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Astronomy on tap
Astronomy on tap
Starts: 8:00 pm
Ends: 03/05/2022 - 10:00 pm
Location: Space Place at Carter Observatory, 40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
Description: Astronomy on Tap is back! Astronomy on Tap is a stellar way to travel from Pōneke into the depths of the Universe and beyond. Cheers the stars with a date, mate or fly solo. Upon arrival, receive a drink and your first-class inflight snacks. Then sit back and relax in our digital full-dome planetarium as we explore the night sky. Complete your trip through the galaxy with the cash bar and a look through interactive exhibitions. Note: Food and drink offers may change due to Traffic Light System changes. $42pp | The first Tuesday of each month More information
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Reaching into the past: deep learning and historic aerial imagery
Reaching into the past: deep learning and historic aerial imagery
Starts: 10:30 am
Ends: 04/05/2022 - 11:00 am
Location: Online
Description: Deep learning has revolutionised the field of computer vision, enabling imagery to be analysed quickly and efficiently to extract valuable data. At Manaaki Whenua we are increasingly using deep learning to extract features from aerial and satellite imagery for generating map layers such as land cover and tree crowns. As increasing amounts of historic aerial imagery are digitised, it becomes practical to use deep learning to extract features for snapshots in time, allowing changes to be detected and trends to be analysed. Whilst deep learning is a highly effective approach, it is not a magic “black box”, and every new domain brings unique challenges. In one such study, we have used deep learning to extract building footprints from historic aerial images taken in the 1940s and 1980s. Whilst there is excellent imagery and building footprint information for recent years, the historic (black and white) aerial imagery is of much poorer quality, and there is no “ground truth” to train from. In this talk we show how deep learning’s ability to train on imperfect data was harnessed to overcome these limitations and achieve good results. More information
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With the Boys Overseas: radio listening during World War II
With the Boys Overseas: radio listening during World War II
Starts: 12:00 pm
Ends: 04/05/2022 - 1:00 pm
Location: Online
Description: Sound historian Sarah Johnston will share her research into radio during the WW2 era, with a focus on the role of our first radio war correspondents. More info here
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UC Connect: The Adulterer's Guide: Aotearoa's Wicked Bible
UC Connect: The Adulterer's Guide: Aotearoa's Wicked Bible
Starts: 7:00 pm
Ends: 04/05/2022 - 8:00 pm
Description: In 1631, Robert Barker, printer to the English King Charles I, made one of the most serious blunders in publishing history. So much so, one contemporary labelled it “a ſcandalous miſtake in our Engliſh Bibles.” Barker’s error was indeed grave: his 1631 printing had rendered one of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt commit adultery”. Why the King’s Printer omitted the all-important “not” remains a matter of debate. Was it a joke? Was it sabotage by a rival? What is certain is that Barker was fined an astronomical sum, and very few copies of his so-called “Wicked Bible” have survived. Until now it was thought that the handful that did were all to be found in the libraries of the British Isles and North America. But the University of Canterbury can now reveal a previously unknown copy of this remarkable book, discovered in Christchurch! This free Tauhere UC Connect public lecture tells the story of a unique artefact, how it came to light, and its conservation in Aotearoa. University of Canterbury medieval historian Dr Chris Jones will place the volume in its historical context and chart its remarkable survival. Sarah Askey, who carried out the pain-staking work to preserve the book for future generations, will discuss the stabilisation and conservation process. Dr Stephen Hardman, who managed the digitisation process, will discuss the challenges associated with producing a digital facsimile of a 17th-century volume. More information here
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Kauri Ora - A celebration of New Zealanders’ love for Kauri
Kauri Ora - A celebration of New Zealanders’ love for Kauri
Starts: 10:00 am
Ends: 08/05/2022 - 4:00 pm
