School Teacher Meets Passion

Dialogue11 . 2005 11 Growth – the good Bright Futures Saving the world and the bad with science PA G E 4 PA G E 5 PA G E 7 School teacher meets passion The Liggins Institute Fellowship for Teachers programme takes off Science is the most fascinating discipline anyone could engage in! That’s the firm conclusion of Chhaya Narayan, head of science and careers advisor at Auckland’s Elim Christian College. Chhaya spent four weeks at the Liggins Institute in September on the Liggins Institute Fellowship for Teachers (LIFT) programme. She joins a succession of secondary school teachers taking part in the programme designed to help teachers motivate young people to develop an interest in science and biotechnology. “I applied to the programme because I wanted to come back with experiences I could use to stimulate my students,” explains Chhaya. “I had the opportunity to speak to most of the researchers at the Liggins, which gave me a holistic view of the research done there. Everyone was so passionate about their work and willing to share their knowledge, which made every day at the Institute a worthwhile one for me. ‘I came to appreciate that scientists are ‘real’ people working hard on ‘real’ projects. I realised that it can take years of research to make a significant breakthrough. “I also learnt how research progresses – how scientists move from formulating their research questions through to publishing their findings,” she adds. In their first week, participating continued on pages 2 and 3 Associate Professor Bernhard Breier (left) sits with teacher Chhaya Narayan. PAGE 1 An intellectual journey Children of the 21st Century Professor Peter Gluckman, Director of the “Those same adaptations mean that A proposed new study aims to optimise the development of our children Liggins Institute, was this year awarded a the baby will grow into an adult who is Hood Fellowship for travel to Europe and more prone to diseases such as obesity the United States. and diabetes. But this pathological aspect The research team is led by Dr Susan in the 1970s, ensuring that government The Hood Fund was established last year only exists because so many humans are Morton, a public health medicine specialist. continues to have up to date information to by The University of Auckland Foundation sedentary and are flush with food. Susan holds a joint appointment between help it develop policy,” adds Ross Mackay, in recognition of Dr John Hood’s Vice “The phenomenon must represent a the Liggins Institute and the School of principal advisor in the Ministry of Social Chancellorship. One of its functions is normal developmental process rather than a Population Health within the Faculty Development’s research unit. to award the University’s top academics pathological process. of Medical and Health Sciences at The Dr Morton says she expects a new study with fellowships for travel to prestigious “In a nutshell, that’s the theory I used my University of Auckland. would involve several thousand children and institutions. This year’s fellowships fellowship to find out more about – all the “During the next 18 months we will their families. She envisages that children are generously supported by the Lion details, down to what controls it in humans formulate the key areas of focus for a new would enter the study while still in the Foundation. at the molecular level.” study, establish how to identify and contact womb, during their mother’s third trimester Professor Gluckman describes his Professor Gluckman pursued a hectic prospective participants, how to gather the of pregnancy. Mothers and families tend fellowship as “a thrilling intellectual schedule in the United Kingdom and the information and how to retain participating to be focused on the imminent arrival of experience.” United States to speak to experts including families in the study over the long term,” their babies at this time, which would assist His mission during his trip abroad between anthropologists, ecologists, human life history Professor Peter Gluckman travelled widely to says Dr Morton. “Our work will help the recruitment. It would also allow the influence April and June was to explore the interaction biologists and evolutionary biologists. test and expand his theories. This is the official government determine, at that point, whether of development prior to birth, as well as portrait to celebrate his deanship of the Faculty of it is the right time to invest in what would be conditions at birth such as prematurity, to be between evolutionary biology, developmental “I discovered that indeed nobody had Medical and Health Sciences at The University of biology and human medicine. addressed the relationship of these fields to Auckland (1992–2001). a 20 to 25 year study.” taken into account. “The interaction of these fields is human biology. I was breaking new ground,” Sav Schulman A new study would give researchers the Dr Morton expects that a new study fundamental to our bodies, our health and he said. “The theories I proposed were chance to study the development of New could discover what makes children aspects of our behaviour. Yet when the well received and appeared very solid. I to discuss theories is a huge advantage to an Zealand children in more detail than before, resilient to challenging events in their lives. fields are brought together to look at how the received a number of invitations to extend academic, Professor Gluckman believes. and in the context of their families and their “Many past studies have tended to focus environment influences biology, no one ever the interactions.” Staying for a length of time in the same wider environment. It would also assess the on what determines poor outcomes, or the mentions humans! Professor Gluckman has already written longitude means that discussions can take Dr Susan Morton will lead the design of a new impact of new technologies, mass media and development of at-risk groups,” she says. “A “Insects, other mammals and even one book on this subject, The Fetal Matrix, place unmarred by the cloud of jetlag. long-term study of children’s development. social values. new study would consider outcomes across one-celled organisms – there’s plenty with his colleague Professor Mark Hanson “We’re working with a biology we don’t Dr Morton says studies that follow the normal range and focus particularly of information on them in this area. For from the University of Southampton. Their fully understand – but as a result of the ‘Cannabis is linked to increased violence, individuals over a long time, known as on what it is that determines optimum example, locusts develop different bodies proposals for further books on the same fellowship we have developed for the first television watching to poorer academic longitudinal studies, were popular in the development and resilience.” and behaviour depending on signals they premise have been accepted by Cambridge time a decent conceptual framework so we success.’ Amazing insights into human 1970s. They have again found favour The design work will be governed by a get from the environment, such as how much and Oxford University Presses, and the pair can put all these things together. That’s health and behaviour have been gleaned internationally because of the valuable joint committee that includes the Ministries food is around. wrote much of one book during Professor vitally important in science,” he says. from internationally recognised studies in information they can uncover, she says. of Health and Education, the Treasury, the “The same clearly applies to humans. Gluckman’s fellowship. “You can get so busy in your job that you Dunedin and Christchurch that have tracked “There are numerous studies underway Families Commission, the Office of the When a fetus develops in an environment Visits to the World Bank and the World don’t get a chance to think. My brain cells children’s development over a number of overseas. An aim of a new New Zealand Children’s Commissioner and Statistics New (a womb) that supplies less than optimal Health Organisation were also part of were renewed.” decades. Now a new long-term study is study would be to compare the findings Zealand. Further information is available at nutrition, the baby is born with an anatomy, Professor Gluckman’s fellowship, reflecting being designed. with those of other countries and the earlier www.msd.govt.nz. physiology and hormonal system that helps the relevance his research topic has to The new study will be designed by a New Zealand studies, which continue to it survive and reproduce well when food international public health. multidisciplinary team of researchers from provide valuable information about the life For more information on the Dunedin supplies are unpredictable. Being able to sit down with leading experts Auckland, Otago and Victoria universities. course of New Zealanders over the last three Multidisciplinary Health and Development The design work has been commissioned decades.” study, and the Christchurch Health and by the Ministry of Social Development “A new longitudinal study would capture Development Study, see dunedinstudy.otago. in conjunction with the Health Research the social shifts that have occurred since the ac.nz and www.chmeds.ac.nz/research/chds Council of New Zealand. Christchurch and Dunedin studies began respectively. Continued from front page. continued from page 2 to the Institute would be a more powerful passion for it,” he says. “LIFT gives teachers The LIFT programme is one way to close way to reach their school pupils. From this this opportunity.” the gap between high schools and research teachers receive an introduction to the “It’s a win-win situation,” he says. “The This allows participating teachers to remain starting point he developed the current The teacher’s students come to the institutions like the Liggins Institute.” Institute’s research themes and choose an teachers get a sense of what it’s like to be a on their usual salary, while all costs of a programme.

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