Just So Science

I’ve mentioned Te Ropu Awhina several times in my first few posts, so I just want to draw some attention to them, briefly explain who they are and why they’re important in a scientific context! Awhina started in 1999 as a group of like-minded individuals at Victoria University in Wellington, connected by their kaupapa … Read More

Well I’ve been doing far to much ranting and far too little hard science recently so here’s something everyone can enjoy! In NZ we’re really lucky at this time of the year to have a great view of the planet Saturn which appears over the eastern horizon after dark and rotates upwards and towards the north as the night goes … Read More

This is somewhat of a follow-on from my earlier post about the ideas that sprung from the Science and Innovation in Education Forum. I’ll do my best to explain each idea in the context that it was created, the issues it’s attempting to address, and physically how it will be achieved. That said I certainly don’t … Read More

As I was lucky enough to attend the Science and Innovation in Education Forum last week I thought I might report back on the sorts of things that were said and my own particular take on them. Ostensibly the forum was set up to discuss: The role of STEM education in generating innovation. What employers want … Read More

Much has been said recently about New Zealand’s desire to create a knowledge-based economy rather than a manufacturing one. Much has also been said about the structure of the PhD, its purpose and relevance to a modern society, and how to keep the best graduates in New Zealand. Much has been said about the low number of Maori and Pacifica … Read More

My astronomy posts are based on what I talk about each week at Carter Observatory during planetarium shows and telescope viewing  sessions. Much of the information is gleaned from the monthly summaries provided by the excellent Alan Gilmore at the University of Cantebury’s Mt John Observatory which can be accessed (for April) here:   … Read More

Well, Tuesday 12th April 2011 is a day that will live on in infamy…. as the spectacular launch of the Kiwispace Foundation, and possibly for a few other reasons. Celebrations at both Stardome in Auckland and Carter Observatory, ostensibly to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s achievement of the first human spaceflight, went off without a hitch. Carter was … Read More

I wanted to use my first post to welcome one of our national symbols to the folds of nanoscience! Say hello to Eudyptula minor, Korora in Maori or the Little Blue Penguin to its friends. Little Blue Penguin These quirky little critters have just been shown, by a group from Yale and Akron Universities (sadly without any Kiwi institutions contributing), … Read More