The Truth is Out There!… But Can You Find it?

Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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 7th 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.

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.

Internet Search & Research Tips

Friday, March 17th, 2023 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

 

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

 

  1. 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
  1.  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

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 Films 2022

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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 Podcasts 2022

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Science Writing Competition-Dear Nature Podcast

Monday, June 20th, 2022 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Science Academy 2020 alumni and creator of Dear Nature Podcast series is running a science writing competition for Year 9-13 students across Otago  and Southland.

So if you live in those areas why not have a go and  you could win over $500 worth of prizes AND have your wining entry turned into a ‘Dear Nature Podcast‘ episode by Max.

For more info just look for the Dear Nature Podcast on Instagram or Facebook   or email dearnaturepodcast@gmail.com

2021 Science Films

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Science Academy 2021  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 Center for Science Communication.

Links to this year’s 8 films can be found by clicking on the titles below

 Running Free – A look at the science of prosthetic limbs 

 

by Angelina Gosse (Wentworth College)

 

 

 

The Plastic  Issue 

by Finn Goodman (Geraldine High)

 

 

 

 

Auckland’s Secret Bird Sanctuary 

by Aziza Shawudun (Zayed College for Girls)

Fili Fono (Wesley College)

 

 

 

 

 Restoration of Wetlands

by Te Mote Marsh (Te Puke High School)

 

 

 

 

Operation Nest Egg- Kiwi conservation at West Coast Wildlife Center

by Champagne Dela Cruz (South Westland Area School)

Rhyanna Pich (Waitara High School)

 

 

 

Project Drawdown- School Planting for the Climate

by Shion Ko (Whangarei Boys High School)

 

 

 

 

Hoiho: The Rarest penguin in the World

by Hamish Mills (South Otago High School)

 

 

 

 

Tracking Kiwi with an Airplane

by Liam Finer – (Hawera High School)

 

 

 

 

Student Podcasts 2021

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Science Academy 2021 Podcast students were tasked with exploring their favourite aspect of science and communicating  their ideas through the medium of Radio and Podcasting. They attended four 90 minute workshops at OAR FM studios  during our January Science camp- researched, planned and developed their ideas between January and July camps- and  completed final  editing and recording during  a further  four 90 minute workshops during our July Science camp  facilitated by Domi Angelo-Laloli & Taylor Davies-Colley  at OAR FM Dunedin.

 

Mangere College

Horowhenua College


Opotiki College

Tokomairiro High School

Tokomairiro High School

Te Wharekura o Manaia

Tararua College
 

Check them out  here  Science Academy 2021 Podcasts

 

 

 

2021 Winning Essays

Tuesday, July 27th, 2021 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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.

 

Research Tips Reminder

Friday, April 9th, 2021 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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

Science Can Be Funny But………………..

Friday, October 30th, 2020 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

……..can science comedy also be an effective tool  for  enhancing  understanding and support for science?

Science and comedy may seem like an odd pairing.  Science is a serious business, right?  And everyone’s sense of humour is different. Does science comedy work as a tool for communicating science effectively to a public audience.

In this short blog I make no claims or draw any conclusions.
Rather we are just going to dip our toes into the world of science comedy by looking at a few examples of `comedic science’ and let you come to your own conclusions as to whether you think comedy can be a tool to enhancing understanding  of science in a public audience.

Do science comedians rely on a pre-knowledge of science and/or a specific topic?

How does/could/ comedy enhance the understanding & support for science in a non-scientific public audience?

Check out some of these science comedians and more and you decide

Science Laughs :Brian Malow
‘A Virus Walks Into a Bar…’ and Other Science Jokes

Scientist Turned Comedian: Tim Lee

Science Comedian Vince Ebert | Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017  

Science doesn’t know everything: Dara O’Briain

All of the above a background in science- Dara O’Briain  for example has a degree in mathematics and theoretical physics from University College Dublin and besides stand-up comedy has presented a number of science shows for BBC including School of Hard Sums, Dara Ó Briain’s Science Club)

Sneaking Science into Stand-Up: Kasha Patel
NASA Science Writer, stand-up comedian and founder of ‘DC Science Comedy’ Kasha Patel actually researches the effectiveness of her own science comedy by analysing over 500 of her science jokes as she explains in her 2019 TEDx talk.

Closer to home Andrew Scott from  Otago University School of Science Communication looked at Science comedy  for his Master’s degree  entitled Funnily Serious: Using Comedy  to communicate Science”  part of which included a   comedic science film entitled Tangled Waters  looking at the use of ant-shark nets along the Dunedin coastline. (Maybe I shouldn’t have put this in ahead of possible beach visit at upcoming December Camp!)

Want to dive further in the world of Science comedy?
Check out  Crastina’s International List of Science Comedians

Finally, if you come across an example of science comedy that you think does a really good job of enhancing understanding and/or support for science let me know in the comments.

Enjoy and good luck with your upcoming NCEA external exams.

 

                                             Graphic:https://www.stemmayhem.com/funny-science-jokes/ 

Easy Parenting: Brood Parasites Get Someone Else to Do the Hard Work

Friday, September 25th, 2020 | Petrina Duncan | No Comments

 For most birds, reproduction is a life process that takes up a lot of time and energy. There are huge energetic costs to a female bird with respect to mating, egg-laying, incubating the eggs and feeding hungry chicks for many weeks or months. Some birds also migrate vast distances across land and sea before breeding can commence, using up even more time and energy. Breeding for a bird is a lot of hard work.

So, if a bird found an easier way to become a successful breeder, we would expect that behaviour to be favoured by natural selection and become fixed. In about 1% of all bird species, that’s exactly what has happened: it’s called brood parasitism.

Brood parasites are birds who have learned how to make the parenting process much easier. They still have to find a partner and mate successfully, but instead of the female bird laying her eggs in a nest that she and/or her partner made, she stealthily lays them in the nest of another bird. Intraspecific brood parasites lay eggs in nests belonging to birds of their own species, compared to interspecific brood parasites who target other bird species.

Common cuckoo chick in the nest of a tree pipit.

Common cuckoo chick in the nest of a tree pipit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and advantages for the brood parasites:

  • Increased breeding output
  • Minimal energy expenditure because they don’t defend a nest, incubate eggs or feed chicks.
  • Genes passed on to the next generation.

Costs and disadvantages for the host birds:

  • Decreased breeding output
  • Expending more energy raising someone else’s offspring, especially if the parasitic chick is very large as more food will have to be found.
  • Not passing on genes to the next generation.

Generalists and Specialists

Some brood parasites put their eggs into the nests of a wide variety of other species. These are called generalists. An advantage of this behaviour is the flexibility it offers. Generalists can be successful in many different places and at almost any time, as long as a suitable host bird is nesting nearby.

Alternatively, brood parasites can be specialists. They will target one species to be the host of their egg/s. The limiting factor in this approach is the lack of flexibility, as parasites must live close to their host species or spend time and energy travelling to find them during the breeding season.

 Brood parasites in New Zealand

Cuckoos are the most famous brood parasitic birds worldwide. In New Zealand, two migratory species of cuckoos arrive on our shores in September and October each year. The shining cuckoo/pīpīwharauroa (Maori name) is the smaller of the two species. These small birds fly all the way from the Solomon Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago, a distance of more than 5000 kilometres. On arrival in NZ, shining cuckoos/pīpīwharauroa seek out their target host species, the tiny grey warbler/riroriro, in forests and gardens across the whole country.

Shining cuckoo/pīpīwharauroa being fed by its host parent, a grey warbler/riroriro.

Shining cuckoo/pīpīwharauroa being fed by its host parent, a grey warbler/riroriro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-tailed cuckoos/koekoeā fly to NZ from even further away. They spend winter in an arc of Pacific Islands which extends from Henderson Island (Pitcairn group) in the east to Palau in the far west of Micronesia. A long-tailed cuckoo/koekoeā migrating from Palau to NZ will fly more than 6700 kilometres – perhaps that’s why they don’t have the energy to be a ‘normal’ bird parent. They arrive in NZ in September and October to begin searching for their target host species. In the North Island, they look for a small bird called the whitehead/pōpokatea in tall, mature forests. The forests of the South Island have two host species for long-tailed cuckoos/koekoeā: the brown creeper/pīpipi and the rarer yellowhead/mohua. All three of these host species are endemic to NZ and closely related.

Whitehead host parent feeding a young long-tailed cuckoo

Whitehead host parent feeding a young long-tailed cuckoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strategies of a successful brood parasite

  • Be selective. Brood parasites take their time to find the best host ‘mum’ to be a surrogate parent for their offspring. In human terms, this is a like parents shopping around to find the very best day care centre for their toddler. Before putting her eggs into a host’s nest, the parasitic bird will watch a potential ‘mum’ closely to appraise her age, condition, singing ability, territory location, size of the nest and its location. These factors will contribute to the parasite’s final choice of the best host for the job.
  • Team Work. Some parasitic bird pairs work together to achieve their goal. For example, male great spotted cuckoos in Southern Europe will stage an attack on an unsuspecting pair of magpies. The male cuckoo appears in full view of the magpies to divert their attention and launch a pretend attack. Meanwhile the female cuckoo sneaks into the magpies’ nest to quickly lay her egg. This risky egg-laying behaviour is only possible because both the male and female are working as a team to ensure the hosts don’t see what’s happening.
  • Egg mimicry and timing of laying. Parasitic bird eggs have evolved over time to look and feel very similar to the host’s eggs, a concept called egg mimicry. This reduces the chance of egg rejection by the host. Their eggs also usually have thicker shells than the host’s eggs. Parasitic birds will also strategically time their egg laying. By waiting until the host has already laid a few eggs, the parasitic female ensures that incubation is already underway.
The larger blue egg is that of the parasitic common cuckoo. The cuckoo’s egg looks very similar to those of the host, a common redstart

The larger blue egg is that of the parasitic common cuckoo. The cuckoo’s egg looks very similar to those of the host, a common redstart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Chicks who are bullies. Brood parasite eggs generally hatch earlier than the host’s eggs. The parasitic chicks use strategies like pushing the host’s eggs and chicks out of the nest or stabbing chicks with a special hook on their beak. Imposter chicks also tend to make louder, more frequent begging sounds to ensure they get all the food from host parents. Some species like NZ’s shining cuckoo have chicks who can mimic the begging call of a grey warbler’s chicks, ensuring the host is fooled into feeding them.
  • Total destruction of eggs. Sometimes a cuckoo misses the chance to lay her eggs at the optimum time. As an extreme measure, she will destroy the entire egg collection in the host’s nest. This behaviour is like a reset for the host bird to start over with breeding. She will probably mate again and lay another clutch of eggs while the watchful parasite bird prepares to intercept at just the right time.
Common cuckoo chick in host nest

Common cuckoo chick in host nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can host birds fight back?

Brood parasitism is a classic coevolutionary “arms race”. Each time a host species evolves a new behaviour to defend against brood parasitism, the parasite species evolves a new trait which makes its breeding strategy more successful. Here are a few ways in which hosts can fight back.

  • Egg recognition. Many host birds have evolved to be experts at egg recognition. They will recognise and then reject eggs which look different to their own. Sometimes a host will even leave its nest entirely if a strange looking egg appears. However, brood parasites have adapted to this selection pressure by either becoming generalists (they parasitise multiple species) or producing eggs which are almost identical to the host’s eggs (egg mimicry).
  • Chick recognition. Some host ‘mums’ are able to recognise and reject chicks which are not their own. However, rejecting chicks carries the risk of mistakenly rejecting their own chicks. If the rate of parasitism is very high, selection for accurate chick recognition will be stronger.
  • Nest features. Species that commonly get parasitised may deploy nesting tactics to minimise interference. Their nest may be well camouflaged to avoid detection. The nest’s location could be away from places where parasitic birds can sit. The nest entrance may be too small for the brood parasite to enter. For example, the grey warbler’s nest entrance is tiny, preventing shining cuckoos from entering. But the cuckoo manages to parasitise their nests regardless. Researchers suspect the egg is laid elsewhere then carried in the cuckoo’s beak up to the warbler’s nest and carefully deposited inside.

Should we be concerned about brood parasitism?

As our climate changes and the human population continues to increase, natural habitats such as forests are disappearing due to fires, logging, agriculture and urban sprawl. For bird species that are already in decline due to habitat loss, brood parasitism  may pose a significant threat, especially if generalist parasites increase in numbers. Reproductive success will be compromised at a time when the population is already decreasing. The combined pressures could become too much, putting the species at risk of localised extinction.

On the bright side, a brood parasitic species can’t survive without its host species. Parasitic birds often wait until their target host has raised one clutch of offspring before parasitising the second nest. This is a behaviour which will give rare host species a helping hand.

Grey warblers will often raise a family of chicks successfully early in spring, before the shining cuckoos arrive in NZ from their long migratory journey. Even if the grey warbler’s second nest gets targeted by a shining cuckoo, they have already contributed their genes to the next generation and hopefully the behaviour of early nesting was also passed on to their offspring.

For rarer NZ bird species such as the yellowhead/mohua and whitehead/pōpokatea, being less successful breeders due to parasitism by long-tailed cuckoos/koekoeā is a concern to conservationists. Long-tailed cuckoos are also able to parasitise the nests of the more common brown creeper/pīpipi in the South Island. As yellowhead numbers decrease, brown creeper numbers may also begin to decline due to being parasitised at a higher rate. In the North Island, whiteheads are increasing in numbers due to human conservation efforts which will hopefully help to mitigate the negative effects of brood parasitism.

Conclusion

Brood parasitism represents a rare and unusual parenting strategy. There are many benefits for the bird who does the parasitising such as avoiding most of the hard work involved with being a parent.

Brood parasitism is a great example of coevolution in which the evolutionary “arms race” is played out in the privacy of a nest or within the boundaries of a territory. There will always be winners and losers in this host-parasite exploitative relationship. What we must try to do is reduce or eliminate human-related pressures which adversely affect the breeding success of birds. By helping to conserve native bird species and their habitats, we’ll be supporting them to withstand the negative impact of brood parasitism long term.

Further reading:

Photo Credits:

Common cuckoo chick in the nest of a tree pipit.
Vladlen666/WikiMedia Commons (CC1.0)
https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/cuckoos-may-have-long-lasting-impact-other-birds

Shining cuckoo/pīpīwharauroa being fed by its host parent, a grey warbler/riroriro.
Photography by Robin Colquhoun. From NZ Birds Online: http://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/shining-cuckoo#bird-photos

Whitehead host parent feeding a young long-tailed cuckoo. Photography by Adam Clarke.
From NZ Birds Online: http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/long-tailed-cuckoo

The larger blue egg is that of the parasitic common cuckoo. The cuckoo’s egg looks very similar to those of the host, a common redstart. Photography: Dr. Tomas Grim. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-russian-cuckoo-invasion-alaskan-birds.html

Common cuckoo chick in host nest. Photography by Per Harald Olsen (CC BY 2.0)
https://www.birdorable.com/blog/bird-term-brood-parasite/

The Unknown Explorers of Prehistory

Friday, July 31st, 2020 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

As a boy I had a fascination for Arctic explorers; Nansen, Nordenskjold, Peary, Franklin Cook, and a Scot by the name of John Rae. Many years later when working as an interpretive tour guide at Denali National Park in Central Alaska I found myself working alongside Yupiks, Athabascan and Aleuts and was reminded that as my boyhood heroes pushed north in their clunky wooden-hulled ships in search of that elusive Northwest Passage they encountered people already living on that frigid landscape and who had been for thousands of years.

Where did they come from? When did they arrive and how did they get there?

The classic story I learned at school was that first Americans crossed the land-bridge (Beringia) from Siberia at a time of warmer interglacial climate around 11,000-14, 000 years ago.

However, this is assertion is increasingly being challenged by recent archaeological finds.
What is emerging is evidence of a much earlier arrival than previously thought at a time of `Glacial Maximum’ when the `land-bridge’ was buried under kilometre thick ice sheets.

Who were these men and women – these nameless explorers of prehistory – and could they really have crossed a Beringian ice-cap?

Anatomically they were the same as you or I but what did they wear, how did they navigate, how did they survive such hostile conditions?

What were their hopes, dreams, aspirations and fears as they pushed further and further into an increasingly hostile environment? Were they driven by the pursuit of something new and better or fleeing from something bad?

Or is it simply that the urge to make ‘split-infinite journeys’ and “boldly go where no-one has gone before” is inherent in us as a species. That pull of the far horizon, to explore, took us out of Africa and remains with us today as we plan to colonise other planets.

The more one delves into what we know of these earliest of Arctic explorer/colonisers one can’t help but admire the tenacity, resilience and bravery they must surely have had to cross from Asia to Alaska and down through the Americas.

Until recently the commonly held theory was that the first human inhabitants of the Americas arrived somewhere around 11,000 years ago. Known as the Clovis people after a characteristic type of stone tool first found at a site in Clovis, New Mexico in the 1930’s their stone tools have subsequently been found across the Americas.

Then, in the 1990’s evidence began emerging from a number of sites of earlier occupation, the most famous and controversial being the Monte Verde site way down in Southern Chile. Monte Verde sparked intense controversy within the archaeological community as it claimed evidence of occupation as early as 14,500-18,500 years ago. To have reached Southern Chile by then those first colonisers would have had to have crossed Beringia much earlier than previously thought. ‘’Not possible” say the glaciologists! Beringia would have been covered in kilometre deep ice sheets at that time.

Could they have snuck around the southern coast of Beringia? Perhaps these tenacious early colonisers coastal hopped up the east coast of Asia, round to the Alaskan Archipelago, down the British Columbian coast to California, Mexico and beyond to South America.
This Coastal-Settlement Theory is gaining more and more traction with archaeologists as new sites are discovered.
Sea levels at that time of Glacial Maximum would have been up to 120 metres lower exposing many coves, beaches and islands submerged today. The single longest sea journey might well have been less than 200km.

Marine Archaeology is challenging at the best of time but nowhere more so that around the Bering Sea and Alaskan coast, so gathering evidence for the coastal- settlement theory remains challenging. While only a few coastal sites have been found dating from about 11000-15000 years ago the search continues as new archaeological techniques and technology develops.

What we do know is that as early as 60, 000 years ago proto-Melanesians were a seafaring people. There is evidence of voyages of 150- 450 km by 32,000 years ago. All of which supports the idea of a possible coastal settlement path up the coast of Asia and across to the Alaskan Coast of the Americas.

The Chiquihuite Cave Site
Now a newly discovered site in Mexico has pushed the arrival of the first Americans back even further -a whole 15,000 years earlier than previously thought!
Chiquihuite Cave is located far inland in a remote mountainous region at a height of nearly 3000m. Over 2000 stone tools have been unearthed along with other evidence that push the arrival of the first Americans back to 25,000-30,000 years ago!
“We don’t know who they were, where they came from or where they went. They are a complete enigma. We falsely assume that the indigenous populations in the Americas today are direct descendants from the earliest Americans, but now we do not think that is the case.
By the time the famous Clovis population entered America, the very early Americans had disappeared thousands of years before. There could have been many failed colonisations that were lost in time and did not leave genetic traces in the population today”. Says Archaeologist Dr. Ciprian Ardelean.

