The sidney prize is a way to reward people who have done well for humanity. It is also a great way to encourage others to do good things for themselves and the world. It can be decided on a national basis and has been awarded to a number of groups, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the University of Sydney art history department.
Sid Wertimer was a man who believed that science should serve the public, not just advance knowledge. He was a tireless advocate for academic freedom and fought to ensure that scholars could publish their research without fear of censorship. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and dedicated to the ideals of liberal education.
While at MIT, Sid took an introductory course in molecular biology that opened his eyes to the potential of this field. He was intrigued by bacterial genetics and spent his graduate work studying the process of DNA replication. He was fascinated by this work and found that he had discovered something profound, a fundamental aspect of life.
He was a man who was willing to challenge accepted dogma, but he did so cautiously. He struggled to convince other scientists of his discovery, and it was only after Tom Cech independently discovered the self-splicing group I intron of Tetrahymena that he began to gain acceptance for his findings. Sid was always humble and he never let his accomplishments go to his head.
In memory of Professor Anne Dunn, who was a much loved colleague and foundational staff member of the Department of Journalism and Media. The prize is a recognition of excellence in the teaching of the subject area and in the mentoring of postgraduate students. The value of the prize is $500 and will be paid as a one off payment. If there is more than one recipient of the prize, it may be shared.
Located at the heart of British culture, history and art, Sidney has an astoundingly rich and surprising story to tell. It has produced soldiers, political cartoonists, alchemists, spies and murderers, as well as Nobel prize-winners, bestselling authors and media personalities. It has shaped modern science, Keynesian economics and, of course, Sherlock Holmes. Its most enduring legacy, however, is its incredible capacity to punch far above its weight.
The Sir Sidney Smith Prize for Postgraduate Research in Linguistics is awarded annually by the Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney. The prize is open to all PhD and Masters students who have submitted a paper for consideration for the award. This paper must have been written whilst undertaking research using HUB core facilities at Westmead. The prize is valued at $200. If more than one researcher is judged to be of equal merit, the prize may be shared. The deadline for nominations is the last day of each month. Nominations are welcomed for either individual papers or groups of papers. The winner of the prize will be announced on the second Wednesday of each month.
