UC Scientists to Discuss Protecting Natural Treasures

Scientists to discuss protecting natural treasures

In the upcoming Royal Society Te Apārangi and UC Connect public lecture – Protecting taonga – a conservation geneticist and an environmental chemist will talk about their work protecting Aotearoa’s natural treasures, kicking off the new national lecture series, Great Kiwi Research: Sharing women’s discoveries.

Associate Professor Sally Gaw is an environmental chemist in UC’s College of Science. In this free public talk, she will give an overview of the research she and her postgraduate students have been undertaking with the goal of protecting freshwater and marine taonga species from contaminants.

UC scientist and senior lecturer Dr Tammy Steeves is a conservation geneticist who works with a number of lesser known taonga species, and says she is happiest when “being of some use”. In this talk, Dr Steeves will give a snapshot of how she and other members of the Conservation, Systematics and Evolution Research Team (ConSERT) use genetic and genomic data to inform the conservation management of one of the world’s rarest wading birds, the critically endangered kakī/black stilt.

Royal Society Te Apārangi is celebrating its 150th year of discovery with a variety of events. This joint UC Connect public lecture is the first in a national public lecture series focusing on the contributions being made by female researchers that are taking us forward into a better future.

UC Connect public lecture:

Protecting taonga: snapshots from a conservation geneticist and an environmental chemist, Associate Professor Sally Gaw and Dr Tammy Steeves, 7pm, on Wednesday 18 October at the University of Canterbury.

Register to attend at:

www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect

ENDS

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