Location: Allpress Studio Auckland, Browns Mills Building, 8 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland
Description: A stunning triumph of biosecurity management, careful quarantine growing conditions and an eye on Aotearoa New Zealand’s priceless art history, comes together in ‘Kauri Ora’, a collaborative project launching 5 May 2022. ‘Kauri Ora’ is a project co-presented by McCahon House, The Kauri Project, Auckland Botanic Gardens and Auckland Council Biosecurity with the support of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and unveils 300 saplings of kauri trees, saved from the ravages of kauri die-back disease on the famous artist’s property in Titirangi. The Titirangi grounds of McCahon House are home to mature kauri, many of which are immortalised in Colin McCahon’s art. In 2010, the kauri were tested positive for the disease and all of the trees had succumbed, with two being felled immediately. Seeds were later harvested from the 27 remaining trees by arborists from BioSense who collected cones from the tree tops. Viable seeds were then selected and potted, by expert staff at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Now, these special saplings are being offered to the public for a limited fundraiser to raise funds for McCahon House and The Kauri Project. This will be used to fundraise, raise awareness for the harms and potential ways to deal with die-back. More info
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Palaeogenomics of prehistoric New Zealand
Palaeogenomics of prehistoric New Zealand
Starts: 3:00 pm
Ends: 06/05/2022 - 4:00 pm
Location: Online
Description: Dr Nic Rawlence (University of Otago) Dr Rawlence is the Director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, based at the University of Otago Dunedin Genomics Aotearoa seminars happen every second Friday. It’s free to attend via zoom, just email genomics.aotearoa@otago.ac.nz for access or go to our seminar signup for notifications on our upcoming seminars. More information
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Kauri Ora - A celebration of New Zealanders’ love for Kauri
Kauri Ora - A celebration of New Zealanders’ love for Kauri
Starts: 10:00 am
Ends: 08/05/2022 - 4:00 pm
Location: Allpress Studio Auckland, Browns Mills Building, 8 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland
Description: A stunning triumph of biosecurity management, careful quarantine growing conditions and an eye on Aotearoa New Zealand’s priceless art history, comes together in ‘Kauri Ora’, a collaborative project launching 5 May 2022. ‘Kauri Ora’ is a project co-presented by McCahon House, The Kauri Project, Auckland Botanic Gardens and Auckland Council Biosecurity with the support of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and unveils 300 saplings of kauri trees, saved from the ravages of kauri die-back disease on the famous artist’s property in Titirangi. The Titirangi grounds of McCahon House are home to mature kauri, many of which are immortalised in Colin McCahon’s art. In 2010, the kauri were tested positive for the disease and all of the trees had succumbed, with two being felled immediately. Seeds were later harvested from the 27 remaining trees by arborists from BioSense who collected cones from the tree tops. Viable seeds were then selected and potted, by expert staff at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Now, these special saplings are being offered to the public for a limited fundraiser to raise funds for McCahon House and The Kauri Project. This will be used to fundraise, raise awareness for the harms and potential ways to deal with die-back. More info
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Kauri Ora - A celebration of New Zealanders’ love for Kauri
Kauri Ora - A celebration of New Zealanders’ love for Kauri
Starts: 10:00 am
Ends: 08/05/2022 - 4:00 pm
Location: Allpress Studio Auckland, Browns Mills Building, 8 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland
