Mark Scott
Opening the conference is Mark Scott, newly appointed Secretary of the Department of Education.
Mr Scott recently completed a decade as managing director of the ABC, where his reforms included the creation of iview, News24, ABC3, digital radio, expansion of ABC online and introduction of ABC mobile services.
In the 1980s, Mr Scott was a teacher at St Andrew’s Cathedral School before working in senior roles for two education ministers in the Greiner Government, Virginia Chadwick and Terry Metherell. He then completed a Master of Public Administration at Harvard before joining Fairfax as a journalist, rising to senior editorial and executive roles, then moving to the ABC.
Professor Mary O’Kane
Professor Mary O’Kane is the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer and also a company director and Executive Chairman of O’Kane Associates, a Sydney-based consulting practice specialising in government reviews and research and innovation matters.
She is also Chair of the CRC for Spatial Information and the Space Environment Management CRC, the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania and is a Director of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, Capital Markets CRC and Business Events Sydney.
Professor O’Kane was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1996-2001. She is a former Chair of the board of the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy, a former member of the Commonwealth’s Review of the National Innovation System, Australian Research Council and the Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) Committee, the board of FH Faulding & Co Ltd and the board of CSIRO. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia.
http://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/
She is also Chair of the CRC for Spatial Information and the Space Environment Management CRC, the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania and is a Director of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, Capital Markets CRC and Business Events Sydney.
Professor O’Kane was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1996-2001. She is a former Chair of the board of the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy, a former member of the Commonwealth’s Review of the National Innovation System, Australian Research Council and the Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) Committee, the board of FH Faulding & Co Ltd and the board of CSIRO. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia.
http://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/
Ruben Meerman
Ruben is a surfer with a physics degree and a passion for all things scientific. He appears on ABC Television’s flagship science program, Catalyst and was the first resident scientist on Play School. He speaks at conferences, MC’s events, visits primary and high schools, publishes resources for teachers and writes children’s books full of experiments. He has appeared on Studio 3, Sleek Geeks, Roller Coaster, Triple J’s Super Request, ABC Local Radio, Can We Help, Sunrise, Today and Mornings with Kerri-Anne.
http://rubenmeerman.com/
http://rubenmeerman.com/