Royal Society of South Australia
Encyclopedia
The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a Learned Society whose interest is in Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

, particularly, but not only, of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

.

The Society stems directly from the Adelaide Philosophical Society founded on the 10 January 1853. The title "Royal" was granted by her Majesty Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

 in 1880 and the Society became known by its present designation. It was incorporated in 1883.

Adelaide Philosophical Society

The Society had its origins in a meeting at the Stephens Place home of J. L. Young (founder of the Adelaide Educational Institution) on the evening of 10 January 1853. Members inducted were Messrs. John Brown, John Howard Clark
John Howard Clark
John Howard Clark was editor of The South Australian Register from 1870 to 1877 and was responsible for its Echoes from the Bush column and closely associated with its Geoffry Crabthorn persona.-Early years:...

, Davy, Doswell, Charles Gregory Feinaigle, Gilbert, Gosse, Hamilton, Hammond, W. B. Hays, Jones, Kay, Mann, Whitridge, Williams, Wooldridge and John Lorenzo Young. J. Howard Clark was elected secretary. On 15 September rules were adopted and His Excellency the Governor Sir Henry Young
Henry Young
Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861.-Early life:...

 was elected president. At the time of its first Annual General Meeting membership had risen to 35.

Membership

There are five classes of members:
  • Honorary Fellows,
  • Sustaining Fellows,
  • Fellows,
  • Associate Fellows and
  • Student Fellows

Awards and medals

The society awards:
  • The Verco Medal
  • The Publication Medal
  • The Royal Society of South Australia Postgraduate Student Prize
  • The H. G. Andrewartha
    Herbert Andrewartha
    Professor Herbert George Andrewartha, BS , MAgSc , DSc , FAA, was a distinguished Australian research scientist in the fields of entomology, biology, zoology and animal ecology.-Early years:...

     Medal

List of presidents

Royal Society of South Australia Presidents:
1853–1854
1855
1856–1861
1862–1868
1869–1872
1877
1878–1879
1880–1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886–1889
1889
1890–1891
1892–1894 (2nd term)
1895–1896
1897–1899
1900–1903 (2nd term)
1903–1921
1921
1922–1924
1925
1926
1927
1927–1928
1929–1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941 (2nd term)
1942
1943
1944
1945 (2nd term)
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959–1960
1961 (2nd term)
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982–1983
1984
1985–1986
1987
1988–1989
1990–1992
1992–1994
1994–1996
1996–1998
1998–2000
2000–2002
2002–2004
2004–2006
2006–2008
2008–2010
2010–2012

Verco Medal recipients

"The medal shall be awarded for distinguished scientific work published by a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Australia. It is the highest honour that the Society can bestow on one of its Fellows. Only those who have made a significant, outstanding contribution to their field(s) of study receive the award."


The medal is named in honour of Joseph Verco. The first award of the medal was to Prof Walter Howchin
Walter Howchin
Walter Howchin was a geologist who lectured in mineralogy and palaeontology at the former Adelaide School of Mines and Adelaide University; he won the Clarke Medal in 1907.-Early life:...

 in 1929.

Previous winners include:
1966 Alderman
2004
1962
1996
1989
1930
2003
1933
1960 Finlayson
1999
1970
1946
1935
1929
1976 Hutton
1963 Ludbrook
1945
1931
1971 Mountford
1972 Parkin
1957
1938
1967 Pryor
2008
2010
1965 Southcott
1961 Specht
1968
1959 Stephens
1974
1975 Thomson
1956 Tindale
1955
2007
1990
1943
1969
1944
1973 Wopfner
1932 not awarded
1934 not awarded
1936-7 not awarded
1939-1942 not awarded
1947-1954 not awarded
1958 not awarded
1964 not awarded

Notable members

Notable members of the Royal Society of South Australia have included:
  • Prof. William Henry Bragg
    William Henry Bragg
    Sir William Henry Bragg OM, KBE, PRS was a British physicist, chemist, mathematician and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg - the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics...

    ,
  • Prof. Sir Robert William Chapman
    Robert William Chapman (engineer)
    Robert William Chapman was a mathematician and engineer.In 1907, Chapman became the first Professor of Engineering at the University of Adelaide. He then was Professor of Mathematics at Adelaide from 191 to 1919....

    ,
  • Thomas Charles Cloud (died 1918),
  • Alexander William Dobbie (born 1843),
  • John William Hall Hullett (born 1847),
  • Dr. Cecil Thomas Madigan (1889–1947),
  • James McGeorge,
  • Thomas Parker,
  • Walter Rutt (1842–1925),
  • Sir Charles Todd,
  • Carl Albert Unbehaun (1851–1924) and
  • Robert Archibald White.

See also

  • Australian Academy of Science
    Australian Academy of Science
    The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...

  • Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
    Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
    The Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science is an organisation that was founded in 1888 by Archibald Liversidge as the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science to promote science. It was modelled on the British Association for the Advancement of Science...

  • Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
    Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
    The Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies represent the interests of about 68,000 Australian scientists and technologists, and promotes their views on a wide range of policy issues to Government, industry and the community....

  • Royal Society of New South Wales
    Royal Society of New South Wales
    The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. It was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June 1821...

  • Royal Society of Queensland
    Royal Society of Queensland
    The Royal Society of Queensland was formed in Queensland, Australia in 1884, with royal patronage granted in 1885.The aim of the Society is "Increasing awareness of natural sciences in Queensland"....

  • Royal Society of Tasmania
    Royal Society of Tasmania
    The Royal Society of Tasmania was formed in 1844.The RST was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom. It started as the "Tasmanian Society" formed by Sir John Franklin assisted by Ronald Campbell Gunn....

  • Royal Society of Victoria
    Royal Society of Victoria
    The Royal Society of Victoria is the oldest learned society in the state of Victoria in Australia.The Royal Society of Victoria was formed in 1859 from a merger between The Philosophical Society of Victoria and The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science , both founded...

  • Royal Society of Western Australia
    Royal Society of Western Australia
    The Royal Society of Western Australia promotes science in Western Australia.The RSWA was founded in 1914. It publishes the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, and has awarded the Medal of the Royal Society of Western Australia on an occasional basis since 1924.-External links:**...

  • The Royal Society
    Royal Society
    The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...

     (The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge)
  • Royal Society (disambiguation)
    Royal Society (disambiguation)
    The Royal Society may refer to :* Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, United Kingdom* Royal Society for Asian Affairs, United Kingdom* Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan...


External links

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