It’s no secret that the amount of misinformation and dis-information on the internet is increasing exponentially. Many young people struggle to evaluate information successfully (Osborne et al 2022)

This is the first in a series of Blog posts exploring a range of techniques that strive to identify mis/disinformation in the course of online research.

1. Wikipedia: Worthwhile or Worthless source?

You are quite likely you have been told by your teacher “Don’t use Wikipedia?”

Reasons often given are …………………..

• Questionable Reliability:

It’s not always accurate

• Susceptibility to Bias:

As anyone can create and/or edit Wikipedia articles we know nothing about the contributors or whether they have specific agenda.

• Vandalism and Hoaxes:

Sometimes articles are vandalised for fun or written by individuals with a particularly strong viewpoint or agenda.

Won’t the same issues apply if we just did a google search on a new topic we want to explore?

If our goal is to find reliable information and sources on our topic are we ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’ by slamming the door on Wikipedia completely?

Let’s remind ourselves on what Wikipedia is and how it works.

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001 and run by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Content is written collaboratively by its users with the goal of striving to provide accurate information from a neutral point of view on any topic covered.   Contributors to the site are governed by 10 Rules and Five pillars.

Wikipedia is the 7^th most visited website on the Internet at time of writing and its reach is increasing (Zickuhr& Raine 2011).

While some teacher’s may disapprove of its use, studies have shown that a teacher’s disapproval of Wikipedia has little effect on whether student uses it (Chung 2012).

Let’s be honest, we’ve all used it!

So, let’s look at some of the Pros:

• It is a great starting point for research with citation links that point to further sources, many peer-reviewed.
• Wikipedia strives to police itself efficiently and correct factual errors as promptly as possible.
• Articles are timely and can be updated without waiting for a new print edition.
• Wikipedia has the potential to contribute to how students learn to think critically about sources and develop the skills to differentiate between knowledge that is supported by reliable evidence and unverified narratives.

Let’s be clear, I’m not saying you should be citing Wikipedia as your primary source but as a first stop it can provide links to peer-reviewed   research and help with identifying other keywords for exploring the topic further. It also has the potential to be a tool in helping us determine the veracity of other sites and help spot mis/disinformation.

Echoing the thoughts of Piotr Konieczny in his study ‘Teaching with Wikipedia in a 21st century classroom: Perceptions of Wikipedia and its educational benefits’ “educators and librarians need to provide better guidelines for using Wikipedia, rather than prohibiting Wikipedia use altogether”

To that end, check out these two YouTube clips for tips on how to use Wikipedia, despite its limitations, and make up your own minds as to whether it’s a useful research tool.

One is from a Washington State University Digital literacy Expert  and the other from two reporters specializing in debunking fake news on the internet, formerly from  the Pulitzer Prize Winning and now defunct Buzzfeed News.

• Skill: Just Add Wikipedia with Mike Caulfield (4min)
• Fact-Checking Tools —Looking up Claims and Website Owners (3mins)

Think about the techniques they outline, try them out, and make up your own minds as whether Wikipedia could be ONE potentially useful tool in your research arsenal for debunking mis/disinformation.

In future posts we’ll explore other tools and techniques for spotting mis/disinformation when researching online sources.

Any tips and comments from students and teachers  on techniques you use welcomed.

References:

Chung, Siyoung. 2012. “Cognitive and Social Factors Affecting the Use of Wikipedia and Information Seeking.” Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology 38 (3)

Osborne, J., Pimentel, D., Alberts, B., Allchin, D., Barzilai, S., Bergstrom, C., Coffey, J., Donovan, B., Kivinen, K., Kozyreva. A., & Wineburg, S. (2022). Science Education in an Age of Misinformation. Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Piotr Konieczny. Teaching with Wikipedia in a 21st-century classroom: Perceptions of Wikipedia and its educational benefits. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2016.

Zickuhr, Kathryn; Lee Rainie, 2011. “Wikipedia, past and present.” PEW Internet and American Life Project Survey, Jan 13, 2011.

The ability to search the internet efficiently and effectively  to target the information you need is a skill worth developing.  The tips in the links below will help you develop good search techniques.

1. How to use search like a pro: 10 tips and tricks for Google and beyond

2. Digital content — finding, evaluating, using and creating it

See the first 2 sections on:

• • How to find quality digital content
  • How to evaluate digital content

3.  Online Research Skills for High School Students: Tips and Strategies: TPL Teens

From Toronto Public library in Canada this site has lots of good advice and the short  2-4min vid clips are worth a look if prefer a video demo

• • How Library Stuff Works: How to Choose Keywords

• •  How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators (AND OR NOT)

• • How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Modifiers “”, *, ( )

• • Using Top Level Domains in Your Research (such as .com, .org, .ca)

• • Evaluating Sources CRAAP test

Online Verification Skills Series: Mike Caulfield

 Video 1: Introductory Video (3min 13)

          Video 2: Investigate the Source (2min 44)

Video 3: Find the Original Source (1min 33)

Video 4: Look for Trusted Work (4min 10)

Science Academy 2022 Science Film students were tasked with exploring their favourite aspect of science and communicating their ideas through the medium of a short 3-4 minute film. They attended four 90 minute workshops at our January Science camp- planned and developed their ideas between January and July camps and shot the footage they needed in their home area- and completed final editing during a further four 90 minute workshops during our July Science camp. The project was tutored by Karthic Sanjiva Sivanandham from NHNZ Productions and an alumni of the Otago University Department of Science Communication and Max Balloch, 2nd year Marine Science and Science Communication student. Max is also a Science Academy Alumni from our 2020 Cohort.

