Ecologist wins Eureka prize for climate change course

Lesley Hughes, a professor and ecologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, won the Australian Museum’s annual Eureka prize last Wednesday for her work in explaining the impact of climate change through a free online course run by Open Universities Australia.

Hughes won the A$10,000 (US$9,050) prize for her work in promoting an understanding of Australian science by explaining the impact of climate change in a lay person’s terms. Her course has even received praise from climate sceptics who said they had been lacking a clear explanation of the science.

The course has already been taken by nearly 5,000 people and involves up to four hours a week over a month in completing four modules, each with 10 videos, nine quizzes and one assessment.

Australian Museum director Kim McKay praised Hughes for finding a way to engage people in climate science.

“With issues like climate change, the science may be settled, but the debate rages on,” McKay said. “For many scientists, this gap between science and public understanding is unfathomable. Lesley Hughes is bridging that gap.”

Hughes was a commissioner with the independent federal government advisory body, the Climate Commission, until it was disbanded by the present conservative government, led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott who once famously declared that human-induced climate change was “crap”.

She now works pro bono as a councillor for an independent, non-profit group, the Climate Council. Funded by donations from the public, its mission is to provide authoritative, expert advice to the Australian community on climate change.

Hughes was also a lead author for the fourth and fifth assessment reports of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. Her research has been published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.

The Eureka prizes were established in 1990 to reward outstanding achievements in Australian science and science communication. They are the nation’s most comprehensive national science awards as well as a unique co-operative partnership between government, education and research institutions, private sector companies, organisations and individuals.

Each prize is judged by a panel of eminent and qualified individuals, whose contribution of expertise and time helps support the credibility of the Eureka prizes. This year 15 prizes were awarded in four categories – research and innovation, leadership, science communication and journalism, and school science.