2003 Science and Technology Promotion Fund awards

This fund was established in 1994/5 to support activities that promote positive values and attitudes towards science and technology in the New Zealand community. The principal objective of the Fund is to offer the opportunity to develop innovative activities and projects some of which could be used as a model for others to follow. Projects are encouraged to use the Promotion Fund monies as seed funding to enable additional funding to be raised from other sponsorship areas. Projects are selected on various criteria, the most important being that they promote the value of science and technology in interesting, creative, exciting or innovative ways to an audience which is not already showing a strong interest in that value.

In the 2003 round of funding, 8 projects have been awarded a total of $420,000.

Bioblitz

Contact: Peter Buchanan
Organisation: Landcare Research, Auckland
Awarded: $35,000

The biological sciences become most relevant to the public when they relate to the biodiversity within the immediate urban environment. The BioBlitz will be held over a 24-hour period during which a group of scientists will count as many species as possible within a community park. This will be a rare opportunity to observe science in action and the general public, students and school children will be invited to participate in the collection, identification and cataloguing of the species.

Transit of Venus website

Contact: Gresham Bradley
Organisation: e-net Ltd, Auckland
Awarded: $86,000

Few New Zealanders realize that the main reason Capt James Cook first traveled to the South Pacific in 1769 was to observe the Transit of Venus. However, he was also given secret instructions to search for the Great Unknown Southern Continent which was believed to exist. The rest, as they say, is history. Transits of Venus are rare; no-one alive today has witnessed this event. They occur in eight-year pairs about 120 years apart. To explain this rare scientific event and its enormous significance for this country historically and culturally, this project will develop a sophisticated “video” website to provide New Zealand teens with an interactive experience with live and produced video-streamed stories, graphics, text and links to related websites. Live video links will be set up between New Zealand students sent to watch the Transit in United Kingdom, USA and Australia and schools in New Zealand.

One hundred hours of exercise: how does your body cope?

Contact: Jo-Anne Skinner
Organisation: University of Otago, Dunedin
Awarded: $53,000

Modern, ultra-endurance adventure races require individuals to compete under high physical and mental loads, typically for 100+ hours in which top competitors snatch less than two hours sleep per day. The 2003 Southern Traverse, an internationally recognised endurance race, will be used to showcase New Zealand's leading-edge exercise science and technology via national television, newspaper and magazine stories, and the internet.

Healing the Land

Contact: Gabrielle Palmer
Organisation: University of Waikato, Hamilton
Awarded: $39,000

Healing the land seeks to engage a local iwi community concerned by the recent discovery of contamination under their local kura kaupapa. This project aims to promote science by using on-site demonstrations of pioneering, environmentally friendly soil clean up technology and stimulating, field-based educational resources. The soil clean up technology involves planting special pollutant-tolerant trees that have been breed to remove large amounts of toxins from the ground. The successful implementation of this project will provide a model for other affected communities and show how science can be used in a positive, proactive way.

'Life's what you make it' comedy show nationwide tour

Contact: Emma Ramsey
Organisation: New Zealand International Science Festival inc, Dunedin
Awarded: $65,680

Set in a mannequin factory this show covers everything you wanted to know about genetics and DNA, chromosomes and how genes work – or sometimes don’t work – by exploring the parallels between making a shop dummy and making a person. Audiences also take part in the Heredity Game to demonstrate how genetic characteristics such as red hair can skip generations.

Sci-Tech - Get into it!/Te Tairau - whaia

Project Leader: Sue Pepperell
Organisation: TEARAWAY Magazines, Wanganui
Awarded: $70,000

This project will launch a science and technology section in New Zealand's biggest youth readership magazine, TEARAWAY, its 'future leaders' supplement GLUE and New Zealand's most comprehensive youth website www.tearaway.co.nz. Online versions of the printed pages will be available in Te Reo Maori as well as English. The SciTech project will be developed in partnership with young people who will be involved through all stages of research, writing and publication.

Unseen Worlds - New Dimensions national touring exhibition

Contact: Jude Benson
Organisation: Benson and Associates with National Science-Technology Roadshow Trust, Wellington
Awarded: $31,275

Unseen Worlds-New Dimensions is a major touring exhibition featuring stunning photographic images from the unseen world of science and technology supported by live video commentary about the people and processes behind the images.

Integrated Garden Management : The Science Behind Your Garden

Contact: Monika Walter
Organisation: HortResearch, Lincoln
Awarded 2003: $40,000.00

The project was awarded a two year grant in 2002 ($60,000 - 2002, $40,000 - 2003). The Science Behind Your Garden is promoting science to gardeners from all walks of life. The project is working mainly through garden centres to capture gardeners’ attention and bring science into their lives. 1000 staff in garden centres are being trained by scientists to help the general public understand pests, diseases and soil health. Audiences will be reached using a range of communication techniques based around resource kits.