Rob Morrison

OAM
Born
Robert Gwydir Booth Morrison

(1942-11-14) 14 November 1942 (age 81)[1]
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Known forScience communication
SpousePenelope
Children2
Academic work
DisciplineZoology
InstitutionsFlinders University
Websiteflinders.edu.au/people/rob.morrison

Robert Gwydir Booth Morrison, OAM CF (born 14 November 1942) is an Australian zoologist and science communicator. He co-hosted The Curiosity Show which aired on television from 1972 to 1990. He has written or co-written 48 books about science for the general public.

Morrison is a Professorial Fellow in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. He is also a past President of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia (now publicised as "Zoos SA"). His research has focused on comparative anatomy of the mammalian olfactory system, the identification of animals from tracks and traces, the design of artificial nesting boxes, and techniques to breed animals and birds which face extinction in their native habitats in order to reintroduce them in the wild. He was called as an expert witness concerning dingoes in the case of Azaria Chamberlain's death. He is a founding member of the Friends of Science in Medicine, and he served as its Vice President for many years.

He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to conservation and science communication. In 2008 he was named the Senior Australian of the Year for South Australia.

Academic career

As a child, Morrison says he wanted to be "a farmer, then zookeeper then vet — anything to do with animals".[2]

Morrison studied at St Peter's College, Adelaide, and he went on to study at the University of Adelaide, earning his Bachelor of Science in zoology, physiology, and psychology in 1965, followed by Honours in 1966, and his Ph.D in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology in 1971. His PhD thesis was Comparative Studies on the Olfactory System of the Mammal (University of Adelaide, December 1969). In 1972 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study in the UK, and in 1972–73 he was a post-doctoral Research Fellow in animal behaviour at the University of Edinburgh, working with the noted animal behavior expert and television presenter Professor Aubrey Manning.[3][4]

On his return to Australia, he lectured at Sturt College of Advanced Education, the South Australian College of Advanced Education, and Flinders University in zoology, animal behaviour and human biology and he introduced a course on field studies based on his experience during his Churchill Fellowship.[5] Initially he combined his academic roles with writing books and radio and television work, but in 1995 he resigned from the university to focus on his career in writing and the media. In 2007 he was appointed a Professorial Fellow in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work.[6]

Research

Initially, Morrison's researches continued his PhD topic of mammalian olfactory systems. While at Flinders University, he developed an interest in researching nestboxes. He conducted a statewide project called "The Nestbox Project" in South Australian schools over 1992 and 1993, getting students to design, build and monitor nestboxes to see what used them. This supported the development of better designs, and educated children as to the value of the hollows in dead trees which were being cleared. The project's results were published in Nature Australia.[7] Its design suggestions were summarised in a joint publication with major ornithological groups,[8] and thousands were made and deployed as part of Rotary's ROBIN project.[9]

From 2000 to 2006, Morrison was President of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia (promoted as "Zoos SA"), where he oversaw both the smallest metropolitan zoo in Australia, Adelaide Zoo, and the largest, Monarto Zoo (now Monarto Safari Park). During this period, the Society membership grew three-fold.[10] He chaired the Society's Research Committee and one of the major research projects during this period involved accelerated breeding programs for animals and birds which had become endangered or extinct in their native habitats in order to reintroduce them in the wild, including Yellow-tailed black cockatoos,[11] the Mongolian wild horse and the bilby.[12][13] Their vet (David Schultz) pioneered the surrogacy technique of using more common species of wallabies to foster the translated joeys of rarer species, allowing the rare mothers to bring on more joeys much faster and greatly increasing the number of individuals of that species.[14]

Science media

Morrison is a passionate science communicator, telling an interviewer: "Science should be as much a part of the spectrum of civilised people’s interests as art, music and politics."[15]

For over thirty years, he was a regular contributor and columnist for works including The New Inventors, Science Magazine, Chemistry in Australia, Ockham’s Razor, and The Science Show on ABC Radio National.[16][17] On television, in addition to The Curiosity Show, he was the Channel Ten News science correspondent for ten years,[18] and made regular appearances on shows including The New Inventors, as producer and presenter of science segments for Nexus, a program which was produced by the ABC for the Australian government and broadcast to more than 40 countries in the Asia Pacific region via the Australia Network,[19] and Science Magazine. He has written or co-written 48 books for the general public about science and natural history.

