Researchers elected as Royal Society Fellows
Five UC researchers and a graduate have been elected to the Academy of the Royal Society. Professor Jennifer Adams, Professor Brendon Bradley, Professor Bronwyn Hayward, Professor Brett Robinson and Professor Te Maire Tau were announced as Fellows, and internationally renowned UC graduate, economist Professor David Teece was elected as a Honorary Fellow. Physics and Astronomy Professor Adams is New Zealand's lead scientist in the IceCube collaboration.聽Earthquake Engineer Professor Bradley has made significant contributions in several areas of earthquake science and engineering. Political Science and International Relations Professor Hayward is an internationally recognised researcher at the intersection of climate change, sustainability and youth studies. Professor Robinson has made leading contributions to the understanding of fluxes of the chemical elements in the soil - water - plant continuum.聽 Professor Tau (Ng膩i Tahu) is a leading tribal historian who has dedicated himself to the re-discovery, protection and translation of Ng膩i Tahu histories and knowledge. Professor Teece is a global science leader in his field of economics and business. His new paradigm for understanding market firms introduced the role of 鈥榙ynamic capabilities鈥 in driving entrepreneurial innovation and commercial success, turning the neoclassical conceptualisation of the firm on its head.
Weaving sport and community into teaching
Dr Phillip Borell was awarded a 2023 Teaching Medal, UC鈥檚 highest award for teaching excellence. He had never planned on being a career academic but researching and becoming a lecturer in the School of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies and within the Bachelor of Sport Coaching, has been an opportunity to integrate all of his interests, including sport, community, family and culture. Dr Borell is currently developing a new, tailor-made M膩ori sporting practices paper that will be part of a te ao M膩ori-focused major for the Bachelor of Sport degree being introduced from 2025.聽His goal is to encourage critical thinking and develop students鈥 ability to engage with M膩ori perspectives. Dr Borell is strong on community engagement and theory being backed by practical experience and often invites key contacts into the classroom to talk to students about their real-world experiences.
Law students secure prestigious internship
R膩 Neilsford-Jones and Emily Speirs are heading to Washington DC for prestigious internships in the US Congress as part of the NZUS Council聽Mike Moore Internship Programme. The programme provides students the opportunity to gain beneficial work experience as they engage with the US political system, build invaluable connections, and develop a deeper understanding of international relations.聽Emily is studying towards a double degree in Arts and Law, and will be interning for Darrell Issa, a senior member of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees. R膩 is studying towards a double degree in Law and Science and is interested in anything related to kaupapa M膩ori. R膩 will be interning for the longest-standing native American congressman, Tom Cole.
Awards given to UC teachers and mentors
Improving access for mini传媒 learners was a common theme among the 2023 winners of our annual Teaching Awards. Stand-out UC teachers are nominated for the teaching awards by their students and fellow academics. The聽Outstanding Teaching and Learning Transformation Award聽was given to ENGME!, a peer mentoring programme that has made a聽positive impact for more than 6000 students since its launch 6 years ago. The聽Teaching Excellence Award winners聽were presented to Teena Henderson,聽Lecturer in Te Reo M膩ori, and to Dr Toni Collins, Senior Lecturer in Law who embeds bicultural competence in her teaching, including legal language and聽M膩ori perspectives on Natural Resources聽Law. Lisa Davies was awarded the聽Hapori Community of Practice Award,聽for her support in the聽Master of M膩ori and Indigenous Leadership听诲别驳谤别别.
Innovation Medal for children鈥檚 literacy approach
UC researchers were honoured for an innovative approach to literacy that has so far helped more than 45,000 Kiwi children learn to read and write. Since its introduction in 2020, the聽Better Start Literacy Approach has been adopted in more than 850 schools, nearly half of all New Zealand state primary schools. UC鈥檚 2023 Innovation Medal was awarded to the research group in recognition of the transformative impact of their work and their success in using evidence-based research to boost children鈥檚 skills in reading, writing and oral language. Professor Gillon said the UC award is great recognition of the group鈥檚 efforts: 鈥淲e feel very proud of the level of scale that the Better Start Literacy Approach has reached across the country.鈥
High school students wade into biodiversity
Hillmorton High School teacher Sharnae Ladkin was impressed with the results after she used the聽UC鈥檚 biodiversity box聽with her students on a recent Wainui Biology camp. The biodiversity box is one of the ways we support local schools and the community in biodiversity activities and other science outreach work. The box is free and provides equipment that schools don鈥檛 typically have to give teachers the opportunity to conduct hands-on monitoring activities in their local waterways that would otherwise be impossible. The resources also allow school students to be real scientists for a day and investigate their own waterways in the same way our research scientists do.
