Alert Newsletter 726

Posted: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 under Alert Newsletter, News

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1. Consultation on languages in Aotearoa, submissions due 30 August

The Royal Society of New Zealand would like your views on the provision of language support in New Zealand society as it prepares a paper outlining what is known about the efficacy of languages policies.

In 1992, the publication of a discussion document, ‘Aoteareo: speaking for ourselves’ marked the first attempt to outline direction of a cross-sector language policy in New Zealand. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of this document and provides a timely opportunity to revisit the national discussion about languages and their place in New Zealand. In the intervening period, New Zealand’s population has become more diverse due to increasing migration and globalisation patterns.  As a result of these patterns, New Zealand is home to a greater number of languages spoken and a higher level of private bilingualism than twenty years ago.

The development of language policy is a complex issue and this consultation does not aim to address all the facets of language provision. Rather, it aims to offer a fresh starting point for further discussion of cross-sector approaches to language provision and policy in New Zealand.

Consultation focus:

  • any details of current, sector-based language policies, and measures of their efficacy
  • the impact on inter-cultural competencies of language provision
  • the consideration of which sectors have seen the largest improvement of evidence (research base) regarding the provision of language support since 1992 and how this new evidence impacts on future discussion of cross-sector language policies
  • the consideration of the impact of an across-government national languages policy.

Submissions to the consultation should be sent to Dr Paul Behrens (paul.behrens@royalsociety.org.nz) by 30 August.

2. Talking Heads – first lecture of ‘Paradise Regained’ series to be broadcast this week

The 2012 Talking Heads series starts on Radio New Zealand National on Sunday 22 July at 4pm, repeated 9pm Tuesday 24 July.

In the first lecture of the series, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, Prime Minister’s Science Advisor together with Kim Hill explore how science can help New Zealand make faster progress towards greater prosperity, a better environment, and greater social cohesion and discusses the issues we need to address now.

Visit Talking Heads page on RadioNZ website.

3. Upcoming Emerging Issues paper: What is the sustainable carrying capacity of New Zealand?

A reminder that the Society’s new Emerging Issues paper will discuss the question ‘what is the sustainable carrying capacity of New Zealand?’

Given our endowment of land, water, and resources, how many humans can New Zealand support indefinitely, at what level of resource use, and with what quality of life? This is a question that is simple to ask but complex to answer. To what extent can we trade our way past the constraints set by the biosphere? To what extent can we ameliorate these constraints through efficiency or technological replacement? And which constraints are fundamental and unavoidable?

If you have relevant expertise and wish to be involved in this consultation, then please contact Dr Jez Weston, Senior Policy Analyst at the Society (jez.weston@royalsociety.org.nz) by Friday, 20 July.

4. Pounamu online game comments available for further analysis

All comments from Pounamu – the online game associated with the Transit of Venus Forum, are now available to the public.

Take the data from the game and explore it more deeply.  The game organisers welcome everyone to use the data to help them in their own projects and communities and to apply your own analysis tools to the data and share the results back through the game blog. (You can explore and use the data whether you played the game or not.)

5. FUSIONZ website for science, technology, humanities jobs

This week, Fusionz has 1 vacancies for jobs. The latest jobs are:

  • Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Physiology (2 Confirmation-Path positions) University of Otago, Dunedin

For more information and to list your vacancy: http://fusionz.royalsociety.org.nz/

6. Branch event: 2012 Hudson Lecture, 25 July, Wellington

The Royal Society of New Zealand Wellington Branch is soon to present its 2012 Hudson Lecture, held in honour of George Vernon Hudson (1867 – 1946), a distinguished amateur naturalist and scientist.

The 2012 lecturer is Associate Professor Phil Lester of Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Biological Sciences who will speak on ’Invasion of the Wasps: Predation, Competition and Conservation Biology’.  Phil will point out that invasive species are currently contributing to one of the highest biodiversity extinction rates the world has known. Invasive social wasps form one group of invaders that reach massive densities in New Zealand beech forests – the highest known densities anywhere. Phil will give an overview of invasive species in general, and then examine wasps in New Zealand as a case study. He will conclude by considering our management options for species such as wasps.

Details: Wednesday 25 July, 6-7.15 pm, Pipitea Campus, Lecture Theatre 1 or 2 (adjacent), Lecture Theatre Block at rear of Old Government buildings (now VUW Law Faculty), at north end of Lambton Quay. The lecture theatre will posted on the RSNZ Wellington Branch Website.

7. New Zealand Meteorological Society conference, 19-20 November, Wellington

The 2012 conference of the New Zealand Meteorological Society will be held at the Copthorne Hotel Oriental Bay, Wellington, on 19-20 November.

