Kim Doherty, Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist: 2016-2020 (Aussie STEM Stars series), Wild Dingo Press, September 2021, 168 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925893434
Danielle Clode, John Long, Fossil Hunter (Aussie STEM Stars series), Wild Dingo Press, October 2021, 168 pp. RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925893687
The idea behind this series from Wild Dingo Press is to tell the inspiring stories of world-leading Australians in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and maths. These two titles cover the former Australian Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, and world-renowned palaeontologist, Professor John Long.
John Long is well-known as the author of some fabulous information books for young readers. What they may not realise is how eminent he is in his chosen field of vertebrate palaeontology and especially his ground-breaking discoveries of and research on fossil fish. Stories of his fossil-hunting expeditions and work with the police on identifying smuggled fossils are exciting. A nice addition would have been a list of titles of his books for kids so any aspiring young palaeontologists would know where to read further.
Alan Finkel has often been in the news while in his position of Chief Scientist, but his career has been astonishing. His Polish Jewish parents arrived separately in Australia before and after World War II, meeting and marrying in Melbourne. Alan decided to study engineering, then investigated electrical impulses in the brain while pursuing neuroscience and went on to establish his own scientific instrument business in Silicon Valley after having to design and manufacture tools for his own research. As Chief Scientist, he was asked for advice in many fields and wrote Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy and The Finkel Review into our electricity supply. He is passionate about science education, setting up websites and scholarships, as well as artificial intelligence and looking after the planet.
These two volumes are both very enjoyable to read. They are well-written and the narrative flows like a novel. As the target readership is 10-13 -year-olds, much of the early parts of the books focus on each of the person’s childhood before moving on to their education, research, and professional careers. Small fact boxes add extra information and drawings by Diana Silkina and Mirjana Segan break up the text. These are engaging, accessible, inspiring biographies.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
