Announcement by the Royal Society of New Zealand

NZ's top science medal awarded to Paul Callaghan

16 November 2005

New Zealand's top science award, the Rutherford Medal, was awarded on Wednesday night to Professor Paul Callaghan FRS FRSNZ, the Alan MacDiarmid Professor of Physical Sciences at Victoria University, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and the Sir Neil Waters Distinguished Professor at Massey University.

The Minister of Research Science and Technology, Hon Steve Maharey, presented Professor Callaghan with the medal at the New Zealand Science Honours Dinner, held this year at Te Papa in Wellington.

Professor Callaghan is one of New Zealand's best known and well respected scientists, and was awarded the medal for his contribution for his world-leading research in development of new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) methods, which have significant impacts in physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. But he was also awarded the prize, said Royal Society of New Zealand CEO Dr Steve Thompson, for his role as a leader and champion of New Zealand science, and for the dedication and skill he shows in communicating scientific concepts.

"Paul's reputation as a great speaker and motivator is equal to his reputation as a scientist. His contribution has been extraordinary - he takes a broad range of scientific ideas, distills from them the important and the interesting, then passes this wisdom onto thousands of others, through talks, media, collaborations, and his regular slot on National Radio's Saturday morning with Kim Hill show.

"Paul had an ordinary New Zealand upbringing, and attributes his love of science and the natural world to the chance he had as a child to play outside, in the unrestrained way that was the norm in the 1950s and 60s. We worry a lot about whether our education system can produce the top scientists we need - perhaps we should think more about inspiring our youngsters by allowing them to explore and fall in love with our unrivalled natural environment."

Pro-Vice Chancellor at Victoria University, Professor David Bibby, added, "From his first job as a teacher at Wanganui Boys College, Paul's love of teaching has never left him. Wherever possible, he makes himself available to secondary school students, and he describes teaching introductory physics as some of the most enjoyable and important work he does. Paul Callaghan is an exemplar of scientific excellence - insightful and approachable, brimming with ideas, and with the nous to manage large research grants and acquire patents."

Professor Callaghan has received numerous awards and accolades. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1991 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2001. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious European Union Ampere Prize, which is given every two years to a scientist who makes notable strides forward in magnetic resonance. He was the first scientist from outside of Europe to win the Ampere Prize. Last year he was named Wellingtonian of the Year in the area of Science and Technology.

The Rutherford Medal was instituted in 1991 as the premier New Zealand science award at the request of the New Zealand Government. The award is made by the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand. The last five recipients have been Professor David Penny (2004), Professor George Petersen (2003), Professor Jeffrey Tallon (2002), Professor Peter Gluckman (2001), and Professor Alan MacDiarmid (2000).

For further information, or to receive a picture of Paul Callaghan, please contact Glenda Lewis, Royal Society of New Zealand, glenda.lewis@rsnz.org, 04 4705758 or 027 2100997.