Nominations open for Otago Science Awards
Wednesday, 16 May 2018 10:24am
A call is being made to recognise Otago’s science heroes with nominations now open for the biennial Otago Daily Times Otago Science Awards – a joint initiative between the New Zealand International Science Festival and the ODT. Nominations can be made online via the New Zealand International Science Festival scifest.org.nz website and will close on Thursday 28 June at 5pm. Winners will be announced at the launch of the New Zealand International Science Festival on Friday 6 July.
Seashore guide makes Notable Book list
Thursday, 19 April 2018 12:58pm
A book written to encourage New Zealanders to explore tidepools and mudflats has been named a 2018 Storylines Notable Book.
Colossal Squid Dissection
Next week our student Tyler Northern will be helping to dissect a Colossal squid with NIWA at Te Papa (the second specimen ever found intact!),
The dissection will take place at 11am on Tuesday the 16th of September and will be streamed live on this link :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yz_57uadUQ
Te Papa also have a blog with more details on the dissection : http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2014/09/05/colossal-squid-live/
International Progammes
Invasive Bryozoan and Ascidian Recruitment and Growth Experiment – iBARGE
Otago researchers join international study examining the fouling communities of ports and harbours.
Department of Marine Science researchers have joined iBARGE, the Invasive Bryozoan and Ascidian Recruitment and Growth Experiment. iBARGE aims to examine the richness and growth rates of fouling communities, groups of marine organisms that grow on the undersides of boats, docks, and aquaculture equipment. In many locations, fouling communities are dominated by invasive species which can overgrow native species including commercially important organisms like oysters and mussels. The iBARGE program compares the growth rates of invasive species between locations on three different continents (the east and west coasts of North America, the UK, and NZ), using photographs taken on a weekly basis. Settlement panels – PVC squares – have been deployed in the northern hemisphere’s spring and summer and were deployed this week in Otago Harbour for the austral spring and summer. Analysis of the data collected will allow scientists to understand how growth rates vary with water temperature and location.
Read more and see examples of the fouling community at http://ibargeprogram.wordpress.com/