Description: A stunning triumph of biosecurity management, careful quarantine growing conditions and an eye on Aotearoa New Zealand’s priceless art history, comes together in ‘Kauri Ora’, a collaborative project launching 5 May 2022. ‘Kauri Ora’ is a project co-presented by McCahon House, The Kauri Project, Auckland Botanic Gardens and Auckland Council Biosecurity with the support of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and unveils 300 saplings of kauri trees, saved from the ravages of kauri die-back disease on the famous artist’s property in Titirangi. The Titirangi grounds of McCahon House are home to mature kauri, many of which are immortalised in Colin McCahon’s art. In 2010, the kauri were tested positive for the disease and all of the trees had succumbed, with two being felled immediately. Seeds were later harvested from the 27 remaining trees by arborists from BioSense who collected cones from the tree tops. Viable seeds were then selected and potted, by expert staff at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Now, these special saplings are being offered to the public for a limited fundraiser to raise funds for McCahon House and The Kauri Project. This will be used to fundraise, raise awareness for the harms and potential ways to deal with die-back. More info
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Childhood contributions to well-being. A seminar by Andrew Moore *ONLINE*
Childhood contributions to well-being. A seminar by Andrew Moore *ONLINE*
Starts: 1:00 pm
Ends: 09/05/2022 - 1:50 pm
Location: https://otago.zoom.us/j/922351556
Description: On one traditional view in the west, childhood has not much well-being significance compared to that of adulthood. A more recent rival view is that childhood has a lot of well-being significance, independently of its contribution to adult or life-course well-being. In contemporary (western) philosophy of well being, many argue or assume that certain things in life are well-being goods or bads, no matter which life-period one has them in. This talk identifies and assesses some tussles among these three ideas, and among some of their near kin. Associate Professor Andrew Moore Philosophy Programme, University of Otago Feel free to circulate and display as you see fit! Due to current room capacity restrictions under the Covid-19 Protection Framework, this seminar will take place online via Zoom. Meeting ID: https://otago.zoom.us/j/922351556Password: 595584 To those joining online, we ask that you please mute yourselves upon arrival to avoid any accidental interruptions. More info
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Clever Guts: Modelling the co-evolution of nervous systems and extracellular digestion in Ediacaran animals
Clever Guts: Modelling the co-evolution of nervous systems and extracellular digestion in Ediacaran animals
Starts: 1:00 pm
Ends: 09/05/2022 - 2:00 pm
Location: The Biochemistry Building, 710 Cumberland Street, Ground floor, Room BIG13, Dunedin
Description: Clever Guts: Modelling the co-evolution of nervous systems and extracellular digestion in Ediacaran animals. Presented by Associate Professor Michael Paulin from the Zoology Department. More info
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Biochemistry Seminar: Dr Rob Munn, Department of Anatomy
Biochemistry Seminar: Dr Rob Munn, Department of Anatomy
Starts: 12:00 pm
Ends: 10/05/2022 - 1:00 pm
Location: Biochemistry seminar room G.13 (BIG13) and via Zoom, Dunedin
Description: Where am I, and how did I get here? Probing the function of the hippocampal/entorhinal circuit. More info
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Motor neuron disease: who develops it, why, and what we are doing about it? A webinar with Emma Scotter *ONLINE*
Motor neuron disease: who develops it, why, and what we are doing about it? A webinar with Emma Scotter *ONLINE*
Starts: 7:00 pm
Ends: 10/05/2022 - 7:00 pm
Location: Online
Description: As many as 150 New Zealanders are diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) each year. The rate of MND in New Zealand is among the highest in the world, but who develops the disease and why? MND can run in families but is most often diagnosed in people with no family history, who are caught totally unaware. In this talk, I will discuss the factors that increase the risk of developing MND; namely genetics and environmental agents. I will also discuss what we know about MND in New Zealand, based on findings from our national genetics study and our programme of human brain tissue research, and put this into context against international findings. Finally, I will detail how collaboration between our biomedical research team, various clinical teams, and the patient care and advocacy group MND NZ, is enabling the establishment of NZ clinical trials for MND. More information
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Tsunami Hīkoi week. A talk by Georgia McCombe *ONLINE*
Tsunami Hīkoi week. A talk by Georgia McCombe *ONLINE*
Starts: 12:00 pm
Ends: 11/05/2022 - 1:00 pm
Location: Online
