PRESIDENT’S REPORT FOR 2022

Public Lectures

This year the Branch began its lecture activities by hosting the delayed 2021 lecture The Foxton Moa Hunter Site, the ca 500 Year old Earthquake and Implications for Modern Settlement. This lecture was given by Dr Bruce McFadgen, and held at Victoria University of Wellington.

The 2021 Hudson Lecture (deferred because of COVID) was held at the Royal Society of New Zealand premises and covered the ongoing controversy on folic acid - Down the Rabbit Hole: The wonderland of New Zealand’s folic acid saga. The lecture was given by Professor Barry Borman of Massey University.

Professor Borman gave a fascinating account of the issues surrounding fortification of bread with folic acid. He said that 8 July 2021 was momentous in the history of public health in New Zealand. That day, Government announced the long overdue introduction of mandatory fortification of non-organic bread-making wheat flour with folic acid. Thirty years previously (11 September 1992), and based on the results of a multicenter randomized control trial, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all women of childbearing age should consume 0.4mg of folic acid per day to reduce the risk of having a child with a neural tube defect (e.g. spina bifida). Professor Borman’s lecture traced the interweaving strands of science and politics in New Zealand’s implementation of a scientifically-proven method of primary prevention.

Our 2022 Hudson Lecture was held on 14 September at the at the Royal Society of New Zealand premises. Dr. Michael Johnston of the New Zealand Initiative. Missing pieces: Epistemic and argumentative perspectives in science education. In this lecture Dr. Johnston considered science education from theoretical, epistemic and argumentative perspectives. The theoretical perspective focusses on teaching specific contributions of science to human knowledge, for example, genetics, atomic structure and Newtonian mechanics. The epistemic perspective is concerned with developing students’ understanding of the processes by which scientific theories are tested. The argumentative perspective involves learning to argue in a reasoned fashion, guided by evidence and to contest ideas in good faith.

Ph.D Scholarships

This year we awarded three Postgraduate Student Scholarships. Our winners were Solomon Gurmu Beka, Maria Rabino-Neira and Natalie Germann.

Solomon Gurmu Beka is a Ph.D. Candidate in Aviation Medicine at the University of Otago, under the supervision of Dr. Robin Griffiths.

Maria Rabino-Neira is an international humanitarian lawyer. Maria’s research investigates the interplay between International Humanitarian Law and the counter-terrorism normative framework to understand better how the protection of humanitarian workers can be improved in armed conflicts with terrorist organisations.

Natalie Germann is a Ph.D student studying in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago. Her research is focussed on mental health in Aotearoa. Specifically, it aims to examine the effectiveness of residential mental health care which provides dialectical behavioural therapy for clients. This project aims to have important clinical significance for mental health treatment at both a national and international level. 

Wellington Science and Technology Fair

The NIWA Wellington Science and Technology Fair was held again in spite of COVID. The Branch provides a prize for the Runner up Best Overall Exhibit. Our winners were Kaita Hummel-Jibiki and Simon Langham from Tawa College. David Lillis presented the prize of $750 at the award ceremony, held on Saturday 27 August at Victoria University of Wellington, Old Government Buildings.

Their project, called Resilient Rotifers, focused on constructing a rudimentary way of analyzing water samples using rotifers found in the water. Rotifers are microscopic aquatic invertebrates that are found worldwide. Their physical appearance and characteristics, along with their quantity in certain samples, are so great that they are perfect for use as bio-indicators of water quality.

Students were asked to provide a slideshow and video presenting their project, in lieu of the usual poster board, and then had interviews with the judges about their work on Judging Day. The fair was a success, and the winning exhibits can be viewed on the Science Fair website (www.sciencefair.org.nz). 

Thanks to our Council Members

Sadly, Frank Andrews was unwell over the last two years and passed away on 11 July 2022. Frank was a member of Royal Society of New Zealand Wellington Branch for many years and a member of Council for several years until his passing on 11 July.

The Branch was delighted to accept a nomination of Dr. Bruce McFadgen; another for Dr. Diana Gordon and a third for Professor Barry Borman onto Council. Bruce holds a Ph.D in geology from Victoria University and is retired. Diana holds a Ph.D in physical chemistry from Cambridge University but has worked as a fund manager since completing her degrees. Barry is professor of epidemiology at Massey University. All three were seconded to Council during 2022, as they were not elected. They will be proposed for election in October at our Annual General Meeting.

I have greatly enjoyed my time on Council this year and I thank my fellow councillors for their support and hard work: Frank Andrews, Brian Jones (Treasurer), Bruce MacFadgen, Lucy Forde, John Bass, Diana Gordon and Barry Borman.

On behalf of Council I wish all of you the best of luck for the remainder of 2022 and a wonderful summer vacation.

David Lillis

20 September 2022