No human remains or DNA has yet been found at this site so it is not possible to know for sure the genetic lineage to possible founder populations in Siberia and Beringia.
The traditional view that most Native Americans (in both North and South America) are mainly descended from the same ancient peoples that most Chinese, Japanese and other East Asians are descended from is now also being challenged by recent genomic research. This suggests that the initial peopling of the Americas was probably carried out by a different group of people partly related to ancestors of modern-day Australian aborigines, Papua New Guineans, Andaman Islanders and Mamanwa people from the Philippines.

Whether those early explorer colonisers fought their way on foot across expansive glaciers and down an ice-free corridor within Alaska or battled stormy seas around the fringes of a frigid Beringia they must have been remarkably tough and resilient individuals and communities.
The individual identities  of the very first to  make the crossing will remain forever unknown. Since we have no Nansen, Nordenskjold or Peary to be our Arctic explorer heroes from that era we are left with a collective reverence for an unknown people who had the tenacity, endurance, drive and fortitude to make the toughest migration since our species walked out of Africa somewhere around 80,000 years ago.

Sources & Further Reading:

YouTube Links:

Most archaeologists think the first Americans arrived by boat. Now, they’re beginning to prove it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=CmxhFgpIacI&feature=emb_logo

How the First Americans Got There
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dyjZBJt-Yg

Landmark find rewrites world’s prehistory as it is currently known
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/archaeology-discovery-americas-us-human-story-prehistory-a9632161.html

Earliest humans stayed at the Americas ‘oldest hotel’ in Mexican cave
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200722112726.htm

Evidence of human occupation in Mexico around the Last Glacial Maximum
Ciprian F. Ardelean, Lorena Becerra-Valdivia, […]Eske Willerslev : Nature (2020)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2509-0

Illustration credits:
1. Tyler Jacobsen
2. Kenneth Garrett
3. Chris Burns
4. Dr. Ciprian Andelean

Study Skills, Exam Revision and Time Management

Friday, June 26th, 2020 | Petrina Duncan | No Comments

Student sitting meditatively on pile of booksRevising for exams is a task that most students dread. It’s that daunting time when you suddenly realise that there is a lot more information to learn than days left to learn it all. Often, many other events are going on in your life at the same time, so revision gets left until the last minute, which only makes things worse. As your stress levels build, you may find it difficult to sleep or lack the energy to exercise. Ultimately, you need to monitor your own stress levels and take control over when and how your revision gets done.

If there is one piece of advice to give, plan ahead. It’s never too early to start getting organised for assessment. With a clear plan for each of the subjects you’re studying, you will have more confidence and a sense of purpose. You’ll know what the end goal is, how long you have to get there, and all the steps needed on the way to achieving success.

For school students, you’ll probably have some practice exams coming up during Term Three. These exams are often shorter in duration than the final exams because you haven’t yet covered all the topics for the year’s work. Find out from your teachers exactly what will be examined in the practice exams. Then find out when these exams are and make a plan going backwards from exam week to now.  Consider using a planner template to plan when you will revise each subject. You can also add in other commitments such as sports practice, hobbies and leadership roles. You may have other deadlines such as internal assessments, practicals and sports competitions coming up, all of which should be added to your planner.

Identify when you have time each day to study for the exams. It might be a slot between 4pm and 6pm each week day, or a Saturday afternoon. For each subject you study at school, allow at least three hours of study time per week. As exams get closer, increase the number of hours per week. Remember to include breaks, sport, relaxation and fun in your schedule. Avoid too much computer time, especially just before bed. If you are lacking motivation, think about creating a study group with a few friends. Getting together for a focused session for one hour might be more worthwhile than sitting alone at home all evening getting distracted by social media. You could even teach each other part of a topic. Most of all, keep eating well, get plenty of sleep and exercise, and monitor your stress levels.

Revision can be broken down into four phases:

  1. You’ll need to do an initial reading of the content of a topic. After reading, try writing a summary (from memory) of what you have read. Organise the summary in a way that works for you, such as in mind maps, wall charts, flash cards, voice recordings or flow charts. Go back to check that your original notes match your summary – add in any forgotten information.
  1. Next you should read your summary over and over again for the next few days. Test your knowledge by forcing yourself to say it out loud, make links between parts, do quizzes, draw diagrams, write paragraphs or write definitions. Stick notes onto the wall of your room so that you see them daily. Your aim is to move the information into your long term memory.
  1. Monitor your ability to recall/understand certain aspects over others. Which bits do you keep forgetting? Try another way to remember those things. Keep reading over your notes and summaries. Test yourself again. Ask a friend/relative to help with testing you. Do more quizzes or multi-choice tests … try Kahoot online.
  1. Finally, practise answering past exam questions. NZQA subject resources can be found here. Become familiar with the way exam questions are worded for each subject. Be aware of which topics have been asked in the last three years of exams. If parts of questions such as graphics or photos are missing from the website versions of exams, ask your teachers if they have a paper version that you can photocopy. Mark your work using online assessment schedules. Give your work to your teacher for feedback and ask if you can spend some time going over their suggestions after class.

At this point, forming a small study group would be worthwhile. You could all attempt a past exam paper, then meet up to discuss your answers and mark each other’s work. Talking about the parts you struggled to answer will help your understanding greatly. Find out how your friends are doing their revision. Swap ideas and share your knowledge. Keep it fun!

Finally, always put your phone in another room when you are studying. It is just a distraction. Use it as a reward for an hour’s solid study when you take a break. Good luck with your revision!

Links:

TKI  study and Exam techniques

https://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-tools-resources/Study-and-exam-techniques

NZQA Subject Resources
https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/

Phases of revision (Massey University, NZ):
https://owll.massey.ac.nz/tests-and-exams/phases-of-revision.php

Revision tips
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/apr/24/revision-advice-students

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/may/17/struggling-revision-exams-cramming-experts

 

Sleep – “The Main Course in Life’s Feast and The Most Nourishing”

Monday, May 11th, 2020 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

moonlit sky with stars

Innocent sleep. Sleep that soothes away all our worries. Sleep that puts each day to rest. Sleep that relieves the weary labourer and heals hurt minds. Sleep, the main course in life’s feast, and the most nourishing.”
So wrote William Shakespeare.

I’ve never really thought of `The Bard’ as being a cognitive scientist but he is uncannily close to the truth with those words if we take a brief dive into sleep science research.

So, what is your  sleep routine? Are you a morning or a night time person? Do you go to bed at same time every night or just whenever?

I’m a night time person myself and often don’t get to bed till midnight or later if I get engrossed in some creative project. At the other end of the day I wake early, hate sleeping in and am a big fan of sunrises so, if  pre-dawn sky looks promising will often head out with camera, tripod and thermos of coffee to watch the new day unfold. As a student  I was as guilty as  the next man  of pulling a few too many `all-nighters’ in the run up to exams or during post exam party season. My first post-university job was as a `Water Bailiff on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and involved night shift work -patrolling the river after dark looking for poachers! And it doesn’t get dark till very late in summer on the Outer Hebrides (Great use of a zoology degree, eh?). In my late 20’s I crewed on an private Antarctic expedition ship  for over a year where our `watches’(shifts) ran four hours on 8 hours off over the 24 hour cycle. As part of the expedition  I  spent 11 months in a tiny hut  on the Antarctic continent with just 2 companions.  There we went from 24 hours daylight to 24 hours darkness that  lasted about 3 months ( It would be fair to say  that the `novelty’ of 24 hours darkness wears off fairly quickly !).  The terms `night’ and `day’ as determined by the hands on the clock lose their meaning. I quickly discovered that the key to maintaining daily motivation, mental and emotional balance was `routine’. Having  a routine for the `day’  meant Antarctic night became an experience I could relish and  cherish forever !

Outside of  those diurnal extremes I’d always held to the belief that it doesn’t really matter when you go to bed? Life is for living, right? The body will tell you when it wants to sleep? What ever time  that happens to be that day doesn’t really matter!

How wrong I was!

I’ve recently discovered that there’s a lot of research that says it does matter!
Not just when you sleep but how much sleep your body gets.

What’s more, the implications of not sleeping well and regularly could have profound effects not just on your ability to learn but on your cardiovascular system , reproductive capacity and immune systemSo as we look for ways to maximise our protection against CoVid19 a good night’s sleep  may well be another powerful tool in the cupboard.

It is clear that far from being at rest during sleep your brain is beavering away  and working very hard  to keep us  healthy, and sane.

Sleep is our  superpower according to brain scientist Prof Matt Walker.Matt Walker on TED Stage

In his short TED talk, he eloquently presents us with some sobering research and conclusions on how we potentially abuse our bodies through our sleep habits.

 

The data and conclusion presented  in his talk  blew me away  when I first watched  and this along with further reading on the topic has made me re-evaluate my current sleep regime. 

Have a look for yourself  and if not convinced, here a few more links on sleep science  you may find interesting:

Why do we sleep? Russell Foster
Russell Foster is a circadian neuroscientist: He studies the sleep cycles of the brain. And he asks: What do we know about sleep? Not a lot, it turns out, for something we do with one-third of our lives. In this talk, Foster shares three popular theories about why we sleep, busts some myths about how much sleep we need at different ages — and hints at some bold new uses of sleep as a predictor of mental health.

The brain benefits of deep sleep — and how to get more of it
Dan Gartenberg
There’s nothing quite like a good night’s sleep. What if technology could help us get more out of it? Dan Gartenberg is working on tech that stimulates deep sleep, the most regenerative stage which (among other wonderful things) might help us consolidate our memories and form our personalities. Find out more about how playing sounds that mirror brain waves during this stage might lead to deeper sleep — and its potential benefits on our health, memory and ability to learn.

Sleep-Engineering: Improve Your Life By Manipulating Your Sleep
Penny Lewis Lewis is a neuroscientist at the University of Manchester, where she runs the Neuroscience and Psychology of Sleep (NaPS) lab. Based on the latest neuroscientific research Penny Lewis shows why sleep is thought to be critical for combining and restructuring memories, and thus to form the basis of creativity.

Why Schools should start later for Teens
Wendy Troxel
Teens don’t get enough sleep, and it’s not because of Snapchat, social lives or hormones — it’s because of public policy, says Wendy Troxel. Drawing from her experience as a sleep researcher, clinician and mother of a teenager, Troxel discusses how early school start times deprive adolescents of sleep during the time of their lives when they need it most.
This talk is more related to US teens where many schools start ~ 7am. (Perish the thought !) but still worth a look.

Additional references related  to  some of the specific research cited in  Prof. Matt Walker’s talk can be found here

Finally, a few starter  tips for a good night’s sleep

  1. Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, no matter whether it’s the weekday or the weekend. Regularity is king!
  2. Keep it cool! Aim for a bedroom temperature of around 18 degrees Celsius.
  3. Avoid the urge for that last look at your emails or just one more Youtube clip just before bed .
  4. If find yourself tossing and turning  and not able to get to sleep, get out of bed and go to a different room and do something different. Your brain will very quickly associate your bedroom with the place of wakefulness, and you need to break that association. So only return to bed when you are sleepy.
  5.  Try  and avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol  before  bed time

For more Healthy Sleep Tips  from our Otago University  Well Sleep Centre click here

So if you find  yourself  struggling with aspects of school work, prone to colds and flu and  life just generally  getting you down try re-evaluating your sleep routine.

In  the words of  a more modern prescient writer, the  “Dean of science fiction“,
Robert  A. Heinlein:

“Happiness consists of getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more !”

Using Podcasts to Learn About Science

Thursday, April 30th, 2020 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Written by Petrina Duncan

If you enjoy listening to stories and are naturally curious, podcasts are a way in which you could learn more about almost any topic you can think of. There are lots of benefits of listening to podcasts: you can do other tasks such as exercising at the same time, a wide range of global topics are covered, you will hear a range of communication methods, and you can visualise as you listen which engages multiple parts of your brain. Learn about other benefits here.

The diversity of podcasts is huge, so here is a list of some science-based podcasts accessible online which you can browse through to find topics you are interested in or curious about. Enjoy the show!

New Zealand Podcast Series:

  1. Our Changing World This excellent science and natural history series has been running for many years on Radio New Zealand (RNZ). The weekly show is currently hosted by the very talented Alison Ballance, a zoologist, wildlife filmmaker, writer and radio producer. Alison often goes on location for her stories to labs and field sites in remote and rugged places, eg. Antarctica, Codfish Island and the Chatham Islands. Highly recommended. Also worth listening to is Alison’s four-part series called Voice of the Iceberg set in Antarctica.
  1. Critter of the Week Presented by Jesse Mulligan (RNZ) and Nicola Toki (Department of Conservation’s Threatened Species Ambassador), this weekly session combines a friendly chat with a scientific description of uncharismatic but loveable, lesser known species in NZ. For example, learn about the NZ antlion, Bryde’s whales, basking sharks, or Smeagol the gravel maggot. Who knew there was a maggot named after Smeagol?
  1. Science Express Presented by Te Papa museum in Wellington (see their blog), these podcasts are recordings of live interviews with experts, recorded in front of an audience. Learn about diverse topics such as the psychology of criminals, fossil hunting for dinosaurs and drilling into the Alpine Fault. Not a weekly series.
  1. Scigest Described as ‘podcast-sized servings of digestible science from the world of Plant and Food research’, this has something for everyone. Within their numerous podcast episodes, learn about topics such as the future of food, the personality of a snapper, stink bugs and the career path to becoming a scientist. A must for future scientists, especially those interested in plants, food, horticulture, biosecurity or genetics.
  1. Stupid questions for scientists Although not strictly a NZ podcast, the presenter is an award winning science communicator, Dr Michelle Dickinson, better known as Nano Girl, who now teaches at the University of Auckland. Described as “a brilliantly entertaining, while delightfully educating podcast which brings together top comedians and scientists. Topics include animal intelligence, medicinal majijuana and the science of attraction. Riveting stuff!

Australian Podcast Series:

  1. The Science Show A weekly radio series produced by the ABC in Australia. The Science Show provides unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms. Hear about the future of space research, how young people view science, life at extreme ocean depths and amazing stories about blood.
  1. Great Moments in Science Another ABC Australia production, host Dr Karl Kruszelnicki reveals ‘groundbreaking and life-saving’ science stories, as well as a few ‘wacky and implausible’ ones. Be absorbed by topics such as why humans are no longer cannibals, why 5G won’t kill you and the intelligence of spiders.
  1. Science Friction Described by the ABC as ‘science, culture and everything in between’ this series focuses on topics which might be slightly contentious, edgy or controversial. Hosted by award-winning science presenter/journalist Natasha Mitchell. Check out their recent podcast on bats, pandemics and China’s wildlife markets with relation to the COVID-19 virus. Great interviews with relevant experts.

British Podcast Series:

  1. 5 Live Science Podcast Join Dr Chris Smith and the ‘Naked Scientists’ for a weekly update of science news stories and analysis from the BBC radio. Their topics are diverse, their humour is entertaining, and they even answer questions from the public about science topics. Episode examples: beached whales, bright Neanderthals, the Coronavirus, veganism, gene editing. Great listening.
  1. Costing the Earth An excellent BBC radio series which covers a wide range of global environmental and conservation topics. They often go on location and interview lots of different experts. Episode examples include: eco anxiety, how young people are taking on climate change issues, and ending the age of plastics. Subscribe and upskill.
  1. Discovery Explorations into the world of science from BBC radio. The presenters often interview leading scientists who have made significant discoveries in their field of research. Episode examples include gene research, stem cells, COVID-19, locust plagues and micro-plastics in the ocean.
  1. CrowdScience The BBC take ‘questions from the public about life, Earth and the universe to researchers hunting for answers at the frontiers of knowledge.’ Updated weekly, you can hear answers to questions like:  Can science explain why I love shopping? Why are we obsessed with crime? Would humans still exist if dinosaurs were alive? Fascinating stuff.
  1. BBC Inside Science Dr Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that’s changing our world. Of particular interest to NZ biology students will be their podcasts about human evolution, eg. The hidden history in our DNA – Part 1 – Sex and Disease and The hidden history in our DNA – Part 2 – Travel and Culture.

American Podcast Series:

  1. Sciencemag A weekly science podcast show, produced by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Two or three topics are discussed each week, including interviews with expert scientists. They currently have a strong focus on COVID-19 related stories (like most science podcasts!). Other topics include: visiting a near-Earth asteroid, why adults are always badmouthing the next generation, and the limits on human endurance. Something for everyone.
  1. Overheard at National Geographic Each week, the presenters ‘dive into one of the curiously delightful conversations they’ve overheard around National Geographic’s headquarters. You’ll be introduced to the explorers, photographers and scientists at the edges of our big, bizarre, and beautiful world.’ Hear about zombie mice, the hidden cost of the perfect selfie, and how beavers work as carbon releasers of the permafrost environment. The National Geographic website has lots of other wonderful things to explore.
  1. Scientific American  If your attention span is short, these podcasts might suit you. They are short, snappy and always interesting. Learn about worm-like creatures which are our ancient ancestors, puffins using tools, COVID-19 updates and fungi on flaky scalps. Delightful !

Hopefully this list of science podcasts inspires you to tune in, get inspired and practise the art of listening. Remember that podcasts are also available through itunes, spotify, iHeart radio, Google Podcasts and radio network websites like the BBC, ABC, RNZ and our own local Dunedin based OAR FM:  Science Academy(OUASSA) Student Podcasts and University of Otago Science Notes.

Are ALL Viruses Bad?

Thursday, March 26th, 2020 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

graphic of sausage-shaped bacteria with pin-like viruses attachedWith all that is going on  around us,  all across this beautiful planet of ours and the word `virus’ dominating everything we see, hear, read in the media at the moment I found myself thinking “Are all viruses bad? Are there any useful, beneficial viruses? And  why  ARE bats  such good carriers  off so many nasty diseases – over 60 of them!”

It seems highly likely that viruses do play a substantial part in maintaining a healthy body.  You have probably heard of our `microbiome’ but what about our ‘virome’
Read more here:
How ‘good’ viruses may influence health 
Here:
Not All Viruses Are Bad For You. Here Are Some That Can Have a Protective Effect
And here:
Viruses Don’t Deserve Their Bad Rap: They’re The Unsung Heroes You Never See
[In  the embedded Ted-X talk in this link, the always engaging, Peter Pollard also  illustrates some illuminating facts about how much C02 freshwater ecosystems pump into the atmosphere, due in part to viruses… everything is linked! ]

And on the question of why bats are such good carriers of disease.Brown bat in flight
Check out:
Why Do Bats Transmit So Many Diseases?

BEFORE YOU CLICK-  Spend a minute thinking about what you know of bat behaviour and basic physiology …. (The answer may take flight in your head…(hint))

 

However, when all is said and done our thoughts are all on one virus at the moment.

