Featured

The Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies (PCAS) is an internationally unique programme jointly developed by the University of Canterbury and Antarctica New Zealand. PCAS is a 14-week, in‐depth, multi‐disciplinary programme of study that critically examines contemporary scientific, environmental, social and political debates focused on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Every year, PCAS attracts graduate students from a diverse...

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 interested in studying science at university. This programme is designed to give a first-hand experience of university life, and science...

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 resources for Ngāi Tahu, the Ōpāwaho is currently in poor health. While the state of the river has improved since...

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 informed decisions – perhaps the most vivid example of the negative consequences of insufficient communication by scientists and/or the mistrust...

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 such as kākahi (freshwater mussels) and kōura (crayfish), to insects, worms and snails. Just as forests are home to different animals than...

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)* is a stream restoration project that has focused on finding solutions. CAREX has been running since 2013, designing and trialling...

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 peoples, who have supplied world markets with natural resources for more than five centuries and, in turn, received the ‘curse...

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 of people that died on our roads last year. These statistics just “touch the surface” of New Zealand’s serious social and health crisis.  That doesn’t...