LINK May 2009 Schools Partnership Office | The University of Auckland 2009 Link Conference a success From the editor “It’s been a wonderful day. I appreciate this opportunity to be inspired by your speakers.” Hello everyone “This is what we need to know. That the University is a stimulating place to encourage [our] students to go to.” We hope you had a happy Easter. In this issue we have included some snapshots of the recent Link Conference. Our “Brain Food” theme seemed to get the neurons snapping. Thank you for all your positive and enthusiastic evaluations. Following on from our previous book competition, in this edition we are giving away copies of fast talking PI and CD, by Selina Marsh. We’ve also enclosed a copy of our new junior pamphlet, which you may like to order. This has been designed primarily for giving to younger students at expos, but you may like to trial it with a class or keep some in stock for students who don’t know what they’d like to study. Attending our University Courses and Careers Day can be daunting for some students, so this year we are offering a “Traveller’s Breakfast” for students from the South Island or where group travel is not provided. Our student Uniguides will attend the breakfast and we will run some ice-breaker activities so students will already know some friendly faces when they start uni in 2010. We will be bringing you some posters and cards for students to advertise the breakfast, but if you already know students who plan to visit us on August 29, please ask them to register for this free service by emailing our administrator, Rhona Grogan on [email protected] Our Link Conference saw 118 career advisers Those of you who could not attend can get a join the SPO team for a day of “Brain Food”. A taste of the Brain Food conference through the We are always pleased to see students smorgasbord of academic and student images below, which shows regional delegates outside of Courses and Careers Day so if speakers covered topics such as “The taking their scavenger hunting very seriously, any of your students are in Auckland and Excitement of the Human Brain”, “Why we all John Montgomery’s presentation on Marine would like to come and visit, please ask love Applied Mathematics” and “Dancing Futures, the session on Wine Science, and them to contact us. beyond Borders”, combined with an interactive delegates relaxing and strolling in the sun on May is expo time and the team will be question and answer session with SPO and a the Tamaki Campus. travelling around the regions talking with panel of students. The day ended with a students. We look forward to catching up “practical” session on what proved to be a with many of you during this time. popular subject – Wine Science. Happy Term 2 from the SPO Team. LINK NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED BY Schools Partnership Office EDITOR Sue Heggie Warm regards, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142 Email: [email protected] Sue and the SPO team www.auckland.ac.nz DESIGNER Vanda Tong Link | May 2009 | 1 Spotlight Spotlight on a person Book competition Phillip Chao –Unsung Hero “Selina Marsh is the sassy hip-hop streetwise Samoan siren of South Pacific poetry and Full-time student Phillip has been a Youthline poetics. No, correct that: her poetry and counsellor for the past two years, a mentor poetics are world-class. Her aesthetics and within the Project K programme and a indigenous politics are meld-marvellous and volunteer for Amnesty International. He is also her ideas will blow you away.” a DJ for Starship Hospital’s Radio Lollipop and, – Professor Witi Ihimaera. until recently, was a Red Cross collector and a teacher aid at a holiday programme for children with autism. Amazingly, Phillip also maintains two part-time jobs – one as a call-handler for Lowdown (an organisation helping youngsters deal with depression) and another as a tutor for first Third year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of year Māori and Pacific medical students. Surgery (MBChB) student, Phillip Chao, was Phillip is hard-working and well-balanced. His nominated as an Unsung Hero by the New dedication to our community is heart-warming Zealand Herald. The Unsung Heroes series and inspiring, and makes us look forward to celebrates the work of people who dedicate their the kind of health professional he will become. time to make our community a better place. As the Herald puts it, Phillip is our very own Phillip’s various contributions were enumerated unsung hero - representing the kind of in the article dated 11 March 2009. youngster we want in our communities. Spotlight on scholarships Scholarships for students at all levels - including school-leavers Daniel Pitman is just one of our first-year students who has benefited from a scholarship from The University of Auckland. Daniel is of Ngāpuhi descent and came to