The Graeme Clark Oration is the initiative of the ICT for Life Sciences Forum. The forum was established in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008 to connect the community of researchers active at the intersection between biology, computing and engineering. Much as Professor Clark brought together a multi-disciplinary team to build the world’s first multi-channel cochlear implant, the Forum brings together researchers acros disciplines to network, share knowledge and ideas and inform the community about the exciting developments and innovations they are helping to create.

The Graeme Clark Oration was established to honour the significant achievements of Graeme Clark by holding an annual public science lecture which informs and excites the community where biology, computing and engineering are coming together by a leading figure that has been, or remains, activ in the field.

The Inaugural Oration, A Partnership in Research Leading to the Bionic Ear and Beyond, was delivered by Professor Graeme Clark himself on 28 October, 2008, at the University of Melbourne. Click here for a summary of the Oration and to view images.

The second Oration was deliered by genomics pioneer, Dr J Craig Venter, of the J Craig Venter Institute on 17 March, 2010. From Reading to Writing the Genetic Code examined Dr Venter’s quest to sequence the human genome and the new areas of research and impact this has led him to pursue. It was a tour de force and lived up to the Oration’s goals of informing and inspiring the community with the advances of modern science and technology.

It described the journey Professor Clark undertook in earnest in 1967, when he began his PhD, and the many disciplines and partnerships that were formed that resulted in the first multi-channel cochlear implant procedure in Melbourne in August 1978.