Astronomical Discovery and Inspiring Teacher Awarded in Prime Minister’s Science Awards | The Canberra Times



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The groundbreaking work of two Australian National University physicists and the tireless efforts of a teacher from Bonython Primary School have been recognized in the Prime Minister’s Science Awards. ANU professor Susan Scott has spent 30 years of her life proving that gravitational waves really exist. If Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity were correct, ripples in space and time created the moment when large masses such as black holes would collide would be detectable, but some scientists believed it was impossible. On September 14, 2015, gravitational waves were first detected by the International Gravitational Wave Observatory of the Advanced Laser Interferometer, thanks to the efforts of over 1000 scientists worldwide. ‘We have now unlocked the ability to see this vast population of black holes across the universe because with two black holes, for example, they do not emit any other signals so they cannot be seen in any other way,’ Professor Scott said. . “And so now we have this huge new field of astronomy, with gravitational waves where we can look at the dark side of the universe that can’t be detected or seen anywhere else in any other way.” ANU Professor David McClelland and Professor Scott jointly received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, along with two other scientists, for their part in the survey. Professor Scott, who is the first female physicist to win the award in her 21-year history, said she was thrilled and honored to see her work recognized by the award. “The amazing thing is that Einstein presented his theory more or less exactly 100 years before we did the detection and it took about three decades to build the instruments and make them sensitive enough to be able to get the detection.” I think it’s incredibly exciting that I have now been a recipient [of the prize] and I hope I can inspire young people and young women in particular to pursue these kinds of fields because we are capable, we can do it and it is a valuable and exciting career that women can have. “READ MORE: For Sarah Fletcher, nothing beats the look on a child’s face when a new science concept snaps into place. Bonython Primary School’s specialist science teacher received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in science teaching in primary schools for her dedication to inspiring the next generation of scientists by supporting other ACT teachers to present the topic in an engaging way. Ms. Fletcher regularly brings real scientists to class, from astronomers to herpetologists, to show students from a young age there is a wide variety of career paths available in science. “we do in elementary school, they are still investigating, they are so excited but then somehow things got a bit like a career. It’s just something you do in school. “The fact that these normal people, who are scientists, come in and talk to them, gives them the idea that they can.” Ms. Fletcher fostered a network of science teachers who specialize in ACT who share ideas and resources with each other.

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