Ever wondered how the tests for Coronavirus work?
May you never have to take one!

P.S.
Need a refresher on just exactly what viruses are and how they work?
Check out this great Khan Academy Tutorial on Viruses and the  text Q&A that follows.

Stay safe
Be patient

Mind Mapping – Why you should be doing this.

Thursday, March 12th, 2020 | Petrina Duncan | No Comments

You might have heard of mind mapping. Perhaps one of your teachers or lecturers asked you to make one for a complicated topic. Maybe you scribble them on paper regularly when you’re trying to make sense of something complicated. Or it’s even possible that you’ve missed the mind mapping bus altogether. In this month’s blog, you can learn about what mind maps are, why they could be useful to you and how research has proven their benefits for higher education.

What is a mind map?

We can define a mind map simply as ‘a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts’(1) or ‘a creative and logical means of note-taking and note-making that literally “maps out” your ideas’(2). Both of these descriptions should paint a picture in your mind of words and ideas splayed out across a page in a meaningful visual way. Mind maps also comprise a network of connected and related concepts(3). They are not just random words thrown together on a page. At the core of a mind map is a central idea, topic or issue. Splaying out from that central topic are a number of subtopics, and branching off those are more notes or diagrams. Lines may also be used to connect different branches of the map to show links between ideas, concepts or subtopics.

Example of a mind map about how to stay focused in a digital world:

Example of mindmap on how to focus in age of distraction

Image from: http://learningfundamentals.com.au/resources/ (4)

As you can see in the mind map above, the creator(4) has chosen a cartoon-like approach with colours, graphics and words to illustrate their ideas about how to stay focused. This mind map would be useful to refer to regularly as a good reminder when you’re not focused.

The most important thing to remember is that a mind map is yours, not anyone else’s. You create it in your own way to visually represent information that is in your mind. No one can tell you that your mind map is wrong, because they can’t see inside your brain where your thoughts and neurons are firing rapidly during the mind mapping process. This map is made by you, for you, in order to safely navigate the often confusing situation of being swamped with too much information. By the time you have made a mind map, you will probably find that your brain has done a download of some (or all) of that information, leaving you free to focus on other things or to take action.

As a demonstration of how mind mapping can work, at least for me and my mind, I decided to choose a topic that I haven’t had to think about for 26 years but which most senior school students will be thinking about all the time: going to university. It’s completely normal to start thinking about university in your last year or two of school. The problem is, as soon as you think ‘university’ you start to think about all these other things like degrees, money, deadlines, careers, scholarships, applications, hostels, etc. All of a sudden, you may start to feel a little overwhelmed because you know almost nothing about anything related to university, yet you feel like you should know more. It may all become too hard, so you do nothing, hoping it all sorts itself out. But it won’t. No one else is going to do the work for you this time. Getting to university is up to you. So instead of sticking your head in the sand, take a deep breath, pick up a pen and try making a mind map.

Here is a rough draft of a mind map that I made in about 20 minutes, as if I was thinking about going to university for the first time next year, in 2021:

Mind map on How to a organise going to University

If I was making this mind map for my future use, next I would colour it in and draw lines between parts that link together, but I didn’t want to make it too messy for you. The only resource I used to make this map was a University of Otago Undergraduate Prospectus booklet(5) which contains essential reading for about-to-be-first-year students.Image of front cover of 2020 Undergraduate prospectus

Back in the 1990’s, before internet searches existed, the Prospectus booklet was the only source of information for planning a university degree. Now, there is so much information out there online that it can be confusing, but the Prospectus should still be your go-to booklet for university planning because it has everything in one place. If I was heading to university next year, I would keep referring to my mind map and work my way through all the things I needed to research and do. I could even make other mind maps which branch off from this one, focusing on ways to make money for university, the pro’s and con’s of each university or which course to take.

The sky is the limit with mind maps!

So, are there other advantages of using mind maps to organise information, other than just to do a ‘download’ from your busy mind? Yes. Here are some of the additional benefits:

  1. Mind maps can help you to break down complex information and issues, making them easier to understand.(4,6)

When something seems really complex, a mind map helps you to simplify information into some kind of logical picture that your brain can make sense of. Think about a topic which you struggled with in your last year at school. If you’d made some mind maps, could you have presented the information to yourself in a way that was less confusing and more clear? Would that have made it easier to see links between topics and subtopics, or between different concepts?

For example, climate change and global warming are complex issues facing our planet and society at the moment. The simple mind map below(4) shows one way of organising some of the key science ideas about global warming in a way which looks interesting and less complex. You can also see clear links between certain aspects, such as the different greenhouse gas emitters or before/after the 1750 industrial revolution. From this simple outline of the main ideas, you could do more research then write a report or essay about the whole topic.

Image from:  http://learningfundamentals.com.au/resources/ (4)

  1. Mind maps improve memory and recall(6)

Our brains easily remember images that we have seen which can then link to other memories. How often have you looked at an old photo of yourself, then suddenly remembered lots of other things which happened during that event? It is generally easier to remember a diagram than a description(3). For example, in an exam, you could quickly sketch the global warming mind map again which you had made earlier in the year or when you were studying. The diagrams and lines in the mind map would then jog your memory of the main ideas for a well-structured essay. Easy!

As a trial, try taking a topic that you have already studied this year and creating a mind map of it. You could either do this using notes or just from memory. Afterwards, pull out your textbook and see what you’ve missed. Add more content, links, diagrams, colour etc, until it summarises all the important key things for that topic. Use it regularly to remind yourself of what was covered during that topic and again for revision.

  1. Mind maps are a more engaging style of learning(6)

Have you ever spent a whole class period copying notes off the whiteboard or projector screen? If yes, did that method help you to learn? Some learners would say yes. However, a different style would be to create a mind map to brainstorm student ideas of what you already know about a topic or issue, to connect ideas together and work in a group to share ideas between students. This active process would engage everyone in the group, whether they are sharing their ideas or writing on the paper. Talking would generate more ideas. Between you, a whole-page mind map could be created and then shared with the teacher and class. This would be collaborative and engaging, much more so than copying down notes. And you’d be more likely to remember it all too! A scan or photocopy of the final mind map could be taken and shared.

  1. Mind maps help to show connections between existing knowledge and new learnings

This process is sometimes called ‘meaningful learning’ – making links between prior knowledge and new knowledge(6,7). This process doesn’t always happen by itself, especially when you are young. Mind mapping can help to create meaningful learning if students are forced to find connections between their existing knowledge and new learnings.

For example, take a topic like micro-organisms. If you had to make a mind map now, based on your current knowledge of micro-organisms, what would it look like? How much do you know and how would you organise those ideas on a page in a visual way? Next, imagine if you did a week or two of learning about micro-organisms, either in biology class or doing your own research. If you then took your original mind map and had to add some of your new knowledge to it, the process of doing so would force you to think about integrating and connecting the old and new information in a meaningful way(7) so that the mind map still made sense to you.

Along comes a pandemic like COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). How could you connect that into your micro-organisms mind map? Is it a virus, bacteria or fungi? Will it be helpful or harmful to humans? How and why does it spread? You can see how having one mind map is a good starting point but soon your mind will want to make more of them, branching off the first one. This is a visual representation of you learning and processing new information. Imagine if you took your original mind map to your teacher and said “I decided to add my new knowledge about the novel coronavirus to the mind map that we made in class last week – can you please give me some feedback?” You would make your teacher’s day!

In summary, mind maps are a meaningful learning tool and are definitely worth trying out if you haven’t already. There are lots of free mind mapping websites which are fun to try out: simplemind.eu, mindmeister.com, mindmup.com, sciencemindmaps.com, xmind.net, coggle.it, mindmapping.com and there are some instructions at simplemind.eu which are worth reading(8). Try drawing your own mind map on paper first. The creativity feels great and you won’t be constrained by using any particular template. Good luck – enjoy the mind mapping journey ahead!

Links to references:
 

Petrina Duncan- Science Teaching Coordinator

Science Academy 2019 Student Podcasts

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Exploring  effective techniques for communicating science to a public audience is a key component of Science Academy (OUASSA). Every year our students undertake a project under one of four science communication streams:- Interpretive Science Talks, Science Film Making with your cell phone or Ipad, Museum Science Communication, Science Radio Podcasting.

This year Shannon Colbert and Domi Angelo-Laloli from Community Access Radio’s OAR  105.4FM Dunedin mentored eight of our students  through the process of constructing a short science podcast by means of interactive workshops in the studio and on-line  support throughout the year.

Below is a list  of the topics they covered

Physicists on the Pitch
by Abdul Ahmadi from Mangere College

Discover the science behind Soccer! From Newton’s Laws of Physics, to the Magnus Effect and the use of `Cleats’.

Operation: Space-cial Exploration
by Jessica Marshall from Opihi College

Billions of stars, hundreds of planets, a black hole or two, but how do we know this? What feats of engineering were needed to bring us this knowledge and what will be needed to further understand the world around us?

The Periodic Podcast
by Niamh Frizzell from Awaptapu College

This podcast is about history of the periodic table, the `International Year of the Periodic Table’ and the celebrations that surround it.

Error 1387 Gene Unavoidable
by Seruwaia Matairavula from Wesley College

In this podcast I discuss Genetics at Otago University and how the study can benefit humanity. I am accompanied by Sean, a Masters student studying genetics, and Science Academy attendee, Cameron Bergin from John Paul II High School in Greymouth.

The Extra-terrestrial Podcast
by Corban Taylor from Opotiki College

If you want to listen in to a good friend and I talk about aliens and all that jazz then listen in, as we discuss our views on alien beliefs.

Are We Living in a Simulation?
by Maddison Ridder from Verdon College & Cameron Bergin from John Paul II High

Have you ever felt like you have no control, like your whole life is set out for you? Have you ever thought that maybe you’re living in a simulation? Well, it’s more possible than you’d think. This podcast is going to investigate the reasons why we could be part of a simulation.

Lost in Translation
by Gemma Marnane from Central Southland College

If you are willing to deny convention, it becomes more worthy of attention. For all the knowledge, all the fear, we forget to speak of the meaning, which is hidden. Take this, imagine a world in words. It forms languages and societies, stipulates mutations, natural selection and forms gene pools and populations. It’s the world. We are all just a little lost in translation.

Becoming a Midwife
by Tamel Robertson from Aurora College

My podcast is based on the life of a midwife and the duties in her role. I will be interviewing midwife Margaret Gardner to gather information for the listener as well as myself as I plan on beginning my study to become a midwife next year, in 2020.

Have a listen here at   https://oar.org.nz/event/science-academy-chat/

Happy Listening!

I’ve been thinking….

Friday, August 30th, 2019 | Wendy Dunn | No Comments

Actually it starts with listening, thinking, reading and then some more thinking. The nature of Science learning! This year I have had the luxury of having the opportunity to listen to the radio while I am working. I find my ears prick up and I tune in when an interesting science item comes on. Radio New Zealand is my frequency of choice. Even if it’s not yours it is well worth dipping into for anyone with an interest in keeping up with the latest Science news. They are easy listening and many of the programmes and interviews are available as podcasts (see below). The RNZ website is easy to search and there is a RNZ App if you like to listen while on the move.
Here are a few recent items that you might find interesting.

A very ugly lamb

A rare lamb was born in Rotorua that is basically bald – a lamb without wool. What would happen to this genetic rarity in the wild?bald lamb

 

 

 

 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018710142/woolless-lamb-one-of-the-ugliest-lambs-i-ve-ever-seen

The Mosquito.  Our deadliest predator and a fascinating discussion about Sickle cell.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018709821/the-mosquito-our-deadliest-predator

Professor Timothy Winegard of Colorado Mesa University talks about the impact of the mosquito – the deadly diseases it carries have killed as many as 50 million people. One such disease is malaria. Individuals with the genetic condition sickle cell anaemia have resistance to malaria.
I found the section on American Football players who had sickle cell anaemia dying, or, coming close to dying, after pushing their body to the limit, particularly interesting. The deformed cells cannot carry enough oxygen and clog the blood supply to the muscles and tissue leading to tissue death and potentially a heart attack. Those of you who follow sport know that playing sport at high altitude, where there is less oxygen, is difficult and when players with sickle cell take to the field they are particularly vulnerable. This happens when the American Football players with sickle cell play at high altitude meaning they have to take precautions.
How did such a harmful condition end up being selected for?
Since the average age of a person with sickle cell is 23, there is enough opportunity for this trait to have been passed on before the person succumbs to the condition. It persists too because this mutant gene gave an evolutionary advantage against malaria (which must have been a strong selection pressure).

Read more here:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2716677-footballs-silent-killer-forces-players-and-teams-to-make-tough-choices

Ernest Rutherford

Head shot of Ernest Rutherford

Source: Wikimedia Commons

 

NZ Biography of the Kiwi who split the atom 100 years ago. This book was written by Dr John Campbell, a NZ physicist himself. This link takes you to the written and audio version of the interview with Dr Campbell. . A must for physics and chemistry students!

 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018709863/nz-biography-ernest-rutherford

Tales from the Periodic Table

If you haven’t been following this series check it out!  Different angles on the periodic table.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/elemental/story/2018683167/tales-from-the-periodic-table

and `Elemental’

https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/elemental 

The `most boring chemical element’  is a great article that highlights some of the quirky sides of the periodic table.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/elemental/story/2018706628/the-most-boring-chemical-element

Lord of the Rings Fans

Peter Jackson was inspired by the black tunnel web spider of NZ when creating the spider Shelob in the movie trilogy.

close up of black tunnel web spider

Source: Te Papa

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018710092/critter-of-the-week-black-tunnelweb-spider

Nicola Toki of DOC has a weekly RNZ radio spot  `Critter of the Week’ that focuses on a NZ species.

Podcasts on the other species can be found here:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/collections/critter-of-the-week

 

The Power of the Pause and Other Presenting Tips!

Friday, May 31st, 2019 | Wendy Dunn | No Comments

Most people find it daunting to make a presentation and speak in public.

This is why Toastmasters is such a popular organisation around the world. I have gathered some tips from both Toastmaster publications and members from the club I attend along with my experience in the classroom to help you out.

People join Toastmasters at all ages. They also come from all walks of life and for different reasons. Basically we are all “life long learners” – whether you are giving a speech at a wedding, managing a meeting at work or presenting your research at school or university there are many common elements of an effective and engaging presentation. For some it is overcoming Glossophobia – a fear of public speaking. For some they aren’t afraid of it – they just want to keep getting better at it!
Here are some tips on what to do and what to avoid:

Do:

✔ Have a good structure:

A strong introduction that outlines say three things you will cover. The audience can follow that and when you recap in the conclusion they feel like they have heard  the complete package.

✔ Make it memorable and real.

How can you do this – especially with a science focus? Turn it into a story that  makes it personal.

✔ Make it enjoyable for you and them!

✔ Include humour, anecdotes, body language, and props.    

This engages your audience and helps them remember it.

✔ Give your listeners some useful information they can take away with them

✔ Be enthusiastic without waffling. Be clear, concise and brief.

✔ Look at your audience – make eye contact!

Avoid:

X   Having detailed notes

You will get lost and start “umming” and “aaahing”.

X   Reading a script or reading off a PowerPoint word for word.

 If you have simple ideas and pictures on a PowerPoint (if you have one) or on a  card they should act as a prompt. If you read it tends to be monotonal and not engaging for the audience. The more you practice the more familiar you get  with the content.

       X   Using fillers such as “um”, “ah”, “er”, “you know”, “and”, “but”.

Practice your speech in front of someone and just get them to tally up how  often you use these terms. Using these terms devalues the rest of what you really want  the audience to hear. Just pause. Relax, take a calm breath. Slow down. It is so  powerful!

      X  Clasping your hands.

What do you do with your hands? Get someone to observe your practice and notice  this and give you feedback. What could you do instead?  Having your hands  by your side is a more open gesture.

Toastmasters have a great range of resources. Here is one on better speaking that has been republished many times over the years and while you are there check out being a better listener and more!

Past blogs that you might find useful about different aspects of presenting are:

Engaging the audience 
https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/ouassa/2018/05/

Once upon a time
https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/ouassa/2017/03/27/once-upon-a-time/

Welcome everybody! – Some musings on introductions:
https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/ouassa/2017/04/21/welcome-everybody-some-musings-on-introductions/

Eureka Trust Science Speech Competition resource links
https://www.eureka.org.nz/presentation-skills

TED’s secret to great public speaking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FOCpMAww28

Graphic source: www.acc.ligfl.ru

Muslim Scientists- A legacy long before the European Enlightenment.

Wednesday, April 24th, 2019 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

As our hearts go out to the victims of the Christchurch Mosque attack I find myself Montage of portraits of famous historical Muslim scientistsreflecting on the significant contribution to science made by the Islamic culture.
The brutal and tragic massacre of innocent civilians in a Christchurch Mosque on 15 March 2019 is a sad and sobering reminder of our capacity for extreme intolerance of a belief system other than our own.
As a species we seem to embrace belief systems. There are estimated to be over 4,000 belief systems or religions across the globe with nearly 75% of humankind practicing one the five most influential religions of the world: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam.

Science, on the other hand is not a `belief system’ but a process – a problem-solving approach we call the `scientific method’:-

1. Make an observation.
2. Ask a question.
3. Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
4. Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
5. Test the prediction.
6. Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.

As such it is universal – a universal process we can apply to help us unravel the mysteries of the world around us.
Many exponents of the scientific method may themselves be religious. There is no contradiction in that. Science is a process.
“The father of the Big Bang theory was actually a Catholic priest, the pioneer of modern genetics was an Augustinian monk, or the decoder of the human genome converted from atheism to Christianity in his 20s

The world of science owes a great deal to the Islamic culture. 

Long before the European Enlightenment, scholars and researchers working from Samarkand in modern-day Uzbekistan to Cordoba in Spain advanced our knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine and philosophy.*

So I thought I’d make today’s blog a brief celebratory foray into the world of famous Muslim scientists.

Here are just 10 who made a significant contribution to the world of science, our world over the last few hundred years.

