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People behind the Science
Meet the researchers behind
the science. Click on a name to find out more about what they're doing
- and why they're excited about it.
Campbell
Upperton
I'm studying for a degree in Mechanical Engineering. For my work
placement over the summer of 2008/2009, I took part in
researching and developing a micro-hydro scheme. The objective was to
provide reliable power to a small lodge, to sustain small appliances
and lighting. After this development there would be no need for a
petrol generator or grid power.
The idea of this placement was to keep costs to an absolute minimum and
recycle any materials on the farm wherever possible.
The theory behind the project was to store energy in the form of
elevated water at a high point, then pipe it down, creating a
high-pressure jet of water. This water jet was to rotate a water wheel
which was directly linked to a generator. The power was then to be
stored in the form of a battery cell and then distributed to the lodge.
By using resoureces that were available on the farm (old underground
piping was used to pipe the water; a pelton wheel that I made myself
out of recycled plywood; and a motor from an old washing machine for
the generator), the project was successful and the micro hydro
generated 150W of constant power - adequate for the
equipment in the lodge to run on. Also, the total cost of the project
was less than $3000, which is significantly less than the $80,000
quoted by grid suppliers to have lines fitted down to the lodge on the
farm.
I have taken away from this placement both a knowledge and a sense of
achievement. I've developed skills in the areas of fluid mechanics and
general construction with limited resources. Completing a project from
start to finish, and refining skils while dealing with challenging
problems, have also broadened my outlook in the field of engineering.
This placement has influenced my career path as I can now see the
importance and benefits of being self-sufficient. Through research I
have seen what is currently in the market and I have ideas of where
improvements can be made. I will continue to trial my ideas in future
research through work placements and my studies at the University of
Waikato.
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Teaching old cows new tricks
I
completed my
Masters research in animal behaviour, investigating colour vision in
horses, so I've always enjoyed working with large animals (as opposed
to hens and possums on offer at our Psychology behavioural lab!) Round
about then DairyNZ was interested in learning more about how cows
learn, as they were getting into robotic milking technology. So an
opportunity arose to complete a PhD investigating learning in dairy
cows, and I was interested in staying on at Waikato for this. I've been
working on it for 3 years now and at the moment I'm writing up my
thesis for submission .
I enjoy this area of research, because I love animals and I am in
constant wonder at their often unrecognised abilities.
One
of Tania's study animals uses a yellow symbol to choose its path
through a maze.
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Dirk
Wallace |
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Cultivation & carbon
budgets
I
started out at the University of Waikato in 2005 with the initial
intention of gaining a BSc in materials science. However, plans change
and after my first semester I decided to follow the subject I had
enjoyed the most and changed my major to earth science. Three years
later I graduated as a keen soil scientist and decided to challenge
myself by enrolling in an MSc. For my MSc research project I am
studying hte carbon budget of DairyNZ's Scott Farm. I'm also looking at
the impact of cultivation on this carbon budget, and attempting to
separate the carbon dioxide that comes from plant roots and the carbon
dioxide that comes from the decomposition of soil organic matter.
Ever since I was
introduced to soil
science as an undergraduate I've been interested in it. The great thing
is that it is such a physical science and my research allows me to get
outside and conduct field experiments. I enjoy my research because I
feel that the maintenance of soil carbon stocks and soil quality is
important, and I hope that my research will improve current knowledge
of dairy farm carbon budgets.
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Dave
Campbell |
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I teach students studying Earth & Ocean Sciences, & this means that a lot of my teaching is “water and
weather”. I lectures on hydrology, introductory meteorology and climate
science. As a student at Otago university in the 1980’s I got hooked on
“climatology”; that is, the exchanges of energy and water between soils, plants
and the atmosphere. I've been working around that area of science for a couple
of decades now. Not quite mainstream meteorology, nor hydrology, nor ecology,
nor soil science, rather a blend of all of these disciplines.
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In my time at Waikato I have researched the hydrology of NZ wetlands,
alongside colleagues at Landcare Research. About 10 years ago I learnt how to
measure exchanges of carbon dioxide between whole ecosystems and the atmosphere
and since then I've been involved in several collaborative research projects studying the
carbon budgets of ecosystems ranging from various types of wetlands to whole
dairy farms. This is a topical field (excuse the pun) these days because of the
concern over the amount of CO2 emitted in order to produce our food
and agricultural exports.
