The Rowe Scientific Foundation Prizes
| Rowe Scientific Foundation generously sponsors our Semester I and II Undergraduate Student Prizes across all of the CHM units delivered by the School of Chemistry. Each Prize is named after one of our past staff members in honour of their significant contribution to Chemistry and their service to the School of Chemistry. Eligibility
How to applyApply online: Application for a named Rowe Scientific Foundation Prize Applications must be received by Week 12 in each semester. |
The awards
CHM1011 - Coller McKinnon Wilson Award
| Winners |
2021 Marcus Halim |
Bruce Coller
Bruce was born in 1936 in Alexandra, Victoria, and grew up on a sheep farm. He learned about physics, chemistry, atomic structure and mathematics from teachers he affectionately nicknamed while boarding at Caulfield Grammar School. During his BSc at Melbourne University he did a 3rd year project making a Grignard reagent for Syd Middleton, who later became an organic lecturer at Monash. For his BSc Hons and MSc, Bruce was supervised by Dr Ron Brown from 1957 until RDB’s appointment in 1959 as the first Professor at Monash. For his PhD (1959-60), he conducted variable electronegativity calculations using the SILLIAC computer in Sydney. During 1961-63 Bruce completed his DPhil at Oxford with Mr R.P. Bell, FRS, and followed this period with a fellowship at University College, Oxford. Between 1965-2001 Bruce was a Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemistry at Monash University. He was co-author of the "Coller, McKinnon & Wilson" texts and participant in the extended trial of "tandem" lectures. He was involved in many course developments such as "Group Studies of Chemical Industries" and he researched mercury in gold mine wastes, a legacy from the 1850s. Bruce was heavily involved in VCE course development - "Physical Science - Science, Technology and Society” and was also on the Board of Studies of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies leading to the creation of the MEnvSci degree. Outside of teaching chemistry Bruce was socially involved in organising a retreat in the 1970s for 2nd and 3rd year Monash students. He campaigned for a high school at Berwick and, in retirement (2001), is actively involved in palliative care initiatives to help the elderly, an outreach program dealing with domestic violence, and researching aboriginal history in the Alexandra region.
Ian McKinnon
Ian’s initial studies were at the University of Otago. Enthused with chemistry and the physical sciences, the experience of research and discoveries concerning intermolecular interactions between r-dioxan and chloroform, the discovery of the rewards of teaching (demonstrating, tutoring and giving occasional lectures in physical chemistry to students of “home science”) left him with a dilemma - industry, government laboratory or academia? Ian chose to wait and see what turned up. Without formal teacher training and knowing little biology he accepted an offer to teach chemistry, mathematics and general science at his old High School. After a year’s teaching Ian went to the University of Exeter (UK) to undertake a PhD (under Professor Max McGlashan) studying the liquid/gas phase behaviour of the simple quasi-spherical non-electrolytes neo-pentane, tetramethylsilane and their mixtures, a project financed by a grant from British Gas. A year was later spent (1968) at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor working with Professor Edgar Westrum on the design and construction of a calorimeter for measuring the heat capacities of solids at temperatures below 1K. In January 1969 Ian came to Monash as a Senior Teaching Fellow working with David Pullin and in the following year was appointed as lecturer. This was the beginning of a long friendship and collaboration with Ivan Wilson and Bruce Coller. Ian enjoyed teaching and in 1976 was promoted to senior lecturer and given the task of running the first year laboratory classes. He taught statistical mechanics in both 3rd and 4th year and also in 3rd yr the study of colloids and surface chemistry including an introduction to light scattering and rheology, which course, after amalgamation with CIT, was taught in conjunction with Ron Beckett.
Ian was heavily involved with secondary education, following Ian Rae and Ron Dickson respectively as a tertiary representative on the VISE chemistry committee (then responsible for the year 12 course) and the Chemistry Education Committee. He assisted organising the annual chemistry teachers conference held at Monash, organised workshops and established the chemistry enhancement program for selected year 12 students. He found the classes exhilarating.
Ian’s research focussed on the application of basic physico-chemical principles to understanding real situations. The role of the repulsive forces between molecules and the properties of solutions and their phase behaviour. The chemistry of the lower stratosphere and in particular the likely effect of the exhaust emissions of fleets of supersonic aircraft and the release of waste refrigeration fluids (chloroflurocarbons) into the atmosphere on the ozone layer. The formation and growth of polymer latex particles – essential components of water-based paints and automobile tyres. Controlled release formulations of selective herbicides to increase their efficacy and minimise the negative effect on the environment of their use. The components of milk, the chemical and physical interactions between them and the changes both physical and chemical that occur during the processing of milk to form a myriad of products such as cheeses, yoghurt, milk powders all carried collaboration with CSIRO. Success was coupled with an insistence on the understanding of measuring instruments. Knowing precisely what is being measured, the relationship between what is measured and the infor
mation that is being sought and the limitations of the instrument in the situation that it is being used. Ian’s career at Monash provided him with much enjoyment and satisfaction, not only intellectually, but also in the relationships developed with colleagues in all places and at all levels.
Ivan Wilson
Ivan Robert Wilson (1925-2020) was born near Goulburn, NSW, and excelled in Chemistry and French while at High School in Wollongong. Later he entered the University of Sydney with a scholarship and completed his undergraduate degree with a major in Chemistry with Physics and Maths. After employment as a demonstrator, and completion of a MSc in Physical Chemistry, he completed his doctorate in 1957 studying "The Rates and Mechanism of Hydrolysis of Dimethyl Sulphate". Ivan became a Lecturer at University of Queensland and later joined Monash early in 1962 as a Senior Lecturer, soon to become Reader, focussing his research on oxidation reactions in aqueous solutions. Ivan led the production of a new 1970s Chemistry textbook for HSC/VCE in Victoria drawing accolade from the Chemistry Education Association for this achievement. He also co-authored, with Bruce Coller and Ian McKinnon, "Physical Chemistry; A Behavioural View" and "Principles of Physical Chemistry", two textbooks used for many years by Monash First Year students and overseas. In addition to chemistry, Ivan was active in establishing the Religious Centre on campus. He was politically aware and skilled in student and family counselling, establishing "Ongoing Change", a 30 year strong initiative helping the community to address domestic violence and achieve positive change.