1. Jabir ibn Hayyan: 721-815 AD
“Father of Chemistry”. His text on chemistry and alchemy laid the foundation of modern chemistry
2. Ibn al-Haytham: 965 AD
Astronomer, mathematician, and physicist. Invented the Pin-Hole Camera.
3. Al-Biruni: 973-1048 AD
Scientist, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and natural scientist.
At the age of 17 he calculate the latitude of his village. Calculated radius of the Earth.
4. Al-Kindi: ~ 805-873 AD
He was the first to discover sound waves.
Wrote 260 books on various subjects &was expert in several subjects like, physics, math, astronomy, geography, music, and especially philosophy.
5. Ahmed Zewail: 1946-2016
Nobel Prize winner and “father of femtochemisty”.
6. Abdus Salam: 1926-1996
First Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize in science for his contribution in electroweak unification theory
7. Ibn al-Nafis: 1213- 1288 AD
He was the first who fully describe the pulmonary circulation of the blood.
8. Aziz Sancar:  Born 1946
Nobel laureate for his work on DNA repair
9. Ali Javan: 1926-2016
Quantum Physics and Spectroscopy. Co-inventor of gas laser 1960
10. Omar Khayyam: ~1048-1132 AD
As well as being famous poet he solved and classified cubic equation. His method was largely based on geometric solution and his solar calendar was one of the most accurate.
(See the references below if you want to explore further)

References:

What are the most widely practiced religions of the world?
Big believers: Dr Stephen Juan 6 Oct 2006
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/06/the_odd_body_religion/

How the scientific method is used to test a hypothesis.
Kahn Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-biology-foundations/hs-biology-and-the-scientific-method/a/the-science-of-biology

First worldwide survey of religion and science: No, not all scientists are atheists
Phys.Org Dec 3 2015
https://phys.org/news/2015-12-worldwide-survey-religion-science-scientists.html

Did History’s Most Famous Scientists Believe In God?
Forbes (Quora) June 26 2018
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/06/26/did-historys-most-famous-scientists-believe-in-god/#75aaae584f21

Are religion and science always at odds? Here are three scientists that don’t think so
Anna Salleh ABC Science 24 May 2018
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-05-24/three-scientists-talk-about-how-their-faith-fits-with-their-work/9543772

Top 20 Muslim Scientists and Their Inventions
http://niceeducationtips.com/top-muslim-scientists-and-their-inventions

Muslim Scientists
https://www.slideshare.net/RehanShaikh14/muslim-scientists-48572693

Further Reading:

Science and Islam: A History*
by Ehsan Masood
Icon Books Ltd; UK ed. ISBN-10: 9781848310407

Lost History: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists 
by Michael H. Morgan
National Geographic; Reprint Edition  ISBN-10: 9781426202803

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

Tuesday, February 26th, 2019 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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.Cartoon of Footrot flats dog scribbling furiously

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

Monday, October 15th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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 Done For Me

Thursday, September 27th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

What Science has done for me

Head shot of student Fylgia Romero
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

Tuesday, September 18th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Science in a DayHead shot of student Jorgee Robb

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 Sheep in a paddock with a 4 wheeled quad bikeon 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

Wednesday, September 12th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Paper Making – My First EncountersHead shot of student

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.sheets of rough grey recycled paper

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!

 

Me and the Hive

Friday, September 7th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Me and the Hive

by Jehu Brogden     Stratford High School

Jehu Brodgen head shot

 

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Stay still Jehu, you’re a statue, think calming thoughts3 photos of bee hives like ice cream, like this bee kindly flying away. These were my thoughts as I stood petrified on a summer evening, out beekeeping with my father. As always, I was wondering how the heck my father had talked me into doing this. Sure, their honey is sweet, but their barbed stinger is sharp and there are approximately sixty thousand1 of them. All armed and ready to go. Then I feel it, the soft griping of the insect’s six legs, as it slowly starts to crawl up my overalls. I see it’s “abdomen is abruptly bent downward2” its readying for the sting in the exact moment my body tenses. I feel the hot burning sensation as the barbed dagger enters my body, I know the bee is dead. But I need to run.

Bees may not form an angry storm cloud like we see in films, but they do work together to get rid of a threat to the hive. I run as fast as I can, my legs pumping, and I swear that I have never run so fast in my life. I arrive at home in a world of pain, but thankfully I know what to do. I sprint to the kitchen and seized a packet of sodium bicarbonate (or as I knew it at the time baking soda). Next I quickly removed the stinger as it was still pumping its venom into me (which is composed of 88% water and is acidic with a ph. between 4.5 and 5.53). Once I had done this I spread the paste on thy skin and let out a sigh of relief as I knew that the acid in the venom was being neutralised. This was the first time that I can remember using science, because science to me is not just knowledge but being able to apply this knowledge.

Some days later…

The bees are surrounding us once again with their ugly buzzing, crashing into my bee suit like kamikazes. They have no remorse, just like me at this moment. I was fed up with this queen rearing business. The hives are even more unhappy than usual, although to be honest I can’t blame them. After all we had just split the hive and made it queen-less. But when you are getting stung daily you do start to question your father’s choice in hobbies. At least painting doesn’t hurt.

We quickly took out a frame of brood and returned to our shed. It was time to start grafting. I was nervous at this point because, if I mucked this up then all work we had done in the last week would be for nought. I turned on the cold light and held the grafting tool loosely. It was shaped like a pen but had a spatula at the end. It’s just a game of Operation I say to myself. The goal is to very, very gently slide the spatula down the side of the comb and then gently remove the larvae without rolling or squashing it. Then I had to gently place them into the prepared queen cell. Once I had repeated this 10 more times and placed the frame inside the hive the anticipation mounted, as there would be no way of knowing if any were undamaged. We had to wait 8 days from the time we put them into the incubator till the queens emerged from their cells. We do this to separate the queens because otherwise “should other queens emerge they fight when they meet4”. On the eighth day I found that six queen’s cells had hatched. My father and I were excited as this was my first attempt and his previous try had failed.

Science has helped me and my father because beekeeping relies heavily on observation. This is because first we had to observe the bees’ behaviour to gain the knowledge we needed and then we had to learn how to apply this knowledge. This skill is useful as a lot can go wrong with bee hives including American foul brood, varroa and robbing. The ability to observe the hive’s behaviour and have the knowledge to diagnose the problem is essential to beekeeping and other areas in life.

Sources:

1: Contemporary Queen rearing by Harry Laid Law Jr pg1.
2: The hive and the honey bee collaboration of: E. L. Atkins, R Banker, Dr. C. G. Butler, G. H. Cale, Sr., Dr. G. H. Cttzale, Jr., Dr. E. Crane, C. C Dadant, W. J. Diehnelt, Dr. A. Dietz, Dr. B. Furgala, Dr. N. E. Gary, Dr. T. A. Gochnauer, C. E. Killion, Sr., Dr. E. C. Martin, Dr. E Oertel, J. Powers, Dr. F. Robinson, Dr. W. C. Rothenbuhler, Dr. F. Ruttner, Dr. H. Shimanuki, Dr. R. W. Shuel, Dr. R. E. Snodgrass, W. A. Stephen, G. F. Townsend, Dr. J. W. White, Jr., Dr. P. C. Witherell, and H. F. York, Jr. pg 110.
3: http://www.beeculture.com/bee-venom-chemistry-ouch/
4: Contemporary Queen rearing by Harry Laid Law Jr pg 8.

The Food of Your Future

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

AquAdvantage Salmon

The Food of your Future

Head shot of student Joe Glancy

 

Joe Glancy​ ​South Westland Area School​ ​(2018)

 

Who doesn’t enjoy a perfectly cooked salmon with a freshly baked loaf of bread. Mmmnnmmm! I know I do! This seafood that we know and love is becoming increasingly popular in our diet, but will it be the same for our grandkids – will it last?

In 1989, research began on the AquAdvantage Salmon which scientists claim can reach market size almost twice as quickly as normal salmon. The creation of AquAdvantage salmon begins with the selection of two DNA sequences: one from a Chinook Salmon ; the other from an eel-like fish called the Ocean Pout.

The Ocean Pout lives in the near freezing waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The growth hormone gene from the fast growing Chinook Salmon is combined with the antifreeze promoter of the Ocean Pout (a promoter is a sequence of DNA that ‘turns on’ a gene). By genetically joining these two DNA sequences, scientists are able to create a gene that keeps that internal, fast growing, hormone factory switched ‘on’ during those cooler winter months. Something that salmon normally do not do. This means that they can be farmed year-round and in any climate. Resulting in a fish that reaches market size in just 18 months rather than three years for normal salmon. These are the offspring intended for our dinner plates on those warm summer evenings.

This AquAdvantage Salmon is the very first of its kind. Never before has a genetically modified animal been approved for human consumption. In 2015 the United States approved the production, sale and consumption of the AquAdvantage Salmon. Many other GM animals have been developed and tested but politics and public fears have kept them off our dinner plates. The FDA claims that this salmon will have no effect on consumers … that’s you and me … and will look, feel and taste just like a normal Atlantic Salmon, which is what we all want.

The company that produces AquAdvantage Salmon believes in sustainable seafood production. They claim that their product is better for both consumers and the environment. The Salmon will be raised in land based farms, meaning that there is no risk of escaping salmon entering wild populations and no risk of diseases spreading out of containment. All waste water is filtered extremely well and reused; the small amount that is not required is cleaned of all contaminants and used on nearby tomato farms as fertilizer.

GM salmon use roughly 20% less feed then normal salmon, therefore making it a whole lot cheaper to feed them. Also these AquAdvantage salmon are grown in land based systems close to the production factories. This eliminates the cost to transport them to the place where they cut them up. This has created a salmon that is just as tasty as a wild one but costs a whole lot less to produce.
Business man, Brendan Borrell, claims that the normal salmon cost almost $1.50 to make whereas the AquAdvantage Salmon has a cost of less then $1.00!
A major environmental implication of farmed salmon is the increased preservation and protection of wild populations, populations that have been in decline since at least the 1950’s. By eliminating the need of wild salmon commercial fishing and introducing more land based farms, many threats to the wild salmon are removed. Currently these threats include reduced food supply caused by over-exploitation of the salmon feed, parasites
spread by water based fish farms and destructive fishing techniques. By introducing land based systems such as the one used by the AquAdvantage Salmon, the wild salmon will be protected from these threats and be allowed to live their lives largely uninterrupted.

David Suzuki, Canadian academic and environmental activist, feels very strongly about GMO’s. For years he has been promoting outright bans on GMOs, despite the fact that many scientists have declared them perfectly safe for all of you to consume. He and other anti-GMO activists have been able to stall crucial experiments with GM crops that are designed to improve yields and nutrition, which would benefit poor people around the world.

Ronald Stotish, chief executive of AquaBounty, also claims that the main advantage of the salmon is that the fish can be grown in tanks inland, greatly reducing the effects on the environment. “Demand for global protein is increasing,” he says. “We have to do a better job and we have to do it efficiently.”

Personal:

Now then, I know those of you that get out
there and have been to South Westland
Salmon Competition, you will know just
how little fish are around. In fact, just in the last few months, I have been out chasing
salmon on the Waitaha River several  times. Even though I have had no luck recently, I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of a wild salmon fighting with your line. This is a feeling that I strongly want our future generations to experience.

Personally, I am all for the Genetically Modified AquAdvantage Salmon.

From my research, I think that it is an incredibly well thought out process that takes into account all the various viewpoints. I was especially impressed with its environmental impacts. In order for one of the prime cattle beast from your local dairy farm to put on just 1 kg of body weight, it requires 8 kg of food. Whereas a GM salmon needs just 1kg of food to put on 1 kg of body weight. This shows that the salmon is among the most economically sustainable protein source for humans. All of a sudden this GM salmon has become one of the few animals that puts on weight in equal proportions to its feed. However, currently the NZ ministry for the environment does not allow you and I to purchase and enjoy any fresh meat, fruit or veg that is a GM product. I think that they should change their stance on this. If we can convince them to allow the sale of AquAdvantage Salmon here in our hometown, then we would be giving the wild populations of salmon in our local rivers a much better chance of surviving. I am talkingabout the Wanganui, the Waitaha, the Whataroa, the South Westland fishing competition. All of these places will be able to host a larger population of salmon for your future generations to enjoy.

If you are interested in finding out more please take time to look at the
AquAdvantage Salmon home website Aquabounty.com

 

 

 

Reference List:

https://www.biofortified.org/2010/10/salmon/
https://scienceprogress.org/2011/09/the-gmo-salmon-struggle/
https://gmoanswers.com/9-things-you-need-know-about-gmo-salmon http://aquabounty.com/
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/GeneticEngineering/GeneticallyEngineeredAnimals/ucm473237.htm
https://pacificwild.org/take-action/campaigns/protect-wild-salmon
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/hazards/gm-nz-approach-jun04/genetic-modification- new-zealand
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/10-world-organizations-have-taken-stand-again st-gmos
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/05/02/viewpoint-david-suzukis-views-on-gmos-well-outside-the-scientific-mainstream/
https://www.ft.com/content/ab9b81ae-c94e-11e7-8536-d321d0d897a3
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-salmon-will-likely-be-the-first-gmo-animal-you-eat-2014-6?r=US&IR=T
https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/aquabounty-sells-first-batch-of-genetically-engineered-salmon

Futuristic Animals from the Past?

Wednesday, August 15th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Futuristic animals from the past? 

Harriett Spoelstra – Ruawai College

 

The enclosure is empty; the dinosaur has disappeared! Scientists are unable to control this creature, this monster – deadly but amazing. We’ve all yelled at the screen as movie characters act dramatically stupid; at the scientists in Jurassic World who create a creature too powerful to control or understand; at the cartoons with the evil scientists who accidentally make a supervillain. This hunger to learn everything, to create something just because you can is what makes these characters so memorable.
Scientists (a term that covers a whole range of people and jobs) have greatly contributed to making the world what it is today, and scientists who have a passion to help and learn about our world are the key to a future that we would like to come true.

What if it were possible to bring back species long extinct?

Let the moa and the mammoth walk again? Or let a dinosaur once more paw the earth, or even make something new move and breathe? That power so often found in books or movies may soon not just be in our heads but in our hands.

New Zealand is a land of paddocks full of sheep, cows and chickens. If we were to
take a look at these creatures in the past, they would look quite different to the
domesticated version we are so used to. Through intensive selective breeding,
domesticated animals have been transformed so they better suit our needs; they
can produce more meat and grow more quickly. Breeding has also been used to
reduce infection and avoid diseases.

paddock with cattle &rainbow

 

Living on a farm myself, I can
easily see how our ideas and
inventions influence the land and
in turn influence our lives. This is
one way we have used scientific
methods in an attempt to create a
world which can better support us.

 

Modifying animals for our own purposes can be a terrifying and controversial concept, but human nature seems to dictate that we will continue to pursue this.

Genetic modification in the lab is different to intensive selective breeding but ultimately both are using science to change animals to suit us. De-extinction is a term that can be misleading, as we wouldn’t be able to bring back a creature that was extinct but rather create a hybrid with a close living relative, and so make a proxy of the extinct species. De-extinction is a concept that seems rather terrifying yet exciting. However, I wonder how different a creature made in this way would be from its ancestors, and I wouldn’t want to create a new creature that doesn’t fit into our world. An animal’s interaction with its environment is what influences its behaviour and quality of life. We may have to give ourselves limits on what we do, for the sake of our ethics; what would be the point of ‘bringing a species back to life’? Where would they live and how would they be able to survive in a world of humans, especially if humankind was a cause of their extinction?

The temptation to bring back species, or even help prevent endangered species from becoming extinct would be very great but I think we should be careful not to try and ‘rule’ over animals but rather do something that benefits the world as a whole and its future as well as humankind, especially when this science is not at all cheap. We may intend to help animal-kind as well as human-kind, but this technology may give us the feeling that we don’t have be proactive in protecting animals because we could always just bring back extinct species at will. Of course, I am talking about extreme circumstances and a future which may be more fitting in a sci-fi movie than reality but a version of this future could be real and may be not so far away.

In a world without science, there would be no new knowledge contributed to society, no inventions; the paddocks dotted with designer cows I see whenever I look out the window would not be possible. Science, and our understanding of it, has developed alongside the development of humankind. It is a part of me and my life, and the life of everyone who has ever wondered how something worked or used a cell-phone, turned on a light, or even just ate food cooked in a kitchen. Through science humans have developed the ability to influence genetic modification for our own purposes and technology is rapidly advancing right at this very moment.

We must always remember that our curiosity and scientific methods have made our present world and will make our future, but just because we have the power to genetically modify animals and humans doesn’t necessarily mean we should.

References
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=12039710&ref=twitter
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3459168/From-giant-GM-salmon-buffed-Belgian-Bluecattle-animals-eat-looked-like-humans-began-breeding-food.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_genetic_engineering

Photo credits:

Kiwi Hunt

Thursday, July 26th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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 andmountain creek in foreest 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

Engaging the audience…

Wednesday, May 30th, 2018 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Engaging a museum audience learning about centre of mass by making them strike a pose for science 🙂

Anyone who has ever done any public speaking knows that 5 minutes can go by in a heartbeat, or feel like it takes a lifetime to pass.

As we rocket towards our Science Academy student presentations at the New Zealand International Science Festival, we have been thinking about audience engagement and what our students can do to maximise this. Engaging the audience and knowing they are “along for the ride” can help that 5 minutes fly by in a pleasurable rush.

There are two groups of students presenting “on stage” in July – the ones who have elected to do an interpretive talk, and those who have elected to do a Science show. Though there are big and not so big differences between the two delivery methods, getting the audience on board will be key for both groups.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, there are really four groups that the public can be divided into when it comes to Science Communication:

  1. The Science Fans – the lovers of Science who can’t get enough and invest their free time in reading, attending talks, museums and other science related activities
  2. The Cautiously Keen – they aren’t the fanboys or fangirls but they have a genuine interest in science and are keen to know more.
  3. The risk averse – not engaged
  4. The concerned – not engaged

The Science Academy students are presenting their work to the public as part of the New Zealand International Science Festival. I think it is safe to assume that their audience will be from the first two groups as it is unlikely that someone who is not engaged in learning about Science would take the time to attend a Science Festival.

So that means that we are at least starting with a friendly audience. This is a big plus. It is much easier to engage the audience if they are in the audience because they are interested in what is being presented and genuinely want to learn more. The audience is already on the students’ side.

Building another idea from another blog I wrote last year, to engage an audience, you need to:

  1. Validate the audience’s thinking
  2. Take them on a journey
  3. Be framed within their values
  4. Fall within social norms
  5. Involve pictures and graphs and/or audience participation

There are a few more ideas that need to be touched on for successful audience engagement. Firstly, language – everyday vs for experts. The audience wants to learn but they don’t want a PhD thesis on the topic. The audience needs to understand what you are saying. In a five minute presentation to a public audience, the jargon should be at a minimum needed to make your point.

Accuracy can also sometimes lose you the point – keep it simple! It is better to be a bit less accurate but have the audience understand what you are saying than be super accurate and have them lost. If you engage them and get them interested in their topic, they will go away and try to learn more, if you give them a lot of details right at the start, they won’t understand enough of what you are saying to appreciate what you are saying. This is especially true with such a short amount of time to engage with the audience.

Tell a great story. Good story telling is emotional connection – why does the audience care about your message? Think about the trolley problem – some variations of this problem have shown that we tend to save the people we know and care about and sacrifice strangers. Make the audience care about what you have to say by building an emotional connection.

Frame your audience questions for maximum response rate. It is much easier for your audience to think of something general rather than specific. For example, asking them to think of a good experience they have had with Science rather than asking them to think of the best experience they had with Science. Linked to questioning, make sure you leave enough time for response – sometimes the audience needs to warm up or think about what you have said. Don’t let a lack of response cause you to panic and rush on before the audience has had a chance to respond! Equally, think about what you will do if you do NOT get the response you were expecting – have a back-up plan! The audience can still be engaged depending on how YOU respond to their unexpected, or lack of response.