Check out this year’s  films by clicking on the titles below

Microplastics – The Hidden Evil

Kea, Templer-Mcconnell,

Taikura Rudolf Steiner School

Kokopu Unknown

Logan Andrews :

Menzies College

Ko Kaikoura te Whenua

Ruslan Ataria-Ivannikov:

Kaikoura High School

Neptune’s Necklace, King of Kawaroa

Via Hooks:

New Plymouth Boys’ High School

The Feathered Fiends

Matthew Cory-Wright

Aotea College

Waitara River

Maioha Hunt

Waitara High School

1080: An Incredibly Brief Summary

Rheanna Dreaver:

Hornby High School

Ecosourcing in Practice

Jindh Bhullar:

Taumarunui High School

Science Academy 2022   Science podcast students were tasked with exploring their favourite aspect of science and communicating their ideas through the medium of  a short radio podcast. They attended four 90 minute workshops at our January Science camp and developed their ideas between January and July camps. They then completed final editing in the OAR FM recording studio during a further four 90 minute workshops during the July Science camp. The project  was  tutored by Taylor Davies-Colley, educator, science communicator and conservationist  along with staff from OAR FM Dunedin

All podcasts will be available on the OAR FM Dunedin Website oar.org.nz and from your favourite podcast provider from the 22/07/22.

Every year, as part of our Science Academy application process students are asked to write an essay on Science in the 21st century under the theme of:

If you think of Earth as a ship voyaging through time and space, and the human race her crew, what is our mission and what is the role of science in achieving that mission?

Write an essay on the above theme that addresses the following:
• What do you think is the role of science in 21st-century society?
• How do you think science today is different from science in the past?
• What, in your opinion, are the qualities that are required of a 21st century scientist?
• What do you feel is the greatest challenge facing science and scientists in the 21st century?
• How do you think scientists could begin to address this challenge?

This year’s top girl essay was by Aruna Zacharaia from Otahuhu College and top boy essay by Shion Ko from Whangarei Boys High School

Aruna Zachariah

As an aspiring scientist, I believe that science is not just an academic subject. It is the experience of discovering the world around us. Each time we learn a new concept, it evokes feelings of awe, wonder and excitement. Science is often an adventure filled with fascination, disbelief, and at times, a lot of confusion! Science also holds a lot of responsibility. When we think of a ship, we think of the different structural components of it. Famous ships from history may pop up in our memory which further remind us of the magnificence of these beautiful floating vehicles. In these images and with our metaphor of the Earth as a ship, we often forget the human spirit that is interwoven throughout it. For science to continue pushing the Earth through ions of time and space, it is essential that we recognize the power of a collective human spirit.
The role of science in the 21st century is to continue experimenting with the impossible. As William Blake once said, “What is now proved was once only imagined.” The different fields of science rely on various fundamentals that were developed by great minds like Helen Keller, Sir Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin. These fundamentals continue to guide our pursuits in unravelling our mysterious universe. However, it is important that the evolution of science does not go unchecked. The collective good of humanity should be the highlight of any scientific advancement. Science is unbounded and thus confining it is more challenging than discovering something new. To this degree, scientists need to have the courage to roll-back certain steps and innovations that are harmful for creation.
The role of science in society is to explore possibilities for a better world. In the past, scientific pursuits were focused on the betterment of a White, Western world, while people who look like me, from the Global South, have been victims of unchecked scientific advancement. In the 21st century, we must push science to reject these oppressive boundaries, and instead work towards creating a better world for everyone, inclusive of race, gender, and geography. As scientists of the 21st century, we must question traditional science so that more young people who look like me find a space in this field to learn, thrive and create. Science is not exempt from principles of ethics and justice. It is important that in the 21st century our scientific innovations are in accordance with the rights of all peoples. Scientific discoveries cannot be at the expense of people’s lives and traditional land. In our own context here in Aotearoa New Zealand, modern science should be respectful of Mātauranga Māori.
Although we are in the midst of a major climate crisis and a world-wide pandemic, I believe that the greatest challenge faced by science in the 21st century is the fact that we are now, in what sociologists call, “a post-truth” era. In this time of intense polarization around the world, scientific facts that we have held to be true for centuries are now being questioned. Furthermore, the echo-chambers of social media and ‘fake news’ have created high levels of scientific distrust amongst communities around the world. While scientists and medical professionals have been in a virtual war zone fighting to find a vaccine cure for COVID-19, we have seen people rejecting simple scientific measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. Research suggests that once the vaccine is developed, the next battle will be convincing people around the world to take it. Currently, some polls suggest that over 40% of the population in the developed world, will not take the vaccine once it is available.

As future scientists, my generation needs to reposition the field of science. We must challenge the distrust by communicating science clearly and openly to society. For society to believe in science again, and to gain back the trust, it is essential that we engage in grassroots initiatives. Science must be accessible. It is not just something that is for society, but rather, it is something that can be done with society. As we sail this ship to discover new scientific possibilities, no voyage can be truly fruitful unless it is inclusive of human spirit.

Shion Ko

A ship’s purpose is to sail, the crew’s duty is to keep the ship afloat, but it’s the captain who must steer the ship through the storm. When the crew does not follow the captain, and the captain does not manifest leadership, the ship is left to sink and burn. If the ship is Mother Earth, the human race as her crew, and scientists around the world as their captain, we are left to wonder, “Why are we letting our ship burn?” In the midst of an age of global connection and order, entropy in humanity is ever-present.
The greatest threats to mankind are being ignored by modern scientists while society goes about their day too enveloped in the present. While the validity of the science is continually questioned, the decline of natural resources, collapse of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity, and the ever-increasing temperature of the Earth’s surface continues to burn our once-beautiful ship to the bottom of the sea.
Consequently, one must look back on the past and consider where it all went wrong, then looking to the present, one must explore the qualities of a great scientist to rightfully captain the ship, and lastly, one must define the greatest challenge to science in the near future to take action today and keep the ship afloat.