My research inevitably involves building instrument systems capable
of operating at remote sites for long periods of time unattended. They are
always solar powered and communicate back to base via cellphone networks. Early
on I discovered that I had a passion for Kiwi ingenuity and building instrument systems
on the cheap.
I love all aspects of my teaching (well, the marking is sometimes a
bit of a drag), but especially the one-on-one relationship built with graduate
students, especially when working in the field together. It is a privilege to
watch graduates go out into the wide world and establish their own careers,
knowing that you have had a role in the final stages of their education. |
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Brendan
Hicks
Fish abundance measures
stream health
Farming and other land uses
can change stream shading and water quality (nutrients and water
temperature). Fish are good indicators of stream health, as fish
cannot live in polluted water. Shortfin eels, however, like warm water
and don't mind a bit of sediment, so are commonly found in pasture
streams. Banded kokopu and longfin eels, on the other hand, prefer
cool, shaded forest streams. Our research has investigated the impact
of different land uses on stream fish, and what we can do to restore
stream habitats. We have also looked at fish migrations to and from the
sea using micro-scale chemical analyses of their earbones, and studied
fish diet in pasture and forest streams to learn more about the fishes'
need for access to the sea, and how farming changes what the fish eat.
To catch fish in streams, we
commonly use electrofishing, which temporarily immobilises fish, but
does not harm them. This means that we can return the fish their
habitat once we have finished counting them.
I find this work very
enjoyable because with electrofishing we can learn a lot about the fish
and their habits without killing them.
Brendan Hicks (far right) electrofishing a
Waikato pasture stream
with a group of 3rd-year
freshwater ecology students |
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Marisa Till |
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My PhD involves investigating the enzymes produced by bacteria in the
rumen of New Zealand cows. I got into this subject because I have
always found protein science interesting, to be able to base my
research on that was great, the main reasons I got into this particular
project were the fantastic group of people that I would be working with
and the relevance that this research has to New Zealand and agriculture
because I come from a farming background. |
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Why do I enjoy it? Well,
science has a funny way of sucking you in. It gives you a problem, the
aim is to solve it, but the fun part is the actual investigation,
trying different things and comparing how well they work, or coming to
a road block and having to figure out the best way to get around it.
But once you start its not something you can stop before you have your
answer. The best thing is when you can see the potential that your
research has to impact the people around you and that is why I enjoy my
project.
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Michael
Mucalo |
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I'm a chemistry lecturer but part
of my research has a biotechnological theme - it focuses on gaining
added value from low-value or waste products generated by the
agricultural sector.
My particular interest is with biomedical
materials research, involving ways of gaining value from
waste cattle bone (an abbatoir by-product). I developed an interest in
this because I was introduced to the area of biomaterials on a
post-doctoral stint in Japan. I was fascinated by biomaterials research
because of its applied nature and because of its potential benefits to
the public.
It is an enjoyable area of research to be in because it is necessarily
a multidisciplinary one, which means projects don't just involve
scientists within my own discipline of chemistry but also
from materials science, mechanical engineering, tissue engineering, and
medical science. Teams of scientists from different disciplines can
often come up with some very significant results - for example, at
biomedical materials conferences you get scientists from many different
disciplines talking about an issue, and this often enables much better
understanding of the problem. And I find it fulfilling to see my
research having useful practical applications - producing tangible
results that benefit human health.
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Michael
Mucalo (centre) and research students Dougal Laird
& Ashley Easter, working on biomedical materials project. |
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Carolyn
King |
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I've been studying introduced
predators for over 40 years, and I have to admit that I've got a soft
spot for the mustelids (ferrets, stoats and weasels). For me, they are
gorgeous animals: they are so superbly adapted to a high risk, high
reward lifestyle. And they can hunt in burrows or under snow to reach
prey animals that would be inaccessible to most other predators. But -
they are in the wrong place in New Zealand, and should never have been
brought here.
