September 2013
He Kupu Whakamahara
UC remains among the top universities in the world The University of Canterbury has maintained its ranking among the top three per cent of universities in the world.
Chronicle 48 no.4
September 2013
Editor: Renee Jones 364 2987 ext 6072 S taff Writers: Kip Brook Stacey Doornenbal Sub–editor: Col Pearson Photos: Duncan Shaw–Brown Eve Welch
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Printing Services Email: communications@ canterbury.ac.nz Address: Communications and Stakeholder Relations, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch.
Thanks to everyone else who’s played a part making this issue happen.
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In the latest QS World University Rankings, UC has also retained its ranking to be in the top three universities in New Zealand. UC is ranked 21st in the world in civil and structural engineering as a discipline. UC’s College of Engineering is ranked 152nd in the world while the College of Business and Law is 217th in discipline rankings released earlier this year. UC is ranked in the top 100 universities in education, psychology, law, geography, history, philosophy, linguistics, accounting and finance. This means four of the six disciplines in arts and humanities ranked by QS are in the top 100. UC is ranked among the top 150 universities in computer science and information systems, earth and marine sciences, sociology, economics and finance, statistics and operations research. The QS ratings are out of the top 800 universities, although there are around 17,000 universities worldwide. In the assessment of employers UC ranked 153rd in the world. The employer reputation indicator is based on a global survey, taking in 27,900 responses. The survey gives students a better sense of how universities are viewed in the job market.
The international faculty ratio, where UC ranked 27th, assesses how international a university is by measuring the proportion of international students and faculty members in relation to overall numbers. Vice-Chancellor Dr Rod Carr said the University’s focus on employability and entrepreneurship builds on a strength already observed by employers in New Zealand and overseas. “Not only are we a research-intensive university but we can rightly claim to be one of the most international universities in the world according to this measure. “For the University to retain its position in the top three per cent is a credit to the quality and commitment of staff considering the unprecedented impact of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.” The University, which contributes more than $1 billion annually to the local economy, is the only New Zealand university to have a five star QS ranking.
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Major environmental scholarship for UC doctoral student.
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Study to help reduce children's fear of dogs.
Caption Sydney-based intership for UC law and economics student.
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National teaching award for UC academic.
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New app brings historic goldmining towns to life.
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(From left) Project Management Office intern and commerce student Sarah Reeves, myUC project manager Elishka Rigney, Student Services and Communications Director Lynn McClelland and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Dr Hamish Cochrane.
New online student portal set to go live From 1 October, approximately 80 per cent of new applicants and all returning students will be able to apply to enrol online when the first phase of myUC is launched. MyUC is the new student management system (SMS). It will gradually replace the current Jade SMS and retire up to 18 subsidiary systems in six stages over the next three years. The online portal for students will be a one-stop shop giving students the ability to do things such as enrol and choose courses. Eventually students will also be able to pay fees and access timetables, and staff will be able to administer and report exam and course results as well as manage graduation, placements and scholarship processes. The new system, Tribal’s SITS:Vision, is used by about 120 universities and 1.5 million students worldwide including Oxford and Cambridge universities in the UK. MyUC project manager Elishka Rigney said the first roll-out of the service will affect new and returning students wishing to enrol, and mainly staff in the Contact Centre and Student Services.
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However, once the system is integrated across the University and fully incorporated by October 2015, it will reduce workloads and save both students and staff time. “We are really focusing on improving the student experience here at UC, to make things easier for our students throughout the university lifecycle. At the same time, we will be taking the opportunity to reduce duplication and align processes because we are in a world where we can’t afford to do things multiple ways,” she said. “This project wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction to the earthquakes as it has been on the horizon for some time. The lifespan of most SMS are seven to 10 years and our system was already seven years old when we decided to replace it. “The SMS touches so much of the University. MyUC is taking us into the future and where we want to go. It’s a commitment for the next 10 years.” Miss Rigney said the system had been through a vigorous consultation and trial process involving about 100 stakeholders, including domestic, international and new-to-UC students as well as staff from across the University. Several UC students have been hired to work on the project.
“It’s great to have students working on myUC and tap into the talent and skills we are fostering at UC. The feedback has been very positive because they see what it is going to add. Students shouldn’t be held up by paper and processes. We have really tried to approach this whole project from a student’s perspective as well as that of staff,” she said. “We want to be a university that enables students to enrol with us and supports the on-going processes they need.” Student Services and Communications Director Lynn McClelland said myUC was a major step forward to simplify and improve the student experience. “The project team has done a great job coming to grips with a very complicated system and processes, and a lot of work still remains to ensure that myUC delivers the benefits to students and staff that we expect,” she said. “This first release is a milestone to note and celebrate, while we prepare for the next phases of the project. My thanks go to students and staff across the University community who have made such helpful contributions so far. We look forward to on-going input to help ensure our new system reaches its potential.”
