Page 23 - SASTA Journal 2017

Though the bomb ultimately ended World War 2, the devastating outcome caused him to become a paci st and later Sir Mark joined many anti-war marches and global peace committees and became a solar energy advocate to prevent the by-products of nuclear reactors for peaceful uses, plutonium, getting into the wrong hands.
By the way the atom was split with the release of energy in the Cavendish Laboratories way back in 1932 by Cockcroft and Walton, students of Rutherford. However, at the time, Rutherford said – “anyone who looked for
a source of power in the transformation of the atoms was talking moonshine, but the subject was scienti cally interesting because it gave insight into the atoms”.
These days universities are encouraged to spend more of their time on practical projects rather than fundamental research because of funding constraints, but the literature is lled with research that had no obvious meaningful applications at the time except that it expanded the bounds of scienti c and engineering knowledge, but then at a later stage wide use was found for these “interesting” experiments – such as the atomic research, penicillin, lasers, the internet, wi ... and I am sure you know of other things. It is a mistake to signi cantly withdraw nancial support from conducting basic research and Sir Mark was a strong advocate for its retention.
Science can be lled with wonder and excitement whether you are discovering something completely new or improving existing technology. I was lucky to know
Sir Mark who had a passion for knowledge and love of the environment. He had a capacity for hard work and courage to stand up for his convictions. These attributes I know many of you have – don’t be discouraged if things don’t work out well at rst – they rarely do and as the saying goes – ‘life was not meant to be easy’.
Best of luck all of you for the future and congratulations for your achievements in these Awards. I know Sir Mark would have been proud of you, and especially the winner of the Award that bears his name.”
Following these words, Ms Monica Oliphant announced that the winner of the prestigious Oliphant Trophy for 2017 was Amber Washington, from Norwood Morialta High School.
L to R: - Alexandra Stephenson (Oliphant Medal), Amber Washington (Oliphant Trophy) & Ms Monica Oliphant
Number 02 / 2017 SASTA Journal 21
Oliphant Trophy
Amber Washington, Norwood Morialta High School
In her acceptance speech, Amber Washington stated:
“Good evening everyone, and thank you all for coming here tonight to support South Australia’s young scientists.
I would like to start by giving you an insight into Sir Mark Oliphant, a truly amazing South Australian who is the inspiration for these awards which, thanks
to SASTA , inspire young people to investigate, create, achieve and grow each year.
Sir Mark once said, “Going after the unknown is always fascinating, I think. It becomes part of your life, this desire to know.”
For me, much of the world is unknown, as I am still young, but this quote from Sir Mark puts science as a lifestyle into perspective. There will always be questions and you will always be driven to nd the answers, both throughout your scienti c career and throughout your personal life. I have always had a thirst for knowledge, and these Awards have fed that re to achieve that lives inside me, giving me a stage each year to showcase my work and also to marvel at the achievements of others. Last year I sat in the front row in awe of the older kids who managed to do so well despite school work piling up on them, and I want to honestly say kudos, because I sneakily took a day off school this year to nish my entries, and that was without exams coming up!
Seeing these people strive for excellence makes
me realise how in each of us there is a potential for greatness, and being nurtured in our passions can lead to great things.
I would like to thank some people that have helped me and nurtured me, and I am delighted to be here right now to give them the recognition they deserve for playing such important parts in my life.
Firstly I would like to thank the Oliphant Science Awards Committee for organising this wonderful event for
the last 37 years, and for giving all South Australian school students the chance to participate in this
amazing competition. To SASTA, a huge thank you for encouraging us to challenge ourselves each year, and for giving your time and energy to promote a love of science in us all.
I would especially like to thank Ms Monica Oliphant, a scientist whose pioneering work contributed so much to the renewable energy sector, for presenting me with this prestigious award. I am incredibly honoured to be here on the same stage with her, and I would also like to congratulate her on her own recent award as Senior Australian of The Year.