Nowadays, he jokingly observes that "It's a bit daunting when some middle-aged, bald bloke comes up and says 'you were a great influence when I was young.'"[1]

The Curiosity Show

"What kid doesn't love volcanoes, dinosaurs, animals and explosions."

Rob Morrison[1]

Main article: The Curiosity Show

In 1971, Morrison was invited onto the Channel 9 children's show Here's Humphrey to talk about a possum which he was hand-rearing. The day after that shoot, the network offered him the job as presenter for their new show, which became The Curiosity Show.[20] Morrison and scientist Deane Hutton co-hosted over 500 episodes of The Curiosity Show which aired between 1972 and 1990, in 14 countries.[18] The emphasis was on science and nature, with a strong emphasis on practical demonstrations, and it also included general craft and music. The Curiosity Show won many national and international awards, including the Prix Jeunesse International in 1984, voted by peers from around the world as the best factual program for children.[21]

In 2013, the show's former hosts, Hutton and Morrison, announced they had purchased the remaining rights to the show and around 5,000 segments.[22] The show was repackaged as an online YouTube channel and launched in 2014.[23] As of August 2022 the channel has over 330,000 subscribers.[24] His books on science and natural history included 10 written with Deane Hutton which featured material from The Curiosity Show, including companion books containing scientific explanations and instructions for experiments for children to perform at home themed on the four Western classical elements of earth, air, fire and water.

Community engagement

In addition to his formal academic roles and media work, Morrison has been involved with bodies that champion scientific literacy, evidence-based medicine and policies. He is cited in the media as an expert on fields including the role of the Therapeutic Goods Administration,[25] government restrictions on dangerous "alternative health" practices[26][27] and the risks of university courses in health-related subjects which are not backed by appropriate standards of evidence.[28][29] He is also a commentator on matters of the balance between the economy and ecology.[30] In 2010 when the federal Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research conducted a review of science communication as a step towards a "national strategy", his evaluation was a supplement.[31]

He chaired the Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia (ARRFA) from 1995 to 1998, investigating ways to reduce this introduced pest so that native animals and plants can get re-established.[32] This organization was renamed in 1998 to The Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia (RFA).[33] In the 1990s they introduced chocolate "Easter Bilbies" as an alternative to conventional Easter rabbits, to publicise the plight of native animals brought about by rabbits.[34][35] In addition, some chocolate makers have helped to raise funds by donating part of the sales of chocolate bilbies to the Foundation.[36][37]

In 2007 he jointly established SciWorld, a mobile not-for-profit science education organization in Adelaide which runs education programs and regional science fairs and shows, and he was its inaugural chairman.[2][10][38] SciWorld came after the closure of The Investigator Science and Technology Centre in Adelaide; Morrison and three co-founders bought the assets and formed SciWorld to keep interactive science going in the state.[39]

In 2015, SciWorld partnered with the Australian Science and Mathematics School to offer cadetships for young people in the field of science communication.[40]

He was Patron of National Science Week SA for 13 years.[19]

Morrison was[citation needed] for many years Vice-President of the organisation "Friends of Science in Medicine" (FSM), which he jointly founded in 2011,[41] described by the University of Adelaide as "a public health watch dog group ... concerned about honesty in medical claims and the need for evidence-based medicine".[42]

He created the Lesueur Conservation Park (part of which was previously called Cape Hart Conservation Park), a 14.14 square kilometres (5.46 sq mi; 3,490 acres) reserve including a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) length of coastline on Kangaroo Island.[20][43]

Morrison was called as an expert witness in the third trial looking into the death of Azaria Chamberlain.[20] He had been in the area of Uluru several months before that incident, filming and collecting materials for his book A Field Guide to the Tracks and Traces of Australian Animals, and he had presented for Curiosity Show on dingoes at Uluru. He testified at the Morling enquiry into the Chamberlain Convictions about why local trackers had given conflicting evidence about dingo tracks, and he conducted forensic tests to show that dingoes had the strength, the gape, and the dexterity needed to take the baby and remove her clothes. His collection of specimens and artefacts from the trial have since been acquired by the National Museum of Australia.[20][44][45]

Personal life

Morrison and his wife Penny have two sons. His hobbies include being a jazz musician, ship-bottler, and silversmith.[2] He also has an interest in maritime history, and he was involved in bringing the clipper ship City of Adelaide back to South Australia. He also produced a simplified model of that ship, aimed at allowing primary school children to build the ship in a bottle.[20][46][47]