CHM1051 - Jackson Award
| Winners |
2021 Tori Guamera |
Roy Jackson
William Roy Jackson (1935-2019) was born in Bacup, England, and was affectionately known as Roy and Prof by academic colleagues and students alike. He received a Bachelor of Science with first-class honours in 1955 from Manchester University and completed his PhD at University College London in organometallic chemistry in 1958. After undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford, he started his academic career at Queen’s University, Belfast, before immigrating to Australia to join Monash University. Roy was Professor of Organic Chemistry in the School of Chemistry from 1973, and in 1995 was appointed the inaugural Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and became the foundation director for the ARC Special Research Centre in Green Chemistry, the legacy of which is still found in the Green Chemical Futures Building. He earned an international reputation for his research in synthetic chemistry, especially catalysis and organotransition metal chemistry, and coal liquefaction. He made major contributions in drug design and development and took out several patents. He was an avid supporter of the University’s interaction with the general public, and for many years ran highly acclaimed chemical “magic shows” for spellbound children (and adults) on Open Day. His contribution to the world of science and academia was recognised by the many accolades and honours bestowed on him, including the Leighton Memorial Medal, the RACI’s Premier Award (2002), and a Centenary Medal (2003). He was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Applied Science and Engineering, and a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Chemistry. Outside of science, he was a keen and vociferous squash player, avid bushwalker and rogainer, keen poetry reciter, player of the recorder, supporter of the English cricket team and great lover of dogs, big and small. Roy worked enthusiastically in the School well into his 80s. In 2013, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to science in the field of organic chemistry as an educator and researcher. He was a much loved member of the School of Chemistry, always welcoming and full of life, stories and encouragement.
CHM2911 - Roger Brown Award
| Winners |
2021 Mason Lam |
Roger Brown
Roger Brown (1931-2013) developed an early interest in chemistry and at the age of 14 set up his own laboratory in the family home. In 1949, he attended Sydney University and completed his Honours year in 1953 isolating natural products from an Australian plant species. He was awarded first class Honours and the University Medal leading him to a MSc degree where he elucidated the correct structure of the alkaloid Flindersine. With a scholarship in hand Roger travelled to Cambridge University in 1955 to commence a Ph.D. degree with Sir Alexander Todd. It was an exciting time for synthetic organic chemistry. He examined the chemistry of nitrones for the synthesis of corrin, the central framework of vitamin B12, while all around him mechanisms using curly arrows were being discussed and spectroscopic instruments and column chromatography became common place. After a year of postdoctoral study in the laboratory of George Büchi of MIT, Roger’s life-long interest in thermal degradation of organic compounds had been ignited. In 1968, Roger accepted an appointment to a Readership at Monash University and continued to develop his research. Together with Frank Eastwood, flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) was exploited to elegantly create unstable intermediates, benzyne, ketenes inter alia, and examine their rearrangement into stable products. His areas of specialty also included mechanisms of reactions and organic chemical synthesis. Brown was part of the Department of Chemistry at Monash University for over thirty years and his success led to his appointment to a Personal Chair in 1992. Roger was a private person, very knowledgeable, well read, and abreast of current affairs. He attended plays, concerts and operas and enjoyed painting, silver smithing and building model aeroplanes. He formed close personal ties with his research group and was well respected by his students and academic colleagues.
CHM2951 - Hart McKelvie Beckett Award
| Winners |
2021 Mia Dewar |
Barry Hart
Barry T Hart is currently an Emeritus Professor at Monash University, Director of environmental consulting company – Water Science Pty Ltd, Director of Alluvium Consulting Australia Pty Ltd, and Chair of the Goyder Institute for Water Research. He spent 35 years at Monash University (and Caulfield Institute of Technology). For much of that time he was Director of the Water Studies Centre and for 10 years was also Deputy Director Research of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology. He gained a PhD at Monash University in theoretical chemistry. He established a national and international reputation in the fields of natural resources decision-making (water quality and catchment management, environmental flows, water policy), ecological risk assessment and environmental chemistry. He has published over 200 refereed papers and 13 books, and is on the editorial board of 5 international journals. Prof Hart also worked hard over the years to get this and other research adopted in water policy and management. To this end, he has chaired or been a member of many scientific inquiries, reviews and advisory committees. He recently completed 9 years as a board member of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. He has received several awards, including the Limnology Medal (1982) from the Australian Society for Limnology, the Environmental Chemistry Medal (1996) and Applied Chemistry Medal (1998) from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, and in 2003 a Centenary Medal for services to water quality management and environmental protection. He was also made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2012 Queens Birthday awards.
Ian McKelvie
Ian McKelvie grew up in Clayton, where he attended the local technical school. He undertook a Diploma of Applied Chemistry at the then Caulfield Institute of Technology (CIT), and subsequently worked as a water chemist in the La Trobe Valley. He returned to CIT to undertake a Master of Applied Science supervised by Barry Hart and Ron Beckett, and subsequently took up a junior lecturing position teaching physical and analytical chemistry. While teaching full time, he commenced a PhD in analytical chemistry at La Trobe University with Bob Cattrall and Terry Cardwell, investigating flow analysis techniques for aquatic phosphorus speciation. His research thereafter focussed on the interface between analytical chemistry and aquatic science, with an emphasis on flow analysis and microfluidic approaches.
As a result of the tertiary institutional amalgamations in the early 1990’s, Ian became an “accidental” member of Monash University. During his 20 year career at Monash, he would sometimes horrify his students by mentioning that he didn’t have an undergraduate degree. Ian loved teaching, and with Ron Beckett and Barry Hart was instrumental in the development and implementation of aquatic and analytical chemistry courses. In his final years at Monash he served as deputy Head of School, and sub-Dean for Honours for the Science Faculty. Ian was awarded the RACI Analytical Medal in 2004 and held the position of visiting professor at the University of Plymouth from 2007 to 2019. In 2010, Ian left Monash, and moved to central Victoria. In semi-retirement, he spends his time restoring an 1860’s miner’s cottage, cycling, working as Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor for the analytical chemistry journals, Talanta Open and Talanta, respectively, and is an honorary research fellow at the University of Melbourne.
