UNE professor receives Iran's top science award

February 15, 2007

Acram Taji, Professor of Horticultural Science at the University of New England, has been honoured at a ceremony in Tehran during which the President of Iran, Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, presented her with Iran's highest award for scientific achievement.

Professor Taji, who grew up in Tehran, travelled back to the capital of Iran for the presentation of the 20th Khwarizmi International Awards (KIA). She was one of 39 scientists who received KIA awards at the ceremony on February 6. (She is pictured here during the award ceremony.)

"These awards celebrate the achievements of scientists across the world and in many fields – including agriculture, engineering, emerging technologies, basic sciences and medical research," Professor Taji said. "The office of the Iranian Organisation of Science and Technology received more than 800 applications – from across Iran and from 41 other countries – for this 20th set of awards. Thirty of the 39 awards went to Iranian scientists working in Iran, and the nine international awards went to scientists (including myself and one other Iranian expatriate) from Australia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, China, India, Malaysia and the United States."

Professor Taji, from UNE's School of Rural Science and Agriculture, received the award in the "Agriculture" category for her contribution to in vitro plant breeding and plant tissue culture. She also received a separate and special award from the Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (one of KIA's sponsors) for her contribution to sustainable development through her work in the conservation of rare and endangered plants.

She said that Dr Ahmadinejad's address at the conclusion of the ceremony had been "excellent", emphasising that scientific endeavour was "for the benefit of all humanity". He had spoken about the strong tradition of science and technology in Iran, explaining that the Khwarizmi Awards had been named in honour of the 9th century Iranian mathematician and astronomer Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. He had concluded by saying: "Advancement in science and technology is fundamental to peace and prosperity in the world."

Among the audience of several thousand were a number of dignitaries, including the Iranian Ministers for Science, Eduction and Defence and ambassadors from many participating countries. Professor Taji said that the function had been "a good opportunity to introduce UNE to an international audience". "Each award winner was provided with a booth," she explained, "where, after the ceremony, we spoke to officials and visitors and displayed material illustrating our work and introducing our various institutions. Dr Ahmadinejad, who had been told about my work in support of Iranian students at UNE and other Australian universities, was delighted to hear about Iranian students in Australia and thanked me for helping them."

"I feel immensely privileged," she said, "to be the recipient of an award that contributes to UNE's international presence and prestige." She added that, as a speaker of Farsi, she had been sought out in Tehran for interviews in the print and electronic media, and had appeared on talk-back radio. "I emphasised the need – internationally – to keep women graduates in science by providing career paths that allowed 'time out' in the early years of motherhood," she said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here expands to show Dr Ahmadinejad presenting a Khwarizmi International Award to Professor Taji in Tehran last week.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at February 15, 2007 04:13 PM