Awards and recognition

In the 2004 Australia Day honours, Morrison was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in recognition of his "service to conservation and the environment, and to the fields of science education and communication".[48] In 2008, he was South Australia's "Senior Australian of the Year" and a finalist for the national "Senior Australian of the Year".[49]

Other awards and recognitions include:

Publications

Books

Morrison has written or co-written 48 books on science and natural history, including:[18]

Chapters

Selected journal articles

Morrison has published extensively in scientific journals. The following are, perhaps, of most interest to the general reader or led to prizes such as the Eureka:

References

  1. ^ a b c Cronshaw, Damon (30 June 2017). "The golden years of curious television". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Spain, Katie (22 May 2015). "Everything you ever wanted to ask the Curiosity Show's Rob Morrison". Advertiser. Adelaide. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Corporate publications". Nature Foundation. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "MORRISON, Robert's profile". www.churchilltrust.com.au. Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Calendar 1991 Sturt Campus – Volume 3 – Courses offered at the former SACAE Sturt Campus" (PDF). The Flinders University of South Australia. p. 10. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Professor Rob Morrison". Flinders University. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  7. ^ "The Nestbox Project". Nature Australia: 56–63. Winter 1996.
  8. ^ Phillips, Hugo; Gunn, Tim; Trainor, Russell; Morrison, Rob; McCulloch, Ellen (1997). Grant, Jim (ed.). The Nestbox Book. Victoria: Gould League. ISBN 1-875687-34-3.
  9. ^ "ROBIN | District 9520". rotary9520.org. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "South Australia's Australian of the Year award recipients announced". www.australianoftheyear.org.au. Australian of the Year Awards. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2017.[dead link]
  11. ^ "Ark on Eyre". ABC Radio National. 1 December 1999. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  12. ^ Negus, George (13 September 2004). "Rob Morrison". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Commission. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  13. ^ "Professor Rob Morrison". ABC Radio National. 14 January 2000. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  14. ^ Morrison, RGB (March 2003). "Surrogacy Gives Rare Marsupials a New Chance". Australasian Science: 38.
  15. ^ a b Keenihan, Sarah (12 November 2014). "Science in a glossy mag? Tell 'em they're dreaming". Australian Science Communicators. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Australia Day Ambassadors – Dr Rob Morrison OAM (South Australia)". www.australiaday.org.au. National Australia Day Council. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Program & Speakers | Parkinsons Australia National Conference". www.aomevents.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  18. ^ a b c "reCollections – Rob Morrison". recollections.nma.gov.au. National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Watch this space". www.adelaide.edu.au. Cast Members. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  20. ^ a b c d e Morrison, Rob (25 October 2016). "How Is Curiosity Show's Rob Morrison Connected To Azaria Chamberlain?". www.fritzmag.com.au (Interview). Interviewed by Lainie Anderson. Newstyle Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  21. ^ Heading, Rex; Jones, Trevor (1996). Miracle on Tynte Street – The Channel Nine story. Kent Town, SA: Wakefield Press. pp. 102–105. ISBN 978-1862543904.
  22. ^ Leo, Jessica (3 July 2013). "Curiosity Show back for a new generation". news.com.au. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  23. ^ Keene, Neil (27 May 2014). "The Curiosity Show makes a comeback". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  24. ^ The number of subscribers is shown on The Curiosity Show's channel on YouTube.
  25. ^ Shepherd, Tory (1 April 2013). "Dodgy 'cures' off the market". The Advertiser. Adelaide. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  26. ^ Leggatt, Johanna (5 February 2017). "It's healthy to question the value of bogus treatments". Herald Sun. Melbourne.
  27. ^ Shepherd, Tory (24 June 2009). "Our cash wasted on unproven medicine". The Advertiser. Adelaide. p. 3. Accession Number: 200906241003676427.
  28. ^ Des, Houghton (26 May 2012). "Quacks galore in facade of quirky medicine". CourierMail. Brisbane. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  29. ^ "Should universities teach alternative medicine?". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Question. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  30. ^ Morrison, Rob (2 January 2010). "Economy and ecology may live in the same house, but as unevenly matched siblings". The Advertiser. Adelaide. p. 72.
  31. ^ Pockley, Peter (April 2010). "Bureaucratic Soup for Science Promotion". Australasian Science. 31 (3): 36–37.
