Student prizes

The Nancy Millis Prize in Microbiology & Immunology

Awarded to the top student in 2nd year BSc (MIIM20001 Principles of Microbiology & Immunology + MIIM20002 Microbes, Infections and Responses). Prize of $200 plus a Certificate.

Emeritus Prof Nancy Millis

Nancy first joined the University of Melbourne in 1952  when she was appointed as a Senior Demonstrator by Professor Syd Rubbo in the then Department of Microbiology. In 1953 she was appointed as lecturer. Early in her career she set up the first Applied Microbiology course in Australia and in 1982 was appointed as a Professor in our Department, a position she held till her retirement. Notably, she was the fourth woman to be appointed Professor at the University of Melbourne.

Throughout her career she was instrumental in bringing together the two worlds of academia and industry serving as Chairperson for the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, a board member of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology, a committee member of Australian Water Advisory Resources Committee, the Council of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences, the National Commission for UNESCO plus many others. Nancy was also Chancellor of La Trobe University from 1992, a position she held until her retirement in 2006.

In the latter part of her career Nancy became involved in the Surveillance of Genetic Engineering and in the early ‘80s she was head of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee and was chairperson of the Commonwealth government’s agency for the surveillance of genetic engineering. She sought to champion this cause through interviews with the media.

She received a number of honours over the course of a long career. In 1977 she was awarded a MBE for her work in biological sciences and in 1990 she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (CA). She was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA), an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Society for Microbiology, and an honorary life member of AusBiotech. In 1993 the University of Melbourne awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Science. Nancy was widely regarded as a national treasure and was one of five Australian scientists to be featured on postage stamps.  The CEO of Bio21 Cluster at the University of Melbourne, Dr Jan Tennent, very aptly described her as the "undisputed First Lady of biotechnology in Australia".

In 1987 Nancy was made Emeritus Professor and continued working within the Department up until her retirement in 2012.

Ian Holmes Medal for Virology

Awarded to the top student in MIIM30014 Medical Microbiology: Virology. Prize of a bronze medal.

Associate Professor and Reader Ian Hamilton Holmes

Ian was a highly respected senior member of the academic staff of our Department from 1963 until his retirement in 2000. In 1973, Ian applied his expertise in electron microscopy to intestinal biopsies collected by colleagues at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne from children with non-bacterial gastroenteritis. In these samples he discovered a new human virus, rotavirus, which he quickly identified as orbivirus-like. Later he showed that rotavirus belongs to a new group within the family Reoviridae. Ian’s rotavirus research over 27 years greatly contributed to the development of rotavirus vaccines, which are starting to have a dramatic impact on infant morbidity and mortality in many countries.

He received the David Syme Research Prize from The University of Melbourne (1977) and the Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award (1998) for this work.

Ian was a friend to all and a wonderful mentor to his many students. He enthusiastically passed on his passion for science and the importance of nurturing the next generation of researchers.