UC student wins major environmental scholarship A UC postgraduate student has won a major environmental scholarship to look into the impact of bird population size on native forest remnant sustainability. Biological sciences student Marine Aubert is the inaugural recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Dr Brian Molloy Doctoral Scholarship, which includes a $30,000 annual grant and a research expenses allowance of $20,000 a year. Marine says New Zealand’s natural environment has been decimated since human settlement with habitat loss, over-harvesting, predation and herbivory by introduced pests, and competition with exotic invasive species. A total of 49 per cent of endemic land bird species are now extinct, while a considerable proportion of the remaining species are so reduced and with restricted distribution that they sometimes only remain as small populations in isolated sanctuaries. “Changes in bird density have a significant influence on bird foraging behaviour, food preference and competition mechanisms. As a consequence, some native plants may suffer from insufficient bird visits and subsequent regeneration failure,” Marine said. “The extensive loss of native birds is of particular concern in New Zealand because of the unusually high importance of birds for plant regeneration compared to other temperate countries. “Along with the significant impact of habitat destruction, seed predation and herbivory, the loss of plant-bird interactions is threatening the regeneration ability of native bird-pollinated and fleshy-fruited species, which may be undergoing unsuspected local recruitment failure. “Currently, a large proportion of lowland native forest in New Zealand is highly fragmented, embedded in predominantly
farmed landscapes, and often consisting of post-disturbance, secondary grown vegetation. “For years, increasing biodiversity conservation efforts and ecological restoration projects have been promoted throughout the country, from the management of large natural reserves to the protection of small forest remnants in private lands, such as open space covenants.” Marine said the aim of her PhD, titled “Effects of forest fragmentation on plantbird mutualisms and regeneration of native plants”, was to evaluate whether native plant
regeneration was failing in small isolated forest fragments below some threshold size and isolation level. “The research will identify the extent of pollination and dispersal with current bird densities over a range of forest patch sizes. This will provide information about how many birds are required to be considered a sustainable limit to allow for long-term species persistence and forest selfsustainability.” Marine is undertaking her research under the supervision of Professor Dave Kelly (Biological Sciences).
Ecology student Marine Aubert is the inaugural recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Dr Brian Molloy Doctoral Scholarship.
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Scholarship to Oxford Classics PhD student Andrew Wong has won the Edward Gibbon Wakefield Doctoral Scholarship. The scholarship will allow Andrew to study at Oxford University for an academic year at Christ Church College, covering his expenses at Oxford, and includes travel costs and living expenses. “This opportunity has various benefits to the University of Canterbury and for New Zealand. The opportunity for me to study at Oxford will enable me to encounter people and ideas, which will be of huge benefit to my research,” Andrew said. “As my PhD will still be conferred at UC it will still contribute to New Zealand scholarship and the academic work will be recognised as originating from UC. This scholarship helps to strengthen the quality of New Zealand research by broadening the horizons of its recipients. “By having students from UC studying overseas and at universities with such prestige as Oxford, the reputation of UC is increased. The Classics department has been instrumental in helping me reach this point in my studies and I have benefitted from world-class supervision in my research.” The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic excellence, but also an interest in the life and works of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and the Wakefield family, who were prominent figures in the colonisation of New Zealand. The scholarship was set up in 2004 by the late Priscilla Wakefield Mitchell, in memory of her great, great uncles and her brother who was a graduate of Christ Church, Oxford.
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UC master�s student Phillipa Newton.
Micronutrients may help stub out smokers’ withdrawal symptoms Micronutrients could help people deal with withdrawal symptoms while they try to quit smoking. One in five adults currently smoke in New Zealand but UC master�s student Phillipa Newton said that taking micronutrients could stop relapses for people trying to quit. “Smoking is still a major issue in New Zealand. It costs government more than $1.5 billion a year because of early death, loss of production due to illness and smoking-related health care costs,” she said. “Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand, accounting for around 4300 to 4600 deaths a year. Second-hand smoke is the leading environmental cause of preventable death in New Zealand and kills around 350 people a year.” Phillipa, who will conduct a four-month trial using micronutrients to reduce withdrawal symptoms and improve the mood of the participants when they quit smoking, said the earthquakes had made it even harder for smokers trying to kick the habit. “More than 60 per cent of Christchurch smokers have relapsed since the
earthquakes. Research indicates that the prevalence of smoking in Christchurch has increased while in the rest of New Zealand rates are declining,” she said. Nutritional supplements have been used to treat addiction, mood, anxiety and many more psychological disorders. “Previous research on the use of micronutrients for addiction has shown that relapse rates and drug hunger can be reduced and psychological functioning can be improved while on the nutrients,” she said. “My study uses a broader array of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, to evaluate the impact micronutrients have on withdrawal symptoms from smoking.” The research will be supervised by Associate Professor Neville Blampied and Associate Professor Julia Rucklidge (Psychology). “We expect that consumption of nutrients should result in the reduction of withdrawal symptoms at a faster rate compared to somebody who quits without the supplement on a placebo. Fewer withdrawal symptoms and better mood after quitting should, in turn, reduce the rate of relapse,” Phillipa said. More information about the study is available at www.mentalhealthandnutrition.co.nz.
