ANU College of Science student wins Edward Gray Memorial Prize

For the third consecutive year, the Australia Sri Lanka Council wishes to honour the memory of the late Mr Edward Gray, and acknowledge his contribution to Australia and Sri Lanka by recognising an undergraduate or postgraduate student currently attending a university in Australia, whose recent work is judged by a panel appointed by the Australia Sri Lanka Council to have contributed most significantly to the Australia/Sri Lanka relationship and understanding.

Sean Perera, a PhD candidate at the ANU College of Science, was awarded the "Edward Gray Memorial Prize 2007: Contribution to Australia Sri Lanka relations".

Sean was chosen based on his research at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, which investigates the effectiveness of communication models used in short-term professional development workshops for science teachers. He argues the potential for these workshops to empower teachers in Australia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, from a science communication perspective.

Sean’s research interests include cultural perceptions of scientific knowledge and knowledge transfer in cross-cultural communication.

Sean studied microbiology at Bangalore University, India, where he graduated in 1999. He holds a Masters Degree in Agriculture from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where he also taught prior to commencing his PhD.

At the ANU he teaches courses in Science Communication and demonstrates for the School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Sean has also served as Research Officer for the CGIAR International Challenge Program for Water and Food.