The National Museum of Australia has joined the Australian National University in offering graduate courses in museums and collections.

The program, taught by staff from the Museum as well as the University, introduces students to the absorbing world of collecting institutions, including their objectives, management, exhibitions and audiences. It provides a strong background for employment in museums, galleries and other cultural institutions.

The museums and collections course can be studied at the Graduate Diploma and Masters levels.

This prize, which is administered by the Australian Academy of Science and supported by the NMA, offers an award of $2500 for the best essay in environmental history or the history of Australian science by a research student. This prize was first awarded in 2006.

The 2010 prize was announced in May and went to Luke Keogh of the University of Queensland for an essay entitled 'Duboisia Pituri - A Natural History'. The prize was presented on Thursday 6 May by Dr John Passioura, FAA on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science, and Dr Mat Trinca, acting Director of the National Museum of Australia.

The judging panel in 2010 was chaired by Dr Rachel Ankeny, the Chair of the Academy's National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science. The National Museum of Australia was represented on this panel by Dr Mike Smith from the Museum's Centre for Historical Research and by Dr Libby Robin, a co-editor of Historical Records of Australian Science.

Left to right: Mat Trinca, Acting Director, National Museum of Australia, Luke Keogh, Prizewinner, John Passioura, FAA, Chair of the Board of Historical Records of Australian Science. Photo: George Serras, National Museum of Australia.

> 2011 Student Prize application process

The co-winners of the 2009 student prize for Australian Environmental History were Jodi Frawley (University of Sydney) and Benedict Taylor (University of New South Wales).