $20.6 million over seven years, to commence in 2011.
Focussing on the origin of magnetism in the universe and the demography of neutron stars and black holes in the Milky Way, Gaensler's research group at the University of Sydney are working towards establishing Australia as a world leader in wide-field telescopy and all-sky astronomy.
Contributions to research in the field of vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease and the treatment of various neurological conditions saw Perminder Sachdev win the Biomedical Sciences Category, while mammal and lizard distribution expert, Christopher Dickman, won the Plant and Animal Sciences Category.