the University Selina Marsh is The University of Auckland’s from Whangarei Boys High School where he first Pacific Islander to graduate with a PhD in studied sciences, mathematics, and classical English. You can win Selina’s poetry book and studies. His passion for marine biology has CD entitled fast talking PI simply by answering lead him to focus on biology and ecology at this simple question: Name two special tertiary level. services available to Pacific Island students attending The University of Auckland. Email Daniel was awarded the Peter Spratt Memorial your answer, along with your name and Scholarship, which provides full tuition to contact details, to [email protected]. encourage Māori and Pacific students to study The first four correct emails will win one of for a Bachelor of Science at the University. The these lovely books. scholarship was funded through donations by friends and family of the late scientist Peter university, and his advice to other students is to Spratt, the Royal Society of New Zealand and apply for every scholarship they are eligible for. the wider science community. Since the range of scholarships available From Daniel’s perspective, one of the greatest changes over time, secondary students and their benefits of the scholarship is that it frees him to careers advisors are encouraged to regularly gain experience in his field during the check the list of scholarships publicised by The University holidays, rather than working to earn University of Auckland Scholarships Office. his fees. He hopes this will allow him to advance in his career more rapidly than would More information about scholarships, including otherwise have been possible. He says that his eligibility criteria, can be found on the secondary school careers office was the best Scholarships Office website www.auckland.ac. way to find out about financial support at nz/scholarships Spotlight on a place Māori and Pacific Music Archive The archive recently moved from Pacific Studies to the Library. Christina Muaiava, Archive Founded in 1970, the archive contains the resources Coordinator, is able to accept world's largest collection of audio recordings of requests for copies of audio material, and to traditional music from the Pacific, and is able make the copies onto cassette or CD. It is also Winners of the Let’s Get Art book competition to make copies of much of its holdings on possible to listen to material in her office. were: Andrea Daly – One Tree Hill, Ruth request. The archive also houses many Christina is located in Room 101M, and you Luketina - Mangere College and Susie Gilroy - hundreds of hours of video material from the can either drop in or phone her on ext 87553. Long Bay College. Pacific; one more recent highlight consists of copies of original uncut video recordings from several years of Polyfest. 2 | The University of Auckland Spotlight Engineering Futures Creative careers start with creative degrees Evenings NICAI Pasifika Information Evening Every year the Faculty of Engineering hosts Thursday 25 June, 6.15pm information evenings about the BE(Hons) so that prospective students can learn about a Fale Pasifika - The University of Auckland, 20 career in engineering. Engineering staff and Wynyard Street, Auckland City students will be on hand to answer questions The National Institute of Creative Arts and and provide information about studying Industries (NICAI) offers a range of creative engineering here, at New Zealand’s leading degree programmes in: university. • Architecture and Planning Year 12 or 13 students who enjoy mathematics • Fine and Visual Arts and physics, are inquisitive about the world • Dance Studies and like to problem solve are encouraged to • Music attend. Join us for an evening of music, dance and Five different cities have been chosen to host information for prospective Pacific students the information evenings: and their families. Meet our Pacific students • Whangarei, 17 August at 6.30pm and hear their stories. Learn about our • Tauranga, 18 August at 6.30pm programmes and the creative careers • Hamilton, 19 August at 6.30pm opportunities available for our graduates. Find • Auckland, 20 August at 6.30pm out about scholarships and other support and • Napier, 25 August at 6.30pm services available to Pacific students. Ane Tonga, Bachelor of Fine Arts student. Venues have yet to be confirmed. For further Students can register online at www.creative. information, contact: auckland.ac.nz Mireille Denninger For further information visit the website or Communications Manager phone Naomi Bradshaw on +64 9 373 7599 Faculty of Engineering ext 85788. Email: [email protected] Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 84761 O-Week at the Business School Presentation: Resolving the Creation versus Evolution Controversy The debate over the theory of evolution is challenging our communities.