Ron Beckett
Ron Beckett attended the University of Melbourne graduating with BSc(Hons) in 1967 and PhD in inorganic chemistry in 1972. He was appointed lecturer in chemistry at Caulfield Institute of Technology (now the Caulfield campus of Monash University) in 1970 and soon converted to the field of surface and colloid science. During these early years he was active in developing curricula for new undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses. Ron was encouraged by Prof Barry Hart to join his newly founded Water Studies Centre and began studies in aquatic science, particularly the speciation, transport and fate of pollutants. In 1983 Ron commenced a long term collaboration with renowned scientist Prof Calvin Giddings from the University of Utah. Giddings had invented a new separation technique (field-flow fractionation) and Ron pioneered the use of FFF to characterize aquatic and soil particles and organic matter, particularly humic substances. Ron was enthusiastic about teaching and taught at all levels at Monash particularly in courses related to colloids, separation science and aquatic chemistry. He was also active at Department and Faculty levels in administration of research and graduate studies. He retired from Monash as Reader/Associate Professor at the end of 2011 after nearly 42 of years service and moved to Tasmania. Today, he is still involved in mentoring graduate students and staff at several universities in Thailand.
CHM2990 - Gatehouse Award
| Winners |
2021 Caitlin Jackson |
Bryan Gatehouse
Bryan Gatehouse joined the staff of Monash University School of Chemistry in 1965 and introduced the technique of X-ray crystallography. This is the method of obtaining the molecular structure of crystalline materials and is widely used today. Bryan’s research interests were in the field of metal oxides and their derivatives. Indeed, he has a metal oxide mineral named after him, Gatehouseite, Mn5(PO4)2(OH)4, discovered in South Australia. On the Australian scene, he was a rare example of a solid state chemist, utilizing high temperature synthetic methods, including reaction in platinum crucibles. Bryan’s expertise was in much demand and he collaborated with other members of the inorganic and organic chemistry sections of the School on their many and varied coordination compounds, organometallic compounds and organic crystals. For many years Bryan had the support of Dr Gary Fallon, his research assistant. Bryan was promoted to Reader in 1972 and gained his DSc degree from the University of London in 1977. In the teaching of crystallography, solid state chemistry, materials chemistry and inorganic chemistry, Bryan taught largely in the second year subjects as well as in first year chemistry. He was also the second year lab. coordinator and chief examiner for a long period of time. Bryan retired in 1997 and passed away in 2014.
CHM3911 - Pullin Heffernan Award
| Winners |
2021 Rebecca Leith |
David Pullin
David Pullin (1923-1998) was born in Devizes, Wiltshire in England and completed an accelerated two-year chemistry degree at University College London (UCL) during World War Two. He travelled in Europe and completed his PhD at UCL before joining Canada's National Research Centre, where he met his wife Claire. In 1952 they drove across North America to Pasadena where he took a place at the California Institute of Technology, before later becoming a Lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast. In 1963, David, Claire and their three children sailed on the Oriana to Melbourne where he began work at Monash as a Senior Lecturer. His research was involved the infrared spectroscopy of short-lived species, often trapped in matrices such as argon at very low temperatures. One such example, published in the Australian Journal of Chemistry in 1988 with Frank Eastwood and Roger Brown, involved the examination of five compounds, such as 3-ethenylidenebicyclo[2.2.1] hept-5-ene with -CF3-type 2,2 substituents, designed for the pyrolytic generation (at 350 to 725 °C) of pentatetraenone, H2C=C=C=C=C=O. In 1982, David went on study leave in the USA and published the matrix isolated absorption spectrum of the phenoxyl radical, PhO·. He retired from the School of Chemistry in 1988 as a Reader after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease some years earlier. David was quietly spoken by nature and well respected and liked by his research students and academic colleagues. Occasionally he would "let go" and was fondly remembered for dancing on the table at a staff function. A rock and mountain climber when young, he maintained a lifelong love of bushwalking. David was a skilled practical carpenter and turned to painting after his retirement, happiest when ignoring the restrictions that his illness imposed.
Mike Heffernan
Michael Heffernan was born in 1934 and grew up in Melbourne. He was raised with his sister by his mother and attended a local Parish school. A gifted student, he skipped a year and was awarded a tuition scholarship to enter Parade College in East Melbourne where he completed Year 12 twice because he was too young to enter university. He completed Honours, MSc and PhD degrees at the University of Melbourne over 1952-1957. Research in these latter degrees centered on molecular orbital theory of conjugated heterosystems and his supervisor was Professor R D Brown. In early phases of his work, Mike calculated the p-electron distribution in a variety of N-containing heterocycles (like pyridine, quinoline, pyrimidines) using then current, Hückel Theory, but later developed more advanced theories using explicit calculation of electron-electron repulsion energies from published tables. Post-doctoral work at University College London exposed Mike to NMR spectroscopy for the first time, where he examined the chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling of phosphonitrilic halides. In 1961, he took up a lectureship in the Chemistry Department of the newly created Monash University. Together with Professor R D Brown and Dr F W Eastwood, he initiated the creation of the inaugural undergraduate curriculum, lecture and laboratory courses. Mike’s research interest in high resolution NMR spectroscopy continued at Monash with the analysis of non-alternant hydrocarbons such as fulvene and dimethylenecyclobutene, spin-decoupling techniques and methodology to facilitate the prediction of proton chemical shift. The School’s first NMR instrument was purchased in 1963, a Varian HR 100 NMR spectrometer and required the use of early computer programmes written in Ferrantic SIRIUS AUTOCODE and later FORTRAN, to analyse the spectra. Following a brief foray into X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy in the early 1970s, Mike focused on UG teaching within the School. Mike also co-authored a chemistry textbook for Year 12 students ‘Chemistry - A Structural View’ and helped to develop the Year 11 and year 12 syllabus in Victorian secondary schools. Outside of the School, Mike was a keen long distance runner, an activity he started at age 45, and completed 15 Melbourne Marathon events. Mike retired from the School in December 1999 but still enjoys reading about advances in quantum chemistry, listening to Gustav Mahler and conversation with friends.
