From the vibrant halls of Western Australia’s John Curtin College of the Arts, and with the support of the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, Donna Buckley, has ignited a revolution that will now extend across Down Under. Years of encouraging young minds to explore the frontiers of quantum computing, data analytics, cybersecurity, and mathematics have culminated in her being honoured with the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools.
The latest Prime Minister’s Prize for Science award winners have been announced at an event on Monday 16 October 2023 at Australia Parliament House, in Canberra.
The Prizes were presented across seven categories, including five prizes for science and innovation and two prizes for mathematics and science excellence in teaching.
As the proud recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching (Secondary), Donna’s innovative teaching methods, dedication to professional development, and significant impact on her students and the broader Western Australian education community are celebrated nationwide.
There are numerous examples of how Donna introduces innovation and collaboration into her classroom. For example, she integrates real-world data, such as air pollution and gold mining statistics, into her lessons. She also introduced cryptographic lessons into her classroom to promote pure mathematics. By retraining herself she offered to Year 11 and 12 students the first-in-Australia workplace skills course in Cybersecurity aligned to industry needs.
Donna has also played a key role in other educational initiatives that extended her reach out of the school, some of them in close collaboration with the Pawsey Education and Training program, including her role as an active contributor to International Women’s Day events, a volunteer tutor at the Perth Girls Programming Network, and an ongoing contributor to curriculum reviews and resources development. She is also the founder of #MathsBookClubWA, where mathematics educators explore imaginative teaching approaches.
The latest Prime Minister’s Prize for Science award winners have been announced at an event on Monday 16 October 2023 at Australia Parliament House, in Canberra.
The Prizes were presented across seven categories, including five prizes for science and innovation and two prizes for mathematics and science excellence in teaching.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science:
- Prime Minister’s Prize for Science: Professor Michelle Simmons AO from UNSW Sydney for her role in pioneering atomic electronics for the quantum age.
- Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation: Professor Glenn King, of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland, is using spider venom peptides for sustainable crop protection and human therapeutics.
- Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching (Primary Schools): Mrs Judith Stutchbury, Reef Guardian teacher with Kalkie State School in Bundaberg, for creating marine conservation experiences for students.
- Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching (Secondary Schools): WA’s Ms Donna Buckley, for inspiring real-world problem-solving through Mathematics.
- Frank Fenner Prize of Life Scientist of the Year: Monash Univeristy’s Professor Chris Greening for discovering microbes’ role in climate regulation.
- Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year: Professor Yuerui (Larry) Lu, from the Australian National University, for discovering interlayer exciton pairs, unravelling superfluidity and shaping the future of electronic devices.
- Prize for New Innovators: Griffith University’s Associate Professor Lara Herrero, for developing a world-first drug for viral arthritis.
From Pawsey, we look forward to continuing working together with Donna to uplift Science and technology education for the good of the nation and with Australia’s researchers to accelerate their scientific breakthroughs. As the proud recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools, Donna’s innovative teaching methods, dedication to professional development, and significant impact on her students and the broader Western Australian education community are celebrated nationwide.
Visit the Department of Education, Industry and Resources website for more details on the awards and the winners.