My current research projects
are looking at ways to control predator numbers on farmland and in
native bush. |
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For
example, our work on rats in fragments of native bush in the
Waikato. We'll trap them and see how quicly they return, and what the
benefits are of doing this. This is just part of a much larger project
that involves counting bird nests, and looking at changes in vegetation
and in the numbers and types of invertebrates in the bush patches.
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Ben Deadman |
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I started at
Waikato
University studying for a a BSc with a double major in Chemistry and
Physics. This involved me taking Chemistry, Physics and Maths papers in
first and second year. I dropped Physics at the end of second year to
focus on my Chemistry in third year, and completed my BSc - with a
major in Chemistry - in 2006. About mid-way through second-year I
started working on the Manuka Honey project, supervised by Professor Merilyn
Manley-Harris,
as a paid research assistant in my holidays and spare time. This
employment continued throughout the rest of my degree and actually led
into my MSc project.
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My MSc research was also in Chemistry, and now I've just handed in my thesis. I took Chemistry
honours papers last
year and am doing research this year. My research project is concerned
with Manuka Honey, looking at the flavonoids (polyphenolic compounds
common in plants) that the honey contains. This is of interest because
flavonoids come from plants and can potentially be used to identify the
floral origins of honey (which significantly affects the price the
honey can be sold for). The lab I work in also offers an analytical
service to external companies, and I do some of this work. We use high
performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure things like the
chemical makeup of fertilisers.
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What
excites me about science and my research? I chose science over other
subjects because you are always learning something new in science. The
basis of research is learning and discovery of new knowledge, which can
be added to the pool of what we know already. It is the constant
learning involved in scientific research that keeps me interested in
what I do.
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Jolene Brown |
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Studying ways to
control clover root weevil.
After completing my Bachelors and Masters degrees I wanted to choose a
PhD topic that allowed me to use analytical chemistry in a practical
setting. Having grown up on a farm near Raglan, I was really excited
when I was approached about the possibility of working with AgResearch
investigating the Clover Root Weevil (Sitona lepidus).
This weevil was first identifed in New Zealand by AgResearch
entomologists, in 1996. Its larvae eat white clover roots, causing
significant damge and reducing the plants' nitrogen-fixing ability,
growth rate, and survival. Not good for pasture! The parasitoid wasp Microtonus aethiopoides
was released in New Zealand as a biological control agent for the
weevil early in 2006. Each female wasp lays a single egg inside an
adult weevil, making the female weevil infertile. This is important as
a female weevil can lay hundreds of eggs in her lifetime.
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How does this biocontrol work? Female weevils
that have been parasitised by the wasp start absorbing their
reproductive organs as soon as the wasp's egg is laid, and females
containing overwintering wasp larvae gain fat in much the same way as
males. One hypothesis is that this happens because the wasp larva
alters the weevil's hormone system so that the female weevil gains fat.
This results in the parasitised females living longer, and also
provides resources for the wasp larvae to continue their growth in the
spring.
I'm studying the types of lipids found in the weevils' fat and blood,
and also in specialised cells that come from the wasp egg membranes. I
hope to find out how these lipids change with the age and physiological
state of both weevil and wasp. This will help us to understand both the
dietary needs of the wasp larvae and the role of juvenile hormones and
those specialised wasp cells in controlling fat deposits in the wevils.
My study will contribute to our understanding of how the wasps ensure
that their larvae have enough food for growth without killing their
hosts straight away.
New Zealand has been remarkably successful in using biological control
to reduce pesticide use. My study will expand current biological and
ecological research, enhanding New Zealand's international standing in
this area. However, the part I like best about my project is the fact
that I can contribute to an area that not only affects New Zealand as a
whole but also directly affects my family.
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Peter Molan |
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Agriculture needs
beekeepers. Bees are needed not just for pollination of horticultural
crops but also for pollination of clover. If clover is not pollinated
it will die out in pasture, and since then there will be no nitrogen
fixation, nitrogen fertilisers will have to be used. This not only adds
cost to pastoral farming, it increases run-off of nitrogen into rivers
and lakes. The varroa mite has killed off wild colonies of bees so
beekeepers' hives are essential for pollination to occur.
