School students discover a passion for science at UC
Published by Communications and Development
4 February 2009
Three Year 13 students from Canterbury and the West Coast have had the door to a world of opportunities in science opened up to them during a summer internship at the University of Canterbury.
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| MacDiarmid Discovery Award recipients (from left) Ben Jones, Kate Tarawhiti and Jardin Rose get to work in a chemistry laboratory at UC. |
Kate Tarawhiti (Christchurch Girls High School), Ben Jones (St Bede’s College) and Jardin Rose (Buller High School) were recipients of the inaugural MacDiarmid Discovery Awards.
The awards, funded by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, are targeted at senior high school students of Māori and Pacific heritage. They aim to nurture an interest in science, expose pupils to possible career options and encourage them to undertake tertiary studies in the sciences. The awards are worth $1000 each, plus students’ flights and accommodation.
Nationally five Discovery Awards were given out this round with the other two recipients based at the MacDiarmid Institute at Victoria University in Wellington.
The South Island awardees’ programme began with a day visit to the Institute in the capital in December, followed by three weeks working alongside academic staff and postgraduate students in the Chemistry, Physics and Engineering departments and MacDiarmid Institute at UC during January.
Their programme ends with their attendance at the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology conference AMN-4 in Dunedin next week where they will listen to such speakers as Nobel Prize winning chemist Professor Harold Kroto.
Kate, who is CGHS Head Girl for 2009, said the Discovery Award experience had been brilliant and the physics week was a particular highlight with her because of all the cool machines.
Ben, said as a result of the experience he had added chemistry to medicine and engineering on his list of possible tertiary study options.
“I hadn’t even considered that as an option before this but I really enjoyed and learned a lot during the chemistry part. It was great to work in the lab and see what it is like to do actual research,” said Ben.
Jardin said his highlight was “being in a University for the first time and seeing what it’s really like to do research and use all the awesome equipment”.
“I knew I wanted to major in Chemistry when I came to Uni’ but this experience emphasised that even more and boosted my interest in physics too,” he said.
All three students said it was great to familiarise themselves with the university environment too which would make it “less scary” when they enrolled.
MacDiarmid Institute Director Professor Richard Blaikie said the programme had been a great success.
“It’s been a wonderful experience for me and I’m sure the students have had a good time too. They’ve been very enthusiastic and it’s opened up my eyes again to being a young person and the wonder they see at being in a lab, with all its equipment new to them, and the joy they take from things we take for granted and that we do everyday.”
For further information please contact:
Maria De Cort
Communications Officer
University of Canterbury
Tel: +64 3 364 2072
maria.decort@canterbury.ac.nz