A scholarship has been established in honour of one of the most popular and influential academic figures in Murdoch history.
It celebrates the life of a person who was instrumental in the establishment of environmental science at the university back in the mid-1970s.
The late Emeritus Professor Tom Lyons (pictured above) started his career at Murdoch as a lecturer in Environmental and Life Sciences, before rising to Professor and Executive Dean of the former Division of Science and Engineering.
He was an outstanding atmospheric physicist, and his expertise in meteorology and the impact of air pollution was invaluable in the study of climate change.
Tom was instrumental in helping secure numerous grants from the Australian Research Council and his work helped position Murdoch as a respected specialist centre for environmental science globally.
Tom became a Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS) in 2004, was a President of AMOS WA and received a Special AMOS Award for Excellence in Weather and Climate Research and Teaching in WA at the society's 2020 Conference.
Tom achieved global acclaim in 2007 for his work on how land use affected cloud formation. His research at Lake King in Western Australia's eastern Wheatbelt alongside the famous rabbit-proof fence was one of the few research projects in the world to demonstrate that the clearing of native vegetation for agriculture had critical implications for convective cloud formation.
1987 - Year 11 student Jeremy Liew from Duncraig Senior High School conducting experiments measuring wind shear at Perth airports supervised by Prof. Tom Lyons. Pic courtesy of Murdoch University Special Collections.
His broad ranging consultancy work left a lasting footprint. For example, we owe our safe landings at Perth airport in part to his insight. His work on defining the boundary layer meteorology for the airport, led to setting the alignment of the main runway south-south westerly to avoid dangerous gusts across the escarpment.
Tragically, in 2015, Tom's life was dramatically altered after becoming the victim of a hit-and-run while on an early morning bicycle ride.
He suffered a significant traumatic brain injury that greatly affected the rest of his life. The impact of the accident on him and his family was documented in a very moving piece written by his daughter, Suzannah.
Professor Lyons passed away in April 2021. His family, led by wife Margot Lyons, wanted to create a fitting testament to his life’s work which led to the establishment of the Tom Lyons Honours Scholarship. It is awarded to a student enrolled in the Environmental and Conservation Science discipline. Benjamin Camer-Pesci (pictured below) is delighted to be named as the inaugural recipient.
“Receiving this scholarship motivates me further in my efforts to carry out my research and reaffirms that it is worthwhile. I am driven further to contribute to the academic community that has been so supportive of me this year, as well as throughout my undergraduate degree," said Benjamin.
"My interests lie in the fields where marine science crosses with environmental conservation, in particular pollution prevention and climate change action. This is an exciting crossover to me as I believe it holds great potential to create a positive impact on the place I call home, as well as the wider global community.
"In the future, I also hope to pay my good fortune forward by inspiring the next generation of students through teaching at a tertiary level, and maybe one day help them with the financial burden of being a full-time student.”