Growing the diversity of local and national talent
Jointly led by UC and Lincoln University, Children鈥檚 University |Te M膩t膩puna M膩t膩tahi aims to raise young people鈥檚 aspirations for higher education and encourage lifelong learning. In 2022, among the many experiences on offer, UC Professor Donald Matheson worked with undergraduate students to run four sessions for school students aged 7鈥11 years aimed at developing their critical media skills. Children鈥檚 University was on campus on 8 September 2022 for a session on geological sciences with UC academic staff. UC also engaged with thousands of secondary school students from Aotearoa New Zealand. Our M膩ori and Pacific staff visited 35+ schools throughout the country to engage over 600 M膩ori and Pacific students.
Future Learning & Development Think Tank
Using immersive digital worlds for education has been around for a while now. UC鈥檚 Future Learning & Development Think Tank hosted one of its regular opportunities for students and staff to learn about what UC is doing in this space right now. Speakers showcased the work they are doing in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Simulated Reality, Mixed Reality and Extended Reality, and opened up the discussion on what the future may hold for teaching and learning.
UC Master鈥檚 student to become Rhodes Scholar
Elliott Hughes聽will be studying for a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics. Elliott is currently studying for a Master of Mathematical Sciences in Mathematics and Statistics, having previously completed a BA in Mathematics and Statistics at UC. Ironically, he hasn鈥檛 always loved maths, however he credits UC with sparking his love of the subject. 鈥淎t the end of high school, I took part in the STAR programme at UC鈥 and this really smoothed the transition to university study and helped me get off the right foot,鈥 Elliott says. Elliott is particularly focused on 鈥渢he urgent need to find the right combination of political will, economic investment and technological development to halt climate change and eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels鈥.
New scholarships to help tackle sustainability issues
NZ$1.5M was allocated for new scholarships that will help PhD students to tackle sustainability issues.聽The scholarships are for 14 emerging researchers to pursue projects in areas as mini传媒 as health, early childhood education, indigenous youth leadership, food security, green design, gender, ecosystems, peace and justice, community, carbon capture in oceans, equity, and transport. 鈥淲e are preparing our students to help solve the challenges of a future world that is likely to be warmer and more uncertain. These scholarships strengthen that commitment and will progress important research across areas of environmental, social and economic sustainability,鈥 says Professor Jan Evans-Freeman, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sustainability.
New Sustainability Undergraduate Degree
Our new undergraduate qualification was launched,聽the Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability, with the first intake of students in early 2022. The degree prepares students to understand the ethical, social, business and environmental justice issues that impact sustainability decision-making. The degree is informed by and supports m膩tauranga M膩ori - M膩ori and Indigenous knowledge systems - based in an ethos that respects land, water, and relationships with Tangata Tiriti (people of the Treaty, such as non-indigenous New Zealanders). UC Professor Bronwyn Hayward, lead creator of the new degree, worked with colleagues from Arts, Business, Science, Law, and Aotahi School of M膩ori & Indigenous Studies to co-design the qualification. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about this degree because it is an opportunity for students who want to make a difference, from their local community to the world stage, to create a more just, fair and creative future,鈥 says Professor Hayward.
Online course a volcanic international winner
In our first year offering massive open online courses (MOOCs), we won an international prize for an exceptional volcanic course. UC Geologists Professor Ben Kennedy and Dr Jonathan Davidson won the 2021 edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning for the course 鈥楨xploring Volcanoes and Their Hazards: Iceland and New Zealand鈥. Informed by 10 years of research into virtual field trips and field education, the course was designed to deliver an immersive and fun virtual science experience focussed on volcanic landscapes. By integrating an emphasis on M膩ori knowledge, the course also enables learners to empathise with and understand different perspectives. Many top-ranked universities around the world are part of the edX education, reaching a global community of over 40 million learners.
