Australia's Chief Scientist: 'Astronomers have more fun'
In November 2008, Professor Penny Sackett started work as the Chief Scientist for Australia. On her first trip to Europe in her new post, she spoke to CORDIS News about her career, the importance of attracting enthusiastic people into science teaching and her hopes for the International Year of Astronomy. Before taking up her new function, Professor Sackett had a long and illustrious career in astronomy that included stints in the US, where she was born, and Europe. During that time she was involved in the team that worked out the shape of dark matter in and around galaxies. 'The answer is that it's more extended than the luminous matter, but it's flattened in the same direction,' she explained. She was also involved in a team that used the gravitational field of objects like stars as a kind of lens to detect distant planets. Asked what drew her to astronomy, Professor Sackett cited the fun astronomers seemed to be having as one of the most important factors. 'One thing that's not often stressed is how much fun it is to do science!' she said enthusiastically. 'Usually if you talk to scientists you'll see that enthusiasm, and astronomy struck me as one of the places where people seemed to be having the most fun.' She was also impressed by the 'stunning fact' that the rules of physics she learnt in school apply right across the cosmos. 'Furthermore, the chemistry is the same; we now know that the elements that make up the Earth are the same elements that make up the cosmos elsewhere,' she added. 'And when one stops to think about it, that's actually rather remarkable.' The small size of the astronomy research community is another plus point for the professor; instead of six degrees of separation between two astronomers, there are just one or two, she noted. In practice, this means that it is easy to link up with the right mix of people to analyse a problem from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. Another passion of Professor Sackett's is education: when working towards her degree she opted to take courses that would allow her to teach at both the primary and secondary levels. Now, in her role as Chief Scientist, she is keen to find out what motivates young people to enter the field of science. In her case, she notes, an enthusiastic teacher motivated her to study physics. 'I think we need to have teachers that are themselves excited about science. I think that may be one of the most critical issues,' she told CORDIS News. 'It can even surmount inadequate resources in other areas - not that I want to suggest that one should make do with inadequate resources, but I think the most important resource is the teacher.' The problem is that in many countries, not only are fewer people studying science, but fewer of the best young scientists are going into teaching, creating a vicious cycle which makes it even harder to attract young people to science. Professor Sackett is keen to work closely with international partners to share experiences and ideas on how to remedy this issue. 'Fundamentally, I think we need to value teachers, and that may mean different things to different people in different cultures,' she explained, adding that this could mean salaries, public recognition and greater freedom in teaching styles. As an astronomer, she is naturally excited about the International Year of Astronomy, which has just got underway. 'I think it seems nearly universal that people are interested in astronomy. If I'm on an international flight and I want to get some sleep, I do not tell the person that I'm sitting next to that I'm an astronomer! And if I want to have a nice social chat then I do tell them I'm an astronomer,' she quipped. 'People are simply interested in astronomy.' However, she laments the fact that light pollution means that many people have never seen the Milky Way. 'Our home is Earth, but our home is also the Milky Way, and the number of people that have never seen the Milky Way is growing,' she remarked. 'What a sad thing it is not to be able to see your home!' As well as participating in the opening ceremony of the International Year of Astronomy, Professor Sackett's trip to Europe also involved discussions with the European Commission about future EU-Australia research collaboration. The EU and Australia have been working closely together on a number of issues since 1994, and there are now plans afoot to create a joint research roadmap for areas where the two regions' priorities overlap.
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Australia