The 2006 AOGC Medal

摘要

Since 1991 the AOGC has awarded a medal for lifetime achievement in the field of Organic Geochemistry to one of the distinguished members of our society. Professor Michael Wilson is Executive Dean of the College of Health and Science, University of Western Sydney. This encompasses Science, Engineering, Computing and Information Technology, Agriculture, Equine Studies, Environment, Horticulture, Medicine, Complementary medicine and Nursing. He is a former Head of School at the University of Technology, Sydney, Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO and has academic positions at the University of Utah, Canterbury University, University of New South Wales and Auckland University. He has also spent time at the United States Geological Survey. He is author of the monograph “The Applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to Geochemistry and Soil Science” and co author of a second book, “Nanotechnology”. He obtained a PhD in 1974 and a DSc in 1988 from Auckland. He is on the editorial board of the journals Energy and Fuels, Organic Geochemistry, is a past editor of Solid State NMR and has been a member of the Australian Prime Minister’s working party on Crime and Science. He has published over 180 publications in organic geochemistry within a total of 343. His contributions to geochemistry are within the fields of organic geochemistry of soils and coal, the organic geochemistry of petroleum formation, petroleum refining and coal utilisation. His other areas of research include nanocarbons, nanocomposites of artificial bone (apatite), forensic science of drugs and, more recently, molecular structure of alternative medicines. He is a member of the ARC Australian Centre of Excellence for Nanotechnology and has published seven papers in Nature. What the above official biography does not say is that Mick has been the mentor and inspiration behind the careers of many organic geochemists in Australia. He has shown us the way professionally and socially, with plenty of emphasis on teamwork and group participation in meetings and social events. His frank and honest opinions of other people’s work have been valued, as has his advice to more junior members of his teams on how to get on in CSIRO, in the scientific publishing World and in universities. He is remembered at CSIRO for his publication record, his drive to pull in projects from diverse industry groupings, his willingness to defend his staff from management and for his impersonations of Adrian Williams’ eyebrows! For these reasons, as well as for his outstanding professional and academic record, Mick is truly a deserving recipient of the Australian Organic Geochemistry Conference medal in 2006.