Description: East Coast LAB (Life At the Boundary) is a collaborative programme that brings together scientists, emergency managers, experts and stakeholders across the East Coast to make it easy and exciting to learn more about the natural hazards that can affect us. One long standing East Coast LAB initiative is Tsunami Hīkoi Week. A Tsunami Hīkoi is a walk to your tsunami safe location, and each year during the week surrounding the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami anniversary, the community is encouraged to practice their Hīkoi, as a regular reminder of exactly what to do after a long or strong earthquake. More information
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Greywacke: subjectively stunning, frictionally fascinating, and societally relevant
Greywacke: subjectively stunning, frictionally fascinating, and societally relevant
Starts: 1:00 pm
Ends: 11/05/2022 - 2:00 pm
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: A seminar by Otago Geology alumna Dr Carolyn Boulton – Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington More info
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Sustainable Finance – supporting the transition of the energy sector: Opportunities and challenges
Sustainable Finance – supporting the transition of the energy sector: Opportunities and challenges
Starts: 1:00 pm
Ends: 11/05/2022 - 2:00 pm
Location: Via Zoom
Description: Our speaker, Dean Spicer is the Head of Sustainable Finance NZ, ANZ New Zealand Limited. Dean will talk about: Sustainable Finance – supporting the transition of the energy sector: Opportunities and challenges. More info
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The Rule of Laws: A 4,000-Year Quest to Order the World
The Rule of Laws: A 4,000-Year Quest to Order the World
Starts: 8:00 am
Ends: 12/05/2022 - 9:30 am
Location: Online (Zoom)
Description: Pluralising Legalities Seminar Series. Professor Fernanda Pirie, University of Oxford. Pirie's global history of law traces the development of the world's great legal systems and the smaller traditions they inspired. More info
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Racial dimensions of screen aesthetics. A discussion with Raqi Syed and Missy Molloy *ONLINE*
Racial dimensions of screen aesthetics. A discussion with Raqi Syed and Missy Molloy *ONLINE*
Starts: 12:30 pm
Ends: 12/05/2022 - 1:30 pm
Location: Online
Description: In our digital and virtual age, we are haunted by principles of “beauty” from both European and colonial art that are complex and fraught. As we increasingly incorporate digital representations of people into cinema, how do we account for the racial and colonial underpinnings of the technology and conventions that ground these representations? Most significantly, how can we look to mātauranga design for more equitable and future focused ways of accommodating genuinely diverse representations on screen? Join Raqi Syed and Missy Molloy as they discuss racial dimensions of screen aesthetics from different angles. Raqi will address these questions with reference to her own work in visual effects and real-time immersive technologies, while Missy will tackle the controversial question of whether women of colour have a place in Jane Campion’s celebrated screen feminism. This lecture will prompt the audience to ask where they stand on these issues? More information
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Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands. A meeting with Melanie Teahan and AGM *ONLINE*
Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands. A meeting with Melanie Teahan and AGM *ONLINE*
Starts: 7:00 pm
Ends: 12/05/2022 - 7:00 pm
Location: https://forestandbird-org-nz.zoom.us/j/86517793825?pwd=OHZXRkVDOFVTK3FmRTBXcWUveUEvdz09
Description: Join the Wellington Branch of Forest & Bird for a talk by Melanie Teahan on the Galapagos of the Southern Ocean – New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands which will be directly preceded by a short AGM. Melanie visited all 5 of New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic island groups in January on an expedition cruise with Heritage Expeditions. She received a True Young Explorer scholarship from Heritage Expeditions to join the 12-day cruise. She will share her stories and photos of highlights from these remote islands, including penguin and albatross colonies, isolated historic sites, and close encounters with sea lions and elephant seals. More information
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Why are beliefs in different conspiracy theories positively correlated across individuals?
Why are beliefs in different conspiracy theories positively correlated across individuals?
