Just some info on my museum Val xx Australian Museum Science Bytes Dear Valerie, 24th September, 2008 With spring at our doorstep, it’s an exciting time for science at the Australian Museum. Construction of our new Collections & Research Building has just been completed and we are pleased to report that three of our researchers have accepted awards for outstanding contributions to their fields. We are also proud to welcome Panasonic Australia as the Australian Museum’s new Leading Science Research Sponsor. I hope you enjoy the stories in this issue. Follow the links to read our research report, find out about research fellowship opportunities, and much more. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you and you wish to subscribe, please email sciencebytes@austmus.gov.au. Dr Les Christidis Assistant Director and Head of Research & Collections Birds in Backyards - flying high Birds in Backyards has won the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change Allen Strom Eureka Prize for Environmental Sustainability Education. This interactive website, designed by Birds Australia and the Australian Museum, is inspiring people to connect with the birds that visit their gardens and local communities. For more information click here Unlocking our collections The Australian Museum is enhancing its capacity to share information about its collections with the rest of the world. Find out how this is being done with the new Integrated Collection Management System. For more information click here Protecting the biodiversity of sandy beaches How does sand pumping (to counter beach erosion) affect the many species that inhabit the sand? A group of scientists is calling for further research into current beach management strategies and the development of best-practice guidelines to protect the biodiversity and ecological functions of sandy beaches. For more information click here Uncovering past relationships using ethnographic collections Anthropologists would benefit by looking more closely at museum collections to learn about historical interactions between indigenous groups and westerners, argues Australian Museum anthropologist Dr Robin Torrence. It’s an innovative idea that has led to Dr Torrence and her collaborators receiving an award for their work in this field at the recent World Archaeological Congress in Dublin. For more information click here Recognising research on molluscs Australian Museum Senior Fellow Dr Winston Ponder has received the prestigious Australian Marine Sciences Association Silver Jubilee Award for a lifetime of achievement in research on marine molluscs. Dr Ponder was also a finalist in the Australian Biological Resources Study Eureka Prize for Outstanding Taxonomic Research for his research documenting the biodiversity and systematics of Australian gastropods (the group containing snails, limpets and slugs). For more information click here Links a.. Recently Awarded Research Grants b.. Australian Museum Seminar Series c.. Eureka Awards d.. Australian Museum Research Library a.. Science Research Strategy, 2007-2012, updated Dec 2007 b.. Australian Museum Research Report, 2007-2008 c.. Fellowships & Awards Australian Museum 6 College Street (opp. Hyde Park) Sydney NSW 2010 Open daily 9.30 am – 5 pm (except 25 December) Tel: 02 9320 6000 www.australianmuseum.net.au Copyright © Australian Museum 2008. A NSW Government cultural attraction.The Australian Museum is a statutory authority of and is principally funded by the NSW State Government To be removed from this newsletter Click Here Privacy Statement