A study of Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay has won the 1996 CSIRO Chairman's Gold Medal. The annual award carries with it a cheque for $25,000.

The Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study (PPBES) team was led by Professor Graham Harris of CSIRO's Environment Project Office in Canberra. The Study was largely funded by Melbourne Water, and involved close cooperation between twenty seven contracting partners including CSIRO Divisions, Victorian Government agencies, and overseas scientific institutions such as the University of California (San Diego).

According to Professor Harris, PPBES is not only a unique example of multidisciplinary scientific study, but it is also a model for future management and understanding of large catchments in Australia and overseas.

"As a result of the success of PPBES, we have recently signed an agreement with Sydney Water for a similar large scale study of the catchment and the Harbour," said Professor Harris. "We hope that the results of the Sydney study give it the same clean bill of health as Melbourne received from PPBES."

Professor Harris said that the PPBES team were delighted with the practical recognition which their work had received from the Government of Victoria, which committed itself to abide by the recommendations of the Study.

The PPBES team consisted of: Professor Graham Harris, Dr Graeme Batley, Dr David Fox, Mr Douglas Hall, Dr Peter Jernakoff, Mr Robert Molloy, Dr Alexander Murray, Mr Brian Newell, Dr John Parslow, Dr Graham Skyring and Dr Stephen Walker.

CSIRO Medals were also awarded to:

• Dr Michael Dallwitz of CSIRO's Division of Entomology, for his development of the internationally recognised DELTA taxonomic computer programs;
• Dr Dave Abel, Mr Ross Ackland, Mr Mark Cameron, Mr David Campbell, Mr Hong Lei, Mr Ross Payne, Mr Robert Power, Mr Lloyd Simons, Ms Dione Smith, Dr John Smith, Mr Barry Steele, Mr Tai Tran, Mr Gavin Walker, Dr Sue-Ken Yap, for their development of interactive Spatial Information Systems;
• (External Medal) Mr Kevin Kenneally and Ms Daphne Choules Edinger, WA Department of Conservation and Land Management, and Mr Tim Willing, Broome Botanical Society, for research leading to the publication of the outstanding book Broome and Beyond: Plants and People of the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley, WA'.

Media are invited to the presentation of the CSIRO medals on