Finally, make sure you acknowledge the audience contribution, thank the audience for coming along on the journey with you and participating. The audience will leave feeling appreciated and valued for coming to your show.

 

A sense of style…

Friday, April 27th, 2018 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

I was browsing the internet the other day, as you do and ran across this video. I’m not a natural history film person in general and I don’t watch natural history documentaries very often because to be honest I find the traditional documentary style a bit boring. I did like this though and it made me think about different approaches with the same message or aim.

I typed “frogfish documentary” into the search bar of google and was rewarded with many short films about frogfish.  Here are a few examples which I have divided based on my own interpretation of the type of presentation style:

All of these examples have pictures and videos of frogfish and all have very similar content in terms of facts about frogfish. The difference is in the style of presentation. The kids one is very clearly aimed at kids but we could argue that the other two are both aimed at similar audiences, adults. The styles they are made in though are very different.

Looking a bit further, documentary films in general can be divided into 6 categories or modes according to American documentary theorist Bill Nichols.

  • Poetic modethis is an early form of documentary that tends to be more subjective and evoke a feeling, mood or tone
  • Expository mode- as time moved on, documentary makers started looking more at the social problems of the word and expositional images paired with narrative. This is more like a David Attenborough type nature film in that it is meant to transfer information
  • Participatory mode – in this type of documentary, the filmmaker interacts with the subjects by asking questions for example. The participation of the filmmaker is known to the audience (by hearing the interviewer’s voice off camera for example)
  • Observational mode – In contrast to the participatory mode, the observational mode is like a fly on the wall style documentary – simply watching animals in their natural habitat
  • Performative mode – This is similar to the participatory mode because the filmmaker interacts with the subjects but unlike that mode, in performative mode, the filmmaker is also trying to convey a message or particular story. The performative mode is less objective and more subjective.

Our OUASSA students are producing shows, talks, films and written works for public presentation at the New Zealand International Science Festival in July. Thinking about the audience that will be at the presentations and how best to reach them will be key to getting their messages across. The style of show, talk, film or writing will be just as important as the medium and information.

Six Minute Talks to Stir Your Curiosity

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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!

 

 

What’s in a name?

Thursday, March 15th, 2018 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Many names over the centuries have become synonymous with scientific achievement and discovery, etched in our collective understanding for the ages. Like famous explorers – famous scientists leave their names in the footprints of history with phenomena, units, models and formulae named after them. The most famous scientists tend to be those who not only make great discoveries that advance mankind, but also manage to communicate their work and the importance of their work to the world outside their lab. They are also great science communicators.

Yesterday, Stephen Hawking passed away. Arguably one of the most well known physicists of our time. Hawking radiation, just one of his many theoretical accomplishments carries his name. Hawking wasn’t just a theorist though, he made the transition from academic to popular culture with his books aimed at children and adults as well as appearances in popular media such as the Simpsons, Star Trek and the Big Bang Theory. Stephen Hawking was a passionate Science Communicator in whose honour the prestigious Stephen Hawking medal for Science Communication was named. This is awarded annually at Starmus festival to recognise excellence in Science Communication at an international level.

The story of Starmus festival in itself is a great story of Science Communication. In 2007 Brian May, founding guitarist of the rock band Queen, completed his PhD dissertation on zodiacal dust in the solar system. Along with one of his co-supervisors who also happened to be a musician, they founded the festival as a way to “celebrate science and the arts with the goal of bringing an understanding and appreciation of science to the public at large.”

In a world where we are exposed to and consuming more information than ever before, it is vital that Scientists are able to convey their work to the public in a way that the public will understand. Scientists like Stephen Hawking attempted to bridge the gap between academia and the public through writing, speaking and films aimed at explaining their very complicated research to a public audience. This trend of scientist as communicator carries on with many leading scientists today writing, filming and speaking about their work to the public. (Including our very own budding scientists, the OUASSA students, who are presenting their work to the public on the 13th of July at the Otago Museum). After all, as our own Ernest Rutherford is quoted as saying “It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid”.

Critical thinking critical to…. thinking??

Friday, March 9th, 2018 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Bloom’s Taxonomy – good critical thinkers travel up towards the pointy end.

The New Zealand Curriculum defines critical thinking as “examining, questioning, evaluating, and challenging taken-for-granted assumptions about issues and practices” and critical action as “action based on critical thinking”

As scientists, we need to be thinking and acting critically in order to ensure that the most evidence based and experimentally supported theories and ideas are being moved forward. Much has been written about how to teach, particularly science students to think critically (You can start travelling down that rabbit hole here)

Unfortunately, especially in high school, many students are driven by credits, exams and assessment and so knowing the “right answer” sometimes feels more important to students than critically thinking about the presented information to form their own answer. Another issue is that thinking is very hard to assess – because it goes on in the students’ minds, it is often difficult to see how they arrived at an answer and instead just assess the answer itself.

Critical thinking is an important skill to learn though, in this increasingly data driven world, we are evaluating information almost constantly. Learning how to separate the “wheat from the chaff” will help us make more informed and evidence based decisions, as well as stopping us from falling for “Fake News” 🙂

The scaffolds in Knowledge Forum are designed to help with this. By making your thinking explicit, you are not only showing that you are examining evidence and thinking critically, you are also able to think about your own way of thinking and evaluate the way that you are approaching information.

It has been agreed that the most effective way to improve your critical thinking is to practise. In Knowledge Forum, the scaffolds are an easy way to help you do this. In school, think about applying those same questions to your schoolwork. Every lesson is a new theory, now you need to find the evidence to support new theory and build your knowledge of the topic. Building your critical thinking skills will help your understanding of the topic and enable you to access those excellence and beyond grades.

Why `Knowledge Forum’ & Some Tips on Use of the `Scaffolds’

Thursday, February 15th, 2018 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

It’s great to see some of you getting in and using Knowledge Forum!

While acknowledging that the front end of the KF software is not the most eye-catching compared to other software you may be used to using, the concept of a community mind map and that of applying scaffolds to the posts you make is important in encouraging you to go beyond simply stating opinions and start to build knowledge as a community.
Knowledge Forum is part of a long term study that Wing has been running since OUASSA began in 2011. To date Wing has published a number of research papers demonstrating the efficacy of developing the knowledge building approach to knowledge creation in High School students. So by participating you are not only developing your knowledge building skills but also contributing to a growing body of evidence on efficacy of this approach to learning.
Science is an evidence based process. Theories are based on evidence. New information/research provides evidence that lends weight to or casts doubt on a theory, from which may come a new theory.
As Wing explained at the January camp KF is a knowledge building tool. You are all part of a Knowledge Building community and as such you build knowledge by seeking out and presenting evidence. Evidence discovered through research.
The critical evaluation of information is an essential skill when conducting quality research. Assessing and evaluating information involves common sense, knowledge, scepticism, and verification.
At the end of this post is a link that will help you develop your research skills.
For now here are some tips for using the scaffolding tabs in KF

Tips for using the Scaffold Tabs in Knowledge Forum

My Theory:
A theory without evidence is an opinion. So don’t be afraid to cite the evidence that leads you to that theory
My theoryWhy was film originally created? Are we still using film in the way it was intended or has that change? If so for good or bad and why/how do we know this?
While there are some really interesting questions in there, this is more of an
“I need to understand” scaffold. Michaela is seeking information to answer a question (…or two…or three!)

My theory ” I think Film was originally used for entertainment, but over time I think, as people started to realise the large audience that film acquired as it became more popular, it started being used for other things such as education.”

This is an interesting theory that now needs backed up with a “New Information” scaffold that cites some reference/ research that the original use for moving pictures when first invented was for entertainment. By doing so you lift your statement from an opinion to a theory backed by evidence.

The “New information” scaffold should be one of the most used in the scaffolds tool box. Use it to cite references, link to articles, Youtube clips etc. that build on a theory or a “Need to understand” post.

As a particular stream of posts grows and the amount of new information and new theories grows, there comes a time when you might feel the need to pull the various threads together under a “Putting our knowledge together” scaffold. Look on this scaffold as a kind of “So this where I think we have got to…” with this theory, our collective knowledge so far etc.

If you have a better theory that one that is proposed click the “A Better theory” scaffold but don’t just state another theory of your own and leave it at that. Try and state why your theory is better backed up by evidence in form of information/references etc. under, “New Information”

Using Knowledge Forum, like everything else that’s new, takes a little time to master, but the techniques are not difficult and the rewards will come in your school work later this year and when you go on to Tertiary studies. So don’t be afraid to give it a go.

Another advantage of KF is that all your OUASSA colleagues have the opportunity to help by contributing to each growing discussion, the development of which is so much easier to see in the mind-map interconnected post layout than a linear discussion on other social media platforms. Many hands make light work so use each other’s expertise to help you build your knowledge, you don’t have to be in the same group to help out someone else.

So get into KF and try using the scaffolds to build on a theory, to build on and idea, to build knowledge!

Finally, as promised here is a link to a module on on-line research literacy that you might find useful:
Evaluating Information Sources

Reach for the Stars

Monday, December 4th, 2017 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Reach for the stars that burn brightest in your universe !Silhouette of child on beach at dusk/dawn with hand outstretched toward a rising/setting sun/star

 

Wishing  our 2017 Cohort every success in the future

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

The importance of where we are to where we are going?

Friday, October 27th, 2017 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

I came across this short TED talk the other day and found it intriguing in its application of maths and geo-positioning physics. Not to mention the claims for its implications to future global society.

 A precise three-word address for everyplace on earth

But just what really are the pros and cons of this system?

 

 

Get your critical thinking cap on and let us know your thoughts.

You might also want to check out what YOUR 3-word address is here.

 

 

 

Putting pen to paper…

Tuesday, May 30th, 2017 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

For this week’s blog, I thought I would look at an area that many OUASSA 2017 teams seem to be struggling with, breaking up the work for the team presentation. I have put myself into the roll of the team leader. I wrote up the presentation outline (which I did alone but really the team leader should be doing this with input from their group) and then I thought about how I would break up the work of the presentation to a hypothetical group of 6 team members. I picked 6 because that 7-9 is the group size for our OUASSA 2017 students.It didn’t actually take me very long to think about the outline and write it out. The most important thing to remember at this stage is that it is a work in progress. As we research and craft the presentation, some of the things I have written on my outline may change, and that is ok. It is a guide to myself and my team for where we are generally heading with our presentation. Having a good outline will ensure that my team is on task and not wasting time on research we won’t be using for our presentation. It also helps everyone in my group have a clear idea of what the big picture will look like, and where their piece fits in.

So on to the mechanics of it. I wrote what I was thinking each step so hopefully my handwriting is legible to all 🙂

The final step was filling in the rest of the form. I thought about what I needed people to understand to convey my message. I need people to understand what is fission, fusion and the difference between them. I have a really broad idea of how I want the introduction and conclusion to look but it’s not finished yet. For a first draft, this is totally fine, we’ll come back and tweak this while developing the presentation.

Finally, how will my group divide the labour so that we do the work that needs to be done but don’t waste time on anything else? This is what I came up with:

  • 1 person will write a brief introduction to the talk as a story with an ordinary kiwi family. This should only be a minute or so long so emphasis on BRIEF.
  • 1 person will research fusion and come up with a brief explanation to report to the team
  • 1 person will research fission and come up with a brief explanation to report to the team
  • Once that is done, 1 person will do a 1 minute compare and contrast summary
  • 1 person will use the research to do our visualisations of each concept
  • 1 person will write the conclusion

We will manage everyone’s ideas and contributions in a google doc that we can all contribute to. I know that some of my team are really busy with winter sports in June so they will do the research so that their part is finished early on. Those of us not as busy closer to camp will do the parts that depend on the research.

At camp we will rehearse our visualisations together and tweak our presentation before we show our presentation to the panel for feedback. This shouldn’t take long if everyone has done their part.

I have attached my full outline form: ScienceShowOutline.

Hopefully this will give you guys a bit more guidance on how to distribute the labour and what we expect you to be doing. Remember, we are only an email or phone call away if you need any help.

 

 

Tell me what I want to hear…

Friday, May 12th, 2017 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

OUASSA 2017 students have been working towards a presentation to the public at the Otago Museum which will take place on July 14th. The research for their presentations are in full swing and things should be starting to come together for their presentations. Some recent experiences have reminded me of the importance not only of researching your topic, but of evaluating the information that you find.

Evaluating the information you find is especially important when researching topics that are emotional or controversial, where people are inclined to have opinions based on anecdotal evidence from the world around them. Many of the topics that are being researched for presentations in July fall into this category. People feel very strongly about topics like Climate Change, Genetic Modification and Medicine in the Third World. It is important in a presentation to the public that you are presenting the science behind the issue and relying on provable facts rather than popular (or unpopular) opinion.

The internet is a great place for research because you can very quickly find a lot of information. The downside though is that unlike a book or a research publication, anyone can put information on the internet without any verification that it is actually true, and present it as fact.

For that reason, it is very important when you are researching to make sure that you evaluate the sources that you are using. Although after researching, you may have formed a personal opinion on the issue, it is important that when researching, you are looking at unbiased information based on fact (or at least that you are conscious of the bias and are looking at the information with that in mind).

The library have produced a nice little reference for evaluating internet sources using the acronym BAD URL. You can find a copy here. How_to_Evaluate_Websites

If you want to really dig deeply into how to evaluate sources, this is an e-learning module produced by the University library designed to help you learn about different types of information sources and how to evaluate them.

In July, the students will be having a presentation on “What your brain does when you’re not looking.” Unconsciously, we all are influenced by our bias and frame the world through our own experiences. It is important to make sure we are aware of this and do as much as possible to limit bias in our work and promote impartiality.

“Welcome Everybody……” Some musings on “Introductions”

Friday, April 21st, 2017 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

In this week’s Science Communication post I thought I would focus on Introductions.
Your introduction establishes not only the topic your show is about but also who you are and the theme or key message you plan to deliver about that topic.
It’s your opportunity to let the audience know the nature of the journey you are going to take them on and engage them right from the start.
There are variety of ways to engage your audience in your introduction
I’m going to focus on just three today
The first is from a Royal Society lecture on antimatter by Tara Shears. Note the strong eye contact with the audience, the structured outline of what is to follow and the emphasis on the fact she will be explaining the relevance of what she will cover.

The second is by climate scientist James Hansen. Here he uses a strong question as an attention grabbing tool and goes on to introduce the science via anecdotes from his own personal journey.
This speaker relies heavily on reading his script. Do you find this style more or less engaging than that of Tara Spears? Imagine how much more engaging he would be if he were to abandon reading every single word of his script as written, step out and face the audience with strong eye contact as he relates his own personal story. He knows his own story. Does he really need a script for that? Would it not be that much stronger adopting a more conversational tone along the lines of what you would use when relating a story from your past to a friend or colleague?

The 3rd is Dr. Jenny Germano a dear colleague from my days as Volunteer co-ordinator at Department of Conservation.  Jenny went on to study urinary frog hormones here at University of Otago. On the day she submitted her PhD thesis she entered the ` 3min Thesis’ speech competition with a talk entitled “Taking the Piss out of Endangered Frogs” …..and won the competition!
A number of things to note with Jen’s introduction. Her passion for her subject hits you from the word go, her use of hand gestures builds on that engaging passion and is even used to good effect in clarifying a couple of semi-technical terms- cardiac puncture and orbital sinus – simply by pointing to her heart and eye in mid-stream without having to pause. Note, no notes or script. She knows the stuff so she can talk from the heart and focus on the audience and not on trying to remember what comes next.
(Note that the graphic in the body of her talk is targeted at an audience of entirely academics as opposed to  the general public audience you will be presenting to in July. So bear that in mind when composing your own graphic support material. The less technical the better for our audience in July)


Have a look at some other science communicators in action and if you find one with an  introductory style you find engaging send me the link and I’ll post it for others to view.

Dancing about Science…

Wednesday, April 12th, 2017 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Fun, interactive, and engaging Science?

I was looking at some research into Science shows and came across some key findings on how to engage children from Science Museum (UK) focus group research undertaken in 2010:
• Audience participation is regarded as crucial – if children aren’t involved, they may lose interest.
• Parents like young, casually-dressed presenters, rather than the stereotypical white-coated ‘nerd’; they feel an informal approach is important in removing barriers to children’s appreciation of shows.
• The three words they felt would most attract their attention in descriptions of the show were Fun, Exciting and Interactive

For this week’s blog post, I tried to look for some novel ideas on how to present Science to an audience. Keeping in mind those ideas from the focus group on keeping it fun, exciting, and interactive.

One really amazing thing I found was Biology for the blind and partially sighted. Using 3D printing to bring the microscopic world to people who otherwise wouldn’t have any experience of it. Definitely worth watching, especially the audience reactions to being able to interact with the microscopic world for the first time in their lives!

For another novel presentation method, check out this TED talk about dancing scientific concepts which includes, among other cool things, a great example of the difference between ordinary light and lasers using dancers. The 2016 winners of the contest that he mentions “Dance your PhD” are also worth a look. I particularly liked the people’s choice award winner.

I have already shared with you what I think of as some good examples of story telling in Science Communication in a recent blog post on storytelling.

I also emailed the students some examples of one person’s use of music as Science Communication.

Videos are a very popular way to get the message across and the students had a tiny taste of this in the January camp Science Communication sessions. Videos don’t have to be hugely costly high technical productions to be effective, some of the best videos are really simple, for example, Minute Physics.

So hopefully that has given you a bit of inspiration to think outside the box for your presentations. Whether you present your information in the form of a song, a story, a video, a show, a play or something else, using a novel presentation method is one way to keep it fun, exciting and interactive.

Public Perception of Risk with New Science & Technology

Thursday, April 6th, 2017 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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. WhenGeneric shot of small seated audience 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

July Science Talks: Knowing your Material

Thursday, March 23rd, 2017 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Developing a Research Plan

No-one expects you to be an expert on your topic and there is only so much you can cover in a 10 minute presentation. However, you should research your topic thoroughly.  A good research plan will help ensure accuracy, establish credibility and achieve your objective of enhancing understanding.  When you have decided on the key areas of your topic you want to focus on divide up the research duties amongst your team.

Your key research areas will come out of   Step 2 of your Topic to Theme Recipe.
i.e.
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……………”
Remember to complete each line as one complete sentence. This will help focus your research on the key aspects of your topic that are relevant.

                                          (From Sam H. Ham, 1992)

Beware of Bias!
Good research materials should be objective, presenting a balanced view of the topic. If you deliver biased information, your credibility with the audience will suffer.
As you embark on your research take a minute to reflect on the following sources and their potential for bias.
You may find this link designed for first year Otago University students useful also
Evaluating Information Sources: http://oil.otago.ac.nz/oil/module7.html

Credit Where Credit is Due
If you use someone else’s ideas, words or pictures in your presentation, you should acknowledge the original source if known. You can do this by:

  • Attributing the source as you speak (As Marie Curie once said “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”)
  • Indicating the source after a direct quote , graphic, image on Powerpoint slide
  • Showing a list of source material after  the final slide of your show as part of your conclusion/thank-you

Failure to give credit where credit is due may damage your own credibility and violate copyright law.

