By building a ‘bot to crack a back-breaking task, Dr Shen Hin Lim gives hope to our asparagus industry. Our horticulture sector is facing a labour crunch and asparagus growers are particularly hard hit. Workers must walk fields daily to spot spears of the required height and then stoop to pick them, making it one…
As scrutiny increases on the environmental impact of food production, AgResearch is providing vital support for our dairy and meat industries. Over the last decade, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) team at AgResearch has consistently delivered impactful research on the environmental sustainability of our pastoral farming systems. This includes examinations of our agricultural products to…
As the perils of plastic production and pollution rise, Scion/AgriSea spies a solution in seaweed. Nanocellulose is considered to be a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics and can be used in a vast range of products including adhesives, batteries, biomedical supplies and cosmetics. It’s widely available, biodegradable and biocompatible but the bulk of the world’s…
Professor Matt Littlejohn’s research for LIC has identified key genetic variants that have a significant impact on production and health in our national herd. Over the last 25 years, LIC has made a number of discoveries about genes that affect production, fertility and survival among dairy and beef animals. Professor Littlejohn has advanced this work…
Paul Champion’s work tackles the wicked problem of weedy waterways. Aquatic weeds can easily grow rampant, affecting recreation, interfering with hydro-generation, hindering restoration efforts and driving native species onto endangered lists. One of our leading authorities on aquatic and wetland plants, NIWA’s Paul Champion’s guides, toolkits and advice have helped organisations throughout New Zealand to…
Outstanding leaders in terrestrial ecology, Professor Bruce Clarkson and Dr Bev Clarkson have dedicated their careers to understanding and protecting our special landscapes. Collectively, the Clarksons have attracted approximately $26 million in research funding, written nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers, supervised over 25 postgraduate students, supported many major community environmental/conservation advisory organisations and provided senior leadership…
From sewage to sea-level rise, Dr Rob Bell has devoted his professional life to protecting New Zealanders from water-related hazards. Principal Scientist and Programme Leader at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Dr Bell’s remarkable career began with a series of engineering projects to clean up wastewater outfall discharges into our coastal…
Dr Peter Lehrke’s expertise was critical to the design of PharmaNZ’s innovative pharmaceutical factory. A nutritional biochemist with over 25 years experience in the pharmaceutical and natural health products sectors, Dr Lehrke led the PharmaNZ technical team through the conversion of a derelict coolstore into New Zealand’s first full-service factory specialising in the production of…
Jason Morgan is helping science take great strides in the world of e-learning. Jason teaches chemistry and physics at St Peter’s in Cambridge, where he is also Director of eLearning. His enthusiasm for hand-held devices, apps and all things on-line proved invaluable during the 2020 lockdown period. Digital learning extends Jason’s longstanding interest in best-practice…
Greta Dromgool’s teaching and contributions to the Science Learning Hub have boosted science education regionally and nationally. Greta is hugely committed to growing a love for science, sharing her enthusiasm for the discipline with her students (currently as Head of Science at Berkley Normal Middle School) and with her peers through her role as a…