Starts: 12:00 pm
Ends: 17/05/2022 - 1:00 pm
Location: Auckland Medical School 502-001 (follow blue line from medical school reception)
Description: Dr Matt Williams - Psychology Department, Massey University A substantial minority of the public express belief in conspiracy theories. Beliefs in conspiracy theories can have negative consequences, including reduced intentions to seek vaccinations.One robust phenomenon in this area is that people who believe one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in others. But the reason for this "positive manifold" of belief in conspiracy theories is unclear. One possibility is that a single underlying latent factor (e.g. "conspiracism") causes variation in belief in specific conspiracy theories-i.e., a unidimensional model. Another possibility is that beliefs in various conspiracy theories support one another in a mutually reinforcing network of beliefs (the "monological belief system" theory).In this talk I will describe findings from a recent Registered Report in which we applied two recently developed statistical methods testing whether a unidimensional model or a network model bett explains correlations between beliefs in different conspiracy theories. More info
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Zoom Call to Scott Base - Primary science week 2022
Zoom Call to Scott Base - Primary science week 2022
Starts: 2:00 pm
Ends: 17/05/2022 - 2:30 pm
Location: Online
Description: Zoom Call to Scott Base When: Tuesday 17 May at 2pm This is a chance for your class to listen to the scientists working at Scott Base. Spaces are limited so it is essential to register. More information
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Airborne microplastics and climate change
Airborne microplastics and climate change
Starts: 7:00 pm
Ends: 18/05/2022 - 8:00 pm
Location: Central Lecture Theatres, University of Canterbury, Ilam, Christchurch
Description: Since large-scale production of plastics began in the 1950s, around 5 gigatons (Gt) of plastic waste has amassed in landfills or the natural environment. As they age, plastics become brittle through exposure to sunlight and break down to produce microplastics (and even smaller nanoplastics). It is a well-established fact that microplastics are in our oceans, rivers, and soils. Over the past five years, we have also learned that microplastics are floating in the air we breathe. Dr Laura Revell is an associate professor of environmental physics in the University of Canterbury’s School of Physical and Chemical Sciences. Associate Professor Revell’s research focuses on how greenhouse gases and airborne particulate matter behave in the atmosphere, and how Earth’s climate is affected as a result. She has led numerous climate modelling studies examining how greenhouse gas emissions affect the ozone layer and air quality. Her research group recently reported the presence of airborne microplastics in Aotearoa New Zealand – the first study of its kind – and is studying how airborne microplastics interact with the global climate system. “Because they are so small and lightweight, microplastics are blown with winds to remote regions that are rarely visited by humans and have been found in the air across a range of locations from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Within Canterbury alone, we have discovered airborne microplastics on the coast and high country, as well as in Christchurch city,” Associate Professor Revell says. “Initial studies suggest that when inhaled, microplastics are damaging to human health. A second reason to be concerned about airborne microplastics is that they contribute to climate change: microplastics reflect sunlight back to space, but they also trap heat emitted by the Earth. In her upcoming Tauhere UC Connect public lecture, Airborne microplastics and climate change, on Wednesday 18 May, Associate Professor Revell will discuss “what we know so far about the role of airborne microplastics in a changing climate, along with what is not yet known”. “I will share results from my research group’s airborne microplastics sampling efforts, as well as the challenges presented by sampling in remote places. Finally, I will share results from preliminary sampling in New Zealand homes during a Covid-19 lockdown, which offer a glimpse into the ubiquity of airborne microplastic in indoor environments.” More info
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Back to the Energy Future panel discussion
Back to the Energy Future panel discussion
Starts: 5:30 pm
Ends: 19/05/2022 - 6:30 pm
Location: Online
Description: Come and hear a GNS Science-hosted expert panel give a retrospective from the future about Taranaki (and the rest of the world's) energy transition. We will discuss what this future might look like, with a focus on our progress towards a zero-carbon 2050. Our panel will feature representatives from industry and green tech, Iwi, as well as GNS scientists.