What’s Hot and What’s Not.
As you do your research, remember:
People love to hear:

  • Good stories
  • Inspirational thoughts and quotes
  • Unusual facts (Catfish have over 100,000 taste buds over the surface of their body)
  • Facts involving huge numbers in terms they can understand..
    (Each nerve cell  or neuron is about 10 microns wide. If you were able to line up all 100 billion neurons in your brain in a straight line that line would be about 1000 km long. That’s like from Dunedin to Auckland!)

             (Adapted from `Neuroscience for kids’ by Eric H. Chudler)
  • Things that evoke emotional or physiological responses (scary things, beautiful things, amazing things, happy things) – the `intangibles’ around the `thing’ you are talking about.
  • Things that are important to them

They don’t really care much about….

  • Ordinary scientific data (Around 1.5 billion litres of domestic wastewater is discharged into the environment on a daily basis in New Zealand).
  • Being `told what they must do’.
  • How much you think you  know about your topic.

Good luck with your research and remember we are here to help so don’t hesitate to get in touch if need clarification and/or help with anything.

 

Engaging Hearts and Minds: Themes are messages

Tuesday, March 7th, 2017 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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 13th.

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.

Keep it simple…

Tuesday, February 28th, 2017 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Venue for the ASC 2017 conference – the Science Exchange in Adelaide, Australia

Last night I returned home to Dunedin from Adelaide. I was attending the 9th annual Australian Science Communicators conference where I had a presentation to give and also a poster in the gallery. The conference was amazing and I learned a lot which will be shared over the coming weeks.

On the weekend after the conference I stayed in Adelaide and visited a number of the city’s attractions. It may have been the conference leaving Science Communication in the forefront of my mind but I found myself analysing each one in terms of good communication and engagement. There is still a LOT of static displays and writing to explain displayed artefacts in museums. In one of the conference presentations, a panel tried to address this – but by far the most effective presentations were the ones that were interactive.

Activity at the Migration Museum in Adelaide

One very simple example of this was the crosswalk activity that I encountered at the Migration Museum. The exhibit was meant to show how immigration policies in the first half of the 1900s favoured a certain type of migrant (white and British). Instead of screeds of writing and examples or even just a small statement, there was a large crosswalk on the wall. You read a description of someone who wanted to come to Australia at the time and then pushed the crosswalk button. The walk man lit up if they could immigrate, the don’t walk sign lit up if they couldn’t and a yellow traffic light was a maybe. A small lit up explanation of why that particular person could or couldn’t migrate was also displayed.

I think this was a brilliant example of how a simple metaphor (the crosswalk) was used to make information very relevant. Everyone crosses the street, imagine not being able to cross the street because of your race or circumstances. It certainly made me think about immigration and the effect of policy on people at that time. The setup was also engaging. I probably would have walked past a panel of the same information if it had just been written up on the wall.

So over the coming weeks I’ll share more of what I learned in Adelaide but my learning for today is the power of the simple metaphor. Finding something your audience relates to and use it to convey your message.

Face wash crisis solved by junior science…

Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

My fresh made face wash – fancy picture courtesy of visiting Canadian mother 🙂

Recently, the company that I have been buying facewash from since I was 18 years old, ran out of the product I use. Rather than settle for something else, I did a wee bit of research online and found a recipe to try.

The whole experience reminded me of a unit that I ran with my Year 10 class a few years ago. We had finished a unit on Acids and Bases and so they were familiar with things like the pH scale and we had looked at cleaners, toothpaste and other common household items. I had run across the resource “Lips, Lipids and Locks” in the resource room and decided to make a mini unit around it.

From the 2005 Applications series of books

Firstly, the students read the book. They then had a think in groups about what kind of products they used on a regular basis and what chemicals were in them. We did a small group and whole class brainstorm about the types of cosmetics they could reasonably make.

They then did some research about recipes, decided on a recipe to use and came up with a “shopping list” of ingredients. Once we had gone through the ingredients, there were things that we couldn’t get either because of cost or because it wasn’t available in a timely manner. This meant the students had to go back and look at alternatives.

Finally, we spent some time making and testing out their products. Once each group had a product, it was presentation day. The students presented their products to the class along with their ingredients, why their ingredients worked and also if they had to use alternatives, what alternatives they used and why they worked. They had to talk about why they had chosen one recipe over the others available. They also had to analyse their final product and talk about what they would do differently next time, what they liked/disliked.

There was not enough time for them to go through multiple production runs and refine the products which I think would have been a good learning exercise as well. I think this would have helped them understand what kind of research and development goes into creating the products they use.

All in all, I feel like they were engaged as they were making things that they thought were relevant. They also were developing their research skills and problem solving abilities. Finally they were communicating what they learnt to the wider group.

Back to my own experiment with facewash, with a small tweak it turns out I’m on to a winner. It was quick and easy and works well. If you’re interested in the recipe, here it is:

Another fancy view of my final product

1/3 cup oat flour – oats have saponin giving them mild cleansing properties, they are also moisturising

2/3 cup almond meal – almond meal is used to exfoliate, it is high in B and E vitamins and it is also very moisturising

2 Tablespoons of honey – honey is an antimicrobial and also contains antioxidants

A few drops of melted cocoa butter – moisturising

Squish all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. To use, mix a pea size amount with water in hand and apply.

Applications are OPEN for OUASSA 2017…

Thursday, October 6th, 2016 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Planning for the 2017 student and teacher programmes are well underway as the school year rockets into the final term for the year!

Our teacher and student applications for 2017 are open until the 21st of October. You can see the schools who were mailed application packages as well as access the online application forms for teachers and students here:
OUASSA 2017 Application forms

The application form is the same for students, teachers and nominating teachers, you will be shown different questions based on whether you are an applicant or a nominating teacher and whether you are applying to the student or teacher programme.

Teacher applicants will need to fill in the application form only.

Student applicants will need to fill in the application form, have a teacher fill in a teacher nomination and also submit an essay either via email or hard copy (instructions and topic are in the application material)

 

Sensational sensing…

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

I was listening to thblind sighted athletes emotional expressions innatee radio this morning and heard the fact stated that blind people use the same facial expressions as sighted people because facial expressions are innate rather than learned. This means that blind people don’t have to have seen a facial expression for
sadness or joy or anything really to know what it looks like, because it is something we all do automatically. Facial expressions are passed down just like hair colour or hitchhiker’s thumb.I looked up the original study this information was based on – you can read the press release on the American Psychological Association website here (or get a hold of the journal article referenced within if you’re super keen 🙂 )

When I looked up this article about facial expressions, a sidebar also caught my eye. It was about blind people and dreaming. Everyone dreams, even though many times we can’t remember what we dreamed. Most of my dreams are in pictures, so what would dreaming be like for someone who has never seen? Interestingly, if a person has lost their sight post approximately age 7, they still dream in pictures. If they lose their sight earlier though, they dream in the way the experience the world, not in pictures but in smells, sounds, touch and spatial awareness of the situation.

This reminded me of the series on Discovery Channel a few years ago about senses. The Human Body – Pushing the Limits, was about the amazing power of our bodies, including the senses. (You can watch some excerpts here) At one point in the first episode, they explore surgery that restores sight to blind people. The person who lost their sight in a car accident at age 19 does very well and seems happy. The person who lost their sight at age 3 though really struggled. It seemed that by losing his sight so early, he hadn’t developed many of the skills involving judging distances and timings that sighted adults have. He found it easier, even after regaining his sight, to use his cane when out and about to judge surfaces, kerbing etc.

In the July OUASSA camp, we are going to be participating in a New Zealand International Science Festival event called “Dining in the Dark”. At this event, we will dine blindfolded in the dark to experience what it is like to be non-sighted. We will also have guest speakers, a blind member of the community to talk about the challenges of living with blindness, and a researcher from Otago who will talk to us about why she teaches in the dark. (see more here)

The idea of dining in the dark is not new, restaurants like Unsicht Bar in Germany have been running for years in the dark. Guests have noted that eating in the dark means they experience their meals in a completely different way, becoming more aware of texture, smells and temperature. “The slices of lamb felt delicious, they smelt even better and the salt grass seemed to spread out before me as I chewed. Each sip of Italian Sauvignon was preceded by what can only be described as a nasal feast of its own.” (from The Independent, you can read the full review here)

The idea of our other senses compensating for a lack of sight has been around for a long time. To actually experience it though is quite amazing. Losing sight, even temporarily, causes us to rely on the rest of our senses for all of our information about the world around us. This experience allows us to reflect on the world that blind people experience every day and discover how amazing our brains are at interpreting information and adapting to circumstances.

 

 

Solar Science vs The Economy

Friday, April 29th, 2016 | ouassa | No Comments

There is an expectation (hope) from many that science will provide  a technological solution to many if not all of the world’s big problems, whether it be  global warming, world food demands, disease, world energy demands.Man installing solar panels on roof

However, developing a technological  solution is only half the battle. The adoption of  that technology has  to be compatible with our current economic model(s).  This is no more evident right now than in the field of solar power where providers are being taxed  for adopting   the new cleaner , greener, more `sustainable’ form of power generation.  It’s been happening overseas for some time now in countries like Spain, Germany and some states in USA and  hits the headlines here in NZ in the last couple of weeks.

What is the reasoning for these new taxes? Are they justified? What are the implications if they are? What do we do if they are not?

Below are 5 links to articles to help you make your own mind up.

Link 1 From Reuters News will give you an overview of what is going on overseas.
Links 2 is from the NZ Green Party
Link 3  is from Greenpeace
Links 4 is from National Business Review
Link 5 from  NZ HERALD

Have a read and make up your own minds

Is there a problem with the technology at play, our  economic model, or both? How might we address the issues?

Would love  to hear your feedback

Links:

  1. Taxes, fees: the worldwide battle between utilities and solar
  2. Price rises no joke for solar and electricity customers
  3. Tax on solar and batteries shocks industry, green and consumer groups
  4. Regulator takes issue with penalty charge for solar power
  5. Charged reaction to Unison solar fee

Video killed the radio star??

Thursday, April 7th, 2016 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

flatscreenThe other day, looking for a quick video on the Science of Sport to show a Physics class as a little starter, I went to the Veritasium website to look for some inspiration. I found these two videos which I think have been posted before but are definitely worth a re visit for Science Teachers.

This is going to REVOLUTIONIZE education! 

Effectiveness of Science Videos 

Just as an aside, I ended up going with this video: Bungy Jumping What I did was show the video to the students as a starter. They watched, I paused it when you need to select an answer. No one was keen to volunteer their answer to the question so I just un paused the video and let it finish. What they didn’t know was that no answer is actually given in the video! So, when the video was over, they HAD to discuss and work it out and talk with each other because they really really wanted to know the answer. SO we ended up having a great discussion on forces in the fall, what is that rope actually doing, we talked about transfer of energy and all kinds of good stuff. I’m definitely going to check out some of the other little starter videos and try and sneak one in again 🙂

 

 

Finding information…

Monday, March 7th, 2016 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

ResearchI was just looking for some materials to help my class become better at researching and found the awesome self help guides from the library.

http://otago.libguides.com/selfhelp

The library self help website that has TONS of tutorials and videos on how to research and also write reports. It is designed for uni students but I think it is still useful for the last year of high school as well! Particularly I am going to use http://www.otago.ac.nz/library/modules/power_searching/ which is about making effective online searches. And there are a bunch of resources on Google searching on the right hand side.

Also if you click on how do I improve my essay writing and report writing skills on the left hand side there are links to tutorials on essays, scientific reports etc

Happy researching!!

 

Speciation without tears

Monday, February 22nd, 2016 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Ernst  Mayer, considered  as one of the world’s leading evolutionary biologists of the 20th Century once wrotemayr-2

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

Fabric that really “breathes”…

Thursday, November 12th, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

FlapsThis morning, I saw an article that referenced a new type of fabric being developed at MIT. The fabric was impregnated with bacteria so that when the wearer was hot and sweating, the bacteria responded and fabric venting flaps opened. When the wearer was not hot and sweating, the flaps closed. This sounds like such a simple idea but such a great one. Who hasn’t been working out and felt like they were wearing too much or too little to keep themselves at a comfortable temperature. Fabric that responds to your personal needs at any given time sounds great to me! I found the link to the group doing the work at MIT and you can find it here: Biologic Fabric

While you are there though, take a look at Tangible Media Group

It looks like there is some incredibly cool work going on at MIT. I particularly like the responsive table and the kinematic blocks 🙂

Reach for the Stars

Monday, November 2nd, 2015 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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

Aim High!,      Silhouette of child on beach at dusk/dawn with hand outstretched toward a rising/setting sun/star

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!

1.21 gigawatts? 1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

What all the cool kids are wearing in 2015

What all the cool kids are wearing in 2015, yes, it does look like they drew on their faces with markers…

Happy Back to the Future Day! was the text I received this morning from a friend.

It was waaaay back in (movie time) 1985 when Marty McFly jumped back into the famous DeLorean of Doc’s and headed to October 21, 2015 to help out his future children. The fun of any time travelling movie is the chance to imagine what the future will be like. But now that we are actually here, how accurate was that future?

Love the hats we're all meant to be wearing in 2015.

Love the hats we’re all meant to be wearing in 2015.

Well, we’re not fuelling our cars with the Mr Fusion waste-run generator yet, and no one really uses pay phones or faxes any more…  (Remember the street side fax machines in Back to the Future – send a fax from the street) Perhaps though, the fax machine highlights a glaring absence in the Back to the Future predictions – where are the cell phones? We use our smart phones for so much in 2015 and they were basically absent in Back to the Future where newspapers were still prevalent and the TV was used for video calling.

Back to the Future isn’t the only time the future was a bit odd. Over the school holidays I watched an episode of The Jetsons on a pop up channel for old cartoons. Future predictions there were wild – flying cars, instant hair styles, food in a second and of course the nuclear powered robot dog which inexplicably attacks anyone in a mask because anyone who wears a mask must be a burglar (cue hilarity when the burglar puts his mask on George to escape completely fooling the robot dog). Anyway – the fact is we don’t know what the future holds, and predicting what may or may not come to pass is fun.

Google past predictions of the future and you’ll get quotes like these:

  • “Well informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires, and that were it possible to do so, the thing would be of no practical value.” – Editorial in the Boston Post, 1865
  • “I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of anyone.” – Darwin (writing in Origin of Species), 1859
  • “Within the next few decades, autos will have folding wings that can be spread when on a straight stretch of road so that the machine can take to the air.” — Eddie Rickenbacker, ‘Popular Science,’ July 1924
  • “Everyone’s always asking me when Apple will come out with a cell phone.  My answer is, ‘Probably never.’” — David Pogue, The New York Times, 2006

Every year we ask students to write an essay on the role of Science in the 21st Century. Often we have students writing about scientific approaches to what they see as challenges or problems in the world today. Students also often write about technological advances that they see happening now and in the future. I wonder how many of these ideas will actually come to pass? One thing is for certain, it’s definitely fun to wonder what life will be like for our grandchildren or their children.

Can Meat Actually be Eco-Friendly?

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

In a country that relies heavily on agriculture- all be it heavily swayed towards dairy rather than meat production, for now at least- this a question worth investigating.
I came across this article as part one of a series of three articles on the question

Should we eat meat?

Meat in supermarket

Writer, Nathanael Johnson, author of All Natural: A Skeptic’s Quest to Discover If the Natural Approach to Diet, Childbirth, Healing, and the Environment Really Keeps Us Healthier and Happier. looks at this question from 3 perspectives:
• Environmental sustainability,
• Morality,
• Practicality.
In the first of these articles he asks the question
Can meat be sustainable?
You may find some of what he discovered on this topic quite illuminating.

Let there be light – part II!

Thursday, July 2nd, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Logo_small

The photography competition mentioned in the last post (see poster below) has been extended to Wednesday the 8th of July – perhaps something to work on those first few days of the school holiday??

Additionally there are some cool public lectures coming up as part of Luminescence: The Spectrum of Science – a schedule can be found here: Luminescence Lectures

photo comp poster - X

 

“A frightening and potentially dangerous technology”

Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

That was how Otago University Prof Peter Dearden  from Genetics OtagoChinese genome scientist(1) described  a recent paper by a groups of chinese scientists describing the first genetically modified human embryos and opening a route to germ-line modification of our own species.

Check it out  and add your own views to the Sciblogs  comments  page.

It’s Eureka Time again !

Wednesday, April 8th, 2015 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Eureka Science Communication Awards 2015

Eureka header_2013Hot off the Press  from Eureka HQ:

2015 EUREKA! Workshops and timetable

After a bit of a hiatus we can now advise the dates and venues for our free regional workshops which will help students prepare for the 2015 Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Awards competitions.
This year the Awards have been increased so that the Premier Award winner will take home a prize of $10,000.  Other prizes have also been adjusted.
We will also offer scholarships on the basis of the relevance of presentations to the 11 Science Challenges identified by the Government.

Entries for the Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Awards must be in by 5 p.m. on Friday 19 June – students should go to the EUREKA! website to register their entries.

It is advisable for students to visit the site and bone up on the entry criteria before submitting their entry to avoid the risk of disappointment if they fail to complete the entry requirements.
In addition they can attend one of the six regional workshops where they get all the information they need, including advice on presentation, research and analysis techniques, which will help them put forward the best entry they can.
Details of the dates and venues of the 6 regional workshops are available from the EUREKA! website
Please note that the Wellington and Hamilton workshops will be held on 18 April so its important that students are advised as soon as possible.
Ministry of Education distributed collateral will be in schools in short order.

If teachers wish to attend the workshops they are very welcome and will be provided with the course materials so they can help their students through the entry process.
A special teachers workshop has been organised by the Canterbury organising committee for 23 April – details on the Eureka website.

The regional competitions will be held in late July (dates and venues still to be finalised).
The National Finals Symposium will be held on 3 September in Wellington and will be followed by the Awards Dinner at Government House hosted by the Governor General, His Excellency the Right Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae.

Plans are afoot to extend the Eureka! programme into intermediate and primary schools so we can build a pathway for children from Year 4 (8 year olds) to become champions for the value of science, technology engineering and mathematics education for the future of New Zealand’s economy, society and environment.

Any questions or comments?  Don’t hesitate to contact

Email: eureka@eureka.org.nz
Francis Wevers
National Convenor
Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Awards Programme

For more details go to: http://eureka.org.nz

For details of the Otago Regional Workshop contact: steve.broni@otago.ac.nz

 

Chemistry detour…

Tuesday, March 31st, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Chemistry

 

My next post was going to be on the chemistry behind the hot-can and I am part way through what I think is a neat little experiment/lesson involving this cool (or hot rather) invention. Today though, I was derailed by another Chemistry resource!

