Science

2011 Nobel laureate in Chemistry to speak at ICFPAM Conference

2013-05-22T15:20:3812:00:00

The University of Auckland is hosting the 12thInternational Conference on Frontiers of Polymers and Advanced Materials (ICFPAM) on the 8-13 December 2013. The venue will be the Owen G Glenn Building.

Topics for the conference include polymer science, advanced materials and new technologies. A programme overview is available until the full programme is released.

The Call for Abstracts closed on 30 April and Earlybird Registration closes on 1 June.

Among the speakers is Professor Dan Schectman, the 2011 Nobel prize laureate in Chemistry.

The conference chair is Associate Professor Jadranka Travas-Sejdic from the School of Chemical Sciences.

Discover geospatial data: access a wide range of location-based resources for Auckland and beyond

2013-04-24T10:13:4712:00:00

Accessing and using geospatial or location-based data is an increasingly important part of our University’s teaching, learning and research activities. Libraries and Learning Services is developing resources and support to meet this growing demand for geospatial data.

Whether you are interested in our newest campus – Newmarket, Auckland housing intensification, the Auckland Unitary Plan, future traffic flows or school zones in Pukekohe, land use or ownership, conservation of urban bee habitats, rainfall in Waiheke, specifying primary healthcare services using a neighbourhood approach, utilities and road upgrades, assessing solar PV potential of roofs or investigating the optimal path for mass public transport corridors, these key databases available via Library > Databases may support your geospatial data needs:

Auckland Cityscope
Auckland Council GIS viewer
Draft Auckland Unitary Plan GIS viewer
GeoDataHub – University of Auckland geospatial data collection
Geodata.govt.nz - index of NZ publicly-funded geospatial data
LINZ Data Service
Māori Land Online (MLOL)
National Climate Database

Changing Place: How do urbanisation and globalisation affect place

2013-03-11T09:46:0113:00:00

A new radio discussion series explores the nature and implications of big data and how it may serve as a tool in facing the challenges of the current era.

The first in the series is Big Data: From Space to Place (available via Windows Media Player, Ogg Vorbis, and as an mp3).

The discussion considers questions like: what makes a place? How is place imbued with personal and communal meaning? What might future places look and feel like?

Produced by the National Library of New Zealand in association with The Royal Society of New Zealand and Radio New Zealand, in this talk, Kim Hill is joined by: Kevin Sweeney, formerly New Zealand Geospatial Custodian; Bill Macnaught, National Librarian of New Zealand; Stephen McDougall, director, Studio Pacific Architecture.

The National Library has a programme of exhibitions, seminars and workshops about Big Data that began 27 November 2012 and is running until 30 April 2013. The programme is curated by Richard Simpson, who spoke about it on Radio New Zealand in December 2012.

Upcoming discussions (which will be linked once available):

Cities and sudden change (17 March)

The sentient planet: technology as a super sense (24 March)

Growing Up Digital (31 March)

Open data: letting it loose on the crowd (7 April)

The Lost World Centenary with New Zealand links

2012-11-06T16:48:0413:00:00

This year marks the centenary of the natural science fiction novel The Lost World by the celebrated creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Lost World recounts the exploits of an expedition to a South American plateau where prehistoric fauna and flora survive in a state of isolation. Doyle’s novel was very much an idealistic allegory of the geographic and scientific exploration typical of his era, and it has probably inspired more young would-be palaeontologists than has any scientific text. The concept of a land trapped in time also spawned numerous literary and film adaptations as well as imitators, and The Lost World remains one of few novel titles to have entered the common vocabulary. It is also said that the story has never been out of print since 1912.

Cover of the 2012 Centenary edition (call no 823.89 D75LT 2012)

The Lost World has some interesting New Zealand links. The first UK serialisation in The Strand Magazine was illustrated by Auckland-born artist Harry Rountree who emigrated to the UK at the age of just 23 where he later became a well-known children’s book illustrator (but unfortunately died in some obscurity).

Some of Rountree’s originals depicting scenes from the novel were framed by Doyle to hang in his home at Crowborough where The Lost World was written. A TV dramatization of the book was filmed in NZ (and released in 2002 by the BBC, albeit with a good dose of artistic licence, but mercifully far less than those of previous dramatizations).

Doyle visited Auckland in Dec 1920 during an Australasian tour to give public lectures on spiritualism, a topic that increasingly preoccupied him following the deaths of several family members.

In 2003, the Biological and Marine Science Librarian John Lavas suggested the idea of a centenary edition to an American enthusiast, Dana Batory. Dana had been working on an extensive annotated version of the novel over many years but most of the material for that project was destroyed, and his editor killed, in a tragic motorway car crash. John had already written a 90th anniversary edition of the novel which was released in 2002 (call no 823.89 D75LT). They then decided to invite four other collaborators into the project. Their concept was to reprint the original story in a Victorian-like expedition report, a format that Doyle had wished upon the first edition but had been over-ruled by his editor. New reconstructions of various scenes would be added by John (several inspired by images by Harry Rountree, and others by celebrated Czech palaeo-artist Zdenek Burian) and the five primary collaborators would each write an analytical chapter exploring aspects of the novel’s genesis, its cultural impact on literature and film, and the origins of the character outlines, some of whom were based on anti-slave campaigners (slavery associated with rubber harvesting in the Belgian Congo and the Peruvian Amazon was notorious at the time, and Doyle actively campaigned against such practices).