The Society invites contributions on topics such as: weather and climate forecasting, the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere, modelling, ocean-atmosphere interactions and physical oceanography, global change, remote sensing, atmospheric chemistry, urban meteorology, hydrological applications, agricultural- and bio-meteorology, hazards and impacts, and the history of New Zealand meteorology and atmospheric research.

The deadline for submission of titles is 31 August 2012.

More information is available at http://metsoc.rsnz.org/

8. Forum:  ’Algal and Cyanobacterial Biomass, Bioenergy and Bioproducts’, December 7, Dunedin

The University of Otago and the Cawthorn Institute are hosting a one-day forum on algal and cyanobacterial biomass and are calling for expressions of interest.

Worldwide interest in the role photosynthetic microorganisms in renewable energy value chains has increased dramatically and broadened from lipid and biodiesel products to many other areas including: nutraceuticals; carbon capture and commodity products; plastic precursors; bioelectrochemical systems; phycoremediation, and wastewater treatment. The attraction is high productivity and efficient biomass generation. There are several hurdles for large-scale commercial deployment. These include: cost-effective production; harvesting and dewatering; strain improvement, and investigation of the many thousands of species yet to be properly characterised.

Guest speakers include Prof Tony Larkum (University of Sydney and the Solar Fuels Consortia, Australia) and Prof Imre Vass (Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary). Both are internationally renowned researchers in photosynthesis and algal biotechnology.

View flier or email mike.packer@cawthron.org.nz

9. ‘Exercise is Medicine’ lecture series, July – August, Auckland

The University of Auckland presents the 2012 Vice-Chancellor’s Lecture Series with four lectures in July and August. 

Physical inactivity is one of the greatest health problems of the 21st century. Although research indicates benefits from exercise in disease prevention and treatment, compliance is poor. These lectures by scientists, an epidemiologist, and physicians will enlighten and engage the issues that confront physical inactivity when ‘Exercise is Medicine’.

The first lecture is entitled ‘Take a Walk: Exercise, Aging and Cognition’ and will be presented by Professor Arthur Kramer, University of Illinois on 31 July.

Visit www.ses.auckland.ac.nz for more information.

10. Lecture: ‘Life on the Battlefields 94 years later’, 1 August, Wellington

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage hosts a talk by international guest speaker Charlotte Descamps, who has lived her whole life in the First World War battlefields of the Ypres Salient.

She will talk about her experiences at Varlet Farm, how evidence of the conflict is unearthed every year, how modern technology is helping to identify human remains almost a century after the war, the ‘iron harvest’ in the Salient (over 200 tons of live ammunition is still collected very year) and the work of the bomb disposal squad, how other items like helmets, rifles, rum jars, badges, buckles and silent pickets help tell the history of the area, and the ongoing research efforts to locate tunnels, ammunition dumps and dugouts. 

Details: 12.15pm Wednesday 1 August, Level 4, ASB House, 101 The Terrace, Wellington

11. Our Changing World, Thursday 9.00 pm, Radio New Zealand National 101FM

Presented and produced by Alison Ballance, Ruth Beran and Veronika Meduna.

Last week four secondary school students and eight undergraduate university students competed in the finals of the inaugural Sir Paul Callaghan Awards for Young Science Orators. Alison Ballance went along to the Eureka! Symposium at Victoria University to hear the next generation of science communicators in action.

In the third part of our look at the quest to breed Psa-resistant kiwifruit, Alison Ballance heads to the Mount Albert Research Centre to meet Plant and Food Research scientist Matt Templeton. He works at the genetic level to identify lethal effector genes in the Psa-V bacterium and hunt for resistance genes in the kiwifruit plant.

At IRL, Geoff Willmott and Elf Eldridge are working on what they call ‘plumbing’ on the extremely small scale, otherwise known as nano- and micro-fluidics. Ruth Beran visits them in the lab to see nanopore technology in action and some extremely water repellent surfaces.

Opus Central Laboratory in the Hutt Valley is home to the longest wind tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere, and when engineer Neil Jamieson told Alison Ballance he was about to put some umbrellas through their paces she asked if she could come and see it in action. She joins Neil, along with Blunt Umbrella’s Greig Brebner and Scott Kington, in their effort to destroy umbrellas.

Two science and environment stories air during the week on Afternoons with Jim Mora at 3:35pm, Monday and Thursday. The complete programme is repeated at 1:10am on Sunday mornings.

Website for podcasts and live streams: http://radionz.co.nz/ourchangingworld
Contact: ourchangingworld@radionz.co.nz, 04 474 1910
Twitter: @RNZ_Science

12. Follow the Royal Society of New Zealand on Facebook and Twitter

Get timely updates from the Royal Society of New Zealand team via our Facebook and Twitter channels.

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