David Solomon wins 2006 Victoria Prize
[ UniNews Vol. 15, No. 20
30 October - 13 November 2006 ] By Rebecca Scott
Eminent scientist and inventor of the plastic bank note, Professor David Solomon, Honorary Professorial Fellow in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne, has been awarded the 2006 Victoria Prize.
The Prize was presented to Professor Solomon by Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria, Justice Marilyn Warren, at Government House recently.
The University of Melbourne was also recognised for supporting Professor Solomon’s work, receiving the $100 000 Anne & Eric Smorgon Memorial Award from the Jack and Robert Smorgon Families Foundation, which complements the Victoria Prize.
The annual $50 000 Victoria Prize is awarded by the Victorian Government to a leading scientist or engineer whose discovery or innovation is advancing knowledge and has the clear potential to be commercialised.
In 1966 when Australia converted from imperial to decimal currency, and after a spate of forgeries, Professor Solomon was invited by the Reserve Bank to be a member of a scientific think tank to develop currency that could not be forged.
The issue of the 1988 Bicentennial $10 note was the culmination of 21 years of his research.
Professor Solomon’s plastic banknote technology has seen Victoria become the world leader in security printing. The technology is now available in more than 20 countries worldwide.
Accepting the Victoria Prize, Professor Solomon said, “I am very proud to receive this award and to see how this technology has developed into a booming export industry for Australia.”
Professor Solomon is currently leading a team to determine how polymers can aid water management.
“If a layer of polymer can be placed over water it can stop crucial water being evaporated. It will be very rewarding to be able to use this technology in the area of water conservation,” he said.
Professor Solomon is renowned for pioneering work on polymer chemistry, including his invention of the first commercially viable process to give precise control over molecular structure. His patent was in the top 10 most cited patent each year from 1999 to 2004 in chemistry.
He has set up and led three major polymer research laboratories in Victoria: the Dulux Polymer Laboratories, the CSIRO Molecular Science Group (where he developed the plastic banknote technology) and the Polymer Science Group at the University of Melbourne (where he has been based for the past 15 years).
Professor Solomon is one of an elite group of Australian scientists admitted to the Royal Society, London, whose 1300 members include Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
The plastic banknote work is currently a feature display at both the Royal Society, London, and in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne.
Three of six $18 000 Victoria Fellowships announced by Minister for Innovation John Brumby at the Victoria Prize ceremony were awarded to University of Melbourne academics. They are:
Dr Bryan Fry (Australian Venom Research Unit) for finding medical cures from Australia’s snakes and poisonous creatures.
Mr Mohammad Tabbara (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) for using next generational technology to produce safer and cleaner cars.
Mr Hadi Lioe (Chemistry) for using mass spectrometry to help improve the detection of new diseases, biological warfare agents and toxic agents. Mr Lioe also received the 2006 AFAS FEAST-France Fellowship.
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