CHM3930 - Youatt Award
| Winners |
2021 Eva Doukas |
Jean Youatt
Born in China in 1925 to missionary parents, Jean Beatrice Youatt had a very disrupted primary and secondary education due to her parents’ frequent moves, culminating in four years internment in Japanese run camps in China, from 1941-1945. As one of the senior girls, Jean was very busy, but managed about a year of excellent maths education from a retired teacher. She gained straight As in her Oxford School Certificate, and was accepted into a science course at the University of Melbourne, but knew she had a very poor background compared with other students. She didn’t ask for help at that stage, afraid she’d be asked to leave, but honed her ‘considerable logical, organising and problem-solving skills’, skills she continued to use throughout her research and teaching career. She completed her BSc (Chemistry/Microbiology, Melbourne, 1949), followed by an MSc in microbiology, partly without supervision. Then she was off to Leeds for a PhD in biochemistry (awarded in 1954), on autotrophic organisms, once again working largely without supervision, but utilising the careful techniques she had learned in chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology. After working for a few years on the mode of action of isoniazid, then used to treat TB, in 1962 she was appointed as Lecturer in the Monash Department of Chemistry, initially to teach biochemistry. She thoroughly enjoyed the first two years, particularly as she planned and ran a practical course which filled her ideals, that ‘students should participate in the experimental design and not follow recipes, and experiments should be designed..so that a technique learned in one class could be applied in others’. During a 1968 Study Leave in Seattle, she joined a project studying the fungus Allomyces, which she worked on for the rest of her academic career, establishing an international reputation in the area. Unlike most others working in the field, Jean understood the relevance of the solution chemistry, particularly that involving stability constants in chelation studies of the vital biological ions Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Fe2+ and Zn2+. She was able to debunk several then current theories on the role of Ca2+ in growth cycles of Allomyces, and was disillusioned to have difficulty in finding a publisher for the work; she was just not believed, in spite of meticulously gathered evidence. Other groups have now reproduced her results. Jean approached teaching as research too – helping students to analyse and solve problems, a very successful approach. She also spent hours during the early years compiling the Science Faculty timetable, a task most other academics regarded with horror. But as far as Jean was concerned, ‘I like doing timetables. I don’t like getting the information, I don’t like persuading people to accept the results, but the timetable itself is a nice puzzle’. That was Jean.
CHM3941 - Dickson Award
| Winners |
2021 Jemma Gullick |
Ronald Dickson
At High School, Ron was quickly drawn to Chemistry. In a small home laboratory, he observed what happened when he mixed ‘this’ with ‘that’. This led to BSc Honours (1st Class) and PhD degrees at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. His university studies and playing football for Norwood in the SAFL was sometimes a difficult balancing act, but he managed to succeed in both. In his PhD years, he became interested in organometallic chemistry, a rather new field at the time. The role of organometallic compounds as catalysts for the polymerization of olefins (Ziegler catalysis) attracted him and this became his topic for PhD studies with Professors Jordan and West as supervisors. He then did post-doctoral studies (CSIRO Scholarship) with Professor Geoffrey Wilkinson (Nobel Laureate) at Imperial College London followed by a year of teaching and research at the University of British Columbia in Canada. While considering his next career step, Monash University was created and Professor West was appointed to the first Chair of Inorganic Chemistry – West offered Ron a lectureship at Monash and he arrived in 1964. Other inorganic appointments followed including Bryan Gatehouse, Glen Deakin, Keith Murray and Leone Spiccia, and Monash soon earned a reputation as one of the best inorganic chemistry schools in Australia. At Monash, Ron developed and taught courses in Inorganic Chemistry, Organometallic Chemistry and Food Chemistry. He supervised research projects in organometallic synthesis – especially metal (Co and Rh) complexes with carbonyl and alkyne ligands, the role of metals in catalysis (with Professor Roy Jackson), and metal organic chemical deposition. Ron was a Professorial Fellow (1995-1997), held a Personal Chair (1997-1999) and was Head of School (1996-2002).
CHM3960 - Burden Award
| Winners |
2021 Abbey Muller |
Frank Burden
Prof. Frank Burden gained his PhD from University College London in 1963 working on microwave spectroscopy with Prof. Jim Millen. In 1964 he was appointed a Senior Teaching Fellow at the newly established Monash University chemistry department. He collaborated with Peter Godfrey, Ron Brown’s research assistant, to set up a new microwave spectrometer at Monash. In 1965 the first microwave spectrum of the heterocycle selenophene was assigned as part of Godfrey’s BSc Honours research project. During 1965 Frank developed the first software to predict and analyze of microwave spectra on a rather primitive Ferranti Sirius computer, the Monash Computer Centre’s first digital computer. In 1987 Frank attracted international attention by writing the first AI program to predict organic chemical reactions, the Logichem Organic Inference Program. Frank’s most notable achievement, the development of a chemical index named in his honour (the Burden index) followed in 1989. His seminal paper “Molecular identification number for substructure searches” has been cited >300 times. His method was adopted by the Chemical Abstracts Service as a unique index for chemical data base searches, and his index is still widely used to generate machine learning models to predict the properties of complex molecules and materials. Although a theoretician, Frank also had strong interest in ecology and the environment. In 2001 has was affiliated with the CRC for Freshwater Ecology and in 2003 edited the Environmental Monitoring Handbook which is still in print. He started a very productive long-term collaboration with Prof. Dave Winkler (also a past member of the Monash microwave group, then at CSIRO) on development of AI and machine learning methods to model complex drug molecules, biomaterials, and nanomaterials. This collaboration continued for more than a decade after his retirement from Monash as a paid consultant to CSIRO. During this period he continued to publish, and was a driving force in the Sustainable Living Foundation and Victorian Skeptics, and helped to establish a new type of university, Akademos in Melbourne.