Ever since the first captain Aristotle, science has evolved exponentially as new fields were discovered and technology advanced like the adaptive radiation of the Australopithecines. However, science had little structure and was disregarded from the public eye; bunched in the same category as myth and magic. Yet, as new captains came and went, science increased in significance. Galileo Galilei—named as “The father of science” by Einstein—first used the experimental scientific method and brought order to eureka. Through it all, the ship Terra Mater sailed through spacetime captained by names like Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Nikola Tesla, and brought humanity to modern-day science. All positive scientific developments have a unanimous underlying purpose; to increase the survival and happiness of the human race. Whether it be the invention of the light bulb, the development of cars, or the research into medicine, science has aimed to ensure the crew survives and the ship stays afloat. As it seems, the ship’s destination is the immortality of humanity.

However, “With great power comes great responsibility” and when that power is abused, the consequences are unquantifiable. The first being the weaponization of nuclear science, the next being the destruction of natural environments, and finally, the acceleration of climate change through pollution. Unfortunately, fixing the past is still in the realms of science fiction, and so the consequences of these issues must be resolved today; the greatest being global warming which, if a major change to prevent it is not undertaken within the next few years, will burn humanity alive on its deck. Hence, I believe that global warming should be the top priority over research into any other field of science, yet environmental scientists are earning nearly half the salary of scientists in any other field. The first step must be to create an incentive in the general public to fight climate change as a dysfunctional crew will only fuel the fire. By raising the salary of environmental scientists and increasing funding for related research, not only will the results of their studies be more helpful, but also the number of environmental scientists will increase; hence bringing in future scientists that would have otherwise chosen more stable careers in biomedical engineering or astrophysics. Likewise, a strict plan must be developed with specific requirements that must be met to ensure the reduction of the global carbon footprint so that governments around the world begin to take notice of the previously ignored climate change protests and understand how they can support the movement. Regardless of how, something must be done to weaken the fire before it gets out of control, or the ship will never reach its destination.

In order to lead the crew, a great captain is required, just as great scientists are required to lead society. A great scientist is one that is not just intelligent or an outside-the-box thinker, but is also curious and creative, patient and persistent, flexible and open-minded. Even more so today, a great scientist must be able to discover the problem, understand the problem, come up with the solution, and

have the power to carry out the solution. Consequently, scientists should be better connected to the government and have a greater say in the choices made. If a scientist can teach how to solve the world’s biggest problems, those problems will no longer be unsolved. A captain that teaches the crew how to maintain the ship will have a ship sailing twice as fast.

To conclude, science has developed rapidly to the point we are at today, and all because it intends to bring humanity one step closer to immortality. However, mistakes are made, and consequences arise because of them, and so scientists must take action to stop the fire of climate change from consuming the Earth. In order to do that, great scientists must be elected not only to research, not only to come up with the solutions, but also to teach and carry out the solutions. Otherwise, the fire will grow while the crew stands there with empty water buckets. Action must be taken now, or immortality and the longevity of the human race may as well be thrown out the window.

By now you will all be well into the research phase of your science communication projects for presenting at the July camp.  Here are a couple of blog posts from previous years that you may find useful. With so much `stuff’ out there on the web evaluating your sources is a good skill to learn. There is a good link in the posts below to a short  Otago University online course  on how to evaluate websites.

Good luck with your research and be careful not to go too far `down the rabbit hole’  and end up with what my MSc supervisor called `information narcosis’ – so much background information on your topic  it’s overwhelming!   Start  jotting down key points you want to mention  AS you do your research reading .Get a base script down as soon as possible after brief initial research stint and  research only what you need to fill the gaps, better explain and  illustrate the key message (theme)  of  your talk, podcast, film, display.

Setting off on a Treasure Hunt: Researching for a talk, film, podcast

July Science Talks: Knowing your Material

Image source: Clipart Library

Having decided on your  topic the next challenge is researching the science around that topic and collating the information you need to get across your key message(s) or theme  about your topic.

There’s so much information out there it can be overwhelming.  Even more so in these days of  `false facts’ and `fake news’.

What’s the agreed knowledge, what’s new, what’s controversial?

So I thought I’d highlight a few post from previous years that may help you as you dive into the research phase of your science communication projects.

July Science Talks: Knowing your Material

July Science Talks: Knowing your Material

How to evaluate websites

https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/ouassa/files/2017/05/How_to_Evaluate_Websites.pdf

Online Literacy E-learning module

http://oil.otago.ac.nz/oil/module7/Welcome.html

As you are researching, one approach is to sort the information you think is relevant to your project around the 5 key questions:  what?, where?, when? why? and how?

That will help you when you start pulling the first draft  together.

Finally, when it comes to conveying a difficult science concept to a public audience never underestimate the value of the children’s section of the library.

If you are looking for a good graphic to illustrate, for example how DNA replication works, or nuclear fission vs fusion, those found in  books aimed at young readers will not only  be more easily understood by non-scientists, they will be more attractive and engaging when  presented  on screen, rather than an overly complicated  diagram from a university level text. ( Don’t forget  to credit any image you use).

While it might seem daunting at first, delving into the research phase of  any science communication can be fun and exciting as  you set off on a treasure hunt for  relevant information on your  chosen  topic – a topic that you are already passionate about!

Why Maths is Important to Me

by

Sarah Bird   Hawera High School

Maths is an abstract science dealing with the concept of number, quantity and space, which makes it a rather difficult concept to explain the importance of.