I’ve been a fan of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) open courseware for a while and I used snippets of it with classes and the OUASSA tutorials last year. I especially recommend their Highlights for High School where you can pick a topic and subtopic and be directed to a specific resource that may help you. Meaning for example, you don’t have to watch the whole lecture series on Classical Mechanics to help you in your struggles with Projectile Motion, the folks at MIT have pulled the relevant bits out of their screeds of material and collated it all for you. I must admit though to being so focussed on the Physics resources available, I was missing this little gem.

Chemistry Boot Camp is a multi episode show that follows 14 students as they go through a three week intensive lab course at MIT. The show is compelling for two reasons, first, it offers a glimpse into what life is like as a student at MIT and second, there is some really cool Chemistry going on. What I liked most about the show was that instead of just glossing over what the students were doing, there was an effort made to explain the Chemistry behind what they were doing and why.

The episodes are short – only 5 minutes ish in length and not counting the bonus episodes there are 11 in total, I managed to binge watch the entire series in a lunch break. A nice light Science meal to set up your afternoon.

 

 

The future of airline travel??

Monday, March 16th, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Round-the-World-Solar-Powered-Flight-Will-Likely-Happen-in-2015

Air travel and the continuous increase of numbers of passengers and planes in the sky has long been cited as one of the contributing factors to global warming. Airplanes fly high in the sky meaning that any greenhouse gases they are producing are immediately sent into the upper layers of the atmosphere, potentially increasing their harmful effects.

Emissions from aircrafts are not only harmful for our planet but also have some in your face side effects that impact us more directly. A report published in the science journal Nature Climate Change forecasts that increasing CO2 levels will result in a significant increase in in-flight turbulence experienced by trans-Atlantic airline flights the middle of the 21st century. A 50% increase in fact. Now that is a very real and scary prospect indeed.

Enter Solar Impulse II – at this very moment, the world’s first ever Earth circumnavigation by a solar plane is taking place. The Solar Impulse II, a fully solar powered aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi on March 9th. Solar Impulse II has the wingspan of a 747 to support the 17,000 solar cells that it uses for energy. Despite this, it weighs only the size of an average car. The plane can fly night or day as, during the day, the solar panels charge rechargeable lithium batteries. Not a single drop of fossil fuel is required.

It is making several stops on its journey around the world and is currently in Ahmedabad, India. You can keep up with the progress of Solar Impulse II here:

http://www.solarimpulse.com/

This website allows anyone around the world to read updates from the crew, watch live take off and landings and check out where the plane is in real time. In addition, the crew post updates and information about other solar projects happening in the countries that they visit. For example, when I looked today, there was a post about solar wells in India. Another amazing idea!

Of course, at the moment, the Solar Impulse II is one of a kind, and a fair way from being a production ready commercial airliner. The concept though, that we could potentially use solar power to travel in the future, is an exciting one.

The quest for the perfect pop leads to kitchen science…

Tuesday, February 24th, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

popcorn

Popcorn in the pan – first pop!

Popcorn is a great snack – I’m not talking about movie popcorn, yummy as it is, I’m talking about the high fibre, low calorie nutrient fest that is naked popcorn. The easiness of popcorn just amps up the appeal, chuck some kernels in a lightly greased pan on the stove and a delicious hot snack appears in a matter of minutes.

But what is popcorn really? Despite my enthusiasm for popcorn eating, I never thought much about what makes popcorn, well, pop! Enter this news article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/66105879/scientists-unravel-the-secrets-of-popcorn-physics

A quick google search revealed similar interpretations of the same research on many news sites, including this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/science/why-popcorn-also-jumps.html which has the video footage from the research showing (mesmerising) slow motion kernels popping one at a time.

I couldn’t let this one go – I looked up the names of the authors of the papers. Super helpfully, one of them has a website and has not only included links to the originally published papers that all these news articles were based on, but added lots more video and content around the popping of popcorn. http://emmanuel-virot.weebly.com/popcorn.html

Another cool thing I learned from all this popcorn reading and watching was that you can pop other grains, not just popcorn. Time for some kitchen science!

I tried popping wild rice, white quinoa, red quinoa and black quinoa – without a doubt, the wild rice and the red quinoa made the best pop (although not as spectacular as popcorn)

IMG_2266

Wild Rice before and after

IMG_2272

White Quinoa before and after

IMG_2274

Red Quinoa before and after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also couldn’t believe the sound of the popping grains – just like popcorn!  Here is a video of wild rice popping and also at the end I mixed all the quinoa I had leftover and popped it all together. Wild Rice PoppingQuinoa Pop.  Apologies for the poor video quality – it was filmed on my phone 🙂  Finally – the big question – how did they taste???  Well, interestingly quite similar to popcorn really although the wild rice husk made it slightly more unpleasant to eat than the quinoa. I don’t think popped quinoa is going to take the world by storm yet though, it would take an awful lot of quinoa to make a satisfying snack quantity!

How do you spell success??

Monday, February 2nd, 2015 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Wsuccesshat do you think about when you think about someone is successful – what do they have that separates them from the unsuccessful? Are they talented? Lucky?

Psychologists have determined that success, whether it is sporting, academic or otherwise, is less a matter of luck or talent and more a matter of practise and perseverance. You may even have heard about the concept that 10,000 hours of practice can make you an expert in anything.

In fact, although the 10,000 hour concept continues to be debated, it does have a modicum of truth. The 10,000 hour concept came from a research paper written in the 90s by an American psychologist who was looking at the work of a group of psychologists in Germany. The German psychologists had been looking at violin students and trying to figure out if there was a difference between those students who go on to become successful – professional violinists at the highest levels of their art, and those who remain hobbyists. What they found was that although all the students that they were following had similar amounts of practice time between the ages of 5 and 8, by the time they had reached 20, the successful performers had averaged 10,000 hours of practice each, compared to the average of 4,000 hours of practice in the less able performers.

There’s been some interesting debate including people using themselves as the subject of experiments to determine whether or not 10,000 hours of practice will enable them to become experts in some skill for example playing a sport or learning an instrument.
Regardless of whether or not the 10,000 hour theory is correct, one thing is certain. Success is less a product of natural talent and more the effect of pure hard work.

This last year of high school is an interesting one. There are academic results to aim for, leadership roles in the school, sporting and cultural commitments outside the classroom. In what seems like a heartbeat, the year will be over along with the end of 13 years of formal education. What happens next is entirely in your own hands.

So, before it all starts to become a busy, activity filled blur, take time to think about what you want out of the year. Make yourself some goals and make sure that you are SMART about them. Another resource to look at is the student study resources at the HEDC. Although it is aimed at University students, specifically first year students, there are a lot of useful tools in there that could be helpful to you in this last year of High School. I particularly like the weekly time planner – a template that you can download, print and use to organise all your activities one week at a time. There are also useful tips on time management, learning, studying, researching and other topics that will help you out this year and with further education.

So, get going and get organising – make this last year your most successful yet 

Stepping Up and Out for Climate Change

Monday, November 3rd, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Anthropogenic Climate Change has once again hit the headlines http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/9887611/Climate-change-We-need-to-act-now ” It’s all so overwhelming! What can I do?  I got my finals coming up and  all my energies are focused on  them”  (And so they should be!) But what when they are over?  When you do come up for air  and/or need some inspiration as to what one individual can do check out this 18 year old from the US who impressed me not only with her commitment to the cause  but with  how articulate she is able to argue her case and the case of people her own age.kelsey Juliana-2crop “As world leaders converge for the UN’s global summit on climate and thousands gather in New York for the People’s Climate March, an 18-year-old Oregonian student, Kelsey Juliana, is walking across America to draw attention to global warming and taking her case to the US supreme court. Now just out of high school, she’s co-plaintiff in a major lawsuit being spearheaded by Our Children’s Trust that could force the state of Oregon to take a more aggressive stance against the carbon emissions warming the earth and destroying the environment. She’s walking across America as part of the Great March for Climate Action, due to arrive in Washington, DC, on November 1.” Video interview link: http://billmoyers.com/episode/climate-change-next-generation/

Maths-o-Magic!!!

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

invisibleNumberAt morning tea the other day, our IT wizard mentioned this website which is an amazing collection of mathematical goodness.

You can type in any equation and get it solved with steps here:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/

Or if you go to the examples, you can pick something you would like to learn about (to study for example hint hint) and have a play with changing up the numbers in the example questions.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/examples/Math.html

There’s even a spot where you can get them to generate problems for you to practise online with feedback – this is not free but you can get a 7 day trial, just in time for exam study.

So sit back, relax and play with Maths this holiday!!!

Would you be willing to exchange your clothing for plumage?

Thursday, September 11th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Ever heard of  ‘Transhumanism‘?Lucy Glendining sculpture of feathered child

Over the past few years, a new paradigm for thinking about humankind’s future has begun to take shape among some leading computer scientists, neuroscientists, nanotechnologists and researchers at the forefront of technological development.

 “Transhumanism”  is the name for a new way of thinking that challenges the premiss that the human condition is and will remain essentially unalterable.

 `Transhumanists’ say this  assumption no longer holds true. Arguably it has never been true. They argue that such innovations as speech, written language, printing, engines, modern medicine and computers have had a profound impact not just on how people live their lives, but on who and what they are.

What might happen in the next  20, 50, 100 years ?

A new book entitled  the The Proactionary Imperative presents a  the cultural, intellectual and ethical `justification’ for the emerging  transhumanist movement and in so doing paints an ethically  challenging and scary scenario for  the future of the human race?

“Fancy living forever, or uploading your mind to the net? The Proactionary Imperative embraces transhumanist dreams, but reminds why we need medical ethics”.

The blog post… of SCIENCE!!!

Friday, August 1st, 2014 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Bill-Nye-640x350I am outting myself here as a huge nerd from childhood. When I was growing up I used to LOVE watching Bill Nye the Science Guy on TV. I actually think at one stage I even wrote him a fan letter because I wanted to do exactly what he did when I grew up. He made Science look so fun and cool.

Flash forward to the other day when I was watching Epic Rap Battles: Sir Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye and my Year 13 girls actually asked me who is Bill Nye the Science Guy (insert startled look and gasp here). After I recovered from the shock I set about looking for some old episodes and found this:

Bill Nye Archive for Education on YouTube. Full episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy! These are suitable definitely for junior school but my seniors enjoy them as a treat for times like when we are about to start a new topic and I want them to just think about the bigger picture rather than the maths and details.

Laws of Physics Rule in Karate

Monday, June 9th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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

Emily Hall demonstrating Karate move as part of Physics class

 

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/

Last Call for Eureka Awards Entries

Monday, June 9th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

 

Eureka header_2013

Only 7 days to go for EUREKA! entries

It would be great to see an  OUASSA student in the competition.

Why not back yourself!

You gotta be in to win.
And even if you don’t win you will have learned at  lot  and had fun along the way!

Students who are intending to submit an entry for the 2014 Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Awards should be putting the final touches on their synopsis and making sure their entry is made on-line by next Sunday at the latest.

This year’s competition has more prizes than ever before and there are also Scholarships valued at up to $2500 on offer for the first time.

These scholarships will be awarded to any of the students in the top 28 who are eligible for selection for the national finals. More details on these scholarships will be released soon.

http://eureka.org.nz/

Mailing address :
Rotary Club of Wellington
PO Box 10243
Wellington, Wellington 6043
New Zealand

Copyright © *2013* *|RCW EUREKA! Trust*, All rights reserved.”

2013 Alumni: Fight for your right Chapati and come to the Science of Curry dinner so we don’t have Tears on our Pilaus…

Thursday, May 29th, 2014 | EMILY HALL | Comments Off on 2013 Alumni: Fight for your right Chapati and come to the Science of Curry dinner so we don’t have Tears on our Pilaus…

chilliIn July we usually invite last year’s students to come and share an activity with the current group of students. This year we are going to be having a Science of Curry night arranged for us by the NZ International Science Festival happening in Dunedin July 5-13.

Personally, I am a huge fan of curry but I actually never thought about it as Science. What kind of Science could be lurking in all that yumminess?

Well, when I started to think about it, a whole lot. From the very start of the process – like why do onions make you cry? And why are chillis so hot? – to the magical blend of herbs and spices that make up the taste.  And looking further at the ingredients themselves like ginger and garlic – they are supposed to be good for us – why? And I like hot curry but why does it make my mouth burn? What will stop that feeling? The local  curry place always tells me that Mango Lassi or raita will take the burn away – does it really work? Why?

Seems like the humble curry is hiding a whole lot of Science. I’m sure I’ll get my questions, and many more I haven’t thought about yet, answered at the Science of Curry night. Class of 2014 – you are already going. Class of 2013 – shortly you should recieve an email invitation so let me know if you will be coming along to what is sure to be a spicy evening for you brain and your mouth 🙂

Calling all Biologists…Chemists…and maybe even Physicists

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Daniel has posted a great question on  the
Knowledge Forum Biology Curriculum: Human Evolution   Discussion View:LifeSpiral2

Q: What are the best examples in the world today that support the
theory of evolution
?

 

I’m putting the challenge out there for you all.

This is a great opportunity to get back into Knowlege Forum with a topic at the heart of the biology curriculum.

Is the evidence all  from Biology? 

If you have forgotten how to log-in   to Knowledge Forum and build on a post we will be putting  up  a  link to refresher tutorial very soon but flick us an email in meantime and we’ll get you in there right away.

PS When you get into the  Knowledge Forum – Biology Curriculum: Human Evolution View you are looking the build-on the post  titled ‘Support’ on the far right of the Discussion View.

Update on Eureka! Awards & New Scholarships

Tuesday, May 6th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Eureka header_2013

Date change for Eureka! entries.

After the success of the regional workshops, and taking into account the fact that students entering the Eureka! Sir Paul Callaghan Awards do not have to submit a video this year, it has been decided that the deadline for the entries into the competition will be extended. Students will now be allowed to submit entries until 5pm on Sunday the 15th of June.

Students must still submit their entry on the Eureka! website,eureka.org.nz  and email the synopsis of their idea and how they plan to present it. They have already received a number of entries and the regional competitions are shaping up to be great events.

Another addition to the Eureka! Sir Paul Callaghan Awards in 2014 is the introduction of scholarships. These scholarships will be awarded to any of the students in the top 28 who are eligible for selection for the national finals. More details on these scholarships will be released soon.

Eureka mailing address is:
Rotary Club of Wellington
PO Box 10243
Wellington, Wellington 6043
New Zealand

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More on `Bad Science’

Monday, April 28th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Ben Goldacre is a doctor, academic, campaigner and writer whose work focuses on uses and misuses of science and statistics by journalists, politicians, drug companies and alternative therapists.Ben Goldacre

His first book Bad Science reached #1 in the UK non-fiction charts and has sold over half a million copies worldwide. His second book Bad Pharma discusses problems in medicine, focusing on missing trials, badly designed research, and biased dissemination of evidence. He wrote the Bad Science column for a decade in the UK Guardian newspaper, and has written for the Times, the Telegraph, the Mail, the New York Times, the BMJ, and more, alongside presenting documentaries for the BBC.

 From:  http://www.badscience.net/about-dr-ben-goldacre/

Check out his  TED talk from 2011- Battling Bad Science.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science

His topic aside note how by simply  talking about what he knows, driven by the passion and enthusiasm he has for his topic,  he has  no need for speech notes and rote learning of his speech

Spotting Bad Science

Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

I came across  this the other day  in a post  from a friend who works in the health sector  in Scotland and thought it might be useful in honing your analytical and critical thinking skills

List of 10 things to look out for when deciding  whether reported science in valid or not

The vast majority of people will get their science news from online news site articles, and rarely delve into the research that the article is based on. It is  therefore important that people are capable of spotting bad scientific methods, or realising when articles are being economical with the conclusions drawn from research, and that’s what this graphic aims to do. Note that this is not a comprehensive overview, nor is it implied that the presence of one of the points noted automatically means that the research should be disregarded. This is merely intended to provide a rough guide to things to be alert to when either reading science articles or evaluating research.
From
http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/04/02/a-rough-guide-to-spotting-bad-science/

Spotting-Bad-Science  Poster PDF

PS Teachers:  Check out the their infographics page for some interesting and informative posters you can download:
http://www.compoundchem.com/downloads/

 

Spotted a fin in the water? Maybe it’s the Shark Competition coming your way!!

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 | EMILY HALL | Comments Off on Spotted a fin in the water? Maybe it’s the Shark Competition coming your way!!

sharkSharklab ’14: Why Sharks Matter

What’s happening?

Scientists study many things, from the smallest cell to the farthest galaxies. And somewhere in between is the study of one of our greatest predators – the shark. Many scientists, like marine explorer and Science Festival guest Ryan Johnson, study great white sharks in an effort to understand them better. He also spends a lot of time talking to people and making documentaries about sharks and to teach us how important they are.

We want the next generation of science story tellers: the challenge is to show people why it’s important to learn about sharks, and to tell that story in an exciting and creative new way.

You are in charge, so how you tell the story is up to you.

What’s up for grabs

We’ll get you geared up for more outdoor fun: The winners of each category will take home a brand new GoPro outdoor camera kit valued at $800!

How much time do I have?

The competition runs from April 7th until midnight on June 22nd, 2014.

Now get started!

Eureka – Sir Paul Callaghan Science Communication Awards 2014

Friday, March 14th, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

Calling all budding Science Communicators!

Eureka header_2013

The purpose of the EUREKA Awards & Symposium  is to identify and foster young leaders who, through their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, their entrepreneurial vision, and their persuasive communication skills, will bring about the New Zealand foreseen by Sir Paul Callaghan: “the most beautiful,stimulating and exciting place in the world in which to live.”

A student will give a 12 minute presentation in which s/he will demonstrate:

  • Substantive knowledge about a specific science, technology, engineering, mathematics  innovation idea;
  • the application of it for the social, and/or economic, and/or environmental benefit of New Zealand;
  • and persuasive communication skills in “selling” the idea.

Each student will have submitted a written synopsis of their presentation prior to the regional competition.

The winner of the Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Premier Award will win:

  • The Premier Award Trophy
  • A $5000 grant towards future studies

Three Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Highly Commended Awards valued at $2500 each will be presented to the three runners up.

Each of the remaining 8 finalists will receive a $1000 Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Merit Award.

Special Prizes

Special Prizes will also be awarded for students who deliver best category presentations.

In 2014 it is anticipated there may be as many as 10 additional awards in this prize list which will be available to all students whose presentations are submitted by Regional Organising Committees for participation in the National Finals.

For more details go to: http://eureka.org.nz

 

I’ve eaten so much fish oil I may grow gills, but I still didn’t ace the Calculus internal…..

Thursday, March 6th, 2014 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

brain fullProducts to increase or enhance memory are seemingly endless, foods, vitamins, minerals, brain exercises… Seems like a lot of work to make my brain, well, work!!