CHM3990 - Dobney Award
| Winners |
2021 Prue Huntington |
Bruce Dobney
Bruce Dobney worked in the Department of Chemistry at Monash University for 44 years. At 18, while studying Chemistry at Caulfield Institute Technology (now Monash), his father was killed in a car crash. Compelled by a sense of duty to work, Bruce started work at Monash in 1971 as a Junior Technical Assistant in the First Year Teaching labs. At the time there had been a shift away from the highly structured lab program to a more engaging course which included projects relevant to everyday issues. Although interesting, the projects were also challenging. Students worked in pairs on topics such as the analysis of detergents in waste water, analysis of exhaust gas, using Orsat apparatus and determining the iron content of aluminum foil.
After a few years, Bruce moved to the third year organic and inorganic teaching labs, where the student numbers were smaller but the practical sessions much longer. They started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, with no lunch break! Students majoring in chemistry had to do two sessions per week. Outside of the academic year Bruce was seconded to work with various research scholars on research projects. He found this stimulating and exciting.
Real chemistry involves real risks and accidents and the School was not immune to accidents, fire and explosions. Some of the experiments performed with Bruce’s watchful eye would be difficult to perform under current day OHS guidelines. Formal risk assessments were not required, however when planning and writing up our lab notes consideration was always given to safety. Phosgene, selenium, thallium, organomercury compounds, arsenic compounds, Birch reductions, lithium aluminum hydride reductions, diazomethane generation, phosgene, cyanide catalyzed benzoin condensations... You name it. It was done!
Bruce also served as the School of Chemistry’s appointed Safety Officer. Perhaps his experience or long-standing record for remaining unscathed without personal injury earned him this role. Despite finding the nature of the work exhilarating, the patience, helpfulness and intelligence of the staff, and of course the students, was cherished by Bruce. He was universally loved by all under-graduate students and academic staff.
CHM1022 - O'Dwyer Kent Award
| Winners |
2021 Elena Pereira |
Michael O'Dwyer
After post-doctoral work at Florida State University in Tallahasse with Wilse Robinson, Dr Mike (Michael Francis) O'Dwyer arrived at Monash in 1962. In the early years of the School of Chemistry he was involved in developing new lecture courses in atomic structure and valency, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, group theory and molecular vibrations. Mike also taught in the physical/spectroscopy classes of 2nd and 3rd year. His research was in the area of molecular spectroscopy: Vibrational and electronic spectroscopy, especially fluorescence spectroscopy, of organic compounds such as fulvene, 3.4-dimethylene cyclobutene and benzvalene, and a intricately detailed analysis of the electronic spectrum of sulfur dioxide. He and Jay Kent ran a very active joint research group. He created a particularly useful set of notes on spectroscopic states and Russel Saunders coupling that enabled students, and staff, to combine L and S quantum numbers to generate J values for many electronic configurations. His teaching of valence theory and spectroscopy led to the publication of an internationally successful co-authored textbook “Valency” with Ron Brown and Jay Kent. Mike had a quiet personality. In his leisure time, he was a first rate furniture maker and a great cook. He retired from the School of Chemistry in December 1995.
Jay Kent
Jay E. Kent studied chemistry at Washington State University and was recruited to Monash University in the early 1960s as a spectroscopist. Using microwave spectroscopy, Jay measured dipole moments and the electronic structure of many organic molecules including 3,4-dimethylenecyclobutene, oxadiazole isomers and fulvene. He also investigated the thermal rearrangement of 1,5-hexadiyne. He was co-organiser of an Australian spectroscopy conference in the 1970s, notable also for Jay having an accident and being briefly hospitalized, but he carried on bravely. The teaching of spectroscopy and valency was, and remains, a key teaching area in the physical chemistry area at Monash. His experience teaching a first-year university course in valency in the School of Chemistry lead to the creation of the textbook ‘Valency’ (1978), published with co-authors Michael O’Dwyer and Ronald Brown. This textbook aimed to introduce quantum mechanics to chemistry students without the usual mathematical formalism. The text also introduced elementary spectroscopic and diffraction methods. Jay enjoyed fishing in Victorian lakes (with Doug Ellis of Monash Aquatic Centre fame), and also enjoyed piloting a small plane. As a senior lecturer, Jay retired at quite a young age to move back to Seattle, USA, to start a company “Aussie Woollie”, selling sheep skin products with his twin brother Jim. After this successful venture he returned to Australia to live.
CHM1052 - West Award
| Winners |
2021 Lachlan Alexander |
Bruce West
Bruce West graduated from the University of Adelaide with BSc(Hons) 1st Class and completed two PhDs, the first a self supervised study on metal Schiff base complexes where he learned radio-tracer techniques, and the second at Cambridge University on perfluoroalkyl-organometallics after winning a prestigious Rhondda Open Research Fellowship to Gonville and Caius College. In 1964 he was appointed the Foundation Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Monash in 1964 and set about making Monash internationally distinguished in Inorganic Chemistry. He continued research work in Schiff base chemistry and in perfluoroalkyl-organometallics, and also embarked on the coordination chemistry of cyclic poly-phosphines and -arsines with discoveries that were years in advance of their popularisation. He pioneered Monash’s entry into materials chemistry undertaking collaborations with industry (Telstra and BHP) with commercialisation of his sol-gel and metal organic chemical vapour deposition research, both important for advanced materials. Bruce West was a brilliant lecturer, capable of engendering enthusiasm for his subject, and he led inorganic chemistry at Monash in a gentlemanly and collegiate way for 30 years. He served the University in many leadership roles, including Deputy Dean of Science and pro-Vice Chancellor, and was the recipient of many prestigious awards (RACI Burrows award and Leighton Medal) throughout his academic career.
CHM2922 - Brown Godfrey Award
| Winners |
2021 Bill Yuan |
Ron Brown
Ron Brown was born in Melbourne in 1927 and began his degree at Melbourne University at age 16, taking mathematics, physics and chemistry. He received his BSc degree in 1946 and completed his MSc in organic chemistry while simultaneously performing Huckel molecular orbital calculations on hydrocarbons, by head and mechanical calculator. Later Ron embarked (literally by ship) with his physics graduate wife, Mary, and three children, to work at Queen Mary College, London, with Charles Coulson, who had co-developed the mathematical formulation of molecular orbital theory.