In the grand scheme of things, I don’t know a lot about maths. I know how to do the basics. I can add, subtract, multiply, divide, do basic differentiation and integration, put numbers in formulas and work out the area for a two-dimensional shape.

I understand that maths is more than numbers. There are letters involved. And real-life situations to apply maths concepts to. Most of the time you will never need trigonometry in your life. Or algebra. But maths is everywhere and its importance to me and others cannot be ignored.

In calculus, we are taught the acronym DELSDEBT for optimisation problems. Finding the minimum or maximum values. For a long time, I have struggled with this concept, but I’m slowly starting to figure it out. It doesn’t always have to relate to just calculus equations either.

Draw a diagram – Be creative. Maths doesn’t always have to be formulas on a sheet and a long paragraph of information to be put directly in a calculator. It also shows that there are multiple ways to approach a problem and taking the time to draw gives you time to think about the problem.

Equations are formed – Start to put the information together in a logical manner. Find the pieces of the puzzle. Put the things that need to go together, together. Its relevant information finding. Reading the question (somehow the easiest, yet hardest thing to do in solving a problem).

Link equations- Start to put the pieces together. All the equations into one to limit the number of variables. It makes things simpler. This step is sometimes not even necessary. Not all steps are.

Substitute – There is the beginning of the solution. All relevant pieces of information are almost in place. It’s delegating what numbers go where in the problem. For a real-life problem, who does what tasks and what their tasks are.

Differentiated- This is the part of calculus where you actually differentiate the equations. There is now a direct plan on how to solve the problem. It’s also the step you need to get at least an achieved for the question in the NCEA Differentiation paper. Sometimes this is the step you need to get to and you can’t go any further. You may need more help. And if you carry on and fail the rest, at least you know you got something of the problem right.

Equate to zero- Find the values to find the maximum or minimum. Using more information to solve the problem. Last minute organisation of activities. The frantic panic of finishing internals or homework assignments when they are not yet finished, yet are so close to being complete.

Back substitute- This is where you find the maximum or minimum. The actual solution to the problem. What is the actual answer?

Test you have answered the question – If you have taken the time to follow this whole process, you might as well check you have the right answer and answered what the question asked. There is no point in answering 8 to 2+4. Double check everything is done.

Then you can let out a sigh of relief knowing that you have done everything in your power to solve the problem. As mentioned before, the problem doesn’t always have to be maths.

Maths is important to me, because there is a process that goes along with it. Yes, you can put numbers in a formula, get the right answer and you will successful with it. But sometimes you put numbers in a formula and still have absolutely no idea what you are doing and what the point of it all is. If there is process and order to how you approach a situation, it is a lot easier to find out where you went wrong, how you can improve things and what actually went alright.

Maths doesn’t always have the answers, but it’s a good way to start finding some. It will tell you whether you were right or wrong. And it might even point you in the direction of the right answer.

What Science has done for me

By Fylgia Romero
Ellesmere College

In a world full of war and conflict, science plays a very significant role for me – a young and curious member of society.

Science is defined as a ‘branch of knowledge’. Science is often associated with white laboratory coats, big textbooks and confusing equations. But science is more than just these things to me. Science for me is an eye-opener to the world around me and predominantly, the world inside me. Science is a key to every door I face throughout many different aspects I find myself in.

Science continues to play significant roles in every aspect of my journey from the moment I was still a single cell. Little did I know how far we have come in science looking back through history and to how we used to live. But little by little, it all starts to piece together. Science never fails to fascinate me as a youth full of awe and wonder.

From my understanding, science has always been there. Everything works together in our universe and it has allowed the human species to survive to this date. However, not all of us are fortunate. I am blessed to be living in this developing country. We are blessed to have the freedom and access to modern technology as well as people who have the knowledge of how to heal diseases. Science has slowly taken over. Because of the development of the medical field and our knowledge we now know how to cure, even the most degenerative diseases, saving many innocent lives. Our knowledge of physics has taken us above the skies exploring what we have not yet seen. We now have satellites which allow us to connect with people all over the world and warn us of meteorological issues. Our knowledge of chemistry has made us see matter and what does and doesn’t really matter. We now have laboratories that particularly look at creating promising chemicals in the hopes of contributing to society’s needs. Our knowledge of biology and agriculture have made us see life in different forms – all of great value. We now have procedures we consider trustworthy enough to push us, individuals, to our next steps. Science has woven our society closer together than we have ever been before having the majority of us united with the same scientific beliefs. These are just little pieces that come together to make science what it is right now.

It all depends on the context. For me, as a person of strong faith, I believe science is interchangeable with faith. As much as most non-believers say that science challenges faith, I believe that science and faith coexist in this argumentative society of ours. I, as a science student, believe that the things around me are made up of millions of tiny particles – without seeing them. I believe that there are millions of other universes outside ours – without seeing them. I believe in the different biochemical systems inside my body – without seeing them. And this is why I consider science and faith connected because faith is a matter of believing without seeing, thus having faith in science and in my Creator – whom I don’t see but still strongly believe in.

Science is a realm that needs to be explored much further. There is so much we do not understand and some things we may never will. Is there even an end to knowledge? We continue in the hopes of making our world a better place for everyone even if it costs a great sacrifice. They say ignorance is bliss. But where would we be without the knowledge we have gained through discoveries made in our past? Science has done a lot for me and have seen that it has too for many individuals. As we continue putting these pieces together, I believe that science will continue expanding in our minds. We can only hope that future generations will continue our search for answers for the good.