Major funding boost for ‘revolutionary’ industrial process UC engineering researchers have received almost $1 million over two years to investigate three dimensional media in a cutting-edge area. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment awarded the funding to UC researchers Professor Conan Fee and Dr Simone Dimartino to look at 3D printed adsorptive media. “This is aimed at industrial processes such as improved pharmaceuticals, air quality, lower fuel consumption, new drug delivery devices and potentially better removal of airborne particles, including viruses in improved air filters,” Professor Fee said. “Many people have studied more efficient packing geometries by computer modelling but, until now, there has been no way to reproduce those studies in the real world. “Our invention uses 3D printing to reproduce computer-generated models so that we can devise, analyse and optimise new systems on the computer, then actually produce precise copies of these in the real world, both for further fundamental study or validation of the models, or even to manufacture real products that are superior to those currently available. “Until now, it has been very difficult to control the size and orientation of particles within a packed vessel. Currently, such particles are either entirely spherical or are completely random shapes obtained by grinding up brittle materials. “Our method allows us to create very specific shapes, such as stars or pyramids, rather than just spheres, identical in size, and place them throughout the column so that only the tips of the particles touch — something not possible just by the current methods using random packing. “Using our new approach, we will be the first in the world to produce packed bed columns for a myriad of applications, with absolutely precise and versatile control of CHRONICLE 48, No.4, September 2013
particle size, shape, packing arrangement and column geometry. “Our method is truly revolutionary, potentially replacing the way in which such systems are currently designed and manufactured. “This allows us to obtain more efficient contact between the solids and liquids for absorbing materials out of solution or for carrying out chemical reactions. “We believe there is an excellent opportunity to create a new business that could potentially earn up to $100 million a
year in new export earnings through the manufacture and distribution of new products for purification of proteins. We will start with this application and then move onto other applications for chemical reactions and filtration,” Professor Fee said. The project, which is run through the Biomolecular Interaction Centre, will draw researchers from the chemical and mechanical engineering departments. Several PhD students will be involved in the project.
Professor Conan Fee (right) and Dr Simone Dimartino. Professor Fee is holding the world's first 3D printed chromtography column, created by his PhD student Suhas Nawada.
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Student Sydney-bound on bank internship Working as an intern at the Macquarie Bank in Sydney this summer is a challenge that UC student Elizabeth Prasad is prepared to tackle head on. The fifth-year law and economics student will be working in the bank as an intern in the prudential unit of the risk management group for two months from November. “I’m excited to learn what it’s like to work in that sort of environment and see what sort of job opportunities there are, to see how much I can learn and get out of it,” she said. Elizabeth is one of 40 interns accepted across the Macquarie Group in Sydney and her role will utilise her legal skills. “I will be working in the prudential unit of the risk management group. They liaise with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. It’s more legal work. They look at
transactions across the whole Macquarie Group. “It’s going to be really exciting, interesting and challenging legal work because it’s going to be dealing with all sorts of different transactions across the whole bank.” Elizabeth, who plans to return to UC next year to do honours in economics, said the role blends her skills perfectly. “I really like this job in particular because it’s a really good cross between the law and commerce, which I haven’t found in many other jobs I have looked at,” she said. Elizabeth said she applied for the internship after UC teaching fellow Stephen Hickson highlighted the programme to students. “It sounded like a good opportunity so I applied for it. I didn’t expect to hear back
UC student Elizabeth Prasad is off to Sydney to work at the Macquarie Bank as an intern this summer.
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from them but I got a call a month after I applied and they flew me out to Sydney for an interview. I interviewed with a couple of departments and it went really well. A week later they called and offered it to me,” she said. “It’s the kind of experience you can’t get anywhere else. I can’t wait to get the whole experience of living in Sydney and meeting new people.” Mr Hickson said internships were a great way for students to apply what they have learnt in their studies. “They also often provide a foot in the door for a future job opportunity. In the Department of Economics and Finance we’re keen to help internship providers connect with students and I would encourage students to apply for whatever is on offer,” he said.
Academic’s bestselling novel hits the stage UC’s Professor Patrick Evans (Humanities) has written a play about one of New Zealand’s best known authors — Janet Frame. Professor Evans, who has penned a dozen plays and is an expert on New Zealand literature, based his latest play, Gifted, on a novel he wrote about Frame in 2010. The play hit stages around New Zealand recently, featured in the Christchurch Arts Festival in August and was performed in theatres in Taranaki, Nelson and the lower South Island. Professor Evans said his play was about the time Frame lived with writer Frank Sargeson while writing her first novel, Owls do Cry, in the 1950s. “In the first half of the play Frank is missing his elderly partner Harry, a former jockey who turns up at the start of the second act and presents Janet with some challenges. The play follows the path of Frank’s slow understanding of Janet’s originality as a writer,” he said.
Professor Evans, who has written extensively about Frame, said he had always been fascinated by both her talent and life story. “I’ve always been interested in her because hers is such an extraordinary story — it was very difficult not to conform in the New Zealand in which she grew up, yet she survived it by asserting her individuality,” he said. “We’ve changed so much — I think we’ve lost a true understanding of what she was up against and what she achieved, and I want to remind people what those things are. I think she’s a great New Zealander — way up there with Ed Hillary and all the rest of them.” Professor Evans said he wrote the play after encouragement from friends and colleagues who wanted to see Gifted on stage. Actress Sophie Hambleton, who plays Janet Frame in a stage adaptation of Professor Evans’ book Gifted.
