Monday, 5 May 2008

Professor Peter Cawood from The University of Western Australia's School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, has been awarded the prestigious Mawson Medal and Lecture for 2008.

The Australian Academy of Science's Mawson Medal and Lecture recognise outstanding contributions to earth science in Australia.  The lecture commemorates the work of Australian geologist and explorer Sir Douglas Mawson.

The medal will be presented in Canberra this Thursday, May 8, as part of the Australian Academy of Science's ‘Science at the Shine Dome' annual symposium and awards presentation.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said the award reflected the University's depth in science teaching and research.

"Peter Cawood joins a growing list of UWA researchers and academics who have been recognised for their commitment to achieving international excellence," Professor Robson said.

Professor Alistar Robertson, UWA Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Initiatives) said Professor Cawood was an international leader in the application of structural geology, tectonic processes and geochronology.

"He has contributed greatly to our understanding of the development of the continental lithosphere, or solid outer layer of the earth, throughout geological time," Professor Robertson said.

"His research is concerned with the integration of field-based studies of mountain belts and what they tell us about the way the earth has looked and behaved through time.  His work ranges in scale from global reconstructions to microscopic examination of mineral grains."

Each year the Australian Academy of Science rewards scientific excellence, including awards for early-career researchers under 40 and career researchers for life-long achievements.

Professor Cawood, who will deliver the Mawson Lecture during the Australian Earth Sciences Convention 2008, to be held in Perth in July, said Australia in general and WA in particular was a marvellous place to study geology.

"Geology is so much more than rocks, mines and resources.  It is fundamentally a study of the way the Earth works - the how, when and why of our environment," Professor Cawood said.

"WA is a wonderful natural laboratory to unravel this story because it provides an unsurpassed record covering almost 4.4 billion years of this history.  The northern Yilgarn contains the oldest terrestrial fragments yet discovered on Earth, 4.4 billion year old zircon grains."

Media references

Professor Peter Cawood 61 8  6488 3422
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  61 8  6488 5563  /  0432 637 716

Tags

Channels
Awards and Prizes — Media Statements — University News