Science in a Day

by  Jorgee Robb   Gore High School

There is a lot that science does for me in a day, but not only does science helps me, it also helps you. It is everywhere and we don’t even know that it is science because it is ‘regular’ and ‘normal.’ So now let’s consider the science of a perfectly normal day.
There’s a ringing in my ear. Slowly I pry open my eyes, darkness still fills the entirety of the room. I reach over, push snooze on my loudly ringing phone. This is the first piece of science that I use for the day. The cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper, of Motorola, back in 1973. Not only does the cell phone send and receive calls as well as texts, but also offers Google, email, a camera and just about anything your mind can imagine. I step out of the warm haven and pad down the hallway to the kitchen. I put on the jug and put bread in the toaster. Yet again, I thank people for their inventions. The first electric jug was invented by Compton and Co in 1891. The toaster was invented by Alan MacMasters in Edinburgh in 1893. Through the years both have been updated to what they are today.

Once fed and dressed, I leave for Gore in my car. Thanks to science I can travel 45 minutes by car to school. The car was invented by Karl Benz who built his first automobile in 1885 in Mannheim, Germany. Thanks to his invention, I can have a better education and more opportunity. When I arrive at the aging, rough cast building of Gore High School, like every Monday morning, I have study first. I dodge past all the juniors to the study room, where I can settle down and finish my history essay, on the Treaty of Waitangi. I pull out my laptop, which was first imagined by Alan Kay in 1968. Now with the conveniences of laptops, writing my essay is much easier than writing the Treaty of Waitangi back in 1840. Second is chemistry, where we are doing titrations. Titrations were first used by Karl Fischer in 1935, to determine the trace amount of water in a sample. Nowadays, we think this is ‘old fashioned’ technology, yet it is still relatively new. Calculus is third, where we are studying systems of equations. The calculator is extremely handy in calc and takes less brain power typing in the numbers. Blaise Pascal invented the mechanical calculator in 1642 but now it has many more features such as the ability to graph an equation or solve equations for you. Biology is next, where we are learning about CRIPR-CAS 9. This technology could forever change the way humans live by changing the DNA base sequence of the DNA of an organism. It gives people with hereditary diseases a hope and a future. School assembly is before lunch. We are able to see the words to the song we sing and the slides to the PowerPoint of the topic talked about with the help of a projector. Eadweard Muybridge invented the first movie projector in 1879, but now they are used for much more than just movies.

When I get back home, from a ‘long day at the chalk face,’ I go to feed my sheep. I get on my 4-wheeler motor bike, which helps me move hay. Edward Butler first imagined the self-moving bike in 1884. Now motorbikes come in all shapes and sizes and are extremely helpful for farmers. Stepping out of the typical Southland rain, I head inside to cook tea. Tea is easily cooked in the electric oven and takes no time or thought. However, from 1906 an electric oven had never been thought of until Lloyd Groff Copeman did. He then manufactured his design and now it is extremely uncommon for someone not to have an electric oven. Electric Ovens were invented to make cooking easier. I sit down in front of the heat pump, which is keeping our farm house mild. The heat pump was first invented by Peter Von Rittinger in 1855-57. He discovered that circulated air could be transformed into heat, making the heat pump.

Sitting here I think about my day and how the different aspects of science have helped my day. Some inventions help us day to day, while others help for specialist activities. All these inventions help not only me but you too, they make our lives much more easier and allow us to fit in more to our day. We take for granted what science and scientists have brought us, without these technologies and inventions our lives would not be what they are today.

Paper Making – My First Encounters

by 
Nakita  Corfield
Dargaville High School

 
It was there! After school, while exploring through my grandfather’s shed I found a
“How-to-make paper” guide. You see, after witnessing my after school delicacies of blackberries that grow across the gravel road being covered with dust as cars drove by, I knew I had to take action against waste contamination.

And it was there, at that moment when I found the kit that I knew I could do something about it. I could use paper that I drew on, spilt juice on, and even paper that my dog had stepped on with her wet and dirty paws to make new and fresh paper. I spent hours ripping apart paper into the tiniest pieces that I was able to make. Next, I would soak the torn paper for a couple of nights to soften it. Then I could use my blender to create a pulp. Once this step was complete, the hard part was over. All I had to do is lay the pulp onto drying racks and wait. This was the most irritating part for my 7 year-old self. All I wanted was to witness my magnificent masterpiece reborn.

My paper looked nowhere near as good as store bought fresh paper. The oddly coloured grey pulp sat in uneven piles all over the rack. If I didn’t allow enough time for the paper to completely dry, it would crumble through my fingers. So getting the timing right was key.

Little did I know that 10 years later I would be researching the` Kraft Process’ of how paper is created through NCEA. This research internal made me realise that I was introduced a lot sooner to science than I initially thought. It wasn’t when I first made hokey pokey during my intermediate years, it was even sooner – I just didn’t understand it yet. At the age of 7, I accomplished the art of papermaking. Like how I pulled apart old pieces of paper whereas paper mills finely dice the wood that they receive into the correct sizes, ready for the cooking process. However, unlike H2O that I used to soak the pulp in, a special solution called white liquor which is a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide is used. This removes the lignin – a substance in trees which make the cells of the trees wood hard. Once all of the required lignin is removed from the pulp, it is then screened for any knots and twists that were missed. If only I had added this step into my process! Then I would have had clean smooth paper. An extra step at the paper mills of bleaching the pulp is added. This enables the paper to become the desired colour. Finally, like my process, the pulp is laid out and left to dry.

Now that I know what steps I can use to make my homemade paper even better, I hope to use it in the near future!

Below is the first in a series of science blogs written by our Year 13 Students.