Engineering the future
With an interest in sustainable engineering聽Stefano choose a master鈥檚 project with a focus on preservation of our ocean ecosystems.聽He says studying at UC taught him the fundamentals of creating engineering products: 鈥淚鈥檝e learnt skills that allow me to join companies designing hydro power stations, jet engines, mountain bike parts, prosthetics, and rocket ships.鈥 Stefano now works as a Development Engineer with Christchurch based company Ossis Limited, who design and develop printed titanium hip implants. 鈥淚t is really rewarding to work in a position where I am helping someone to walk again or to improve their quality of life. Also, to be working for a company that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible with technology,鈥 says Stefano.
Tupu膩nuku wins Student Accommodation excellence award
Tupu膩nuku Hall of Residence聽received the 2021 Asia-Pacific Student Accommodation Award (APSAA) for excellence in Facility Development or Management. The award recognises the Hall鈥檚 innovation as a new generation facility, which celebrates UC鈥檚 bicultural values and vision, and strong focus on student wellbeing. The Hall for first-year students opened in February 2021 and has an embedded bicultural approach that puts M膩ori language, design, and culture at its core. Accommodating 484 residents and 20 residential advisors, the building is six levels, with each floor featuring its own large common areas, small study spaces, kitchenettes, and gender-neutral common bathrooms. Amid the 2021 challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic it achieved 98.4 per cent occupancy.
Science, M膩ori and Indigenous Knowledge
Our integrated multi-disciplinary course, MAOR172, between Aotahi: School of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies and Faculty of Science, provides an understanding of M膩ori and indigenous peoples鈥 knowledge in such fields as astronomy, physics, conservation biology, aquaculture, resource management and health sciences. The course provides unique perspectives in indigenous knowledge, western science and their overlap. It also provides an essential background in cultural awareness and its relationship with today鈥檚 New Zealand scientific community.
Education resources destined for Tongan schools
A shipping container left our campus late 2021 full of education resources and supplies to support several new classrooms in Tonga, to be distributed by the Tongan Ministry of Education. A collaboration betweenand UC, the initiative helps address shortages of educational resources in schools in Pacific Island nations. 鈥淓ach year since 2006 we have sent at least one container, with the goods distributed amongst needy schools in an equitable way to enhance the Ministry鈥檚 capacity to teach,鈥 says Dr Russell Taylor, EcoCARE Co-Founder and Research Fellow for UC鈥檚 National Centre for Research on Europe. EcoCARE and UC are also working on other projects to assist with capability building in disadvantaged nations from an ecological perspective, including establishing a mussel farm research project in Tonga; a vertical gardens prototype project for communities in Palestine; and a lift device for people with paraplegia and tetraplegia 鈥 to name a few.
M膩ori knowledge and traditions woven into PhD
Kiri Solomon has immense passion for her work, fostering the emotional literacy of her adult students and completed her PhD at UC in 2021. Kiri鈥檚 research was based on a journey of developing an聽Emotional Literacy (EL) programme for Adult Learners in Aotearoa New Zealand.
鈥淓motional Literacy has been linked to increases in social skills, employment outcomes and overall wellbeing, however access to relevant courses is costly, and often programmes are more generic and based in an employment context. We also wanted to highlight how M膩tauranga M膩ori was able to support this kaupapa and with help from Kaum膩tua Rereata Makiha we were able to thread concepts from Te Maramataka (M膩ori Lunar Calendar) throughout both our research generally and within the EL programme specifically that we developed alongside our Research Wh膩nau,鈥 Kiri says. Examiners said her PhD thesis broke new ground in content and methodology as it melded western theories of emotional literacy with indigenous m膩tauranga, based on the maramataka M膩ori, and made an important contribution to the field.