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MethaneSAT: NZ’s role in solving a climate challenge from space
MethaneSAT: NZ’s role in solving a climate challenge from space
Starts: 11:00 am
Ends: 20/05/2022 - 12:00 pm
Location: 20 Symonds Street, Auckland Central, Auckland
Description: Meet the experts behind New Zealand’s first government-funded space mission. More info
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Urban wellbeing and liveability: perspectives from pre-school aged children
Urban wellbeing and liveability: perspectives from pre-school aged children
Starts: 1:00 pm
Ends: 23/05/2022 - 2:00 pm
Location: The Biochemistry Bldg, 710 Cumberland Street, Ground floor, Room BIG13, Dunedin
Description: Presented by Dr Christina R Ergler for the Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series. More info
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Long COVID: Journeying together through the fog
Long COVID: Journeying together through the fog
Starts: 9:30 am
Ends: 25/05/2022 - 4:00 pm
Location: Online
Description: Collaborating to support people with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS)Several NZ universities are collaborating to bring together national and international speakers, to share their learnings about how best to support people who experience ongoing symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, including those with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) or Long COVID. We hope that by sharing our learnings, we can gain more clarity about this group's early identification, initial support, and rehabilitation service needs. Te Whare Whakamātūtū | Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, are hosting this symposium to broaden the debate and to allow a range of ideas and perspectives to be shared. The Ministry of Health has indicated a work programme to develop a Framework for Long COVID Rehabilitation, and we intend the symposium's discussions to contribute to this critical work. This free symposium will be held online on Wednesday 25 May, with resources available for later access. Clinicians, health system planners, the general public and people recovering after COVID are all welcome to join us. Register hereProgramme hereMore info here
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The untapped potential of DNA to personalise your healthcare and extend your life
The untapped potential of DNA to personalise your healthcare and extend your life
Starts: 8:00 pm
Ends: 25/05/2022 - 9:00 pm
Location: https://auckland.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OUwJHjeZTIGAknFIZU28XA
Description: People often ask me “why can’t we use DNA information to help with this disease?" We all learn about DNA, the genes it contains and their role in inheritance. DNA sequences can be used to identify lost relatives or convict someone of a crime. But it is a much greater resource than that. Your DNA contains information that sets your disease risk. This information is 'easy' to find. However, mechanisms and treatments are not always obvious. In this talk, Justin will discuss insights that are raising the bar and making DNA easier to use. Our goal is extended lives and wellbeing. SPEAKER’S BIO Justin M. O’Sullivan is a Professor and Deputy Director of the Liggins Institute. More info
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Adventures with Our Forgotten Invertebrate Fauna
Adventures with Our Forgotten Invertebrate Fauna
Starts: 6:30 pm
Ends: 26/05/2022 - 7:30 pm
Location: Physics Lecture Theatre 1 Building 303 (PLT1 / 303-G20) 38 Princes Street Auckland, 1010
Description: We invite you to celebrate the professorship of Thomas Buckley, PhD. New Zealand is globally famous for its high-profile vertebrate species. However, much less known are our terrestrial invertebrates, which are at least equal to the vertebrates in terms of their biological uniqueness. Amongst our invertebrates we see numerous and spectacular examples of different evolutionary processes. Drawing from his research Thomas will show how the diversity of terrestrial invertebrates reflects the evolution of the New Zealand landscape over tens of millions of years. Thomas received his PhD from Victoria University of Wellington in 2000. After completing a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Duke University, he took up a position at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research in 2001, where he is now Research Leader for Systematics Research. He currently holds a joint appointment at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland and supervises postgraduate projects on the evolution of New Zealand invertebrates. More info
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Thirst for Knowledge: Lead – the good, the bad and the ugly
Thirst for Knowledge: Lead – the good, the bad and the ugly
Starts: 5:30 pm
Ends: 31/05/2022 - 6:30 pm
Location: Ombrellos Kitchen and Bar, 10 Clarendon Street, Dunedin and online via Zoom
Description: A public seminar presented by Dr Mike Palin, Department of Geology. More info
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