When the World Health Organization announced \u2013 incorrectly, as became apparent later \u2013 in March 2020 that the Covid-19 virus was not airborne, Prof Lidia Morawska knew she had to do something.<\/p>\n
A renowned expert in air quality and health, Morawska, of the Queensland University of Technology, began contacting international colleagues. She eventually gathered 239 scientists<\/a> globally to highlight the risk of airborne transmission of Sars-CoV-2.<\/p>\n The public pressure<\/a> eventually prompted the WHO and other authorities to update their public health guidelines.<\/p>\n For her work during the pandemic, Morawska was named one of Time magazine\u2019s most influential people in 2021.<\/p>\n On Monday evening, she also received the top gong at the prime minister\u2019s prizes for science, for her \u201cpioneering research about the air we breathe\u201d.<\/p>\n Morawska described receiving the $250,000 prime minister\u2019s prize as \u201can amazing joy\u201d, but said importantly the award would bring attention to her field of research.<\/p>\n Her current work focuses on ultrafine particles \u2013 tiny pollutants tens to hundreds of times smaller than PM2.5<\/a> and believed to have more significant health impacts, but which are not yet widely regulated.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they are so small, they can get deep into the human respiratory tract,\u201d Morawska said.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n Morawska\u2019s recognition comes at a fraught time \u2013 an \u201cage of anti-science\u201d, as she has called it.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the United States, it\u2019s a particularly difficult situation,\u201d she said. \u201cScience and scientists are nowhere near as listened to as \u2026 in the past, and decisions are not based on science.\u201d It is a problem she hopes to tackle by bringing scientists together as she did during the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we operate individually, it\u2019s very easy to reject us \u2026 but eventually, the voice of a large scientific body, which can be respected, hopefully will make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n The prime minister\u2019s science prizes, now in their 26th year, are Australia\u2019s most prestigious awards for achievements in scientific research, innovation and teaching. \u200b\u200b<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese said in a statement: \u201cI congratulate and thank Prof Morawska for her incredible work over many years which influenced how Australia and the world mitigated risks associated with Covid-19.<\/p>\n \u201cI extend that congratulations and thanks to all recipients.\u201d<\/p>\n In a category awarded for the first time this year, Prof Michael Wear received the prime minister\u2019s prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Prof Michael Wear has been awarded the inaugural prime minister\u2019s prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems Photograph: The prime minister\u2019s prizes for science<\/p>\n Wear, a Malgana traditional custodian of Gutharraguda (Shark Bay) in Western Australia, received the $250,000 prize in recognition of his marine conservation work. He is the founder of Tidal Moon, Australia\u2019s first Indigenous-owned and led sea cucumber fishery and marine restoration enterprise.<\/p>\n