Blogs

Speaking at a dinner to mark the opening of the Bio21 Institute the then Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Ian Renard AM, drew parallels between the quality and diversity of research activities to be conducted in the new Institute and the joy of taking in the culinary delights of the many great cafes lining Brunswick Street.  This comparison prompted me to smile knowingly because, even in those very early days, the point that Ian was making was already resonating with my experience.  Walking the corridors of Bio21, I sensed the creativity and energy emanating from the great labs that populate the Institute. Back then it was a new and fresh experience.  I only knew my colleagues by reputation, but over time I have come to understand the quality of the research upon which those reputations are based.  More than that, I have reaped the benefits of generous collegiality.  

The warning ‘Don’t try this at home’ has become partly obsolete in the Covid-19 era, as we are all doing our best to work and to make it work from home. Some things like writing grant applications and papers, reading and reviewing or consuming coffee can be done from home. Experiments and field work not so much. Meetings, events and conferences, possibly? Lectures and pracs, STEM education and school engagement – it’s a challenge! 

Scientific teams are diverse, international and comprised of younger and older members. For some of our team members working from home will be much more isolating than for others. In particular, we need to support our colleagues, who are far away from their home country and family and may be worrying about family members in countries that are currently experiencing a high number of cases and fatalities, such as Iran, Korea, Italy, Spain and the US. At times like these, we realise how interconnected we all are.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, like many colleagues and peers, my former science globe-trotting lifestyle has dramatically ground to a halt. Since mid-March, work-related travel is not permitted by the University and most other organisations.

As the new coronavirus Covid-19 spreads across the globe, the importance of vaccines and the scientists who develop them, has become increasingly apparent to society.

As a scientific community that includes academic and industry members, as well as platform technology facilities run by expert teams, we are in unique position to make a valuable contribution to our society and world during the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. As problems solvers our work can provide hope and purpose.

Bio21 celebrated International Women’s Day with a morning tea Wednesday, 11 March. Bronwyn Kingwell, Senior Director, Research Therapeutic Lead, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, CSL was keen to impart a positive and hopeful message: “There is no better time to be a woman in health and biomedical sciences!”

It’s one of the highest honours you can receive as an Australian, awarded in recognition of service to the community. The ‘Order of Australia’ is steeped in tradition and for many this ‘royal’ reward may seem out of place in the modern day. Yet, it is the concept of ‘service’, that in my view never dates.

The year 2020 has commenced and we are already at the end of January, many of us working on grant applications. The very exercise of writing grant applications requires a modicum of optimism! As professional problem-solvers, we need to be optimists.

‘Lost in Translation’ could be the theme of much of Australian biomedical research: In Australia, particularly here in the Parkville biomedical precinct, we punch above our weight when it comes to the quality and output of our scientific publications – we’re world class at so called ‘basic’ or fundamental research, but we’re a bit lost when it comes to translation.