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One of my favourite groups of New Zealand plants are our native conifers. Most people don’t realise that we have 21 described species and two undescribed species. These are spread across ten genera in three of the six global conifer families. And on a land area basis we have far more native species than the UK or mainland Australia,...

Art and science are more intricately linked than we usually imagine. Both are driven by the innate human need to make sense of things. As artists and scientists, we want to understand the vast, complex world around us better. We're also curious about the mysteries of our internal world. Art and science both involve stepping boldly into the unknown. The...

The GEOL242 lab goes online with a kaleidoscopic new interactive learning experience.

The discipline of town planning spans back to when humans first started to live in permanent settlements. As anyone who has been flatting will know, once more than about two people start living together some decisions need to be made. Who gets what bedroom? How should we allocate chores? In ancient Greece a guy called Hippodamus came through to...

In late February, University of Canterbury glaciologist 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 Apārangi Marsden Fast-Start project, which is exploring how crevasses influence glacier health. Special thanks to Paul Bealing, who captured this incredible footage. The field team...

Not just a knock on the head A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by a trauma to the head that can cause damage to the brain. Data shows that the majority of TBIs are received from car accidents and falls. This makes children highly vulnerable. TBIs can be hard to diagnose. It is not uncommon for people to brush...

In an inspiring talk on International Women’s Day 2020, University of Canterbury (UC) Associate Professor Ann Brower shared some lessons she’s learnt on driving positive change in the world. Dr Brower shared statistics from a groundbreaking recent study she co-authored with UC Associate Professor Alex James, which revealed a significant gender pay gap for female academics at NZ universities -...

Kia ora! My name is Ella and I am a third year Chemistry and Environmental Science student at the University of Canterbury. I am super passionate about science, sustainability and understanding our changing climate. This summer I was lucky enough to spend three weeks interning with scientists at NIWA through the BLAKE Ambassadorship programme. In the little rural town of...

Emperor penguins depend on sea ice for their survival. Arek Aspinwall describes the impact of global warming on this sensitive Antarctic habitat.

An exciting Professional Day for STEM teachers hosted by the University of Canterbury on 12 Nov, 2019, attracted over 70 secondary school teachers from South Island high schools. It's so important to facilitate collaborations and ongoing communications with local school teachers. Education is a critical part of our jobs as University academics, and school teachers are our colleagues and partners...