In this episode, award-winning teacher and glaciologist 顿谤听Heather Purdie聽talks about studying endangered glaciers, research, passion for the environment, and why virtual teaching will never replace real-life experiences with nature.
The climber, geographer, tramper, storyteller and teacher; has a life-long connection with the environment and believes that: 鈥淭o really care for our environment we not only need to understand it, but also feel connected to it.鈥
Listen on聽听触听听触听听触听
In this episode
04:19聽My latest very large research project I've got on the go is聽exploring how crevasses affect melt rates of glaciers.
06:33聽My hypothesis is聽that the way the crevasses disturb the surface may actually increase melt rates.聽It's quite new, so we've got some pretty exciting field techniques getting temperature sensors down crevasses.
08:37聽From a science perspective,听drones are really amazing in the ways that helping us understand landscape.
09:54听罢丑别谤别'蝉听something almost intangible that you can't replicate with a video or a camera that you can only get by getting the students there (on the glacier) and letting them touch it. I don't think virtual field trips will ever phase out real field trips, but they have an awesome role to play in supporting teaching and learning and providing, and helping everyone get to the field. But yeah聽I'd never like to see a day where we don't actually get to go for a walk.
12:41聽We're seeing quite a loss of foot access or walking access onto the glaciers with the way they're retreating.
13.55听As part of my teaching philosophy too, I really want people to feel connected to the environment, and聽I think developing a connection to the environment is really important.
15:03聽For any of us working in teaching in the area of climate change, it's something we're quite mindful of and mindful of your students, that your course doesn't end up being doom and gloom you know because things are changing and聽we're seeing unprecedented change in and around loss of snow and ice around the world.
15:45聽If everyone actually does something, and thinks about their lifestyle and impact on the聽planet, then cumulatively that will get somewhere. So every person you can engage and connect and get them passionate about this, then that's a good thing.
16:13聽I love telling stories, particularly like P奴r膩kau, M膩ori legends聽and stuff are awesome. It's all about creating this connection to what you're teaching in your lecture theatre or the classroom.聽It's another way of thinking about the environment, not always just thinking about our landscape from a Western world view.
20:04聽(MM) In one sentence, could you say聽why your work matters?
(贬笔)听Because we only have one Earth, and so we need to look after it.
On the field, in the classroom
Field research on the Tasman glacier
In late February, Dr Heather Purdie led a field team on a research campaign to Tasman Glacier in the Southern Alps to undertake data collection for her Royal Society Te Ap膩rangi Marsden Fast-Start project, which is exploring how crevasses influence glacier health.
Dr Heather Purdie wins national tertiary teaching award
Connecting students to the environment is as important as their education in the classroom, according to award-winning glaciologist Dr Heather Purdie, who received New Zealand tertiary teaching excellence honours at the 2019 Ako Aotearoa Awards. Read more here.
Meet our speakers
Heather Purdie
顿谤听Heather Purdie聽is an award-winning teacher and glaciologist聽 in UC鈥檚聽Te Kura Aronukurangi | School of Earth and Environment.
She is a passionate advocate for the environment and avid tramper and climber, who believes that 鈥渢o really care for our environment we not only need to understand it, but also feel connected to it鈥. Dr Purdie specialises in the field of glaciology鈥搒pecifically glacier mass balance, dynamics, and climate change鈥搘ith a focus on mountain glaciers in Te Tiritiri-o-te-moana or the Southern Alps.
A Senior Lecturer at UC; she is known for her dynamic, engaging and student-centred teaching. Her passion for education and her outstanding career to date earned her a New Zealand tertiary teaching excellence award at the聽2019 Ako Aotearoa Awards.
Dr Purdie is particularly interested in fostering an understanding of M膩ori culture and in 2018 she received the College of Science Kaupapa M膩ori Award in recognition of her sustained commitment to improving bicultural competency.
Dr Purdie is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was awarded the New Zealand Geographical Society President鈥檚 Teaching Award in 2015 and a University of mini传媒 Teaching Award in 2018.
Molly Magid
Molly Magid聽is an MSc student at UC. A recent graduate of Brown University, Molly is working on research in conservation genomics with Associate Professor Tammy Steeves from the School of Biological Sciences. Molly is passionate about finding ways to communicate science to the public in a clear, novel, and engaging ways. Most recently, Molly worked as the lead student producer on the podcast聽,听which answers listener's questions about sustainability using relevant science research.