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Top teacher receives national recognition Senior mathematics and statistics lecturer Dr Rua Murray has been recognised as one of New Zealand’s top tertiary teachers. Dr Murray was recently awarded one of 10 Ako Aotearoa national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards. “I really enjoyed receiving the award. I was surprised to be nominated by the University for ‘doing my job’,” he said. “A highlight of going to the ceremony in Wellington was meeting a diverse range of passionate educators from across the tertiary sector, not just from universities.” In the award citation, Dr Murray was described as having “a ‘heart of gold’ that inspires passion for complex ideas amongst learners of all abilities”. Dr Murray’s research is in pure and applied mathematics, with a focus on the behaviour of complex systems.
Recent research with UC collaborators included the way invasive species may be affected by climate change, and possibilities for reduced energy use in transport. He has taught thousands of students from foundation to graduate level over the past 15 years. “I love mathematics and I enjoy seeing students learn it. Mathematics is a difficult subject and learning it effectively requires students to actually ‘do the math’. Because the students have to do the learning themselves, a huge part of my role as a teacher is choosing appropriate tasks for them to attempt, and making or gathering resources to support student efforts,” he said. “Rather than ‘teaching to the middle of the class’, I try to make something for everyone, supplying remedial materials, content at the expected standard and supplements to extend those who want to know more. And, of course, I am really honoured to be credited with inspiring
Dr Rua Murray was one of 10 teachers to win an Ako Aotearoa national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award recently.
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passion in others, especially about mathematics.” Dr Murray said his colleagues at UC maintained a strong level of teaching excellence. “There is a strong team culture of excellence in teaching within the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, with many great teachers working hard to ensure that students from programmes across the University achieve good learning outcomes. It is great to be part of it,” he said. Vice-Chancellor Dr Rod Carr said Dr Murray was “widely acknowledged at UC for his tremendous enthusiasm for his subject and his outstanding support of student success”. The award includes $20,000 in prize money to be used for career development and to promote best practice in teaching.
EQC funds study of sewerage system preparedness and resilience A UC PhD student has been granted $50,000 of Earthquake Commission research funding to look at the resilience of sewerage systems following earthquakes and other natural disasters. Engineering management student Melanie Liu will research sewerage systems and investigate mitigation of potential risk from earthquakes as part of business-as-usual asset management. “My research will examine sewerage system resilience. It will help sewerage system managers in New Zealand and elsewhere in the world to make comprehensive and sophisticated decisions for reconstruction and rehabilitation actions at the post-earthquake stage,” Melanie said. “This project will directly contribute to Christchurch and New Zealand by delivering resilient sewerage systems and effective decision support systems. “The holistic project management framework for sewerage systems will be applicable and suitable for both New Zealand and overseas countries.” Most sewer components are vulnerable to seismic ground motion and earthquakeinduced permanent ground deformations and liquefaction as they are buried in the earth. Consequently, the probability of damage to sewerage systems triggered by a catastrophic earthquake is high. The malfunction of a wastewater system impacts public health and community wellbeing, poses an environmental hazard, creates unusable land, and causes serious inconvenience for both rescuers and residents.
UC PhD student Melanie Liu.
Following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, the Christchurch wastewater system sustained severe damage and took a long time to recover the basic sanitary service for the local community. “Currently, there is no method or tool available to support the seismic risk assessment and mitigation for sewerage systems and the comparison of different reparation/rehabilitation strategies while targeting, post-earthquake, increased sewerage systems resilience,” said Melanie. “The great learning and contributions made by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team and the Christchurch City Council while addressing post-quake recovery of sewerage systems needs to be translated and upgraded into advanced scientific models in order to be applicable worldwide for pre-disaster mitigation and for resilient recovery following devastating events.
“The proposed models will be incorporated into a spatial decision support system with simulation capabilities, where alternative options for rebuilding post-disaster or for mitigating the seismic risk pre-event can be compared and evaluated by the decision makers.” Melanie said her research would help city planners make well-informed decisions to improve wastewater system resilience against similar disruption of service caused by future seismic disasters. Melanie's research is being supervised by Dr Sonia Giovinazzi, Associate Professor Mark Milke, Dr Pedro Lee (Civil and Natural Resources Engineering) and Associate Professor Piet Beukman (Engineering Management).
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Communist legacies examined in new book A new book by UC’s Dr Milenko Petrovic challenges the dominant view that all communist systems were the same. Dr Petrovic (National Centre for Research on Europe) said The Democratic Transition of Post-Communist Europe focused on the transition from communist to capitalist systems in East Central Europe and the Balkans. “I have been investigating the nature and success of post-communist transition, or more precisely the political democratisation and economic marketisation of the countries in East Central and Eastern Europe for years, and I wanted to sum up my findings in the form of a book,” he said. “I have also been dissatisfied with existing academic explanations of the causes of the different regional and national successes in post-communist transition, particularly between the post-communist successful countries of East Central Europe and the Baltic states on one side, and the less successful countries of South-eastern Europe, that is the Balkans, on the other. Hence, I wanted to define a better, more appropriate and comprehensive explanation of the causes for these differences and offer it to the academic and wider public.” Dr Petrovic said the book argued communist differences had a direct impact on whether a country’s transition from communism was successful or not. “The differences in the functioning of the communist political and socioeconomic systems in Eastern European states played a crucial role in both defining the different modes of the power change that followed the collapse of communist party rule in individual states and in setting different national and regional 12
post-communist trajectories afterwards,” Dr Petrovic said. Dr Petrovic highlighted the book’s stance on the importance of external responses, particularly of the European Union, to the different modes of power change in the two regions, and the enormous differences in foreign aid and assistance for reforms which they received during the first decade of post-communist transition. “Although the former communist states were built on the same ideological and institutional patterns, there were significant differences among them. These differences Dr Milenko Petrovic with his latest book.
