Wilson da Silva

Wilson da Silva is an Australian feature writer, science journalist, editor and documentary filmmaker who has worked in magazines, newswires, newspapers, television and online. He is a co-founder and the long-serving former editor of Cosmos, Australia's No. 1 science magazine in print and digital.

Wilson da Silva
BornBrazil
OccupationFeature Writer, Science Journalist and Editor
NationalityAustralian / Portuguese / Brazilian
Notable awardsAFI Best Documentary (2000)
Publishers Australia Editor of the Year (2005, 2006)

Career

Da Silva has been an on-air science reporter and producer for Australian Broadcasting Corporation television, a staff journalist on The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald newspapers, a foreign correspondent for Reuters, science editor of ABC Online, a correspondent for London's New Scientist magazine, and served as managing editor of the science magazines Newton, 21C and Science Spectra.[1]

He was the founding Content Director of the Waterloo Global Science Initiative, and Moderator of Equinox Summit: Energy 2030, the inaugural meeting at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, which sought to apply science and technology to global problems.[2] From 2006–09, he was editor-in-chief of the Green Lifestyle Magazine, an environmental consumer lifestyle title that was the country's first carbon neutral magazine and produced on 100% recycled paper.

He is the creator of HELLO FROM EARTH, a web-based initiative to send messages from the public, each just 160 characters in length, to Gliese 581d, the nearest Earth-like planet outside the Solar System. Created as a science communication exercise for 2009 National Science Week in Australia, it collected nearly 26,000 messages that were beamed by NASA's Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex on 28 August 2009.[3]

The winner of 32 awards, including Editor of the Year (twice – in 2005 and 2006, Publishers Australia Excellence Awards),[4] the 1997 Human Rights Award for Print Journalism and the 1996 Michael Daley Award for Science Journalism. He has also written and produced two prize-winning documentaries, including The Diplomat, the film that depicted Nobel Peace laureate José Ramos-Horta and his eventually successful struggle to win independence for East Timor. The film won da Silva and fellow producer Sally Browning the 2000 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Documentary[4].

Da Silva served as president of the World Federation of Science Journalists, the Australian Science Communicators, and The Australian Museum Society, and as a board member of the Australian Society of Authors. He is one of the founders of Science in the Pub, an innovative public communication initiative which was jointly awarded the 2000 Eureka Prize for the Promotion of Science.

In October 2009, da Silva created and hosted six Science in the Pub sessions for the Quantum to Cosmos festival at Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, and also hosted two Quantum to Cosmos panels. In his opening panel, he asked nine physicists, "what keeps you awake at night?"[5] After departing as editor-in-chief of Cosmos in 2013, he has stated that he plans to "sit back and either get back into films or maybe write some books."[6]

He makes frequent appearances on radio and television in Australia, including breakfast TV shows Sunrise and Today, and has spoken at many public lectures and conferences, among them the UNESCO World Science Forum, the EuroScience Open Forum, and Japan's annual Science and Technology in Society Forum. Born in Brazil of Portuguese ancestry, he now lives in Sydney.

Filmography

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
YearTV ShowStoryRoleDuration
2004CatalystBaroness and the BrainReporter5:11
2000QuantumRoman TheatreProducer, writer, presenter4:41
2000QuantumMirror MatterProducer, writer, presenter7:55
2000QuantumBomb SnooperProducer, writer, presenter4:50
1999QuantumThe Computer CSIRACProducer, writer, presenter5:15
1999QuantumFrog KillerProducer, writer, presenter4:41
1999QuantumEmpty PouchesProducer, writer, presenter6:48
1999QuantumMining the DeepProducer, writer, presenter6:31
1999QuantumOils Ain't OilsReporter7:44
1999QuantumDying EyesProducer, writer, presenter7:18
1999QuantumBaby SkinWriter, presenter4:57
1999Quantum'Malaria VaccineCo-Producer, writer, presenter5:03
1999QuantumRequiem for the ToothfishProducer, writer, presenter9:15
1999QuantumPlanet HuntersCo-Producer, writer, presenter9:03
1999QuantumCan You Catch a Heart Attack?Co-Producer, writer, presenter7:38
1999QuantumElectron ManWriter, presenter7:54
1999QuantumCosmic AntigravityProducer, writer, presenter9:07
1998QuantumTroubled WatersProducer, writer, presenter10:01
1998Quantum'Girl TalkWriter, presenter6:08
1998QuantumPremature ConcernsWriter, presenter9:58
1998QuantumRoman LeadProducer, writer, presenter6:53
1998QuantumThorium ReactorsWriter, presenter7:17
1998QuantumMale ContraceptiveWriter, presenter5:46
1998QuantumLandscape ArchaeologyWriter, presenter9:22
1998QuantumMind's EyeWriter, presenter9:40
1998QuantumPassing the Bug: The End of Antibiotics?Co-Producer, writer, presenter27:30

