March 10, 2025
Science Meets Parliament 2025
Science Meets Parliament celebrated its 25th anniversary of fostering meaningful conversations and connections between researchers and policymakers in February.
Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) sponsored three researchers from the Trailblazers Universities Program to attend this year’s event, including FaBA’s Dr Heather Shewan.
It’s a long way from unpacking textures in the lab to dining on fine foods at a Parliamentary Dinner, but that’s the journey that Dr Heather Shewan has taken.
She was one of three researchers in the Trailblazers Universities Program selected to participate in the 2025 Science Meets Parliament, where she attended workshops, the Press Club and a Gala Dinner.
“The Hon. Bill Shorten encouraged scientists to build relationships with politicians, industry and the wider community at every stage of our work and to include people in the co-design of research, which is something that we are committed to doing at FaBA.”
The event provided a platform for researchers to communicate their findings, advocate for their research areas, and understand the role of government and policy in scientific advancement.
Dr Shewan met one-on-one with Opposition Whip and former Minister for Science and Technology the Hon. Melissa Price to discuss the value-add opportunity that manufacturing provides the nation’s food and beverage sector.
“We discussed the impact and benefit of FaBA’s work for communities across Australia, but particularly for communities in regional Australia, such as her electorate of Durack in Western Australia.”
The Trailblazers researchers were joined at Science Meets Parliament by AEA Board Members Professor Mark Hutchinson and Dr Angeline Achariya.