He completed his PhD at Kings College, University of London, in 1952 and was then appointed to a Lectureship at University College, London, where he and John Ridd began probing the reaction sites for electrophiles attacking hetero-aromatic rings. They had barely published the kinetics of azo-coupling of imidazole (then known as glyoxaline) when Ron was head hunted by the newly appointed Head of Melbourne Chemistry School. He returned to his alter mater where he and Dr Tom O'Donnell wrote the Manual of Practical Chemistry. This manual carried chemistry studies and thinking from the earlier emphasis on methods of analysis into the second half of the twentieth century with emphasis on physical chemistry and eventually the use of spectroscopic methods. Monash Chemistry used the Brown and O'Donnell Manual for decades.
In 1959 Ron became a foundation Professor at Monash University and established a strong research team dedicated to the practice of theoretical chemistry. He remained Head of the School of Chemistry until his retirement in 1992 and together with newly recruited colleagues created the foundations for one of the strongest Chemistry Departments in Australia today. Ron worked in many areas of chemistry including microwave spectroscopy, theoretical chemistry, and the detection of interstellar molecules like glycine. A collaboration with Frank Eastwood led to the discovery of a new oxide of carbon, C3O, an astrophysically important molecule and working with departmental colleagues, Eastwood and Brown, Ron was able to explain the unexpected floppiness of cumulenones such as propadienone (H2C=C=C=O), butatrienone (H2C=C=C=C=O) and hyper-unstable pentatetrenone (H2C=C=C=C=C=O); these molecules were kinked when they were predicted to be straight. Brown received many awards during his career including three from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute: the Masson Memorial Scholarship Prize (1948), the Rennie Memorial Medal (1951) and the HG Smith Medal (1959). He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2002 and received the Australia Centenary Medal in 2001. Brown was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1965 and was awarded the Academy’s Matthew Flinders Medal in 1988. Ron was also an A-grade tennis player on the weekends.
Peter Godfrey
Dr Peter Godfrey had a long and illustrious history with the School of Chemistry at Monash University, starting off his career as a Technical Assistant Grade II in 1962, undertaking his honours in 1965, then completing his PhD with Professor Ron Brown in 1971 in the area of microwave spectroscopy. Thereafter he completed a senior research fellowship at Harvard (1969-71) and was duly appointed to a teaching fellowship in the School of Chemistry in 1973 and an academic position soon after. He spent the next 40 years researching his passion, microwave spectroscopy. Peter was well known for his encyclopaedic knowledge of spectroscopy and physical chemistry and possessed an unrivalled ability to impart his knowledge with enthusiasm to undergraduate students. He was an excellent supervisor, at both graduate and undergraduate level, and possessed great stamina and determination in solving seemingly insurmountable instrumental and computer programming problems. His sense of humour was endearing, earning him the nickname ‘chuckles’ from UG students who frequently engaged him in corridor with conversations including astrochemistry, interacting quadruple nuclei, wine and Airey’s Inlet botanical beauty.
CHM2942 - Williams Yandell Award
| Winners |
2021 Hayley Lowe |
Nic Williams
Nicola Hilda Williams grew up in Melbourne, and attended Camberwell High School, one of the 1956 cohort of the school’s first Matriculation class (Year 12). She completed her BSc (Melbourne, 1961) and Dip.Ed. (Melbourne, 1962) and taught chemistry (also their first Matric), maths and general science at Springvale High School, married, travelled overseas, and finally settled back in Melbourne. Once her three children were old enough, she became a part time demonstrator in Monash Chemistry Department (1971), progressing through the levels to Senior Lecturer (2000). She also served as sub-Dean of the Faculty of Science 1984-1995 and the RACI for many years (being recognised as a Fellow in 1987).
Her interest in biological chemistry is reflected in the topic of her 1982 MSc. Thesis, ‘Electron Transfer Reactions of Ascorbic Acid’. She continued research in this area for some years, as well as lecturing in related second year courses of biological chemistry and water chemistry, and general chemistry in first year. Having been attracted to chemistry at school by the excitement of ‘seeing what happened’ in practical work, she made lecture experiments part of her teaching whenever possible, emphasising the importance of problem solving in her practical classes demonstrating.
As a tutor, she soon realised that many students arrived in first year with inadequate backgrounds, so in 1976 she began to run help sessions. These developed into the First Year Chemistry Resource Centre, which is still operating.
Her current research is into historic beam balances made by the London instrument firm of L. Oertling. This builds on her efforts, over many years, to collect special instruments and glassware, especially those made at Monash in the early days, before they were thrown out. These became the Faculty of Science Instrument Collection, and the basis of various displays she set up around the faculty and Hargrave-Andrews library foyer, brightening up otherwise rather bare corridors and spaces.
John Yandell
John Kenneth Yandell (BSc(Hons) (Melbourne, 1962); PhD. (Adelaide, 1968)) grew up in Foster, in southeast Gippsland, and attended Foster High School. Year 12 (Matriculation) was often especially difficult for country students who wished to study science, and John completed some subjects by correspondence. After finishing BSc(Hons), he transferred to Adelaide to complete his PhD under Don Stranks. His thesis, ‘Chain Reactions in Solution’, included the determination of rate constants, the values compared with predictions from the Marcus-Hush theories of electron transfer. Work with rate constants remained central to his research. After postdocs in Leicester (with MCR Symons) and Brookhaven (Norman Sutin), in 1972 John was appointed as lecturer at Monash Chemistry.
Projects for his Honours, MSc and PhD students involved the aqueous solution studies of the kinetics and mechanism of electron transfer (redox) reactions between biologically important molecules such as cytochrome c (his favourite protein), haemoglobin, myoglobin and ascorbic acid, and inorganic complexes of relevant ions, especially copper. Many of these complexes had first to be synthesized and structurally characterised; donor atoms on the ligands were usually the biologically relevant O, N and S. He was very conscious of the effects of solution variables on reaction rates; pH and ionic strength had to be strictly controlled, which was excellent training for his students.
He was a deep and logical thinker, and his ability to see the big picture was a skill he passed on; and according to one of his PhD students, ‘he was not scared to challenge the status quo…to suggest that some Cu(II) electron transfer reactions could be slow, when the accepted thinking at the time (late 1970’s) was that they were fast’.