This one is by Jasmin Mosimann from Motueka High School

Kiwi Hunt

With our receivers in our packs and the aerials strapped on the back, we head off on our kiwi hunt into Kahurangi National Park. Although Dad and his three colleagues, Sandy, Robin and Paul are all volunteers for Friends of Flora and have plentiful  experience hunting down kiwi, this would be my first sighting of a kiwi in the wild. Today we would be hunting down Iwa, one of the 40 Roroa/Great Spotted kiwi relocated into the Flora Catchment over 4 separate relocations since 2010. I know that today would be a monumental day, since Iwa is one of the last Roroa to have her transmitter removed for good and to be released back into the wild where she can no longer be tracked or protected. I am excited yet nervous that we will find her at all, as we set off into the still awakening forest. The white huff of dewey moisture hangs low on the forest floor, reluctant to leave. Its damp fingertips trace my exposed arms and legs as it makes its way through the forest, winding its way between the maze of trees, seeking out the coldest, dreariest corners of forest. Spidery tentacles of moss draw it in thirstily as it passes. Like the arms of a giant, silver, mountain and red beech penetrate the rich, moist soil in their desperate reach for the skies, frozen in time to age and allow lichens and mosses to flourish, warts and numerous extra fingers to grow. These noble, majestic giants are now beginning to lose their leaves as the seasons change, littering the forest floor with small serrated leaves ranging from mud brown through to russet orange, pale yellow and lime green. Our footsteps are muted by the spongy wet foliage underfoot, and the rest of the forest is equally still, aside from the odd bellbird chattering in the treetops.

As we approach a river, its persistent gurgling and pounding drowns all other noise, yet somehow, in its presence, it is more silent than the gentle hushing of the forest. The swing bridge to the other side is a thin steel contraption, barely wide enough for a person and hanging uncomfortably low over the water. As I cross, I look down into the gushing current through the loose wire mesh beneath my boots,  ripping tightly to the sides as it wavers side  to side. Once on the other side  we carry on and the rhythmic thumping of the vigorous water fades as the sounds of the bush take over again. The cheerful chattering of a fantail follows us as it snaps up the insects which we disturb. Darting left and right, its movements are as sharp as a tango dancer as it thrusts its tail in every possible direction, watching its back wherever it goes. Its boldness and fearlessness is astounding, as it flits about just inches from my head, before landing on a twig in front of me at eye level. It cocks its head at me, incredibly pompous for its size. Its cinnamon chest is puffed proud as it fans and un-fans its tail, attempting to frighten hidden prey into movement. I imagine its life in the forest when I’m not here watching it, building its nest with moss, hair, grass, fern scales and rotten wood fibres before finding a mate and laying its eggs. Feeding its young would mean frantically hunting insects all day, flushing them out from the canopy and bringing them back for its young. Although I know this lifestyle must be challenging, threatened every minute by stoats, rats and possums it seems somehow very serene and free-spirited from my perspective.

The rhythmical beeping of the receiver gets louder and more persistent as we continue up the steady incline. The vegetation here is quite different than that of the valley below, with thinner trees which are spaced further apart. Beech is still dominant, but some prominent alpine species of shrubs are also beginning to show such as the mountain nei nei, a peculiar tree with a wig of spiked leaves at the end of each warped branch, straight out of a Dr Seuss book. With the antennae plugged into the receiver and the volume on ‘high,’ I hold the cobalt blue antennae above my head, moving it from left to right. Turning back to the left, the beeps become closer together, indicating that the kiwi is on this side of the ridge. We carry on up the hill for another 500 metres, until we are directly uphill of where we expect the kiwi to be. From here on we must be as silent as possible, as not to awaken her in her burrow. Luckily the dampness of the forest helps dull our footsteps as we head off the path, weaving between trees and over fallen branches as we move down the hillside. Now that we are in amongst the trees without a trace of humans or a track, it is difficult not to be intimidated by the vastness of the Kahurangi, the blanket of podocarp forest draped over the hilltops, down into the countless valleys, spread all the way to Karamea on the coast.

As the beeping of the receivers get louder, we turn the volume right down and hold them to our ears, whilst trying to pinpoint her burrow. Once we think we have the right tree trunk, there is a mad scramble to find all of the entrances into the burrow and block them so that she can’t get out. Once we have her trapped, it takes a lot of digging into the decaying tree and deep into the umber soil so that we can flush her out to the main entrance, and Dad can catch her. He grabs her by her legs, with one finger between them so that they don’t rub together to prevent injury. Once she is safely out, he cradles her in his arms so that Sandy can measure its bill, which is used to help determine Iwa’s gender and age.

Although all of the kiwis in the project have been recaptured every year to replace the batteries in the transmitter, the beaks of kiwi grow significantly over short periods of time. Her weight is also measured, an astounding 3.45 kg the heaviest kiwi in the project, a pleasant surprise indicating that she is well nourished. Once all of the measurements and inspections have been completed, it is time to remove her transmitter. As Sandy slides the scissor blade between Iwa’s leg and the tape holding the transmitter, I think of how monumental this is for the kiwi and for the project. The amount of time and effort which the whole project has required is significant, and now it is all coming to an end.

The kiwi introduced to this area will only be able to be traced by acoustic recorders to monitor the approximate number of kiwis still in the Flora Catchment. Once the transmitter is off, Iwa will only be identified by a small metal band around her ankle. She will now be free! Once Sandy has cut it off, she asks if I  would like to hold her, so like I had practiced the day before with my dad on one of our chickens, I put my hand around her legs, with one finger between, and hold tight. Cradling her with my other arm, I’m surprised by the large size of her feet and claws and how soft her feathers are,  reminding me how fragile and vulnerable she and her species are. As she relaxes into me, and the warmth of her small body fuses with mine, I think of how special this moment is, and if this will still be possible in the future. Out here, the landscape  constantly reminds me how small and insignificant I am, yet isn’t judgmental or vindictive.