Sooner than you think fair students, you will be writing the last exams of your high school careers, and as part of that process, you will need to call upon your brain’s extraordinary power and memorise/assimilate the subject related knowledge to get you through those externals!!

Whether you want to believe it or not, one of the tried and true exam techniques is NOT leaving it to the last minute or even last term to study, but starting with regular revision now. This could be especially important for external topics covered at the beginning of the year. If you keep touching them regularly, there won’t be a big amount to try and cram into your head all at the end.

Another technique – teaching! Teaching something to someone else makes you think hard about your own understanding of the topic. If you are struggling with a question, try to explain the problem to a friend who is not studying the subject – this can force your brain to work out a solution and someone with little to no knowledge of the subject can make you reconsider information you had taken for granted. Even just speaking the information out loud and trying to explain concepts in your own words helps.

So start studying now, teach your cat some Physics and get ready to see Excellence at the end of the school year. In the meantime – spend some time checking out the Student Learning Centre. This is an invaluable resource for your first year of University but their study tips and writing tips can help you out in High School as well!! They also have a nice printable study planner that is generic enough you can start using it today!

Student Learning Centre

What does it mean to be human?

Monday, March 3rd, 2014 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

What does it mean to be human

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/

Happy Birthday Alessandro Volta!

Tuesday, February 18th, 2014 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

VoltaHappy Birthday Alessandro Volta!! Who the heck was he you ask?  Well, the clue is in the name. The unit for electric potential, electric potential difference and emf are all Volts which comes from Volta. Volta made the Voltaic pile which in an improved form is known today as the battery!! Watch this cool movie from some lads at MIT to find out more about how he made this discovery.

Alessandro Volta Video

Once you’ve seen the video, look online for some pictures of the modern battery which, on the inside, all look much the same as the voltaic pile.

Finally, You can make your own voltaic pile at home using some copper/zinc coins alternated with some paper towel soaked in vinegar or lemon juice. You will need to use non NZ coins or old coins though as the current 10 cent piece is copper and steel! Also give the coins a sand to expose the zinc insides to the weak acid. Attaching your pile of 7 or so coins to an LED should bring forth light!! Of course you can always go the other route and get yourself a handy potato clock – same principle!

potatoClockpotatoClock2 

Fingers and toes can take a rest for another five years…

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

The Christmas story has Mary and Joseph in Bethleham because of a census. The first record of an official census was far earlier than that, in Babylonia in 3800BC.  Many years later, the first census in New Zealand occurred in 1851. For a few years, census was the responsibility of the provincial governments, so who was counted and when varied throughout the country. When the central government was formed in 1877, the census became a more organised affair and our first whole country census on the five year cycle we still follow today was held in 1881.

There have been exceptions to this cycle, as we all know, this 2013 census was meant to be held in 2011 but postponed due to the Christchurch Earthquakes. In fact, there have been two other times when the census was not held as scheduled. The 1931 the census was abandoned because the country was going through the Depression and there had been a reduction in the number of public servants. In 1941 when so many people were involved in World War II, the census was postponed until the end of the war and the 1946 census was thus held in 1945.

That is a lot of counting! Today the census 2013 results have been released. You can see a cool inforgraphic of the results here: New Zealand Census 2013

Census results are deemed so important that the Census Act of 1975 means you can be fined $500 plus $20 per day for every day that you have not filled in your census forms!

Besides being useful to allocate goverment funding and resources though, census also shows us a cool picture of the who we are as a group. If you want to dig further into the results you can do that here at the Statistics New Zealand webpage. Statistics New Zealand also has a facebook page. Be warned though, all the intersting infographics can be a major time drain! 🙂

 

 

 

Science vs Anti-science: Is it that simple?

Friday, October 4th, 2013 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

When discussing  science communication the crusade is often seen as scientists or science believers  striving to convince/convert  anti-scientists  of/to the `truth’ of  their science. 

 

An all too prevalent approach is embodied in  a maxim along the lines of  if you meet resistance to science, throw facts at those who resist. If that doesn’t work, throw more facts at them, and throw them harder.

 

From a  look around the world at current controversial scientific issues it is evident that this approach is not working. 

In this  article  To change anti-science activists’ minds, go beyond science, Rod Lamberts from Australian Center for Public Awareness of Science at ANU gives four suggestions for  scientists to ponder on.

http://theconversation.com/to-change-anti-science-activists-minds-go-beyond-science-18519 

Food for thought ?

 

 

Fight Like a Physicist

Wednesday, September 25th, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

I have spent much of my spare time of late preparing for a presentation at the New Zealand Institute of Physics biennial conference coming up later this week. The presentation that I am giving is called “Fight Like a Physicist” and will detail a project that I am working on about learning mechanics through karate.

All this karate mechanics made me think. I know that all sports have huge amounts of Physics in them – but have you really stopped to think about what the Physics applications are in your favourite sports. You can start with the Level 1 basics like conservation of Energy and Newton’s Laws of motion and move all the way up through the mechanics curriculum to the level 3 concepts of rotational motion. As well, depending on the sport, there are all kinds of other fun Physics concepts to be unearthed.

So go out and find out what is the Physics behind your favourite sport. I have listed some cool websites to help you search!

The Science Learning Hub: Sporting Edge

The Science Learning Hub: Cycling

 

And finally some good resources on the Physics of Karate!

KarateChop – Physics– the physics of breaking boards

KinematicsAnalysisofTechniquesHSScience: A program in Italy where a physics teacher and karate teacher work together to provide workshops for students of mechanics.

scientificamerican0479-150: I really like this article not just for its karate content but it is 34 years old and I found the techniques they used to analyse without the equipment we have available currently really cool!!

Farewell Voyager !

Friday, September 13th, 2013 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

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. painting depicting voyager in stellar dust cloud

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.    A young will pickering standing next to  model rocket

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

Tutorials!!

Monday, August 12th, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Just a reminder that we are going to try and start tutorial sessions this week with Chemistry on Wednesday from 6-7 and Physics on Thursday from 6-7. The tutorials will be recorded and made available off line for those who want to access them that way. Biology will start next week, Friday the 23 of August from 6-7pm. Maths is TBD at this stage.

 

To get to the rooms go to:

Chemistry: https://connect.otago.ac.nz/r6czkmanvpc

Physics: https://connect.otago.ac.nz/r93679027

Biology: https://connect.otago.ac.nz/r63671294

 

Remember, I sent out the getting started with OtagoConnect info sheet last week, let me know (ouassa@otago.ac.nz) if you have any problems.

A classic Chem3.4 type question worth learning.

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 | walda41p | No Comments

Have you ever wondered how to go about explaining the relationship between enthalpy of vaporization, boiling point and intermolecular forces? A thorough understanding of these 3 concepts is essential when it comes to tackling many questions that are often asked in the Chemistry 3.4 external standard.

Notice how the presenter uses graphes and diagrams to aid in his explanation.Old addage of “a picture says a 1000 words”. Use them as they can save you both time and space during the final exam.

Also, it is a good approach to draw the moelcules one beside the other, so you can make quick comparisons between the structures themselves and the resulting bp’s and/or enthalpy of vaporistion.

This a very common type of question, regularly asked in the external exam for Chemistry 3.4- Demonstrate understanding of thermochemical principles and the properties of particles and substances

http://www.noodle.org/learn/details/206549/1713-relate-enthalpy-of-vaporization-boiling-point-and-intermolecular-forces-ib-chemistry-hl

New OUASSA Chemistry Tutor

Friday, June 7th, 2013 | walda41p | No Comments

Hey Everyone

My name is David Wales and I’ve just joined the OUASSA team. I have worked as a Chemistry and Science Teacher in a number of high schools, and currently am a senior tutor with the foundation studies faculty at Lincoln University.

I am looking forward to reading your posts on Knowledge Forum and helping you find understanding and the answers to your chemistry curriculum questions. I’m here to help you get the most out of your involvement with OUASSA.

Hear from you soon. David

 

 

Project Synthesis time once again…

Thursday, May 16th, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

 

 

Synthesis of Project A View Discussions

 

Task:

You are each to make to a New Note that pulls together the knowledge you have gained from the knowledge building discussion on your Project A View (Maths, Physics. Geography or Zoology).

We have added a new set of scaffolds entitled ‘My Synthesis’ to help you do this. Use these scaffolds to help you synthesise what you have learned from your Project A discussion and to highlight the most important ideas, posts and links that were raised.

Post your synthesis as a New Note titled `My Synthesis’ within your Project view.

 This task should take you no more than 30 minutes.

Date Due:  Friday 31 May, 2013

Every synthesis post goes in the draw for one of 5 iTunes or Warehouse vouchers.

 

Any one want to go to Mars? One way?

Friday, May 10th, 2013 | ouassa | No Comments

Well, about 78,000 people have already applied to become Red Planet colonists with the nonprofit organization Mars One since its application process opened on April 22, officials announced today (May 7).Artists depiction of proposed  human colony  living pods on martian surface

Mars One aims to land four people on the Red Planet in 2023 as the vanguard of a permanent colony, with more astronauts arriving every two years thereafter.

Is this for real ? In the words of  fellow Scot  Danny Bhoy “Oh My God! How Bizarre! Literally!”

Check it out here
http://www.space.com/21005-mars-one-colony-applications.html

So, anyone even just as little bit interested?  What we’d be keen to hear form you all is

  1. Why would YOU want to go?
  2. What would be your biggest fear ?(Can’t be dying cos, your going to die out there anyway, that’s part of the  deal !)
  3. What science would be the most important on this first coloniser mission?
  4. How would you break the news to Mum and Dad? ( Give us your opening lines)

We look forward to your  comments

What does a Scientist look like??

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Do a google image search for Scientist and you get a lot of images that look like this guy in the picture. Although I was somewhat heartnened to see that some were women, by far the vast majority were men and most were white. Somewhat foolishly, I then google image searched Physicist and it was white males as far as the eye could see. I’m not sure why I didn’t see that one coming.

The first day of class in my Year 12 Physics class every year, I always get the students to draw a Physicist. Because I am in a girls’ school and 3/4 of the Science department are female, you’d expect to see lots of women in the mix, but year after year I get pictures like the one on the left. We then go through the exercise of talking about Physicists who are not stereotypical in an attempt to get them to see that Physicists are real people and that anyone, including them, can be one.

I recently ran across this http://lookslikescience.tumblr.com/ and had to share it. Allie Wilkinson, an American journalist, solicits pictures and short bios from anyone doing Science who wants to submit. The result is a collection of people of all ages, ethnicities and genders doing Science but also dancing, skating, running, being human.

Definitely going to show this one to my classes and hopefully it will help them see Science not as some unreachable thing but something that is accessible to people just like them.

Fun Friday Films!!

Friday, April 19th, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

The school holidays are upon us and while you students are busy with work, fun and hopefully some study, I’m sure there’ll be times when you think to yourself “boy, I could sure do with a serving of Science right now!”. Well you are in luck because someone recently suggested one of these 3 minute films to me and I found myself watching more and more of them. And for teachers, I showed a couple to my class yesterday at the end of the period and they really enjoyed it. They are interesting little snippets that can serve as a good starting point for discussion and only 3 minutes long so not a huge investment of time.
http://focusforwardfilms.com/ is the website
This one http://focusforwardfilms.com/films/78/you-don-t-know-jack appealed to the students as it is about a 14 year old boy who makes a breakthrough in cancer testing.
My 10 year old son was particularly fascinated with this one: http://focusforwardfilms.com/films/30/solar-roadways where they talk about a new way to “pave” the road with solar cells!

Anyway I’ve managed to watch maybe 1/2 dozen of the films on here and haven’t yet found one that I didn’t think was cool on some level.

Another film site that I’ve been sent at least 3 times in the last little while is one by astronaut Chris Hadfield on the ISS.
http://www.youtube.com/user/canadianspaceagency?feature=watch
He has videos on all kinds of things from making a sandwich in space, to sleeping in space, toothbrushing in space to wringing out a washcloth in space!! Again cool Science of everyday objects and good starting point for discussion! I really hate flying but Chris Hadfield makes me want to be an astronaut it looks like the most amazing “job” ever!!

Have a happy safe holiday to all the students and teachers!!

Grab a steaming cup of 1,3,7-Trimethyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione…

Friday, April 12th, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

So this week I went looking for some cool chemistry resources. I stumbled into the Royal Society Chemistry page and found a couple of things I thought were really cool!

First – Feb 2016 marks 175 years of the Society and one of the things they are doing is a 175 faces of Chemistry. Little bios of Chemists and their lives. They reminded me a little of the Applications books where they use a real life example of someone doing something cool to explain some Science and I thought maybe they could be useful to get kids thinking about the relevance of Chemistry to them. The one I thought was super cool was a high school Chemistry teacher turned Fireworks guru – insert explosive learning puns here! Anyway – check them out: http://www.rsc.org/Membership/175-faces-of-chemistry/

Also on the website, they have resources for teachers, I took a quick stroll through those and I am going to use the one about the 100m race and acid/base chem in my Year 10 class next term. They are nice because they are ready to go ppt and notes with worksheet etc but also I was thinking with the 100m one it is loose enough we can add in some things as we go. All their resources are here: http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/listing?searchtext=&fcategory=all&filter=all&Audience=AUD00000001&displayname=teachers

And finally, the part of the site that dragged me furthest away from any useful work and perhaps proved to myself yet again what a massive nerd I am was the ChemSpider. This is the neatest little tool – you type in the name of a chemical (it was almost morning tea time so I started with caffiene) and it gives you the name, formula, 2d and 3d pictures as well as links to papers written about your substance of choice and all kinds of other useful information. Very easy to spend a lot of time in here exploring chemicals around us!! Fall down that particular rabbit hole here: http://www.chemspider.com/

And that is all from me for now, I have to get back to chemspider!!!

 

Just in time for Easter….!

Thursday, March 28th, 2013 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

It’s Official!  Chocolate is good  for  you!

So says the science.collection of chocolate animals

 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/ 

 

Calling all Science Communicators

Thursday, March 21st, 2013 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

 

Eureka Science Communication competition 2013  Banner

 

 

 

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/

 

The Dawn of De-extinction. Are you ready?

Friday, March 15th, 2013 | STEPHEN BRONI | No Comments

“Throughout humankind’s history, we’ve driven species after species extinct: the passenger pigeon, the Eastern cougar, the dodo … A colour collage of threatened species

But now, says Stewart Brand, we have the technology (and the biology) to bring back species that humanity wiped out. So — should we? Which ones? ”

Check out  Stewart Brand’s TED  Talk here at

http://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_the_dawn_of_de_extinction_are_you_ready.html 

 Is it the answer to every conservationist’s prayer?

Or,
As Barry Hillman  muses in  on one of  the responses,
“Sure, we have a responsibility to un-do the damage we’ve done,let’s try to change our thinking and become a more caring society that has no need to damage our world and then we can spend more of our valuable and limited time on earth creating instead of repairing.”

What do you think? 

There’s a follow-up here, a panel video discussion `hot off the  press’  from March 15th  :  http://tedxdeextinction.org/ 

(OUASSA students: You can now comment on our Blog-posts,  but after clicking ` Comment’ box, you will have to sign-in using your Otago University login given  to you at the January camp)

For 2013 Academy Students – where we’re going with KF

Friday, March 1st, 2013 | EMILY HALL | No Comments

Well done for the contributions you have made to our start-up activity in Knowledge Forum on three global problems.  Many of you are doing a great job structuring well written posts which have created discussion and further questioning amongst your peers. Many of you are also trying hard to use the PQP approach and you will soon begin to see that this method of structuring answers is a useful tool to master, not just in Knowledge Forum. Remember that when proposing something that builds on the post you should provide evidence that supports your proposition. This can be a link supporting information, a news item, magazine article, video clip or another post.

To date you have been building knowledge on 3 global problems. Shortly we will move our focus closer to home – to your Project subjects. First, however we would like you to pull together what you have learned in each of these global views by posting a`Synthesis View’ as outlined below:

         `My     Synthesis’ of Global Problem View Discussions 2013

Task: You are each to make to a New Note (titled `My Synthesis’) that pulls together the knowledge you have gained from our knowledge building community discussion on at least one the three Global Problem Views:

  • Climate Change: Let the Science Speak!
  • 21st Century Energy & Food Demands
  • Global Wealth & 21st Century Science

We have added a new set of scaffolds entitled ‘My Synthesis’ to help you do this. Use some or all these scaffolds to help you.

In your synthesis we’d like you to outline:

  • What you have learned from these discussions
  • Highlight the most important idea(s) developed in this community
  • How the knowledge building discussion has impacted on your understanding of the topic of study.   

Post your synthesis as a New Note titled `My Synthesis’ within the relevant `View’

This task should take you no more than 30 minutes.

Date Due:  March 10th

Every `synthesis’ posted goes in draw for 1 of 5 I-Tunes/Warehouse vouchers!

1. Time frame 

  • Global Views Synthesis:        25th February –10th March
  • New Project A Views:            March 11th to April 19th
  • Project A Views Synthesis:   April 20th – May 5th 

The three Global views will remain open for the rest of the year so feel free to contribute any good ideas, resources, thoughts at any time. However, from March 11th we would like you to focus primarily on your Project A views (Maths, Physics, Geography or Zoology).  We will shortly post a starting view for each of these project groups with the help of your project leaders. These you will individually be building on, the same way as you have been doing with the Global problem views. You are free to contribute to any of the project views. You will then have two weeks to you synthesize and consolidate the ideas and knowledge you have taken from community’s contributions.

We will then move onto your Project B group (Biochemistry/Genetics, Chemistry, Computer Science or Marine Science) and repeat the exercise with four views on these projects. The synthesis and consolidation phase for these projects will take place in the lead up to the Winter Science camp in July.

2.  Commitment/expectations

As outlined in the January camp as part of OUASSA 2013 we expect you to be contributing to Knowledge Forum on a weekly to fortnightly basis. At least one post per week would be brilliant! Emily and I check Knowledge Forum very regularly and read your posts. Occaisionally we will post ourselves. However, our role is to guide the discussion and sometimes present useful links – not to provide `answers. You are the `knowledge builders’!

3.  Trouble shooting

The login page for knowledge forum is at http://knowledgeforum1.otago.ac.nz/login
Remember to use the ‘Enhanced’ version of the software where possible and to select ‘OUASSA-2013’ from the Database drop-down box

If you are having any problems logging into Knowledge Forum, remembering your user name or password, or have any general questions, please contact us right away:
Email: ouassa@otago.ac.nz  Ph: 03 3793496 steve.broni@otago.ac.nz Ph: 03 4799204
Also, please don’t forget to be checking the OUASSA Resource Page for useful resources: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/ouassa/
We try to add to this page regularly with at least one useful link/resource.  Please feel free to send me any useful links that you would recommend or you can post them yourselves on comments box.

Anything else we can help you with?  Email us… we are here to support and help you reach your full science potential.

Kind regards – The OUASSA Team
Steve Broni (Director)
Emily Hall    (Science Teaching Co-ordinator)