Thu, 2 Dec 2004

Atoms revealed by million dollar microscopes

Two state-of-the-art electron microscopes were officially opened for use at Victoria University today by Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey.

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Two state-of-the-art electron microscopes were officially opened for use at Victoria University today by Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey. The microscopes will allow scientists to study areas not previously possible in New Zealand as they are capable of magnifications of up to a million times and can photograph atoms.

The microscopes were purchased by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. The Institute is led by world-renowned scientist Professor Paul Callaghan and is one of seven Centres of Research Excellence in the Tertiary Education Commission's CoREs programme.

"The opening of this microscope facility is an important step forward for the Institute and the New Zealand research community," Steve Maharey said. "It's a perfect example of what the CoREs programme was established to do.

"The CoRE, in this case the MacDiarmid Institute, partners with a tertiary institution to provide the resources and expertise necessary to produce world-class research. The value of such research is enormous - researchers benefit, tertiary institutions and their students benefit, and the reputation of New Zealand's status as a world-leader in research and innovation is enhanced.

"The scanning electron microscope is in wide use by researchers from six of the seven partner institutions that belong to this particular CoRE. It has also proven popular with year three chemistry students at the university and other local school children visiting the MacDiarmid Institute."

The role of the seven CoREs is to support leading edge, international standard innovative research that fosters excellence and contributes both to New Zealand's national goals and to knowledge transfer. The research may be in any area including the social sciences and humanities. Information can be found about the CoREs programme and the seven CoRE institutions at http://www.tec.govt.nz/funding/research/core/core.htm

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>