When was the last time you read the terms and conditions before clicking “accept”? The amount of personal information we are giving up in the digital sphere is astonishing, and will only increase with our ever-higher reliance on artificial intelligence as it takes off in self-driving cars, automated medicine, and security and law enforcement.

Australia's Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, has responded to an open letter from a group of Australian climate scientists as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on 25 August 2020.

"In the search for practical and effective solutions to bushfire and natural hazards, science and translational research are critically important."

Dr Finkel delivered the 2020 Laurie Hammond Oration for the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC on Wednesday 19 August 2020. Titled "Fire, flood, storm and cyclone: applying science to the challenge", the speech addresses the role of science in both adaptation and mitigation of Australia's natural disasters.

"Your answers are only as good as your questions. Determining the questions can be difficult."

Dr Finkel delivered the keynote address to an Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) and Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) event on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Australia on Tuesday 18 August 2020.

Titled 'AI: Can we get it right, please?", the speech muses on the key issues for the future of AI, and summarises his advocacy in the AI space across his tenure as Chief Scientist.

This mapping exercise highlights Australia’s breadth of research capability in foundational and applied research related to bushfires across the national coordination initiatives.

The Office of the Chief Scientist has published a new Occasional Paper on Synthetic Biology, outlining what it is, what it can do, and some of the key issues currently under consideration.

Australians who have studied science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are helping to solve the problems of the future—meeting electricity demand and generation needs, adapting to the changing climate, integrating AI into society and optimising healthcare for ageing populations.

The second Australia’s STEM Workforce report once again provides a comprehensive analysis of Australia’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) trained workforce.

Children's author, artist, university lecturer and biomedical scientist Dr Rina Fu has taken the Storytime Pledge!

The CEO of Engineers Australia, Dr Bronwyn Evans, has taken the Storytime Pledge!