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The final round of judging for the state's annual WA Science Awards will again be dominated by researchers and projects from The University of Western Australia.

All three finalists for WA's 2012 Scientist of the Year are from UWA.

They are Head of the School of Plant Biology Winthrop Professor Hans Lambers; Director of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative Winthrop Professor Stephen Powles; and Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research Professor Peter Quinn.

UWA's finalists for Early Career Scientist of the Year are Australian Postdoctoral Fellow (psychology) Dr Ullrich Ecker and Australian Research Fellow at the University's School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Associate Professor Ajmal Mian.

In the category of Science Engagement Initiative of the Year, UWA's finalists are the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) program theSkyNet and the UWA-based SPICE program - a partnership with WA's Education Department for secondary school teachers to update their skills with the latest scientific equipment and techniques.

All three finalists for Student Scientist of the Year are also from UWA.  They are:  PhD Candidate Terry Boyle from the UWA affiliate WA Institute for Medical Research; Master of Clinical Psychology and PhD Student David Erceg-Hurn; and Public Health PhD Candidate Jennifer Girschik.

Science Ambassador of the Year finalists from UWA are Adjunct Professor at the School of Earth and Environment and President of the WA Gould League Professor Kevin Kenneally; and Director of Centre for Marine Futures Professor Jessica Meeuwig.

The Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, Professor Paul Johnson, congratulated UWA's strong field of finalists for their outstanding achievement in each category.

"This reinforces the University's place as the state leader in science teaching and research, and is testament to the academic excellence of its staff and students," Professor Johnson said.

The 2012 finalists build on last year's success, when Australian Laureate Fellow UWA Professor Richard Hobbs was named Scientist of the Year and Professor David White named Early Career Scientist of the Year.

The WA Science Awards were established in 2002 to honour the outstanding achievements of the state's science and innovation community.

The State Government initiative, administered by the WA Department of Commerce, recognises and rewards excellence across science research, engagement and education, and promotes the importance of science and innovation in Western Australia.

The 2012 WA Science Awards winners will be announced at a gala dinner attended by WA Science and Innovation Minister John Day on Thursday October 11 at the Burswood Entertainment Complex.

Further information is available at the Western Australian Science Awards .

Media references

Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783