With the low commodity prices for honey, beekeeping is not profitable
unless types of honey are produced that sell for premium prices. Our
research in the Waikato Honey
Research Unit has established that manuka honey has
exceptional antibacterial activity and has led to it being used in
hospitals in many countries to treat infected wounds, with spectacular
results. This has made manuka honey a very valuable product, and this
is keeping beekeepers in business. |
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We are now carrying out
research on some of the other properties of honey which are useful
medically, such as its powerful anti-inflammatory
activity,
its ability to stimulate the immune response leading to accelerated
growth of new cells to repair injuries, and its ability to rapidly
clear pus off wounds. All of these aspects of our research are relevant
to agriculture directly, as they can be used for treating livestock as
well as people. But they are also indirectly important as they have the
potential to make honey more valuable and thus ensure more beekeepers
stay in business.
It's exciting work to be involved in - not only are we saving the
agricultural economy and the environment, we're saving lives as well!
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Louis
Schipper |
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When I got into science, I
started off as a microbiologist and discovered the fascinating world of
soil, where microorganisms are actively cycling nutrients and carbon.
I'm very interested in conducting research into the role that soil
microbes play in protecting the environment. I've focused on developing
practical ways to remove excess nitrogen from groundwater and effluents
before they get into waterways, using denitrification beds and walls.
I'm also examining long-term changes in soil organic matter in New
Zealand agricultural systems. This is because soil organic matter is
important for maintaining soil quality and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.
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Elena Minnee |
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I studied plant physiology
and ecology at Waikato, and graduated with my BSc in 2001. Now I'm
studying for my MSc, and working as a senior research technician with
DairyNZ (formerly Dexcel), mostly on projects within the Forage
& Farm Systems team. DairyNZ is very supportive of
career enhancement and has given me opportunities to travel and to
speak at conferences, write scientific articles, and study. I also
manage their Field Laboratory.
For my thesis project I'm looking at comparing the yield potential and
forage quality of two different pasture species in a dairy farm
situation. I find it exciting to look at defining the production
potential of certain forages under ideal conditions. It's also exciting
to work on developing practical tools for farmers to apply
and enhance their businesses. It's a great time to be working
in dairy research, as there are many opportunities for study,
especially with the challenges of climate change but also with the
substantial support of our clients - dairy farmers - for research.
Day-to-day work is always interesting as no two are the same: I work on
several projects at any one time. The topics vary: from cropping, to
the environment, to dairy cow health, even to measuring how much grass
you have on your farm using satellite technology.
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Tim Anderson |
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I'm currently studying for my PhD,
investigating how low-cost solar collectors can be integrated into
buildings. By doing this we will be able to generate hot water and/or
electricity from a building's roof or walls.
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Tim Anderson (to the right)
& Mike Duke, with some of their solar panelling.
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During
school I always enjoyed making things - Lego when I was young and
electronics when I was a bit older - so engineering was a fairly
natural progression. My foray into solar energy, however, happened
more by accident than by choice. After graduating from my Bachelor of
Engineering I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to do my Master
of Engineering, which is a research degree. The scholarship
was awarded for research on a topic oriented towards renewable/solar
energy. Fortunately I rather enjoyed this area, and so have now decided
to do a PhD in this field.
Most people would say that to be an engineer you need to be good at
maths, physics, & chemistry. However, I see engineering not
only as science but as something of an art, whcih requires a degree of
creative thinking. In particular, my field is not like a lot of
engineering (dictated purely by theory); it is quite experimental and
hands-on and this is what I enjoy.
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Fiona Clarkson |
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I'm in the first year
of my MSc at the University of Waikato, in the field of
ecology and molecular ecology. Last year I was involved in a project
investigating the genetic variation of "eco-sourced" plants
for a local environmental restoration project.
Lake Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park is the focus of a project
that's restoring a variety of native ecosystems in an urban
environment: a 60ha block of pasture surrounding a 3ha peat lake. When
the project's finished, the Park will include ecosystems from wetlands
to lowland forests, the rarest and most degraded ecosystems in the
Waikato district. Restoration plantings of the block use "eco-sourced"
plant species - plants sourced from populations that have adapted to
the distinct geography and climate of the Waikato region. These plants
will have a genetic makeup that is well-adapted to our region, aiding
their survival and fitness. My job involves collecting native species
from the range of natural populations found in the Waikato, and
extracting their DNA so that it can be tested for genetic diversity.