bear the crux of the explanation why the countries of East Central Europe and the Baltics were more successful in postcommunist transition than their counterparts in South-eastern and Eastern Europe. “Focusing on the cases of three East Central European communist states — Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary — and three Balkan communist states — Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia — as well as their post-communist successors, the book identifies and explains three differing aspects of political, socio-economic and cultural legacies of communism.”
UC student Megan Swney with Diva the dalmatian.
Study aims to reduce children’s fear of dogs Postgraduate student Megan Swney has found a way to reduce children’s fear of dogs using video footage and books. Nearly 12,000 people suffered dog bite injuries in 2011 and the number of attacks requiring medical attention has increased since 2003, according to ACC claim statistics. During the study, which highlights the importance of dog safety awareness, Megan used a technique called video selfmodelling to help children overcome their fear of dogs. “Everyone has fears from time to time, but fears can sometimes stop people from doing everyday activities and tasks. I helped a number of children increase their confidence around dogs and increase their knowledge on dog safety,” she said. “Video self-modelling involves someone watching themselves on an edited video
doing a target behaviour that they would normally find difficult to do. “Each child in my study was filmed at a certain location, such as a park, and they pretended to see a dog in the park while looking relaxed and calm on film. A real dog was filmed separately on a different day in the same location. “The two filmed videos were edited together to make it look like the child and dog were at the same location at the same time.” Megan said educating children about dog behaviour and safety played an important role in helping them reduce their concerns. “Each child reported how scared they felt in certain situations with dogs before they watched their videos. I wrote a short picture book about dog behaviour and what to do when children are around dogs,” she said. “Teaching children about dog behaviour and dog safety is important as these are essential skills to know when around dogs.
“The children watched these videos and read their books for two weeks. The children were then taken back to the same location where their video was filmed but this time with a dog trainer and real dog that was known to be good around children, and the children were asked to rate how they were feeling. “Results showed that the videos and the books helped these children overcome their fears, with some more than others.” Megan said more research was needed to identify whether it was the video or the book that helped the children the most. Megan’s research was supervised by Dr Karyn France and Gaye Tyler Merrick (Health Sciences).
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Jean Monnet grant for UC research
“Mainstreaming, Methodology and Human Rights in Disaster Risk Management: EU and the Pacific” is a pilot project and is part of a larger umbrella research programme on human rights in the sphere of disasters and development. It is headed by Dr Katharine Vadura and PhD candidate Genevieve Taylor from the National Centre for Research on Europe. The project is funded through the Jean Monnet Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission and will run for six months until next February. “Through the project, we hope to provide a research platform to further develop and evaluate integrated approaches to disaster risk management for vulnerable groups in the Pacific including women, children, elderly, those with disabilities and minority groups,” Dr Vadura said. “There is a need for a cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary approach to disaster risk management. This is achieved by looking at rights-based methodologies at all levels, and reflecting on how we can then mainstream the human rights of vulnerable groups into national and regional strategies, while also recognising these groups as social capital in disaster risk management. “This project will address a current need in this area by bringing together a variety of stakeholders to present a cross-sectoral approach to human rights within community-based disaster risk management.” 14
Photo: supplied.
UC researchers looking at the rights of vulnerable groups in Pacific disaster risk management have been awarded a grant of $47,000 by the European Commission’s Jean Monnet Programme. Biological sciences postgraduate student Richard White.
Mudfish study raises concerns over impact of future droughts Drought could be a major threat to New Zealand’s biodiversity and native fish, according to biological sciences postgraduate student Richard White. In March, New Zealand experienced one of the country’s worst droughts on record. Richard studied the effects of that severe dry spell on native fish including the endangered brown mudfish. “We measured the impact of the drought on mortality in 41 areas of the endangered brown mudfish in the ancient rimu forests of Westland Tai Poutini National Park, near Hokitika,” he said. “In these forests, the secretive brown mudfish live in shallow pools created by falling rimu trees as they rip up large clumps of earth. “Brown mudfish are extremely hardy and can cope with long periods without water, which they frequently experience in their forest pools, some of which are only five centimetres deep. “However, this year’s drought may have been more intense than the fish may have previously experienced and their population response to the drought may be indicative of how less hardy fish species will cope with future climate change.
“Over 850 mudfish from 41 areas were monitored during the drought, which brought a maximum daily water deficit of 91mm to the South Westland region, which normally experiences around 10mm of rainfall daily, making it the one of the worst droughts on record for the region. “The drought had a massive effect on brown mudfish mortality. With a population of 7.5 million fish, 25 per cent died in most areas and up to 45 per cent died in the most shallow, drought-prone pools. “In contrast, almost no fish died during the non-drought period leading up to March. These results alarmingly show that drought can be devastating to even the most drought-hardy fish in New Zealand,” he said. Richard said less drought-hardy fish, such as whitebait and trout, may have fared far worse. Given that future drought episodes were expected to increase in frequency and intensity, Richard said the results were cause for concern. The study was funded by the Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust.
