The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organisation with a mission to "bring science to people and people to science". It opened in October 2009.

Concept

The concept of a Royal Institution of Australia was proposed by Baroness Professor

Susan Greenfield Susan Adele Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, (born 1 October 1950) is an English scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords (since 2001). Her research has focused on the treatment of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's dise ...

CBE, as

Thinker in Residence Thinkers in Residence is a program in Adelaide, South Australia, designed to bring leaders in their fields to work with the South Australian community and government in developing new ideas and approaches to problem-solving, and to promote South A ...

for the South Australian Government during 2004 and 2005. Greenfield was Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain from 1998 to 2010. The South Australian Premier Mike Rann was receptive of the idea and secured State, Federal and private sector funding for the building and the programs. The Royal Institution of Australia's inaugural Chairman is Peter Yates AM. As a national hub for science communication, The Royal Institution of Australia promotes public awareness and understanding of science. The Institution highlights the importance of science in everyday life through Cosmos Magazine, th
cosmosmagazine.com
website, th
SCINEMA International Science Film Festival
and th
RiAus Education
platform.. The Royal Institution of Australia foundation partners were the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

, the Commonwealth Government and oil and gas company, Santos. It has a paid membership program, including both corporate and individual members. The Royal Institution of Australia is the first and only sister organisation outside of the UK of the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

of Great Britain (RiGB).

Adelaide Stock Exchange Building

The Royal Institution of Australia is housed at The Science Exchange in Adelaide, South Australia, which is a former

Stock Exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

building. Built in 1901 and designed by the architects

Hedley Allen Dunn Hedley Allen Dunn (27 October 1865 – 5 June 1942) was a South Australian architect, a member of the prominent Dunn family of Mount Barker. His work included the flour mill at Port Adelaide for his father and grandfather in 1886, and the Stock Ex ...

in collaboration with Henry Fuller, this red brick building in Federation/Edwardian style with

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

influences (including a stained glass window by Morris & Co., with three of the six panels after the designs of Edward Burne-Jones) is listed among the 120 nationally significant 20th-century buildings in South Australia. Half of the building, which is open to the public on weekdays, has heritage value. The other half was gutted by two fires in the 20th century and is now office space for The Royal Institution of Australia and the Australian Science Media Centre.

History

The establishment of The Royal Institution of Australia was amongst the recommendations Professor Greenfield made during her Adelaide residency, which included initiatives to encourage

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

and complementary research programs across South Australian universities,

science communication Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

programs for children,

professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning Informal learning is characterized "by a low degree of planning and ...

for school teachers and the establishment of the Australian Science Media Centre. A key recommendation was the Bragg Initiative, which encouraged a relationship between South Australia and the RiGB and was taken up by the South Australian government. In June 2008, work commenced to convert the former Adelaide Stock Exchange building, which had remained empty for many years, into The Science Exchange. The Royal Institution of Australia was opened on 8 October 2009 by the President of the Council of RiGB, HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

Bragg Initiative

The Bragg Initiative, which led to the initial development of The Royal Institution of Australia, was named for William Henry Bragg and William Lawrence Bragg. This father and son team won the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics for their 'services in the analysis of crystal structures by means of X rays'. The Braggs hold a unique place in Australian and international history, as the only father-and-son team to be awarded a Nobel Prize. William (Henry) Bragg was the first Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide and his son (William) Lawrence was born and educated in South Australia. Both returned to the UK and were subsequently Directors of The Royal Institution of Great Britain. Both father and son had an enormous passion for communicating science to the broader community. The Bragg Initiative was a program within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, South Australian Government and was managed by Linda Cooper, Project Director. Prof Adrienne Clarke AC, Dr

Alan Finkel Alan Simon Finkel (born 17 January 1953) is an Australian neuroscientist, inventor, researcher, entrepreneur, educator, policy advisor, and philanthropist. He was Australia’s Chief Scientist from 2016 to 2020. Prior to his appointment, his c ...

AO, Dr Andrew Thomas AO, Prof Barry Marshall AC, Dr Basil Hetzel AC (deceased), Prof Brian Cox OBE, Prof Brian Schmidt AC, Prof Carola Vinuesa, Prof Caroline McMillen, Emeritus Prof

Christopher Burrell Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...

