Spotlight

Serious Fun

The Hands-On Science School at Otago University lived up to its billing of "serious fun" for the 190 senior secondary school students from around the country who attended the week-long event.

Anthony Rohan, of James Hargest High School in Invercargill, counts himself lucky to have got support from the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter to attend. His area of interest was a far cry from industrial technology:

Being interested in shellfish and fish, I picked Marine Science as my first choice. Most of our mornings were spent out at the Portobello Marine Laboratory, collecting and researching plankton. We even went out on the RV Munida.

Sarah Palmer, from Massey High School in Auckland, was one of a handful of students who were back for their second year at the summer school.

As a second year attendant at the school, I have cherished working with enthusiastic tutors and students, who thrive in doing what I love to do. It's like being involved in a special community of unique people who are all learning at the forefront of technology, even if it's only for a week. The school has influenced my decisions as to what I want to do upon leaving school, and how to go about doing them. In 1997, entering the Sixth Form, doing one bursary subject, I am hopeful of being accepted into university for next year or the year after, to do a double major in Biochemistry and Music.

I think schools like these are important, not just educationally, but for students like myself to escape the peer battery and rivalry found in the learning environment we come from, and find other students our age, who are academically ambitious, but not "geeks"!

Like many of the students, Stephanie Matthews, from Dunstan High School in Alexandra, appreciated the chance to gain an insight into research, science, and university life.

I wanted to come so I could meet people interested in science, both of my age and university students and lecturers. I also wanted to get an inside view of Otago University and this was certainly the case. I was able to participate in a science project that particularly interested me and got to use high-tech equipment, like the university microscopes. I found doing sciences at Otago University very different from science at high school and a worthwhile experience.

Serious Work Ahead

Five science students have been selected to receive scholarships sponsored by Bayer New Zealand. Bayer Managing Director David Hope-Cross commented on the lack of science graduates in the country and the implications this has for industry seeking skilled graduates.

"New Zealand produces the lowest number of science graduates in the OECD countries.If there is no activity on the science front, there is less income for the traditional professions, such as accountancy and law. A lack of scientific activity impacts directly on the whole business infrastructure."

At the presentation ceremony Professor Graeme Wake, from Auckland University spoke of the importance of the image of science.

"The fact that our news media stars are leading sportspeople and not leading scientists clearly highlights a problem that our society needs to address. It is critical that science graduates are given the opportunity to develop their communication and interpersonal skills so that we can improve their image in the social arena," he said.

The science scholars tend to all have interests outside their science subjects, whether music, public speaking or languages, and a number have attended summer science schools around the country.

Mt Roskill Grammar seventh former Ginny Mackay confirmed a career path in biological research at the Genesis New Zealand Science and Technology Summer School, and was delighted to find out about the Bachelor of Technology Biomedical Sciences degree.

"It seemed ideal, harking back to a childhood fascination [with] what may other used to call my obsession with things medical'", she says.

Twenty-one-year-old Roncalli College student Sharleen Coffey sees the scholarship as a means of achieving her aim of gaining a degree in health sciences and pharmacy.

She left school in 1993 to work as a pharmacy technician in Timaru, and became the highest scoring student in New Zealand in the technicians' training programme. A seventh form year as an adult student has given her the maths and science qualifications needed to study at Otago University, and the $1,750 per annum scholarship has helped with the finances.

Louise Arden, a seventh former at Morrinsville College, has always wanted to work in the science field.

"My head is always full of questions -- why is the sky blue? how does a television work? That's why I love sicence, because it answer my questions and satisfies my curiosity.

Louise found her motivation to look at medicine and the biological sciences through seeing the suffering caused when her best friend's mother died of cancer. She aims to tackle one of the biggest questions, noting her ambition to be a part of the team that finds a cure for cancer.

As part of Bayer's support for science education, each student's school recevied $3,350 worth of scientific equipment from the pharmaceutical company.