Nothing tentative about test regime A UC research team is carrying out tests on Kathmandu tents to see how they cope in extreme New Zealand weather conditions. Five final-year mechanical engineering students are conducting a lengthy analysis at New Zealand field weather stations around the country. They are coordinating the records from the field stations and producing detailed information regarding wind speeds, rainfall, snowfall and UV radiation exposure. UC mechanical engineering supervising lecturer Dr Sid Becker said the team would develop full-scale testing equipment and protocols that would aid the Kathmandu design team. “We anticipate that by the end of this year we will have an actual prototype of a tent-testing apparatus that can subject some of the Kathmandu tent range to extreme winds exceeding 100 kilometres an hour,” he said.
“Our research team has had an amazing time learning how to use their mechanical engineering skills to test commercial products such as tents. Importantly, the team has been exposed to real-world interaction within the administration, design and marketing of one of New Zealand’s most internationally recognised brands.” The students involved are Kerry Hebden, George Hercus, Andrew Nisbet, Robert Harris and Matt Pedersen. Andrew said it had been a fantastic experience working with a client in industry. “The project is something we can really get stuck into, as it encompasses research, design and build,” he said. He said one of the highlights of the project was strapping a tent to the top of a truck and taking it through some laps at Ruapuna racetrack. Kerry said the biggest challenge was the massive amount of wind they needed to produce. “Kathmandu wanted their tents to withstand a hurricane, so that meant we
had to replicate winds at 150km/h,” he said. Dr Becker said part of the project had been interpreting weather. “They needed to find out how extremely harsh New Zealand weather conditions impacted on a tent’s resilience and ability,” he said. “The team developed ways of predicting how tents would respond. This involved months of work developing computer and mathematical models. Effectively, the team had to create computational fluid dynamic models of the weather and couple these to finite element models of the tent. “I am very proud of this team for their creativity and dedication. I can’t wait to see the final results. It is possible that this team has spearheaded an international collaboration during this real-life challenge.” Dr Becker said Kathmandu had been extremely supportive of the UC research work.
(From left) Andrew Nisbet, Kerry Hebden, Dr Sid Becker, George Hercus, Matt Pedersen and Robert Harris.
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New method for radiation detection being developed A new detector for radiation therapy to help treat cancer is being developed by UC doctoral student Alicia Cavan. Alicia, who is studying towards a PhD in medical physics, said that because radiation damages healthy cells as well as cancerous cells, it was important to accurately measure radiation doses for patients. “There are definitely benefits to New Zealand for having this kind of on-going research here as it keeps us part of the global research and developments towards cancer treatments,” she said. “For conventional radiation treatments the measurement tools we have are effective to measure the radiation doses. However, there are many research areas developing newer techniques for radiation therapy which push the limits of what we can measure with the existing tools. “For this reason, ongoing research must be undertaken into radiation detectors so that the new treatment techniques can be safely and effectively applied to clinical situations to control cancer. “The detector I am developing is based on an optical technique called digital holographic interferometry which uses a laser and a camera to measure very small changes in the temperature of a water sample when it is irradiated. “This relates directly to the dose received by a patient and we are applying this treatment technique to proton radiation therapy. Normal radiation therapy uses high 16 16
PhD student Alicia Cavan.
energy beams of X-rays or electrons, but this can cause a lot of tissue damage to the surrounding healthy tissues,” she said “A proton beam has the unique property in that it delivers a lower dose until a certain depth and then a steep peak in the dose [Bragg Peak], so treatments can be tailored to much more preferentially treat a tumour. “However, because this peak dose is really steep, it is necessary to accurately measure the location and the amount of dose in the peak. There is no perfect detector for this at this stage. Currently there are no proton beams in Australia or New Zealand because it is still a highly experimental, developing technique and there are only a limited number of centres worldwide that offer this. “Having New Zealand research into techniques such as these allows New Zealand to be a part of international
research that is at the forefront of cancer research worldwide and increases the knowledge base for when it becomes feasible to implement treatment techniques such as this here.” In preliminary measurements obtained in collaboration with the University of Washington Proton Research Centre in Seattle, the UC prototype detector was able to resolve the Bragg Peak of the proton beam without some of the limitations of other detectors. Alicia will next year continue her clinical training as a medical physics registrar at Christchurch Hospital, which will lead to her becoming a qualified medical physicist. She recently returned from a University of Washington study trip and from a conference where she presented her results to the American Association of Medical Physicists.
Linguistics researcher wins annual thesis competition A linguistics PhD student studying English accents in non-native speakers took out the winning title at UC’s fourth annual Thesis in Three competition. Ksenia Gnevsheva was one of 15 finalists who were given three minutes to explain the what, why and how of their theses. “I couldn’t believe it at first. When they announced my name, for a second I thought I heard someone else’s name. I am so happy I did well. There were so many great talks. I wouldn't have won without the support of my friends and especially my supervisor, Dr Kevin Watson,” she said. Ksenia talked about non-native English accents and the “under the radar” linguistic discrimination some people face. “We might like to think we’ve moved on from overt racial or ethnic discrimination, but linguistic discrimination rules in the 21st century. There are multiple cases of people being fired or not hired because of their accent,” she said.