John died tragically young, but in spite of a short research career, he made a significant contribution in his field.
CHM2962 - Nunn Award
| Winners |
2021 Naomi Paluch |
Ernie Nunn
Ernie Nunn joined Monash University in February 1961, about 5 weeks before the official opening on March 11. The first intake was about 360 students in total. Ernie graduated from the University of Tasmania where he was a part-time member of staff during his PhD on phase equilibria relating to the formation of the alkaline polyhalides. On coming to Monash as a Snr. Teaching Fellow this project was later expanded to include solid state theoretical calculations on the structures using the first computer in the university which used punched paper tape for programming and data input. Ernie later became a Lecturer and Senior lecturer. After study leave at Nottingham, Ernie’s interest turned towards X-ray crystallography.
In the 1970s the education faculty ran a Dip.Ed degree aimed at tertiary teaching and Ernie completed this with a small cohort of colleagues. This lead to the development of audio visual aids, especially for first year laboratory teaching. This was later taken to Bali in a short course to staff at Denpasar. Ernie also served on a committee for a Thai Universities Lecturers scheme.
From 1975, Ernie became the Academic Administrator for the department with his time divided between teaching and administration. This involved academic staff meetings and the paperwork relating to exams and timetabling for the Faculty of Science and Department of Chemistry.
For many years he was involved with RACI. This included being secretary for the National Convention in 1992 here at Monash, chaired by Ron Dickson. For about 10 years he was a member and chair of the Victorian and National membership committees. He was also intermittently chair or secretary of the Victorian and National Chem Ed Divisions and was involved in running two conferences. Locally he was involved with school activities both at Monash and in schools. The highlight of these was the annual “chemfest” in the Alexander theatre and once in the city. This involved schools across the state. Many of the Departmental tasks were made easier with the support of Diana Gatehouse ranging from the weekly newsletter, ‘bullying’ staff to set exam papers, and the organisation of social events like the annual 4th year BBQ.
CHM2990 - Gatehouse Award
| Winners |
2021 Caitlin Jackson |
Bryan Gatehouse
Bryan Gatehouse joined the staff of Monash University School of Chemistry in 1965 and introduced the technique of X-ray crystallography. This is the method of obtaining the molecular structure of crystalline materials and is widely used today. Bryan’s research interests were in the field of metal oxides and their derivatives. Indeed, he has a metal oxide mineral named after him, Gatehouseite, Mn5(PO4)2(OH)4, discovered in South Australia. On the Australian scene, he was a rare example of a solid state chemist, utilizing high temperature synthetic methods, including reaction in platinum crucibles. Bryan’s expertise was in much demand and he collaborated with other members of the inorganic and organic chemistry sections of the School on their many and varied coordination compounds, organometallic compounds and organic crystals. For many years Bryan had the support of Dr Gary Fallon, his research assistant. Bryan was promoted to Reader in 1972 and gained his DSc degree from the University of London in 1977. In the teaching of crystallography, solid state chemistry, materials chemistry and inorganic chemistry, Bryan taught largely in the second year subjects as well as in first year chemistry. He was also the second year lab. coordinator and chief examiner for a long period of time. Bryan retired in 1997 and passed away in 2014.
CHM3180 - Spiccia Award
| Winners |
2021 Liam Wilson |
Leone Spiccia
Leone Spiccia was a world-renowned Australian research scientist, who worked at the forefront of materials chemistry, sustainable energy, and medical diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. For his contributions, he received a number of prestigious domestic and international awards namely the Forschungszentrum Dresden Rossendorf Fellow (Germany, 2007), a Senior Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany, 2010), the RACI HG Smith Medal (Australia, 2012), Honorary Professor in the Catalysis Research Centre at Hokkaido University (Japan, 2012), the RACI Inorganic Division Burrows Award (2013), an ARC Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award (2013) and a Helmholtz International Fellowship (2014). He published over 315 refereed papers and lodged 4 patents. His untimely death occurred at the peak of his career.
Leone was born in Sinagra, Sicily, and came to Australia when he was 11 years old. He graduated with a BSc(Hons) and PhD from the University of Western Australia under the supervision of Prof. Don Watts and Dr Jack Harrowfield, and after postdoctoral appointments in Canada, Switzerland, and Canberra was appointed as a Lecturer at Monash University in 1987. He was promoted first to Reader and thence to Professor in 2006. He rapidly transformed himself from a physical inorganic chemist working on hydroxidochromium(III) compounds to a materials, medicinal, and biological chemist with a wide range of interests and a wide range of departmental, inter-departmental (materials engineering) and international collaborations (as can be seen from his awards). In the University he served as deputy Head of Chemistry and Associate Dean Research in the Faculty. He was on the College of Experts of the Australian Research Council for three years, and chaired the Chemistry, Physics and Earth Sciences panel in 2010. He was a keen cricketer, a fearsome squash competitor, and an avid supporter of the West Coast Eagles.
CHM3922 - Eastwood Award
| Winners |
2021 Teresa Matina |
Frank Eastwood
Frank Eastwood (1930-) was appointed Senior Lecturer (later Reader) in Chemistry at Monash university in 1960 and arrived on the Clayton campus in January 1961 to initiate teaching and research in organic chemistry and help develop the department, the library facilities and the University generally in its first years. Frank went to school during World War II and had an abiding interest in political and social theory, history and technology. He was a graduate of Sydney University, BSc (Hons) 1st Class (1952), and MSc (1953), having worked on natural products. He was awarded an 1851 Exhibition Scholarship to study at Oxford with Sir Robert Robertson (1886-1975) on synthetic approaches to tropolones and graduated DPhil in 1957. In June 1956 he was awarded a Salters Scholarship and moved to Cambridge to work with Sir Alexander Todd (1907-1997) on the structures of new antibiotics provided by the Glaxo Pharmaceutical Company, while working with two PhD students.
