Sacred Heart Girls’ College Michael is Head of Science at Sacred Heart Girls’ College and has developed a free learning hub called www.passbiology. co.nz, an interactive online learning platform for senior secondary biology teachers and students. It allows resource sharing and encourages social media interaction. Originally developed for teachers of the Waikato region, it is…
St Peter’s School Sarah teaches Chemistry to a high standard incorporating effective pedagogy. As the Head of Faculty, St Peter’s School, she also oversees a huge range of opportunities for students to engage in Science outside of the classroom. Sarah is the secretary of the Waikato Science Teachers Association (WSTA) and is one…
A cost-effective, MRI-safe design for neural implant leads. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a valuable diagnostic tool, which generates images and information without using radiation as with X-rays and CT scans. Unfortunately it cannot be used on patients who have a spinal-cord stimulator (SCS) or deep-brain stimulator (DBS) as the electrical leads of SCS and…
A significant contribution to the conservation of one of our rarest taonga species. New Zealand’s native lamprey, Geotria australis (a.k.a. piharau or kanakana) is classified as a “Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable” freshwater fish species. It is also a very elusive research subject. Tracking technology was either too big for the petite fish or, in the…
A revolutionary approach to lake water clarity monitoring. Professor Hicks and his team have developed an automated remote sensing technique using satellite pictures to assess and monitor key water clarity measures. The technique is significantly cheaper than on-site sampling, allowing scope for more lakes to be monitored, including those in hard to access areas. It…
Spreading a love of science within and beyond the classroom. Nataliia Kravchenko is the creator of “Magic Science” an interactive science show for primary and intermediate students. After seeing the show, Te Awamutu Primary School initiated a class on the nature of science and science discoveries using a plan developed by Kravchenko. Through her science…
Dedication to high-level science achievement and teaching practice. Sara Loughnane manages delivery of NCEA and International Baccalaureate science programmes at St Peter’s School, Cambridge. Lead teacher in the gifted and talented education area, she runs an inspiring scholarship biology programme, which has vastly improved the number of students attaining scholarship level. Loughnane also runs the…
Creating opportunities for science success in a low-decile environment. Kamal Nair is HoD science for a decile 2 school in rural Tokoroa with a 54% Maori, and 7% Pasifika roll. He models a student-centered classroom, fostering critical thinking skills, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation. Nair sees students at risk of falling behind on a weekly…
An innovative decision-support tool to support soil conservation. Dr. Hill led development of a framework which uses data from a variety of existing sources – including land use capability models, biodiversity information and sediment and water quality monitoring data – to identify priority areas for soil conservation. The framework can be applied at a variety…