Jack-of-all-trades scientist Terry Speed wins $300k as a 'reward for curiosity' Terry Speed at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute yesterday. Picture: Strange Ray Source: News Limited HE has given evidence at the OJ Simpson trial, predicted the location of big pink diamonds in the East Kimberley and can even tell whether your cancer will kill you. Now Terry Speed, a statistician with a taste for solving real-world problems, has won the Prime Minister's Prize for Science. Explaining his mixed-bag CV as a culmination of his roving curiosity, Professor Speed said his career had taken many turns but had arrived back at his first love: a marriage of genetics and statistics. I used to say I'd be a jack of all trades and a master of none. It's nice that I've eventually mastered one thing. But I remain far too interested in too many things and, as an old man now, I can say it has probably been worthwhile. The 70-year-old head of bio-informatics at the Walter and Eliza Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne was presented with $300,000 in prize money. Australia's pre-eminent science award recognises Professor Speed's diverse career, which has mostly focused on developing statistical models to predict the mortality rates of some cancers and the need for surgery on others. Writing for The Australian online today, University of NSW deputy vice-chancellor (research) Les Field notes the celebration last night of scientific achievement was marred by the lack of a science minister in parliament. "With such brilliant examples of scientific research, the fact that the new Coalition government was formed with the very obvious omission of a portfolio for science has been brought into sharp focus," Professor Field writes. It's hard to fathom that a country in this modern day and age can have a minister for sport and a minister for the arts but no minister for science. How can that be? The University of NSW produced both other major research prize winners. Angela Moles, who uses plant compounds from vegetation in the Artic tundra to develop new drugs, won the $50,000 prize for Life Scientist of the Year. Her colleague Andrea Morello, who is developing silicon components for quantum computing, is Physical Scientist of the Year. The schoolteacher awards went to Sarah Chapman, head of science at Townsville High School, and Richard Johnson of Perth's Rostrata Primary School. Professor Speed says his career is far from over, but he is contemplating changing tack. I'm wrestling not so much with retirement as moving out of the way of younger researchers but still being active. The problem with hierarchical organisations is old guys like me get stuck at the top. I don't want to retire just to make the younger ones happy, but I would like to move aside so I can still make a contribution but not be a barrier to the younger generation.