The coolest news around

Congratulations to first female Rutherford winner

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:34:17 +1300

Professor Christine Winterbourn from the University of Otago, Christchurch, has been awarded the Rutherford medal, the first woman to receive the honour.

Professor Winterbourn was one of the first scientists to demonstrate that our cells produce free radicals as part of their normal function. She went on to characterise some of the chemical reactions of free radicals that we now know occur in diseases such as cancer, stroke, coronary heart disease and arthritis.

She is currently Director of the Free Radical Research Group in the Pathology Department at the University of Otago, Christchurch. Her current work encompasses mechanisms of antioxidant defence, understanding how white blood cells kill bacteria, and free radical involvement in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

The Rutherford Medal is the highest award instituted by the Royal Society of New Zealand at the request of the Government to recognise exceptional contributions to the advancement and promotion of public awareness, knowledge and understanding in addition to eminent research or technological practice by a person or group in any field of science, mathematics, social science, or technology.

Professor Winterbourn is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She has received numerous awards including the NZ Association of Scientists’ Marsden Medal, the Massey University 75^th Anniversary Medal, the Society for Free Radical Research (Australasia) Distinguished Service Award, the University of Otago Distinguished Research Medal, and the Society for Free Radical Research (International) Trevor Slater Award for lifetime achievement.

AWIS wishes to congratulate Professor Winterbourn on this achievement.

Gold CREST winners

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:29:32 +1300

Congratulations to the five female secondary school students who were awarded their Gold CREST awards at the Royal Society Honours dinner.

The awardees were:

Ashley Renwick and Keeley Hutchins, Tararua College- Distractions Amongst Teenage Drivers
Kate Marsh, Carmel College - Caramelised
Charlotte Robertson, Palmerston North Girls High School - Watercress, the Nitrogen Junkie?
Anna Palmer, Palmerston North Girls High School - A Healthy Glow.

Each has completed over 100 hours on their research projects, designed to show CREativity in Science and Technology.

AWIS congratulates these students, and has offered them a year's membership in recognition of their dedication and perserverance to scientific study.

Applications wanted for Zonta Science award

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:57:11 +1300

The Zonta Club of Wellington is calling for applications for the 2012 Zonta Science Award. This will be the 12th Award since its introduction in 1990.

Applications must be received by 10 February 2012.

The Zonta Science Award has been established to further the status of women in scientific fields. The Award is for an emerging woman scientist (i.e., a recent PhD graduate, not a woman well established in the science arena), not the top woman scientist in her field. Priority will be given to areas of science where funding is not readily available.

The aims of the award are to:

encourage women to pursue a career in science
actively promote science as a career for women
encourage others already in the scientific field, and
acknowledge the valuable contribution of women scientists.

We are looking for an 'all round' woman, one:

who contributes to her community
who helps others in the wider field of science and,
for whom this Award would be a means to further advancement.

The applicant must be a woman who:

has a PhD (usually within 7 years of graduation)
has excelled in the fields of pure or applied science (excluding clinical medicine)
is a New Zealand resident and resides in New Zealand
is studying for further post doctorate qualifications or involved in research that has widespread benefits.

She will appreciate the role of women in science and will be an advocate for these women.

The Award recipient receives:

$10,000 cash to fund travel expenses and/or research material and equipment
return air travel to Europe or the USA flying economy class (to be used to attend professionally related conferences or places of further study), and
a silver and gold medal designed by well-known sculptor and past member of the Zonta club, Tanya Ashken.

The application form can be downloaded from here.

Women in Science statistics discussed in SciBlogs

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:23:41 +1200

The recently released report "Women in Science: A 2011 Snapshot" by AWIS has been the subject of discussion on the New Zealand Sciblogs site.

To read some of the blog posts on this report, go to http://sciblogs.co.nz/a-measure-of-science/2011/08/19/women-in-science/ or http://sciblogs.co.nz/griffins-gadgets/2011/08/15/report-reveals-new-zealand-sciences-gender-gap/.