To initiate research at Monash with only limited facilities, Frank explored cyclic orthoformate structures as models for low energy transition states and found 1,2-diols formed cyclic orthoformates which decomposed on heating to yield alkenes, the first of several studies of pyrolytic reactions. As the department grew Frank collaborated with other members of staff so that the wide expertise accumulated was available to students. He continued synthetic and structural studies and later participated in a study of Solanum alkaloids as a source of steroids. Major projects were introduced in collaboration with Roger Brown on cumulenones (H2CnO) (n=3, 4, 5) which were highly unstable molecules, pyrolytic rearrangements of aromatics leading to benzyne intermediates, studies which laid the groundwork for determining reaction pathways at high temperatures. Frank also collaborated with Ronald Brown on the formation of a new oxide of carbon, C3O, for microwave studies. Frank canoed, sailed and voyaged on square-rigged ships to learn the ropes and, with a group bought and restored an old hotel which is now a registered historic building. He found life full of interest and read widely.
CHM3952 - Hearn Award
| Winners |
2021 Joshua Simons |
Milton Hearn
Emeritus Professor Milton Hearn AM, FTSE, FAICD, FRACI CChem, FRSV, FIUPAC, FIChemE(A), FRSC, BSc(Hons), PhD, DSc is an internationally esteemed chemist, well known for his pioneering studies and their practical translation to industry. Milton graduated from The University of Adelaide with BSc(Hons) 1st Class in 1967 and then completed his PhD (1970) and DSc (1983) also at The University of Adelaide. Following his graduate studies, he moved to the University of British Columbia as recipient of a Canadian National Science Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, and subsequently he received the prestigious ICI Fellowship to work at Oxford University on the total synthesis of lead drug candidates based on natural products. During this time, he commenced his career-long research commitment that successfully linked chemistry with the biotechnological sciences and engineering, resulting in several major developments in therapeutic drug design, manufacture and analysis. He has received numerous prestigious national and international awards, including the RACI Leighton Medal, the ACS Chromatography Award and the Alan Michaels Award. During his career, his creative scientific work has resulted in over 690 original peer-reviewed publications.
After holding academic positions at the University of Otago and the University of Melbourne, Milton joined Monash University in 1986 as Professor of Biochemistry and subsequently was appointed Professor of Chemistry in 2002. From 2003, under his leadership as Director, the Monash Centre for Green Chemistry became an international centre of multidisciplinary research excellence with extensive links to industry, partnering with other research centres to find benign ways to make and use chemicals and create less waste. His research has resulted in a range of significant break-through based on the application of green and sustainable chemistry concepts and methods, now widely adopted by the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sciences and industries within Australia and globally. His PhD and MSc alumni of over 90 successful graduates form part of this impressive legacy.
CHM3972 - Scott Award
| Winners |
2021 Kimouv Lay |
Janet Scott
Professor Janet L. Scott has worked in industry and academia in three countries. South Africa - Lecturer, Dept. Chemistry, University of Cape Town, 1992-1996; R&D Manager Fine Chemicals Corporation Ltd.; Australia - Research Fellow/Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Green Chemistry, Monash University, 1999-2006; UK - Senior Marie Curie Transfer of Knowledge Fellow, Unilever, 2006-2008; Director JLS ChemConsult Ltd., 2008-2015; Group Leader/Reader/Professor of Sustainable Chemistry and Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, 2010 – 2020; Director Naturbeads, 2018 – 2022.
In spite of not having studied Chemistry at school, she started a science degree with Chemistry and Geology as majors in the early 1980s in Durban South Africa, but decided to change to Chemistry/Applied Chemistry as Chemistry just “clicked”. A combination of depth of scientific understanding and practical application underpinned her career – there’s nothing more fun than discovering new things and then getting them to “work”! While only becoming formally engaged in “Green” Chemistry in 1999 in Australia, she was always interested in sustainability and research to “make a difference”. Her research seemed to range far and wide, but there was always an underpinning of materials that “do” things and the need to conserve the earth’s resources and be smarter about how we enable decent quality of life for humans without degrading our planet. To enable this she often worked with industry and with engineering colleagues. Recently, as a Director of the startup Naturbeads created in collaboration with an engineering colleague and a business development expert (who is also a chemist), she has focused on development of biodegradable microbeads made from renewable resources to replace the persistent plastic microbeads that are hidden in many products – a small contribution to developing more sustainable materials, but lots of small contributions equals big change. Sadly, Janet died in 2022 after battling cancer for several years. The School of Chemistry remembers and acknowledges Janet’s spirit and passion for Chemistry through this award.
CHM3990 - Dobney Award
| Winners |
2021 Prue Huntington |
Bruce Dobney
Bruce Dobney worked in the Department of Chemistry at Monash University for 44 years. At 18, while studying Chemistry at Caulfield Institute Technology (now Monash), his father was killed in a car crash. Compelled by a sense of duty to work, Bruce started work at Monash in 1971 as a Junior Technical Assistant in the First Year Teaching labs. At the time there had been a shift away from the highly structured lab program to a more engaging course which included projects relevant to everyday issues. Although interesting, the projects were also challenging. Students worked in pairs on topics such as the analysis of detergents in waste water, analysis of exhaust gas, using Orsat apparatus and determining the iron content of aluminum foil.
After a few years, Bruce moved to the third year organic and inorganic teaching labs, where the student numbers were smaller but the practical sessions much longer. They started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, with no lunch break! Students majoring in chemistry had to do two sessions per week. Outside of the academic year Bruce was seconded to work with various research scholars on research projects. He found this stimulating and exciting.
Real chemistry involves real risks and accidents and the School was not immune to accidents, fire and explosions. Some of the experiments performed with Bruce’s watchful eye would be difficult to perform under current day OHS guidelines. Formal risk assessments were not required, however when planning and writing up our lab notes consideration was always given to safety. Phosgene, selenium, thallium, organomercury compounds, arsenic compounds, Birch reductions, lithium aluminum hydride reductions, diazomethane generation, phosgene, cyanide catalyzed benzoin condensations... You name it. It was done!
Bruce also served as the School of Chemistry’s appointed Safety Officer. Perhaps his experience or long-standing record for remaining unscathed without personal injury earned him this role. Despite finding the nature of the work exhilarating, the patience, helpfulness and intelligence of the staff, and of course the students, was cherished by Bruce. He was universally loved by all under-graduate students and academic staff.