  32. ^ Light, Deborah (17 February 2011). "Rabbits: from pest to plate". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  33. ^ "History". Rabbit Free Australia. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  34. ^ Coates, Nathan (24 March 2016). "The Easter bilby vs bunny: why do we celebrate a devastating pest?". ABC Rural. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  35. ^ Verass, Sophie. "Bilbies, not bunnies – How this endangered animal became our Easter mascot". NITV. SBS. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  36. ^ Conroy, Gemma (13 April 2017). "10 reasons Australians should celebrate bilbies, not bunnies, this Easter". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  37. ^ Cooke, Brian. "Bunnies or bilbies? Why animals define Easter". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  38. ^ "About SciWorld". sciworld.org.au. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  39. ^ "SciWorld; The Investigator's Legacy". SASTA Journal (1). SA Science Teachers' Association: 3–5. 2010.
  40. ^ Peddie, Clare (8 July 2015). "Ex-Curiosity Show presenters to lead the new SciWorld Science Cadet Program at the Australian Science and Mathematics School". The Advertiser. Adelaide. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  41. ^ "FSM Executive". Friends of Science in Medicine. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  42. ^ "Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennan". www.adelaide.edu.au. The University of Adelaide Staff Directory. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  43. ^ "Protected Areas Information System – reserve list (as of 14 December 2016)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  44. ^ "Azaria Revisited". Flinders University News. 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  45. ^ "Collection Explorer – Professor Robert Morrison collection". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 27 January 2018. Each item in the collection has the following Statement of Significance: The Professor Robert Morrison collection consists of objects used in the 1986 Morling Royal Commission of Inquiry into the convictions of Michael and Lindy Chamberlain in the Northern Territory. Professor Morrison's evidence was central to overturning earlier forensic evidence. In particular, his evidence, as an expert on Australian fauna, was used to cast doubts on the earlier evidence of a London-based forensic odontologist with no knowledge of dingos. The trial of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain for the death of their daughter Azaria was one of the major issues of public debate in Australia in the 1980s. The case involved almost every level of the federal judicial system in Australia, from a local coronial inquest to an appeal to the High Court of Australia. Two significant questions regarding the administration of justice were raised by the case – the heavy reliance on forensic evidence by the prosecution, and possible political interference in the judicial process. The convictions of murder (Lindy Chamberlain) and accessory to murder (Michael Chamberlain) were obtained without the prosecution producing a body, a murder weapon, a witness, or a convincing motive. Circumstantial evidence was supported by forensic evidence that was later discredited.
  46. ^ "Help bottle the clipper City of Adelaide". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  47. ^ Williams, Robyn (6 August 1999). "The Shipping Muse". Radio National. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  48. ^ "It's an Honour – Australian Honours – Morrison, Robert G B". www.itsanhonour.gov.au. Australian Government – Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  49. ^ "National Finalist Senior Australian of the Year 2008: Professor Rob Morrison OAM, Science communicator". www.australianoftheyear.org.au. Australian of the Year Awards. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  50. ^ "The University of Adelaide News and Events". The University of Adelaide. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  51. ^ "Eureka Prize Winners" (PDF). The Skeptic. 22 (3). Australian Skeptics: 11. Spring 2002. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  52. ^ "Research awards". www.flinders.edu.au. Flinders University. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  53. ^ "Past Winners & Finalists (Eureka Prizes)". australianmuseum.net.au. Australian Museum. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  54. ^ "2012 AGM – summary of outcomes". Australian Science Communicators. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  55. ^ Singer, Jessica; Hadley, Martin (December 2012). "Skeptics' Awards 2012 ... and The Winner is" (PDF). The Skeptic. 32 (4): 14. ISSN 0726-9897. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  56. ^ "Bert Davis spoken word awards" (PDF). Writers SA. 2017. p. 2. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  57. ^ "Class of 1968 Golden Jubilee" (PDF). University of Adelaide. p. 3. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  58. ^ "Our People – Our Fellows of the Foundation". www.naturefoundation.org.au. Nature Foundation SA. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  59. ^ "Adelaide Hills Science Hub". www.sustainablecommunitiessa.org.au. Sustainable Communities SA. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  60. ^ "Science <-> Society – Details". Trove. Retrieved 5 January 2017.

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