UC鈥檚 first Doctor of聽Education
Te Hurinui Karaka-Clarke (Te Arawa/Ng膩i Tahu)聽received UC鈥檚 first Doctor聽of Education qualification in 2020. 鈥淚聽chose this qualification because firstly聽it is a new qualification, secondly it was聽offered part-time, thirdly I could study聽a kaupapa or a topic that I was actually聽working in already, but the most聽attractive thing for me was the cohort聽model. I know my particular learning聽style is collaborating with others,聽because it means you are accountable聽to your group,鈥 says Karaka-Clarke.聽Along with lecturing in te reo M膩ori聽in UC鈥檚 School of Education, Karaka-Clarke leads the H艒aka Pounamu聽Bilingual and Immersion Teaching聽endorsement for M膩ori-language聽immersion school teachers.
Improving Early Literacy聽for Pre-Schoolers
A research project launched in 2020聽involves nearly 600 pre-schoolers from聽mini传媒 and Central Otago. The聽project,聽Better Start,聽is aiming to improve聽Kiwi kids鈥 early literacy development.聽Professor Gail Gillon, Director of the Child聽Well-being Research Institute at UC,聽leads the team. Developing early literacy聽skills makes it easier for children to聽learn to read. Children who enter school聽with these skills have an advantage that聽carries them throughout their school聽years and into success and prosperity聽in adult life. Professor Gillon (Ng膩i聽Tahu) won聽UC鈥檚 2020 Research Medal,聽in recognition of a sustained record of聽research excellence aimed at improving聽children鈥檚 learning success and wellbeing.
Mentoring Initiative
In 2020聽a new mentoring pilot initiative聽for high school students from low-decile聽schools was delivered by UC鈥檚 Student聽Experience team. The initiative aims聽to widen secondary school students鈥櫬爑nderstanding of tertiary opportunities,聽and raise representation in tertiary聽education of studies from low-decile聽schools. Plans are now to offer the聽programme to more secondary schools聽and extend the programme to two聽terms. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic聽Professor Catherine Moran explains: 鈥淭he聽role of the UC student Transition Mentor聽is to connect with secondary students to聽inspire them to achieve their academic聽potential and give them the confidence聽to enter tertiary study. Transition聽Mentors serve as positive role models聽providing encouragement, guidance and聽support to help these students address聽barriers and achieve educational and聽vocational success.鈥
Understanding Every聽Learner
Every learner is unique. UC鈥檚 School of聽Teacher Education increases student聽teachers鈥 understanding of the variety聽of unique characteristics that learners聽bring with them into school and learning聽settings, and provides student teachers聽with frameworks for understanding each聽learner as a whole person.聽Course TEPI315聽addresses intercultural understandings聽by challenging ideas of normality, with聽behaviour being viewed as a medium聽of communication. Inclusiveness is聽addressed by using an abilities-based聽approach and tangata whenuatanga. From a practice perspective, the course looks at what teachers can do to change and adapt their practices to meet the needs of every learner.
Excellence Award in聽Teacher Education
Kay-Lee Jones was recognised with聽a prestigious聽Ako Aotearoa Tertiary聽Teaching Excellence Award (Kaupapa聽M膩ori)聽in 2020. Kay-Lee has helped聽nurture a love for te ao M膩ori in over聽2000 student teachers in UC鈥檚 School of聽Teacher Education. As graduates, they聽are now putting their understanding into聽practice in schools throughout Aotearoa,聽normalising M膩ori language and culture聽in everyday education. 鈥淭o me as an聽educator teaching the next generation聽of kaiako (teachers), excellence means tamariki (children) to walk confidently in聽both M膩ori and P膩keh膩 worlds,鈥 she says.
Computer Science聽without a computer
The聽is about聽capturing the learner鈥檚 imagination and聽addressing common misconceptions聽about what it means to be a computer聽scientist. As the name suggests,聽the programme engages the learner聽in activities that don鈥檛 depend on聽computers. CS Unplugged is the idea聽of UC鈥檚 computer science academic聽Professor Tim Bell. CS Unplugged offers聽young students a collection of free聽teaching material not dependent on聽computers, making activities available聽to those who aren鈥檛 able to or don鈥檛聽want to work聽 with computers.
