In younger years we may have learnt the Earth is divided into three layers – the solid crust, liquid mantle and solid core. But the reality is more complex than that. Guest author Mike Stone investigates.
Read MoreScience Teaching Leadership Programme ﴾STLP﴿
For schools wanting to make an impact on student engagement and achievement in science, an opportunity exists to support a teacher to become a science leader through the MBIE‐funded Science Teaching Leadership Programme (STLP) offered by Royal Society Te Āparangi. NZASE Science Communicator Heather Goodey looks into the STLP and shares some recent participants’ experiences and how students benefit from this programme.
Read MoreEnvironmentalist Stephanie Dijkstra
Stephanie is a Māori environmental scientist specialising in intergenerational outcomes and the interweaving of mātauranga and Western science. She wears many hats, working as a Senior Mātauranga Taiao Advisor with Storm Environmental, a Ngā Kaihautu Tikanga Taiao Member with the Environmental Protection Authority NZ, and a member of Te Puna Māori Advisory Committee with Taumata Arowai The Water Regulator. She also chairs the Ngāi Tahu Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Kōmiti. In conversation with NZASE Science Communicator, Sneha Pillai, Stephanie shares her journey of weaving her love for different branches of science like cellular plant biology and ecology to do what she’s truly passionate about – leaving the planet in a better state than the one she found it in.
Read MorePounamu
Pounamu is highly valued as a symbol of national identity and a taonga to Māori. Pounamu reminds us of the transformational nature of tectonic collision zones. Guest author Mike Stone writes about this very special rock with some unique properties.
Read MoreOverseas Trained Teachers
There is a growing shortage of Science teachers in New Zealand for the positions advertised. Increasingly schools are recruiting teachers from overseas. NZASE Science Communicator Heather Goodey converses with overseas trained teachers to not only learn from their experiences what incoming teachers might need to know to teach in NZ, but also what strengths and insights our overseas‐trained colleagues bring to the teaching profession here.
Read MoreMicrometeorologist Christian Stiegler
A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Dr
Christian Stiegler is a pākehā scientist focussed on climate change. Born in Austria, Christian is relatively new to
Aotearoa, having moved to the country in October 2023. In conversation with NZASE science communicator,
Sneha Pillai, Christian shares his journey and learnings as a micrometeorologist.
Astrophysicist Jan Eldridge
Jan Eldridge is a pākehā astrophysicist and the Head of Physics Department at the University of Auckland. Jan’s research focuses on the lives and deaths of stars, particularly binary stars. Unlike the stereotypical caricature of an astrophysicist, Jan’s work does not involve long hours of peering into the telescope. Instead, her work as a theorist primarily involves coding programmes on computers to model the journey and evolution of stars in our universe. As we celebrate Pride and Matariki this month, Jan, who identifies as transgender, shares insights from her work and life on stars and genders with NZASE science communicator, Sneha Pillai.
Read MoreCreating a Science Space in the Classroom
The awesome thing about science is that students are innately curious about the world around them and how things work. A science space might be something you think of in ECE, but it is an opportunity to give students hands‐on experiences, engage learners and extend learning. Creating a science space in the classroom is a way to give Science presence in a busy curriculum with so many pressures on teaching time. NZASE science communicator Heather Goodey talks with teachers from Y1‐6 who have incorporated science spaces in their classroom. They share their goals, approach and advice for educators interested in how they might include science spaces in their teaching programmes.
Read MoreThe Science behind Aurora
The Aurora Australis was visible over the whole country on May 11, 2024. This was a rare event, but with solar activity ramping up we may see more. Guest writer Mike Stone explores the science of aurorae.
Read MoreMāori Textiles and Dyes as a Context for Teaching Science
Charmaine Russell, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāi Te Rangi, was looking for opportunities to weave together rāranga and the chemistry of traditional dyes. She shares her experience with NZASE Science Communicator Heather Goodey, providing a context that could be used for Level 1 assessments or adapted for use in the classroom at multiple levels.
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