The seemingly insignificant forces of wind, rain and ice carve the rock and sculpt the landscape, yet the flora and fauna learn to adapt, forever changing and evolving. This is a place that I hope a girl just like me hundreds of years in the future can still experience, with its same raw natural beauty.

Jasmin Mosimann

At our Science Communication sessions in January  a number of you  commented that 6 minutes wasn’t long enough to get a science message across  to a public audience.
Here’s a link to a series of 6 min TED science talks that might help convince you otherwise.

Don’t forget also there are a number of posts in our blog archive that will help you prepare your talks,

e.g. March 7th 2017 : Engaging Hearts and Minds: Themes are Messages

April 21st 2017:   Welcome Everybody…Some Musings on Introductions

May 12th 2017:   Tell me what I want to hear,    to name just a few.

Simply go to the archives tab on the left and select the specific month.

For those of you working on films and science blog writing see what good examples  you can find in these science communication styles and we’ll  put them up on a future post with any that we  come across.

Don’t forget to check to  keep posting on Knowledge Forum!

Reach for the stars that burn brightest in your universe !

Wishing  our 2017 Cohort every success in the future

Look forward  to seeing some of you here at Otago University next  year!

In my last blog post (Knowing Your Material) I talked about researching your topic and the importance of narrowing down that research to address a key message (theme) i.e. the `take-home’ message you want the audience to understand about your topic. When we understand something we don’t just `know’ about it but we ‘feel’ for it – it means something to our overall well-being. So in communicating science we need to not only enhance the knowledge of the audience but also engage their emotions, hence the reason your workbooks are entitled `Touching Hearts and Minds’. With that in mind, in this post I thought we’d focus again on the audience and what you might consider about them as you distil your research into an effective and engaging talk to deliver a strong ‘take-home’ message.
Considering your audience is especially important for a talk that involves science on a controversial or potentially controversial topic.
We should consider our audience for every talk, of course.
Questions you should consider when asked to give any talk are.
Will I be talking to:
• An interest group with a specific viewpoint/attitude to my topic and/or science in general?
• Is there likely to be a specific age or gender or ethnic imbalance in the audience?
• Is our audience likely to already be knowledgeable on my topic?
• How is the audience likely to perceive the organisation I am representing?
As Emily pointed out in an earlier post (The Crowd Goes Wild) a public audience will contain a mixture of  what we could term:-
1. “Science Fans”,
2. “The Cautiously Keen”,
3. “The Risk Averse”,
4. “The Concerned”.
While your museum audience in July is likely to have a high proportion of “science Fans’” and “The Cautiously Keen”, you may also have parents/caregivers, members of public who fall firmly in “The Risk Averse” and “Concerned” categories. I think of these last two categories as  people who come through the door thinking “this topic (science in general) is dangerous and poses a real threat to the health and safety of myself, my family, and or my existing way of life and things I currently value”.
With that in mind I came across an interview with Dr. Craig Cormick who has published widely on drivers of public attitudes towards new technologies.
The five key lessons that come out of his research on public perception of risk are as follows:
1. When information in complex people make decisions based on their values and beliefs rather than on facts and logic
2. People seek affirmation of their attitudes or beliefs, no matter how fringe, and will reject any information or facts that are counter to their attitudes or beliefs
3. Attitudes that were not formed by facts and logic will not be influenced by facts and logic
4. Public concern about the risks of contentious science and technologies are almost never about the science itself and therefore scientific information alone does very little to influence those concerns
5. People most trust the people whose values mirror their own.
What does that mean for us when preparing a science talk on a potentially contentious issue?
Good science communication is “more than information. It’s a revelation based upon information’”

In moulding how we present our information we are always seeking techniques that best acknowledge concerns, value systems within the audience and seek to lead them to that  “Ah hah!” moment when they decide for themselves the positive values of the science you are talking about, rather than `being told’ by you the scientist/speaker. Once you have a base script for your talk we can look at which of the techniques we explored in our workshops and in our workbook might be most effective in making  our presentation engaging, relevant and convincing.  That’s one of creative, fun parts of pulling a good talk together.
Here is  Craig Cormick’s interview:-

 It’s quite long, though the interview itself is only 27 mins  there is 18 mins of Q&A  that follows. If you get bogged down after the first 5 minutes of the interview here are some time cues to the more relevant and useful parts of his discussion:
9 min – Affirmation of fringe/whacko ideas and the Google search engine
18 min:32sec – The Role of Trust in influencing public perception
22 min:45sec -The Role of academics/researchers
26 min– Weirdest idea on the internet?
Perhaps the essence of what I’m trying to get across about science communication and contentious issues can be best conveyed in the following quote
“People don’t care what you know,
                                 People want to know that you care”
Dr. Vincent Covello
 Centre for Risk Communication

During our very short foray into some key techniques for engaging a public audience I emphasized the importance of moving beyond merely having a `topic’ for your talk and developing a ` theme’, or key message, that you want to convey about your topic in the 5-6 minutes that you will have for your science shows in July.
It’s great to see some of you moving in this direction in your closed Google Community groups. I strongly encourage you to use the three sentence approach to taking a topic to a theme developed by interpretation specialist Sam Ham. Namely:

Step 1.                Select a general topic

“Generally my presentation is about……

Step 2.                State your topic in more specific terms

“Specifically, however, I want to tell my audience about…”

Step 3.                Now, express your theme.

“After my presentation, I want my audience to understand that…..”

Complete each line as one complete sentence.

This will not only give you presentation a focus it will make researching for your show that much more manageable.

A worked example

Grace posted this as part of  the Medical Science group discussion

“What is antimicrobial resistance and how do we combat these new resistance mechanisms that are emerging and spreading on a global scale”   

Step 1.                Select a general topic

“Generally my presentation is about……      Antimicrobial Resistance

Step 2.                State your topic in more specific terms

“Specifically, however, I want to tell my audience about…   

..what antimicrobial resistance is, how it is emerging and spreading on a global scale, and how we might combat it”

Step 3.                Now, express your theme.

