In the latest budget, the Abbott government axed more than $100 million of funding from the CSIRO.

Nobel Prize winner from 1996 Peter Doherty, who was visiting Albury as part of National Science Week, said the government was headed in the wrong direction with its cuts.

“I’m dismayed by the cuts,” he said.

“It will cause us to lose a lot of scientists and we’ll never get them back.

“Science takes a long while to build up but you can destroy it very quickly.”

Dr Doherty won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and his main area of research involves the immune system and the way bodies battled diseases.

He said in the 14th century, half the population of England died from the plague because there were no antibiotics.

“The reality of life was different and without science we can’t really move forward,” Dr Doherty said.

“Ten or 20 years ago we didn’t have the technology we do now and it is an exciting time for science.”

He addressed two forums yesterday in an effort to help people understand and appreciate science.

The disease and death guy — as he describes himself — said he wanted people to know the population of Australia was not going to be wiped out by influenza or Ebola.

Albury councillor David Thurley said Dr Doherty was the second Nobel Prize winner to visit for science week.

“It shows people science can be interesting and fun,” Cr Thurley said.

He believed there were many budding scientists on the Border.

“We’ve had more than 4000 kids visit our science programs over the last eight years,” he said.

Students from schools in Albury and surrounds stepped into the shoes of a blind person as part of science week activities.

They also learnt how to read braille to understand the science behind vision.

The activity was held at Charles Sturt University by the Albury-Wodonga astronomical society.

CSU education student Zoe Kis volunteered her time to work with students from St John’s Luthern Primary School, Hume Public School, The Scots School Albury, Walla Public School and Mitta Primary School.

“It gives students a chance to have a hands-on experience with science,” she said.