Download a copy of the report here.

Women in Science snapshot statistics

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:21:23 +1200

The Association for Women in the Sciences, in association with Dr Belinda Bray of The University of Auckland, have produced a new booklet giving a snapshot of women in science in New Zealand in 2011.

Key findings of the report show:

When science is compulsory at school, female students do well across the board but routinely choose the biological sciences above physics or chemistry when given the option.
Women with a BSc or PhD earn $30,000 less on average than men with the same qualification level, due to an over-representation in lower paid jobs.
Women are still under-represented at higher levels of University employment (Professor/Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer) although they are gaining ground at lower levels.
Women are also under-represented at the level of decision making and funding allocation.
Women scientists are not gaining the same degree of recognition as males with few awarded the top prizes in New Zealand science.

A pdf copy of the booklet can be downloaded here.

Entrepreneurship award winner announced

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +1200

Dianne Gleeson has won the inaugural Women in Science Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Pacific Channel and the Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS).

Dr Dianne Gleeson, who oversees Landcare Research's fast-growing EcoGene^® business which provides DNA-based diagnostics services that are used in biosecurity and conservation, said she was delighted to win the award.

"This award recognises the contribution made by women in the commercialisation of science and will encourage more women at the top levels of the industry where they are underrepresented," Dr Gleeson said.

"There is growing commercial demand for scientific services and women can make a valuable contribution to the development of the industry in New Zealand and overseas," she said.

Dr Gleeson receives $50,000 of venture development advice from Pacific Channel, an Auckland-based firm specialising in life-sciences and clean-technology, and will have access to a world class international advisory board with experience in science commercialisation. The winner was announced at the AWIS conference being held in Auckland on 28 July.

Runners up for the award were Dr Fern Kelly, a PhD graduate in Textile Chemistry from Victoria University, who has developed an environmentally friendly antibacterial treatment for high quality natural textiles and Rachael D'Arcy Lacy, of D'Arcy Polychrome Limited who has developed a technology to produce encapsulated dry colour pigments that are easy to formulate and mix into liquid paint.

Mitali Purohit, Associate at Pacific Channel, said it was encouraging that women with new ideas as well as those with established track records in the commercialisation of science had entered the competition.

"It is important that women in science are actively looking at ways of commercialising their research, particularly in areas such as environmental and agricultural science where New Zealand is a world leader," Ms Purohit said.

Dr Gleeson has built an impressive CV since she gained her PhD from the Australian National University in 1996.

She leads a team of 20 scientists and post-graduate students including four at post doctorate level at EcoGene^® which operates as a business unit within Landcare Research.

DNA-based analytical services provided by EcoGene^® include detecting new organisms, monitoring pest species, disease monitoring and threatened species management.

In its first three years of business, EcoGene^® exceeded financial and customer targets and the revenue forecast this financial year is $400,000. The unit has forward contracts with New Zealand government agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries, a significant client base in Australia and a strong profile in the market for biosecurity and conservation applications.

There is increasing demand for the unit's services from the Asia Pacific region and from South America and EcoGene^® has no direct competitors in Australasia. The award will be used to assist Dr Gleeson accelerate the business' growth potential.

The panel of judges for the Women in Science Entrepreneurship competition included Dr Jilly Evans, co-founder of Amira Pharmaceuticals, which last week was sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co -; Sarah Gibbs co-founder of Trilogy; and Mitali Purohit. The panel of judges will form an advisory board which will be provided as part of the prize package.

The winning entry demonstrated the greatest social and commercial impact, the judges said.

More information on the competition can be found on the Pacific Channel website www.pacificchannel.com or on the AWIS website www.awis.org.nz.

Radio interview talks about competition

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:53:45 +1300

Mitali Purohit from Pacific Channel was interviewed by Bryan Crump for Radio New Zealand on Tuesday regarding the new Women in Science Entrepreneurship competition.

The interview can be downloaded from Radio New Zealand's website here.