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Science Deadline

Science Deadline

Science in Budget 2015

The national Budget, announced yesterday, reveals a number of new science and innovation initiatives - including science for the regions, R&D boosts, and better monitoring of the science system.

“The additional funding announced in Budget 2015 will bring the Government’s total investment in science to more than $1.5 billion in 2015/16,” Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said in a media release.

Some key initiatives announced in the budget include:

• Up to $25 million over three years to support the establishment of new privately led Regional Research Institutes,

• An $80 million operating boost over four years to R&D growth grants administered by Callaghan Innovation (announced in April),

• $3 million in re-prioritised funding for science and innovation system performance report and data collection programme,

• An additional $2.2 million for the implementation of the Science in Society strategic plan.

• A new $1 million programme to attract multinational companies to undertake R&D in New Zealand

Regional Research Institutes

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The Government outlined that the the proposed Regional Research Institutes would be funded from a mixture of public and private sources and modelled along the lines of Nelson’sCawthron Institute.

Prof Charles Eason, CEO of Cawthron, welcomed the comparison, saying to the SMC, "It was a nice surprise to be recognised by the Government in this way and that they see us as an exemplar for how to deliver science in the regions. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all."

Drawing on the experience of Cawthron, Prof Eason noted that a strong collaborative focus would be important for the future institutes.

"Overall, they will need to be resilient, proactive, open-minded and collaborative. We certainly wouldn’t be where we are today without the Government, industry and community support we’ve had right from the start."

Commenting to the SMC, Prof Caroline Saunders, Director of Lincoln University's Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit, agreed with Prof Eason.

"Care would have to be taken as to how these operate and not compete with existing capacity and capability as well as work alongside the existing economic development agencies in those regions," she said.

You can read more commentary on the 2015 budget announcements on the Science Media Centre website.

Megathrust earthquakes

Earthquakes were in the headlines this week following news that scientists have found direct geological evidence of 'megathrust' quakes under central New Zealand.

These subduction earthquakes, which occur where tectonic plates meet, have the potential to be larger in magnitude than fault ruptures closer to the surface, and are more likely to trigger tsunamis.

Analysing sediment cores extracted from a coastal lake near Blenheim, the researchers found traces of two previously undetected major subduction earthquakes occurring in the area in the last 1,000 years.

Big Lagoon, near Blenheim, where researchers found buried evidence of the quakes. GNS Science.

“Subduction earthquakes are not a ‘new’ risk for New Zealand, as we have always assumed they can occur, and they are accounted for in our seismic hazard models,” said lead author Kate Clark, of GNS Science, in a media release.

“This study is significant in that it confirms that risk.”

More detail on the study, published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, is available on the GNS Science website.

Commenting on the study, Assoc Prof John Townend from Victoria University Wellington praised the researchers' hard work in uncovering the evidence:

“This study exemplifies the painstaking, multidisciplinary research needed to recognise earthquakes in the geological record and to tease out the details of when and where they happened and how large an area they affected.

“In order to understand the hazard posed to New Zealand by future large earthquakes, we need to know when such earthquakes have occurred in the past — and how big they were. The challenge with this is that the earthquakes of most interest happen very infrequently."

You can read more expert commentary and a round up of national news coverage on the Science Media Centre website.

Farewell Campbell Live

"He made it to ten years, and on reflection, he was bloody lucky to get there."

In an new SMC Blog post, Centre Manager Peter Griffin pays tribute to John Campbell and his team, following yesterday's announcement that current affairs show Campbell Live is being wrapped up.

"The axing of John Campbell’s show and his departure from Mediaworks is a real loss for journalism," Griffin writes.

"We will all miss the quality reporting delivered on Campbell Live, which often delved into science-related issues. Its story this week on the research confirming previous megathrust earthquakes in New Zealand, for instance, was top-notch."

"John Campbell will go on to great things, as will the members of his talented team."

Read the full blog post on the Science Media Centre website.

Top 10 New Species 2015

A cartwheeling spider, a killer maternal wasp and a feathered dinosaur are just some of the weird and wonderful creatures included in the Top 10 New Species 2015.

The Top 10 list, started by International Institute for Species Exploration in 2008, aims to increase public awareness about the biodiversity crisis and to highlight the important role of taxonomy.

"The list highlights the most important, interesting and fascinating discoveries each year," said University of Auckland Professor Zhi-Qiang Zhang, a judge on the selection panel.

"It raises the awareness among the public of the importance of taxonomy - the science for discovering and classifying life on earth - to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of our environment and natural resources."

With approximately 18,000 new species discovered in the last year, there was no shortage of candidates.

The 2015 list included a remarkable coral-like species found in a remote cloud forest in the Philippines by University of Canterbury scientist Dr Pieter Pelser and his colleague Dr Julie Barcelona.

The parasitic plant, Balanophora coralliformis, was seen in an unprotected mountainous area where there is a significant threat of illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture.

Balanophora coralliformis. Credit: P. Pelser and J. Barcelona

"You cannot protect plants and animals that you don't know exist. That is one of the reasons why taxonomy is such an important field of biology," Dr Barcelona explained.

You can read more about the Top Ten List and Dr Pelser's discovery on the Scimex.org.

Written by Amy Guest, Science Media Centre Intern.

Quoted: New Zealand Herald


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Policy news & developments

Budget 2015: The government has released its annual budget including funding announcements for science, health and environment initiatives. A full list of budget releases is availablehere

MfE Science Advisor: Climate scientist Dr David Wratt has been announced as Departmental Science Advisor to the Ministry for the Environment.

Dairy report: Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith are requesting a report on the state of competition in New Zealand’s dairy industry from the Commerce Commission.

New from Sciblogs

Some of the highlights from this week's Sciblogs posts:

A new era for engaging communities with science - Dr Victoria Metcalf, newly announced National Coordinator for the Participatory Science Platform, outlines her vision for science communication in New Zealand.
Guest Work

Mt St Helens eruption – 35 years on - Natural Hazards researcher Dr Caroline Orchiston is on site for the 35th anniversary of the of the St Helens eruption.
Guest Work

Proportion of quaxing households - Economist Aaron Schiff tackles the question of 'quaxing' - car-free shopping - in Auckland.
The Dismal Science


ends

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