Sharing Science in the Solomons

A three-person team, led by Associate Professor Greg Walker from Otago’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, has just returned from the Solomon Islands after sharing a range of interactive science experiences with local schools.

The initiative extends a programme of delivering hands-on science engagement across the Pacific supported by the University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT).

Greg, along with Dr Peter Heenan from the Bioeconomy Science Institute, and science engagement specialist Dr Craig Grant, travelled with two science showcases - Genomes – The Science of Life and the Science of Medicines | Te Mātauranga o te Rongoā. Both were developed by University Health Sciences researchers.

The mini-science themed exhibitions with hands-on interactives, displays, and demonstrations proved a big hit, with Greg saying it was great to be able to spark a real interest and enthusiasm for science.

“We’ve taken them to several Polynesian countries previously where they’ve been very successful, so it was nice to see they also worked well in Melanesia,” he says.

“Very few schools in the Solomon Islands have any form of science labs, so get little in the way of first-hand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) experience. One school said their last visit by any external educator was in 2017. The students and teachers were therefore hugely responsive, which made it a really rewarding experience.”

However, the tour wasn’t without its challenges.

“We definitely jumped into the deep end with this tour. Class sizes in the Solomon Islands are often 50-60 plus, twice the size of those in New Zealand. That’s a lot of very eager students to manage,” Greg says.

“The schools were naturally keen to get as many students to experience the showcases as possible. Some days we had 300-400 kids through – a lot to cope with, especially in the tropical heat after coming from a Dunedin winter.”

Genomes – The Science of Life was developed by Genomics Aotearoa to help demystify what the field of genomics involves and highlight how new genomic-based technologies are being used to better understand and manage natural resources, biodiversity, and health.

Genomics Aotearoa Co-Director Professor Peter Dearden, from the Department of Biochemistry, says the genomics showcase introduces what DNA is and how it contains the information that on one hand makes us all so similar but also uniquely different.”

Activities range from extracting DNA from fruit, to playing the game Biodiversity Jenga as a way of understanding the importance of biodiversity for healthy ecosystems.

Students also had the chance to be DNA detectives by using new environmental DNA (eDNA) tools to discover the full range of flora and fauna living in their local rivers and coastlines.

“It’s great to support initiatives like this. Being able to support the community to study its own backyard and show how genomics can help them look after their natural resources, whilst enthusing kids into science are all great wins,” Peter says.

Science of Medicines was developed by Dr Karyn Maclennan from the Department of Public Health (Dunedin).

Using a waka and wayfinding framework, the exhibition takes students on a journey into the science of medicines. Resources include ‘Nature’s Medicine Chest’ where students can explore the diverse range of flora and fauna from which traditional and modern-day medicines were derived.

Another popular module, ‘Meet and Beat the Microbes’, highlights issues such as the importance of using medicines correctly to avoid issues such as antibiotic resistance, and how critical community immunity can be to combat infectious diseases.

During the visit the team connected with the Solomon Islands’ Ministry of Education & Human Resource Development and the Solomon Islands National University.

“Both these organisations are actively trying to increase participation in STEM. They were really interested in how popular our form of hands-on science engagement was, and are keen to partner with us to help achieve this shared goal.

“They are also doing some innovative professional development training for teachers in STEM, so I think there’s a lot we can learn from one another,” Greg says.