Due to the size of the book and its specialist nature, the print run was kept to 300 numbered copies. It was dedicated to two Conan Doyle/Lost World enthusiasts who never lived to see it the final product: the geologist and writer William (Bill) Sarjeant (1935-2002), and the world’s leading authority on Conan Doyle, Richard Lancelyn-Green (1953-2004) with whom John had been corresponding in 2003. An essay on Richard Lancelyn-Green was provided by the former editor of Natural History magazine, Richard Milner.

The principal co-contributors

Dana Martin Batory is a geologist and cabinet-maker with a lifelong interest in The Lost World. In 1968 he began compiling an annotated edition of the novel which did not eventuate. Some content from that project is included in the centenary edition. He has authored numerous essays on the works of Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and H.G. Wells published in periodicals including The Baker Street Journal, The Baker Street Miscellanea, The Journal of the Arthur Conan Doyle Society and The Sherlock Holmes Journal.

Cory Gross has a degree in museum and heritage studies. His lifelong interest in dinosaurs and The Lost World novel was combined with more recent influences from Victorian-Edwardian romance literature and the era of silent film in the form of the internet’s premiere resource for Doyle’s story in all its various incarnations which he has maintained since 1997.

Norman J. Snelling is a retired geologist who has conducted field work around the world, including a 1960s survey of Guyana that determined the age of the Roraima Formation, a primary inspiration for Doyle’s The Lost World. He is involved with geological editorial work including the Journal of South American Earth Sciences, is Chairman of the Faringdon Fossil Trust and gives public lectures on geological topics including ‘Conan Doyle and The Lost World.’

David A.E. Spalding is a naturalist, geologist, author, and dinosaur enthusiast who has managed museum natural history programmes in Canada (one of which became the nucleus of the renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum) before taking up writing full-time. He has authored or co-authored some 14 books on a range of subjects including the marine natural history of British Columbia (where he lives), and the discovery of Canadian dinosaurs.

Harry Rountree’s images from The Strand Magazine (1912) at left, compared to a montage of images from the 2012 Centenary edition (right).

New Online Science Resources

2012-11-06T13:10:5413:00:00

The University of Auckland Library has recently acquired three major new online resources in Biological and Marine Sciences, namely:

Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior

Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science

Bernhard Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

Michael Grzimek (left) and Bernhard Grzimek with a young lowland gorilla.

The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior brings together many leading international experts in animal communication, learning, sexual selection, navigation, cognition, animal welfare, and conservation. Chapters relating to animal welfare cover behavioural interactions of humans with companion animals, farm animals, and wild animals. The role of animal behaviour in conservation biology includes chapters on the effects of noise pollution, captive breeding, and how behavioural effects of parasites interacts with conservation issues. Animal behaviour in environmental biology is highlighted by key species such as wolves, chimpanzees, hyenas and sharks.

The Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science is a 12-volume series that examines estuaries and coasts, from inland watersheds to the ocean shelf. Under the leadership of two chief editors (a physical oceanographer and a marine biologist) and individual volume editors (each one an international expert in their subject), the work provides a comprehensive scientific resource for both professionals and students in estuarine and coastal sciences.

The third resource, Bernhard Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, has long been famous internationally (copies of the print volumes are available in the Science collection in the General Library on Level M) but we are fortunate to also have access to the electronic version of this remarkable work. Edited and co-authored by the celebrated German natural historian, zoo manager and conservationist, Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia is testament to a life of dedicated field work not only in animal conservation projects (especially in the Serengeti of East Africa) but also in the wider promotion of such issues to the general public. A short biography of its author is presented below:

Bernhard Grzimek and his Animal Life Encyclopedia

Bernhard Grzimek was born in Silesia (now Poland) in 1909 and studied veterinary medicine at Leipzig and Berlin, earning a doctorate in 1933. He married in 1930 and had three sons (he and his wife also adopted a 4th son).

In 1945, he fled the Gestapo from Berlin to Frankfurt where he was appointed to the Frankfurt Zoo and became Director in May 1945. Although the zoo lay in ruins (as a result of the war) and all but 20 of its animals had been killed, he organised its successful relocation to the suburbs and the zoo (now one of the largest in Germany) reopened in July 1945.

Grzimek famously led Frankfurt Zoo for 29 years until he retired in 1974. He also served as president of the Frankfurt Zoological Society for over 40 years. As with its London and New York counterparts, the society operates conservation projects both nationally and internationally being best-known for its work in the Serengeti of Tanzania. In 1975 Grzimek co-founded the League for the Environment and Nature Conservation and bought 10 acres of forest wetlands near Michelau to be left in its natural state. In Germany, he was well known for popularising the cause of international wildlife conservation issues. His writings and career were strongly molded by his upbringing and wartime experiences.

