Two of UTS's young researchers were honoured recently when they were named 2005 NSW Young Tall Poppy Award winners. The Young Tall Poppy awards were established by the Australian Institute of Political science to promote awareness of Australia's intellectual achievements among the Australian public.

Simon Walsh and Dominic Dowling were recognised for their strong research record and for their community service.

Walsh's field of expertise is forensic science, in particular forensic DNA profiling. He is currently completing his doctoral thesis evaluating the impact of forensic DNA profiling on the criminal justice system and is a lecturer in forensic biology in the Faculty of Science.

"To be chosen as a winner of a Young Tall Poppy Award is an great honour for me. I particularly like the fact that these awards specifically acknowledge individuals who have used their scientific expertise to reach out to various groups in the community and give their time to communicate with them. After all, if of your scientific work can't be appreciated by the community there's a problem," Walsh said.

Dowling witnessed first hand the devastation caused by two major earthquakes in El Salvador in 2000 and as a result is researching ways of making mud brick buildings safer for communities in developing countries.

Professor Bijan Samali from the Faculty of Engineering nominated Dowling for his outstanding research record and for his commitment to community development initiatives. "Dominic is an outstanding, compassionate young researcher who has demonstrated enthusiasm, academic rigour, excellent communication skills and is a fine ambassador for research in engineering and science," he said.

The awards not only acknowledge the recipient's achievements but also provide them with opportunities to promote science with young people including school children.