Hawthorndene scientist wins top SA environment prize
Hawthorndene scientist Dr Jake Robinson has been awarded the prestigious Pelzer Prize in recognition of his contribution to environmental stewardship.
Jake was awarded the prize at the SA Environment Awards in June, presented by Conservation Council SA in partnership with Green Adelaide, the Department of Environment and Water and The University of Adelaide Environment Institute.
The award recognises his contribution through books, digital platforms and community engagement in helping South Australians see urban nature as a living system worth protecting.
A microbial ecologist and researcher at Flinders University, Jake has more than 32,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel Nature.Gut.Brain.
He has published a series of books including Invisible Friends: How Microbes Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us and The Nature of Pandemics: Why Protecting Biodiversity is the Key to Human Survival.
Jake wrote his first book during his PHD when had a “notebook full of interviews” from top scientists around the world as part of his research into gut health.
“I had all these thoughts from experts and I wanted to share them with people so started writing a book,” he says. “I found I really loved it, it’s very satisfying.”
His fourth book, The Nature of AI: Artificial Intelligence, Us and the Future of Life on Earth, will be published later this year.
From robotic bees to decoding the language of whales and dolphins, Jake says AI is challenging our relationship with nature.
“It’s fascinating and has the potential to do a lot of good, but at the same time, we need to ask if we are replacing nature that should have been protected in the first place.”
Last month Jake was appointed to the Board of Green Adelaide.