Along with his son Michael, Grzimek spent several years studying the wildlife of the Serengeti (Michael was killed in a plane crash while surveying the Serengeti in 1959). Grzimek wrote a best-selling book on his East African work called Serengeti shall not die, (call no. 591.967827 G89, level M, General Library), a publication that was instrumental in promoting the establishment of Serengeti National Park.

Grzimek was editor-in-chief of (and author of many articles within) his ambitious literary project, Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia. After German release in 1968, it was translated to English in 1975 in 13 volumes (covering insects and invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) plus three extra volumes on ecology. This edition soon became an internationally-acclaimed reference work. In 2004 the entire series was revised and expanded. Notable for its concise and forceful prose, it makes extensive use of drawings and color photos, and has a genuine concern for animal conservation theme throughout.

In 1960 in Serengeti shall not die, Grzimek prophesied:

“Large cities continue to proliferate. In the coming decades and centuries, men will not travel to view marvels of engineering, but they will leave the dusty towns in order to behold the last places on earth where God’s creatures are peacefully living. Countries which have preserved such places will be envied by other nations and visited by streams of tourists. There is a difference between wild animals living a natural life and famous buildings. Palaces can be rebuilt if they are destroyed in wartime, but once the wild animals of the Serengeti are exterminated no power on earth can bring them back.”

Bernhard Grzimek died in Frankfurt in 1987 and his ashes were buried next to those of his son Michael at the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

Mount Tongariro Eruption

2012-08-07T09:49:2312:00:00

Mount Tongariro began erupting at 11:50pm on Monday 6 August 2012.

GeoNet has an eruption activity page. The site also has photographs, updated on the half-hour, from the Tongariro volcano camera.

Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand has an entry on Historic Volcanic Activity.

The activity has impacted flight paths and Auckland Airport has information on its Flight Disruptions page.

Papers Past, which provides digitised historical New Zealand newspapers, carries The Auckland Star report of an 1892 Tongariro Eruption, dated February 9th.

Volume 26 (1893) of Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand contained an article on The Volcanic Outburst at Te Mari, Mount Tongariro, in November 1892 [PDF] of the eruption.

Radio New Zealand interview with the father of GIS - Michael Goodchild

2012-07-17T16:58:1712:00:00

On Saturday 14 July, Kim Hill of Radio New Zealand National interviewed Michael Goodchild, Professor of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Director of UCSB's Center for Spatial Studies. He is commonly referred to as the father of GIS and he’s considered the world's foremost expert on Volunteered Geographic Information. Among other things, they talked about Neo-Geography and the value of community-created, crowdsourced maps. They also discussed how a technology like Google Earth can help us to visualise the future and see where the planet is headed.

Sarah Miselis, Environment Subject Librarian, is available to help you find resources and information on GIS. Also The University of Auckland’s School of Environment offers several courses on GIS related topics.

Ministry for Primary Industries

2012-05-21T12:14:4612:00:00

From May 1 2012 the new Ministry for Primary Industries (under David Carter, MP) combined three entities under the one umbrella.

The administrations included

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF)
Ministry of Fisheries
New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA)

The separate websites for each are being combined gradually. The new Ministry will also be responsible for New Zealand's Biosecurity.

Acting Chief Executive Designate for MBIE

2012-05-02T11:57:0312:00:00

An Acting Chief Executive, David Smol, has been appointed to lead the creation of the new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Mr Smol currently heads the Ministry of Economic Development, one of the units that will become part of the new administration. The new ministry replaces several existing entities, including:

Ministry of Science and Innovation
Department of Building and Housing
Department of Labour
Ministry of Economic Development
Ministry of Consumer Affairs (presently contained within the Ministry of Economic Development)

The new ministry will come into effect on 1 July 2012. Steven Joyce will be the minister responsible.

Sir Paul Callaghan (1947-2012)

2012-03-29T09:35:4612:00:00

2011 New Zealander of the Year Professor Sir Paul Callaghan died aged 64 on Saturday 24 March 2012. Sir Paul was a physicist at Massey then at Victoria University who became an ambassador for communicating science to the New Zealand public in a variety of fora.

He was director of the Macdiarmid Institute at Victoria University which has placed a tribute on their site.

Sciblogs carries a tribute by Peter Griffin with links to other material.

Chief Scientist Professor Sir Peter Gluckman paid tribute on TVNZ7.

The New Zealand Herald published Twelve Questions with Sir Paul Callaghan by Sarah Daniell on 23 February 2012.

The University Library holds several of Sir Paul's publications.

Youtube hosts the March 2011 lecture Sir Paul Callaghan -- StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future.

Radio New Zealand hosted a number of interviews with Sir Paul over different programmes that have been gathered into Remembering Sir Paul Callaghan.