“After my presentation, I want my audience to understand that……………..”

This, your overall theme for the show, will come out of the research you do to address the  3 sub-topics in Step 2 above

Sub-topic 1:  What is Antimicrobial resistance?

Sub-topic 2a: How it is emerging.

                2b: How it is spreading.

Sub-topic 3: How we might combat antimicrobial resistance?

A key message or sub-theme can then also be developed for each of the sub-topics above

e.g

The sub-theme or key message around sub-topic 1: What is Antimicrobial resistance? might be something like:

• Antimicrobial resistance is a bigger threat than many realise

or

• Antimicrobial resistance is a beautiful and extreme example of adaptation  in action.

You then do the same with sub-topics 2 and 3 and come up with the key message you want to convey at that part of your talk. Out of which will come an over-all theme for your whole presentation which you can use to develop Step 3

“After my presentation, I want my audience to understand that……………..”

After you’ve done this and only after you’ve done this you can then distil a snappy theme title for your show.

It really is that simple, but like science itself you have to apply some rigour and consistency to the steps.

Give it a go and email me your  first crack at ` 3 sentence theme development sentences’ by March 13^th.

Don’t worry if Step 3 is not quite refined.  Your final theme statement will emerge from the research on the body of your presentation (Step 2).

Look forward to reading your topics and themes.

Ernst  Mayer, considered  as one of the world’s leading evolutionary biologists of the 20th Century once wrote

Anyone who writes about “Darwin’s theory of evolution in the singular, without segregating the theories of gradual evolution, common descent, speciation, and the mechanism of natural selection, will be quite unable to discuss the subject competently.

So if you are struggling with the concepts around the mechanisms  of  `speciation’  this entertaining short video clip might just be for you.

Speciation: Of Ligers & Men – Crash Course Biology #15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oKlKmrbLoU

Best of Luck  to all of you  for your final NCEA & Scholarship Exams from all of us here at OUASSA.

Aim High!,      

Believe in Yourself!

Don’t Panic!

And

Reach for the stars that burn brightest in your universe !

Look forward  to seeing some of you here at Otago  University next  year!

Emily’s creative approach to teaching physics  hits the  International Science Festival !

Many pupils do not see physics as an interesting subject, but teaching them karate is a practical and interactive way of helping them to learn the concepts of physics without even thinking about it.

Check it out in Otago Daily Times here

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/305106/laws-physics-rule-karate

and on TV here

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/karate-makes-physics-fun-video-5994549

For more on the International Science Festival go to:

http://www.scifest.org.nz/

This website from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is chock-full of information on our human origin. Check out the  `What’s hot in human origins’ section for  the latest news, There’s a great interactive time line and multimedia section or just browse the comprehensive content of the site.

http://humanorigins.si.edu/

I was in my first year at Glasgow University when the Voyager Space craft was launched.  1977. Then its mission was to explore the outer planets. Very few people believed  it would even get that far.

Today it’s almost 19 billion km from home! Radio signals will take the best part of a day to get back us from there! How many near misses with asteroids, meteors and comets large and small has it had on its travels? What wonders it  must have `spied’ – If only it had eyes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24026153

Time then to remember  and pay tribute to  Kiwi  Bill Pickering – Sir William Hayward Pickering. 

Like many OUASSA students he grew up in rural New Zealand- Havelock at top of South Island in Bill’s case.   Educated at Wellington College he ended up in America as part of the `Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)  at Pasedana California and  then onto  the  space programme in the 1950’s
“From a choice of three NASA space programs, manned space flight, Earth satellites and exploration of the solar system, Pickering opted for the latter. He would take JPL where none had gone before, into deep space to carry out NASA’s massive program for the exploration of the solar system and its planets”
“Accept the Light (of knowledge) and pass it on” was the motto of his  beloved Wellington College. Sounds like great advice for any aspiring modern scientist.
http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/publications/reports/yearbooks/year2004/obituaries/william-pickering/

Where are you now Voyager?  Seen anything even remotely as beautiful as earth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwMpV3GPWAE
Watch and enjoy

It’s Official!  Chocolate is good  for  you!

So says the science.

 Or does it?

Research from my old university in Glasgow  claims to show that eating just a single chocolate bar has a direct effect on the brain and may cut the risk of stroke.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10873524 

However

Is it a case of roundabouts and swings?

http://sciblogs.co.nz/bioblog/2013/03/27/chocolate-just-in-time-for-easter/ 

There is  up to $5000 to be won in this nationwide competition
Each finalist gets $1000.

EUREKA! FREE WORKSHOPS

Be inspired
Meet like minds
Find out what the judges are looking for
Develop winning ideas
Learn awesome presentation skills
Boost your confidence

Elizabeth Connor, the inaugural winner of the Prime Minister’s prize for science communication, is to run a series of workshops for students who intend to enter the Sir Paul Callaghan Awards for Young Science Orators. Workshops will be fun and interactive and will help you put your best foot forward to try to win the prestigious Sir Paul Callaghan Supreme Award.

It’d be great to see an OUASSA presence! You gotta be in to win!

Click here for more info:

http://eureka.org.nz/

Wishing  all of you the best of luck with your Scholarship and  NCEA end of year exams!
From ALL of us here at OUASSA.

Don’t panic!

 Now,

Reach for the Stars!

THE Earth’s land has warmed by 1.5 degrees Celsius in the past 250 years and ”humans are almost entirely the cause”, according to a scientific study set up to address climate sceptic concerns about whether human-induced global warming is occurring.