Ksenia was awarded $5000 for her presentation, biological sciences student Olivia Burge won $2000 for coming second with her presentation on regeneration within the Awarua-Waituna wetland complex, and mechanical engineering student Steven Banerjee received $1000 for third place following his talk on parallel cellular chips. The prize money is to be spent on research-related activities. Dean of Postgraduate Research Professor Lucy Johnston said all the presentations were outstanding, which made it a difficult decision for judges Andrew Ramsay (UC Students Association Vice-President), Associate Professor Janet Carter and Emeritus Professor John Burrows. Ksenia interviewed 20 international students at UC in four different communicative situations during her research. She also used recordings and a computer program to analyse how the subjects’ accents varied in different situations. “There are two things that I’m addressing in my research. First, I would like to show that accent is an integral part of
one’s identity. I have made recordings of 20 international students here at UC speaking in four different communicative situations. This allows me to see how their accent changes depending on who they talk to and what the topic of conversation is,” she said. “The second part of my project is a perception experiment in which people listen to the recordings and try to guess where the person is from. They hear each speaker four times, but they don’t know that it’s the same person. My goal is to show that the native speaker is a social construct, and one and the same person might or might not be regarded as a native speaker in different situations.” Ksenia is still analysing her data but expects to find that people will speak with a different degree of accent when they are talking about different topics. “If they’re talking about their home country and family, they’ll speak with a ‘stronger’ foreign accent,” she said.
(From left) Olivia Burge, Professor Lucy Johnston, Ksenia Gnevsheva and Steven Banerjee.
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Three UC computer science students have been awarded inaugural Orion Health Computer Science Scholarships which will see them gain valuable workplace experience while completing their degrees. The BSc students — Benjamin Ellis, Xiaoke Gong and Rory Varcoe — will each receive funding for course fees and will undertake two summer work integrated learning courses through internships at Orion Health. Orion Health is a global health software company. CEO Ian McCrae said the scholarships were a great fit for Orion Health as they built on the company’s other initiatives to try and increase interest in computer science as a valued career path. The scholarships were established earlier this year to encourage students to pursue careers in information science by providing an opportunity to fast-track their studies. The scholarships are open to full-time undergraduate students majoring in computer science at UC. Mr McCrae said real-life practical experience added a critical dimension for fledgling computer scientists and would be a key component of the scholarships. Professor Tanja Mitrovic (Computer Science and Software Engineering) said the Orion Health scholarships provided opportunities that would give the three UC students an advantage over other graduates in the employment market. “UC is committed to engaging with industry to increase opportunities for students to gain workplace experience while they are studying, and these scholarships are a result of that commitment.” 18
Photo: supplied.
Scholarships give computer scientists real-life experience Biochemistry student Lara Sweetapple receives her undergraduate runner-up Sir Paul Callaghan Eureka award from Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae.
Birds and frogs may hold the answer to hearing loss Frogs and birds could hold the key for a biological cure for hearing loss, according to UC student Lara Sweetapple. The second year biochemistry student, who was undergraduate runner-up in the recent Sir Paul Callaghan Eureka Awards for young science orators, said people suffering hearing loss could potentially be healed biologically rather than with electronic devices. Lara pointed to frogs and birds which can heal themselves naturally after suffering hearing damage, and said their genetics could provide answers to help humans. “Experiments have shown that some birds and frogs are actually able to regain hearing within weeks after they encounter damage to their inner ears. If birds and frogs can do this, why can't we?” she said. “I am interested in researching birds and frogs to find a cure for this kind of hearing damage. Like birds and frogs, humans contain all the genetic information needed to regrow the hair cells — the tiny cells largely responsible for hearing. We simply cannot use it, because these genes are turned off. Birds and frogs may hold a biological cure for hearing loss.
“Rather than inserting electronic gadgets into our ears, we could potentially use the body’s own existing genes to regenerate hair cells and enable people to hear again. All of the genetic information is there within the human body — but what if we could turn these genes back on?” Lara said research could examine how the ear worked in frogs and birds, and possibly identify a particular chemical that genetically stimulated hair cell regrowth and hearing repair in these animals. Lara said hearing impairment affected people widely across our community. “Hearing loss is the most common sensory impairment in the world. About one in 10 New Zealanders suffer from hearing impairment. The majority of hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cell components of the inner ear. Once damaged, these hair cells do not regrow and repair,” she said. “Current treatment involves the use of electronic gadgets — hearing aids and cochlear implants. Both of these technologies have serious disadvantages and limitations. They do not restore normal hearing. What if we could create a permanent biological cure for hearing loss?” Lara said.