AO, Prof David Boger, Prof Elizabeth Blackburn AC, Prof Fiona Stanley AC, Prof Fiona Wood AM, Prof Graeme Clark AO, Prof Ian Chubb AC, Prof Ian Frazer AC, Emeritus Prof Ian Lowe AO, Dr J Robin Warren AC, Dr John O’Sullivan, Prof John Shine AO, Prof Lyn Beazley AO, Prof

Marcello Costa Marcello Costa (born 9 January 1940) is an Italian-born Australian medical researcher, academic, and public health advocate. He specializes in the structure and functions of the enteric nervous system. He taught in Turin, Melbourne, and Helsin ...

, Prof Martin Green AM, Emeritus Prof Max Brennan AO, Prof Michael Archer AM, Prof Michelle Simmons, Emerita Prof Patricia Vickers-Rich, Prof Peter Doherty AC, Mr Peter Gago AC, Mr

Robyn Williams Robyn Williams (born 30 January 1944) is a British/Australian science journalist and broadcaster who has hosted ''The Science Show'' on ABC Radio National (RN) since 1975, and created ''Ockham's Razor'' in 1984. Early life and education W ...

AM, Prof Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE, Prof Suzanne Cory AC, Prof Tanya Monro, Prof

Terry Hughes Terry Hughes may refer to: * Terry Hughes (baseball), American Major League Baseball player * Terry Hughes (biologist), Irish-Australian biologist * Terry Hughes (director), British comedy television director * Terry Hughes (politician), Califor ...

, Prof

Zee Upton Zee is the phonetic pronunciation of the letter Z in American English ("zed" in Commonwealth English). Zee may also refer to: People *Zee (徐), a Wu Chinese surname, an equivalent of Xu *Anthony Zee (b. 1945), Chinese-American physicist *Chie ...

, Prof

Robin Batterham Robin John Batterham AO FREng FAA FTSE (born 3 April 1941) is an Australian scientist specialising in chemical engineering. He was the Chief Scientist of Australia from 1999 to 2006. Born in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, Batterham gradu ...

AO, Prof

Stephen Hopper Stephen Donald Hopper AC FLS FTSE (born 18 June 1951) is a Western Australian botanist. He graduated in Biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his n ...

AC, Mr Tim Jarvis AM, Prof John Long, Prof Jennifer Martin, Scientia Prof

Veena Sahajwalla Veena Sahajwalla is an inventor and Professor of Materials Science in the Faculty of Science at UNSW Australia. She is the Director of the UNSW SM@RT Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology and an Australian Research Council ...

, Assoc Prof Paul Willis.

Director

The Inaugural Director of the Royal Institution of Australia was Professor Gavin Brown AO, Scottish born mathematician and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and the University of Sydney. After the resignation of Professor Brown, the Hon. Dr Jane Lomax-Smith AM filled in as Acting Director (2010-2011). Associate Professor Paul Willis, science communicator, paleontologist, science journalist and broadcaster was the Director from 2011 and concluded his term in July 2017. In 2017 The Royal Institution of Australia appointed Mr Bradley Abraham as the Chief Executive and Director. In addition, the Council appointed Associate Professor Alan Duffy as its new Lead Scientist. Duffy is an astronomer and physicist working at Swinburne University of Technology. An author, Duffy is a leading expert on dark matter, dark energy, galaxy formation and cosmology.

Financial support

RiAus receives financial and in-kind support from members, corporate partners and donors.

Governance

The Royal Institution of Australia is governed by a council. As of 2020, council members are: * Peter Yates AM, Chairman * Professor Lyn Beazley * Dr Gregory Clark AC * Sir Rod Eddington AO * Professor Caroline McMillen * David Knox * Christian Bennett * Will Berryman * Tony Clark * Karen Dobson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Institution Of Australia Culture of Adelaide Scientific societies based in Australia Organisations based in Adelaide Organisations based in Australia with royal patronage 2009 establishments in Australia Scientific organizations established in 2009