Independent Documentaries
YearFilmRoleNotesDuration
2000The DiplomatProducer & WriterDocumentary centred on Nobel Peace Prize-winner José Ramos-Horta and his 24-year struggle to liberate of East Timor from occupation by Indonesia.Feature 81 mins, other 56 mins

Awards
YearCategoryAwardsPublication/ProgramResultNominees
2020Higher Education Journalist of the YearUniversities Australia and National Press Club of Australia"The Good Earth" in Australian GeographicWinnerWilson da Silva
2017Single Article of the YearPublish Awards"The Quantum Gamble" in IngenuityWinnerWilson da Silva
2012Best App on Mobile or TabletPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS Magazine – iPad editionRunner-upHeather Catchpole, Lucy Glover, Wilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2010Editor of the YearPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineHighly CommendedWilson da Silva
2009Magazine of the YearPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2009Best Consumer MagazinePublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2009Best Digital Engagement StrategyPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsHELLO FROM EARTHWinnerWilson da Silva, Dean Turnbull, John Pickerel and Heather Catchpole
2008Lord Mayor's Sustainability AwardCity of Sydney Business AwardsCosmos Media Pty LtdWinnerKylie Ahern and Wilson da Silva
2008Environmental Business AwardCity of Sydney Business AwardsCosmos Media Pty LtdWinnerKylie Ahern and Wilson da Silva
2008Sustainability in PublishingPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCosmos Media Pty LtdWinnerWilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2007Consumer Magazine of the YearPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsG: The Green Lifestyle MagazineWinnerSara Phillips, Wilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2006Editor of the YearPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva
2006Best Opinion SeriesPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva
2006Magazine of the YearPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2006Best Consumer MagazinePublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva and Kylie Ahern
2012Best PublisherPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCosmos Media Pty LtdWinnerKylie Ahern, Wilson da Silva and Alan Finkel
2005Editor of the YearPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva
2005Best Consumer Magazine CoverPublishers Australia Excellence AwardsCOSMOS MagazineWinnerRodney Lochner, Frank Linden and Wilson da Silva
2001Rudolf Vrba AwardOne World Film Festival, PragueThe DiplomatWinnerSally Browning and Wilson da Silva
2001Margrit & Robert Mondavi PrizeCalifornia Wine Country Film FestivalThe DiplomatWinnerSally Browning and Wilson da Silva
2000AFI Award for Best DocumentaryAustralian Film InstituteThe DiplomatWinnerSally Browning and Wilson da Silva
2000Eureka Prize for Promotion of ScienceAustralian Museum Eureka PrizesScience in the PubWinnerRobyn Stutchbury, Michael Burton, Paul Willis and Wilson da Silva
2000Austcare Media AwardAustcare AwardsThe DiplomatWinnerSally Browning and Wilson da Silva
2000Bronze AwardInternational Medical Film CompetitionPassing the Bug: The End of Antibiotics?WinnerWilson da Silva and Richard Corfield
2000Golden Maile AwardHawaii International Film FestivalThe DiplomatWinnerSally Browning and Wilson da Silva
2000Award for Excellence in Documentary FilmmakingReal Life on Film FestivalThe DiplomatWinnerSally Browning and Wilson da Silva
1998Medical Research Journalism AwardAustralasian Medical Research Journalism AwardsPassing the Bug: The End of Antibiotics?Highly CommendedWilson da Silva and Richard Corfield
1997Human Rights Award for Print JournalismHuman Rights AwardsAustralian Financial Review MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva
1996Michael Daley Award for Science JournalismMichael Daley Awards for Science, Technology and Engineering JournalismThe AgeWinnerWilson da Silva
1996George Munster Award for Freelance JournalismAustralian Centre for Independent JournalismThe AgeWinnerWilson da Silva
1996Excellence in Biotechnology JournalismAmgen Awards21C MagazineWinnerWilson da Silva
1996Human Rights Award for Print JournalismHuman Rights AwardsThe AgeHighly CommendedWilson da Silva
1992Journalism AwardRoyal Australian Chemical Institute AwardsReutersWinnerWilson da Silva
gollark: My calculator does actually have one, but I don't know if it works.
gollark: QWERTY good.
gollark: Also a QWERTY keyboard.
gollark: What would be neat is a calculator with a graphical screen, decently powerful ARM processor and lithium-ion battery.
gollark: Small OLED panels are... £10 or so, and keyboards can't cost *that* much.

References
  1. da Silva, Wilson (February 2009). "Profile of a Science Journalist: Wilson da Silva, Editor of COSMOS". Cosmos. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  2. "The Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 Team". Waterloo Global Science Initiative. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  3. "About Us". Cosmos. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  4. "Wilson da Silva | Cosmos". cosmosmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  5. "Speakers". Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  6. "The Skeptic Zone #245" (Podcast). Richard Saunders. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.

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