What’s on at UC? The Latin American Film Festival 9–20 September Undercroft 101, 12pm
The Latin American Film Festival (LAFF) is proud to present, for the first time at the University of Canterbury, its 12th edition featuring a selection of recent films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. Entry to all film screenings is free but seating is restricted and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There are no bookings for this event. LAFF is brought to you by the Latin American and Spanish embassies in New Zealand and Australia, with the support of the cinema studies department at UC. www.arts.canterbury.ac.nz/filmfestival
Old School: Mark Braunias 4–27 September Ilam Campus Gallery, School of Fine Arts
This exhibition features a selection of recent drawings that examine a specific aspect of Braunias’ practice. It involves an in-depth look at the process behind the manner in which he generates particular visual ideas through a variety of media and scale. The accent here is on semi abstraction in the formal “modernist” tradition. Braunias’ response is to derive forms from the natural world and inter-breed them with cartoon-influenced imagery. The title Old School refers to the fact that Braunias is a graduate from the School of Fine Arts and his belief that drawing is still one of the fundamental cornerstones in the visual arts. www.canterbury.ac.nz/events
What if… Food and wine were medicines? Wednesday 18 September Undercroft 101, 6.30–8pm
In this What if Wednesdays lecture, toxicologist Professor Ian Shaw (Chemistry) will answer the questions: should we exploit natural food and wine
chemicals with medicinal properties? Is it right to add medicines to food, water and wine to mass medicate consumers? What are the risks of mass medication via food, wine and water? Should mass medication be forced upon us or should we have a choice?
really like. You’ll gain a better understanding of how a UC degree builds towards a rewarding career and come away being able to make a fully informed decision. www.canterbury.ac.nz/study2014
www.canterbury.ac.nz/wiw/
EPECentre R&D Expo Wednesday 25 September A114 Machines Lab, Electrical Engineering, 3–5pm
UC electrical engineering students (final year and postgraduates) will exhibit their research projects and EPECentre scholarships will be awarded. High voltage laboratory demonstrations will also be held. This year’s guest speaker is Patrick Strange, CEO of Transpower. www.canterbury.ac.nz/events
What if…We could bring back the moa? Wednesday 2 October Undercroft 101, 6.30–8pm
Dr Amy Fletcher (Social and Political Sciences) will discuss de-extinction – what is it? Which species should be “brought back” — the moa? But hasn’t science fiction shown us that this idea could go really wrong? This talk will take participants through the emerging debate over de-extinction, one of the most controversial and challenging new ideas in conservation today. www.canterbury.ac.nz/wiw
What if…Antarctica warms? Wednesday 25 September Undercroft 101, 6.30pm–8pm
In this What if Wednesdays lecture, Professor Bryan Storey (Gateway Antarctica) looks at whether Antarctica is warming and, if it is, what the consequences will be for New Zealand if its ice sheets, the largest in the world, melt. www.canterbury.ac.nz/wiw
UC Enrol – Get ready for study in 2014 Tuesday 1 October Undercroft, 1–7pm
This UC enrolment event will help you get ready for study in 2014 whether you’re starting study (undergraduate) or heading into postgraduate studies. Academic advisors and the Liaison team will be available to explain UC’s broad interdisciplinary approach to study, as well as provide you with specific course details, options and alternatives. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet current UC students for an insider’s view of what life on campus is
Aoraki Mackenzie Starlight Festival 11–13 October Various locations, Tekapo
This festival will comprise a mix of scientific, educational and cultural events over three days, which are aimed at school students, family groups and members of the public who are interested in learning more about the stars, the night sky, the problems of light pollution and the appreciation of the environment and outer space. www.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/ starlightfestival/programme.shtml
19 CHRONICLE 48, No.4, September 2013
Pictured with their new gold-mining heritage site app are (from left) Dr Gun Lee, Leigh Beattie, Dr Lloyd Carpenter and Alexander Pacha.
New app brings Otago gold town to life A new app designed at UC will allow the goldmining heritage towns of Otago to come back to life before visitors’ eyes. The gold-mining heritage site app is a world first and allows smartphone users to see buildings, streets, information and people from the historic mining town of Bendigo as it was in the 1800s. The app, which was created by UC history researcher Dr Lloyd Carpenter and the Human Interface Technology Laboratory NZ (HIT Lab NZ), will be available free to download in November. Dr Carpenter said the program would be focused on existing archaeology, heritage and historic stories. HIT Lab NZ researcher Dr Gun Lee said the software was based on the CityView augmented reality (AR) app released in December 2011, which showed Christchurch buildings lost in the 2010 and 2011
earthquakes when empty city sites were viewed with a smartphone. Dr Carpenter launched the new project last year as part of his thesis on the history of the Central Otago goldfields and was developing the content including stories and historic materials. “It’s exciting that Central Otago's goldmining history has been dragged into the 21st century with the development of this app,” he said. “My academic friends in Australia are green with envy. We cannot underestimate the innovation that this represents.” Dr Carpenter said the software, which was largely funded by Otago’s Central Lakes Trust, allowed the town to be seen as it was at its peak. “When walking around Bendigo today it is dead. But it was such an exciting vibrant place at its peak in the goldmining days. It
was full of people and if you were visiting then, it would have been a very vibrant, noisy and bustling place,” he said. “This app will take away that empty feel and put people back in the town. Most visitors don't want to see just another stone house. They want to know who lived there, what it was like to live there and what it was like inside.” A special launch of the app is to be held later this year in collaboration with the Central Lakes Trust and the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust, both of which Dr Carpenter brought in as project partners. Once the app is functional for Bendigo, further protocols will be designed for other nearby goldmining sites.