Professor Penny Sackett has spent the last month advocating science in all kinds of weather, from hot tropical Cairns to the Wellington winds in New Zealand. Along the way, she fed sharks, examined corals and studied disease-ridden mosquitoes.

After her trip to the United States, Penny has again hit the ground running, fuelled by inspiration and ideas garnered on her trip.

Nominations for Australia’s premier science awards and fellowships are now open to the nation’s top scientists and science teachers.

My Office is full steam ahead at the moment. Following the successful visit of Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, we have being preparing for the latest convening of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) meeting, which took place on Thursday 18 March 2010.

Last week I had the tremendous pleasure of hosting a collection of events in honour of Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, Australia’s first female Nobel laureate, at several venues in Canberra, including: Questacon, the John Curtin School of Medical Research and Parliament House.

Happy New Year 2010 everyone!

Welcome to my website. My name is Penny Sackett and I am the Chief Scientist for Australia. What does this mean exactly? Keep reading to find out…