Dr Tim Payn, SCION Everything that can be made with fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Forests are wonderful things, providing a huge range of products and services and a home for biodiversity. But the outlook for natural forests is grim. This is why planted forests are critically important. In his […]

Dr Samuel Mehr (University of Auckland) Music - what is it, how does it work, and why does it exist? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously described music as "the universal language of mankind". Recent insights from cognitive and developmental psychology, cross-cultural data science, and evolutionary anthropology show that he had the right idea. Sam will present […]

Professor Emeritus Philippa Gander, Massey University Philippa will explore how the circadian body clock modifies the functioning of our brain and body across the day/night cycle and programmes us for sleeping at night, ideally for about a third of our life. Many aspects of modern life interfere with these genetically driven requirements, but the scientific […]

Dr Fiona Shanhun Antarctica is a continent of extremes, and an incredible natural laboratory. Explorers and scientists have long been fascinated with unlocking Antarctica's secrets – making measurements and taking samples from some of the most remote and challenging research locations on the planet. Fiona will take you on a journey of science and exploration, […]

Associate Professor Karen Pollard, University of Canterbury The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation and evolution of stars that may have solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth. Launched on 25 December […]

Emeritus Professor Wayne Gillett The average number of children women have in NZ is 1.52, well below the population replacement rate of 2.1.  Rapidly declining fertility rates are a worldwide phenomenon and Wayne will highlight economic, climate change and pandemic consequences of declining and ageing populations. Wayne trained in obstetrics and gynaecology and was Director of Fertility […]

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman. Scientific evidence has shown that housing is critical for our health and wellbeing.  In this talk Philippa will discuss the merits of affordable, healthy housing for individuals, families, whanau and the sustainability of neighbourhoods.  The role and importance of government involvement, as well as community agencies, is critical to ensure that adequate […]

Professor Craig Rodger, University of Otago   Aurora is one of Nature's wonders - and is caused by processes that start on the Sun 150 million kilometres from Earth. Aurora is common in the polar regions, but during disturbed periods can be seen closer to the equator. We are now roughly around solar maximum, when […]

Emeritus Professor Dave Craw (Otago University) New Zealand is geologically active and some of these active processes are naturally concentrating gold in the rocks. Deep and shallow hot water systems dissolve trace amounts of gold from some rocks and concentrate it in other rocks, in the North Island and in the Southern Alps mountains. The […]

Professor Ceridwen Fraser (Otago University) Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, landslides - large physical changes to the Earth - are often seen as destructive, but they can also open exciting opportunities for biological change. When one population is wiped out, another will take its place. This talk will look at how plants and animals respond to large-scale […]