Te Pānui o Noema*/November Newsletter
Science Communicators Mike Stone and Jenny Rankine welcome your feedback and suggestions at comms@nzase.org.nz. ISSN 2703-5166
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The chemistry of alcohol-free beer
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Māori musical instruments are treasures that have experienced a revival in the last 30 years. How can we engage with them in science? Mike Stone speaks to experts for this public article. |
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Scientist profile: Geneticist Phillip Wilcox
Associate Professor Phillip Wilcox has used his statistics expertise at the interface of genetics and mātauranga Māori for 20 years, creating new genetics education opportunities for students in schools and universities, as well as community adults and kaumātua. Download this public resource. |
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Hatching chicks from eggs
How might we go about giving students the experience of hatching chickens from eggs? Mike Stone talks with several teachers who have tried it, in our public resource.
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MoEd needs Science teacher advisors
NZASE has been asked to nominate three teachers as specialist Science Ohu Mātanga/Team members for the ongoing refresh of the NZ Curriculum (NZC). The team will refresh Science content, contribute to annotated exemplars and develop supports and resources for the NZC. They will contribute ~30 days over the next 18 months, starting in person in early 2023.
Nominees must be experienced in a range of areas, including curriculum integration; Science knowledge; understanding of best practice pedagogy; NZC teaching experience; lived experience of te ao Māori; and experience with ākonga Māori. See the full list of requirements here.
Please email your nominees to NZASE, with their name, region, email address, and a short bio that shows how they meet the criteria, by November 10 and NZASE will forward those they select to MoE, which is accepting only endorsed nominations.
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MoE jobs for change leaders
The MoE is looking for 30 experienced middle leaders to help implement new NCEA standards, working directly with teachers in schools from late January 2023 to January 30, 2026. See the job description and apply by October 26. Apply by region: North (Auckland, Northland); Central (Waikato to Manawatu); South (Wellington and Te Wai Pounamu).
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Revision support for students on exams
NZASE has again organised revision webinars for L1-3 Science exams for Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture/Horticulture, and Geology/Astronomy in November. Please pass this timetable to your students. |
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ChemEd/BioLive keynote:
James Renwick
James has recognised experience, leadership and communication skills in climate change science. He has worked with Met Service and NIWA, and studied climate for his PhD at Washington Uni in 1995. James has led our understanding of climate variability in our region, studied the El Niño/La Niña cycle and how climate interacts with sea-ice. He was a lead author of three reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and President of the NZ Association of Scientists. In 2018 James was awarded the NZ PM’s Science Prize for Communication, and became a Climate Change Commissioner in 2019. He is a Professor of Physical Geography at Victoria University of Wellington.
ChemEd/BioLive 2022, on November 16-18 at AUT in Auckland, is fully booked. |
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Rocket Lab student scholarships
Rocket Lab offers two scholarships, the first for female/gender minority students planning tertiary science study, and the second for a science, tech, engineering or maths student, both with a deadline of November 17. The first scholarship offers $10,000 for study fees and costs. The second scholarship gives priority to students who whakapapa to iwi from the company’s launch site in Māhia, or who have a strong connection to the Wairoa district, and offers $20,000 plus a Rocket Lab mentor. See the website.
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Ocean resources
See Te au o te moana/Cry of the sea, a series of 22 video stories by scientists, kaumātua, and whānau with tiaki responsibilities from the Sustainable Seas Challenge (SSC). Primary students can experience marine science fieldwork with SSC scientists in five LEARNZ virtual field trips from 2018-2022.
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Canterbury Science Leadership Day
The Canterbury Science Teachers Association will run its Science Leadership PLD Day at Ara in Ōtautahi/Christchurch on Tuesday, November 8. Free for teachers in member schools, or $40. See the programme and register here. Participants will receive another form to confirm their chosen sessions.
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Possible end-of-year activities 1
Science badges provide students with a set of practical or research activities to complete on their own. There are 29 badges to choose from at $6 each, or $25 for 10. Three levels of badges cover Years 3-4, 5-6 and 7-10. Teachers need only to send for the full activity sheet once the badge has been paid for, and record when each activity is complete.
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Possible end-of-year activities 2
Rocket Lab (now based in the USA) has some great rocket resources. These include readings about rocket structure and function and launching rockets, as well as activities making a composite material and adapting the design of a straw rocket. You could supplement this with:
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MOTAT SciTech Centre advisory group
This centre is scheduled to open in April 2024, providing interactive, engaging experiences about STEM practices and principles. MOTAT wants to collect a team of 3-6 primary and intermediate Science and Technology teachers to guide the centre’s development. They anticipate two meetings (f-2-f or online) in October/early November and 3-4 meetings over the next 18 months, of 2-3 hrs. Please email Sandy Jackson or phone 09 520 7770.
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BoP Volcanoes workshops for teachers
From January 28 to February 3, 2023 an international volcanoes conference is coming to Rotorua. It includes opportunities for teacher PLD and student activities. A flyer should be emailed to your science leader in the next week or so; if you don’t get by Friday, October 28, please email Mike Stone.
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SCICon is coming!
This face-to-face conference from April 13-16 includes exciting field trips, a conference dinner, a public lecture, and the chance for you to present to your colleagues. Get on the list for registration and programme info. Organised by Waikato Science Teachers' Association to build connections between teachers of science; please email them if you know of any organisation who could sponsor SCICON23, which subsidises registration costs. |
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Innovative Young Minds
IYM is offering two exciting programmes in 2023 for wāhine in Years 11 and 12, opening November 1. IYM Online, April 17-21, 2023: Five half-day sessions of panels, lab tours and group work, for 100 students from Aotearoa?NZ and the Pacific. Discounted for students from schools with higher Equity Index or low decile. Deadline is March 15 March, 2023.
IYM Residential, July 3-8, 2023: A six-day residential programme in Lower Hutt for 40 students from Wellington, Wairarapa, Horowhenua and Manawatu. The subsidised student fee of $170 can be fully sponsored if needed. Deadline is April 1, 2023.
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Events related to Science education
See our listings for events by NZASE networks, and other activities of interest.
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*Names of months in te reo
Astronomer and Mātauranga Māori expert Professor Rangi Matāmua recommends using transliterations of Gregorian months, rather than te reo Māori names for lunar months, because they refer to different periods. See the differences here.
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