Levels of genetic diversity from these natural populations will be
compared to the "eco-sourced" plants at Waiwhakareke to ensure that
they are truly "eco-sourced" i.e. that they share the range
of genetic diversity found in the natural populations.
I became interested in both ecology and molecular ecology because I
love the idea of a job in which I can study and explore New Zealand's
unique native ecosystems. My job involves a mix of field and lab work,
which means work never gets boring! Field work is great not only
because it is physical work, but because it involves visiting natural
ecosystems like forests: places which are rare in urban environments.
Lab work, on the other hand, is a highly social environment which is
both challenging and rewarding.
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A community
planting day at Waiwhareke Natural Heritage Park, Hamilton. |
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Dave Palmer |
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I
did my MSc research on pine
plantations on the Mamaku Plateau, looking at whether
repeated cropping of pines reduced the amount of phosphorus available
in the soil, and at how well the plants were growing. This is because
nutrient availability can have a huge effect on plant productivity.
After that I went on to do a PhD, which was initially funded by FoRST
as a 'Bright Future' scholarship, and funded by Scion (Rotorua). I've
nearly finished that work and have been appointed to a job at Scion,
starting in July 2008.
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My PhD research has seen me develop a national spatial surfaces
dataset, for use in predicting how well radiata pines
will grow in different areas. As well as the nature of the soil in any
given area, I've had to include topography, solar radiation and soil
water balance, so it's pretty complex stuff. My work will be useful in
other modelling disciplines, including geomorphological, pedological,
hydrological and ecological modelling.
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Janet
Bornman |
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I lead the International
Global Climate Change Institute at the University of Waikato.
As a whole the Institute focuses on research and training on issues to
do with global environmental change, including the impact of climate on
built and natural heritage, biodivesity, and the threat of pest
invasion.
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In my own research, I'm particularly interested in events that interact
with each other - for example, the various factors that
influence both thinning of the ozone layer and greenhouse warming of
the Earth. One of these factors is ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The
thinner the ozone layer, the more UV radiation reaches Earth. By itself
this has harmful effects on living things, but these can be made worse
by other climate change factors such as higher temperatures, widespread
droughts, and pest organisms. In other words, high temperatures and higher UV
levels together have more of an impact than if only one of them was
increasing. It's a complex scenario, but teasing out how it all works
is very satisfying.
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Karsten
Zegwaard |
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"Pugging"
is the name given to the damage that cows do to pasture through
trampling on it. It's a particular problem on wet pastures and costs
farmers (and the economy) money. Avoiding pugging isn't simple, and
usually also costs money e.g. in building stand-off pads. I was
involved in a project where we developed a model that lets farmers
calculate the expected loss of income through pugging and compare that
to the cost of pugging avoidance.
Cows
and pasture damage from pugging.
We ran a treading experiment on a 'heavy soil' (Te Kowhai Silt Loam)
which is known to be susceptible to pugging damage. The experiment used
the same treading conditions in all trials, but varied the duration of
treading (0, 3, 9, or 24 hours) and soil moisture content. From the
results we were able to develop statistical models that predict how
much pasture will be lost to production, using a few quick measures of
the amount of pasture damage. Another model uses only planned grazing
management, so it estimates losses before
the damage happens, allowing for more informed decision-making.
I got into this
area as a
result of doing my BSc(Tech) work placement at AgResearch, where I
discovered that I enjoyed doing research. So I carried on and did my
MSc and PhD. For my Masters degree we determined that pugging was
damaging the soil, but we weren't able to put a monetary value on it,
& this is important because farm management decisions are
usually
made on a financial cost basis. So my PhD research went the next step,
by not only determining the loss of pasture productivity (and hence of
milk production), but also by predicting what this cost might be in the
long term. I did the research with AgResearch (who had the lab
facilities and expert knowledge) and Dexcel (who had the pasture
expertise and the research farms).
I really enjoyed this work - I grew up on a Te Kowhai soil, liked the
farm environment - and I liked knowing that my work would make a
difference to farmers.
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