Yearly Archives: 2019

The transition from school to university can be hard: there are so many options to choose from, and decisions to be made on what to be. That's why we started the UC Science Summer Camp, for Year 12 students...

The Ōpāwaho (or Heathcote River) is one of two main rivers that weaves its way through Ōtautahi (Christchurch) on its way to the Avon Heathcote Estuary (Ihutai). Once a pristine lowland waterway, and an abundant source of food and...

Public science communication is fundamental to science today. I believe that as scientists we have a duty to communicate our research to the public. Mainly because the public must be able to understand the basics of science to make...

Happy Arachtober, the month of spiders! Dr Fiona Cross, or "Doctor Spider", introduces us to some cute jumping spiders commonly found in New Zealand.

Invertebrate life in New Zealand’s rivers and streams We all know about the kiwi and the kākāpō, but what iconic species are lurking beneath the surface of our rivers and streams? Freshwater invertebrates (animals without a backbone) are amazingly diverse: from taonga species...

Because of its natural environment, the Waiho river in Westland has been increasing in elevation since the mid 20th century. What risks does it present to the Franz Josef Glacier township nearby? Professor Tim Davies examines the geomorphological challenges presented by this unique Westland river.

Currently, there is considerable interest around the impacts that agriculture is having on water quality. Nationwide the focus has been on highlighting the issues but little attention has been paid to what the solutions might be. The Canterbury Waterway Rehabilitation Experiment (CAREX)*...

Each year during the wet season, the Amazon river rises to create an internationally significant wetland, that's nearly three times the size of New Zealand. Professor Matthew Wilson shares a view from the field while studying the flow dynamics of the largest river in the world..

74,000 fires have been burning for more than 30 days across the nearly one million hectares of Latin American Amazon comprising the world's largest tropical rainforest. The fires have burnt through the territory of more than 400 distinct indigenous...

Over the past four years, New Zealand’s suicide statistics have continued to increase. In 2018, New Zealand's suicide rate was at its highest at 13.67 per 100,000. Males made up 75% of this number. That's almost double the amount...