Annual Review Highlights of 2015 2 ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND | HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015 From the President From the Chief Executive The Royal Society of New Zealand is taking on new The Society continues to play an important role in challenges as we move towards our 150th anniversary in the New Zealand research community, but also in 2017. We are exploring how we can support the research fulfilling its wider functions to advance and promote and scholarly community more comprehensively, how science, technology and the humanities. we encourage and recognise diversity, and how we During the year we have undertaken considerable reach a wider audience across the sciences (including development of programmes in science and the social sciences), technology and the humanities. technology education. Our longstanding CREST We are building on the major achievements of my programme in schools works best when students predecessor, Sir David Skegg KNZM OBE FRSNZ, who are partnered with working scientists, engineers or led the Society for three years until 30 June 2015. Sir technologists from industry, often influencing future David gained significant support for our role in providing career choice. We welcomed the Institute of IT expert advice on major issues facing New Zealand. Professionals and WelTec’s School of Engineering as In 2015 our Council and senior staff finalised a new new partners in parallel to the continuing partnership strategic plan, which sets out our vision of ‘A New with the New Zealand Institute of Food Science Zealand enriched by fostering science, technology and and Technology. We also launched a new personal the humanities’. The plan is available on the Society’s development programme, Powering Potential, for website and it indicates that we are embracing senior secondary school science students, which drew diversity across everything we do and enhancing interest from a diverse group of schools and students. our international reach whenever we can. Competition remains high for the research investment In December 2015 I had the opportunity to strengthen and research fellowship schemes we manage for the Government, and we were pleased to undertake our international relationships during a visit to Europe important additional programmes in 2015 including with our Chief Executive where we met with office evaluation of Centres of Research Excellence bids holders and staff in national academies in the UK, and pilots for a Teachers in Industry scheme. The Ireland and France. latter is supported by the Government’s ‘Science in In 2016 Council is looking forward to finalising the Society’ programme in which we are seeking to play researcher guidelines for public engagement and more an increasing role. widely disseminating the findings from expert panels We are committed to providing a range of services that working on understanding the implications of climate are valued by the research and scholarly communities change and the mitigation options for New Zealand. and beyond. Increasing the scale of our operations I would like to thank my colleagues on Council, the staff enables us to extend our reach. During the year we in Wellington and our supporters who generously give enlarged the size of hireable space in our main building their time and expertise to support the wide-ranging and are pleased to host an increasing variety of events and varied work that we do to promote the sciences, and meetings. technology and the humanities in New Zealand and Reflecting on my first full year in the role, I remain in our neighbouring region. delighted to lead a team of committed and skilled staff. Their efforts are pivotal to building the relevance and visibility of the Society for the benefit of all New Zealanders. Emeritus Professor Richard Bedford QSO FRSNZ President Dr Andrew Cleland Facing image: Specimens in the Marine Invertebrate Collection FRSNZ held by NIWA, one of 29 national taxonomic collections Chief Executive 4 ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND | HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015 Highlights of our year Our purpose is to advance and promote science, technology and humanities in New Zealand. In 2015 we continued our work on five goals set in 2012. Here’s an introduction to our main activities to achieve our goals and some of the year’s highlights. Goal 1: Meet New Zealand’s Goal 2: Raise awareness of 1 need for information on 2 New Zealand research and challenging issues scholarship Each year we give New Zealanders the opportunity to Each year we celebrate research and scholarship hear the latest about issues facing society. We do this by awarding medals and prizes to New Zealand’s top in a number of ways such as providing expert advice researchers and scholars at the Royal Society of New reports, forums, workshops and public talks and events. Zealand Research Honours event. We also produce eight peer-reviewed journals, providing a platform In 2015 we released a report on the state of taxonomy for publishing New Zealand research and research in New Zealand which called for a coordinated relevant to our region. We support the New Zealand approach to safeguard this important discipline that Science Media Centre, which fosters relationships delivers many benefits to New Zealand, from supporting between the media and scientists to improve the economic growth to protecting human health. coverage of science in New Zealand. 2015 was the International Year of Light. Events In 2015 we saw a strong increase in readership of the included Dr Peter Wothers’ audience-wowing journals, while the Science Media Centre initiated a ‘Chemistry of Light’ demonstrations and the Ten number of new activities including an online portal for by Ten series of talks in which ten New Zealanders embargoed news and listings of science experts for spoke in ten centres on ten different aspects of light, journalists to access. from lasers through to light’s role in literature. Goal 3: Nurture talented 3 people to support research and scholarship We nurture talented people from school students to professional researchers. We foster science education in schools by giving secondary students the opportunity to pursue scientific and technological projects and travel overseas to fairs and science camps. We also assist teachers of science to become science leaders in their schools and communities. The Society supports researchers with fellowships and awards for PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows and established researchers. We award research grants for New Zealand’s Royal Society of most prestigious investigator-led research fund: the New Zealand Council Marsden Fund. The following were members of Powering Potential was launched in 2015 as a the Royal Society of New Zealand development programme for outstanding secondary Council during 2015. students with a passion for science, and we remodelled a programme for science teachers to enable them to Professor Sir David Skegg KNZM OBE FRSNZ, President (until 30 June 2015) lead improvements in science learning in their schools and wider communities. Emeritus Professor Richard Bedford QSO FRSNZ, Councillor (until 30 June We were pleased that the Marsden Fund round showed 2015), President (from 1 July 2015) excellent success rates from preliminary proposal to funded contracts for female and Māori researchers, Professor Gaven Martin FRSNZ, Vice President – Physical Sciences, two groups that are underrepresented in many of our Mathematical Sciences, Technology research awards and honours. An independent external and Engineering review found that Marsden grants lead to increased research outputs. Dr John Caradus FRSNZ, Vice President – Biological and Life Sciences (until 30 June 2015), Goal 4: Engage with Councillor (from 1 July 2015) the international research 4 Professor Barry Scott FRSNZ, community Vice President – Biological and Life The Society manages New Zealand’s representation Sciences (from 1 July 2015) in numerous international scientific unions and Professor Richard Le Heron FRSNZ, administers a number of funds for international research Vice President – Humanities and Social collaborations, such as research exchanges and visits. Sciences Highlights for 2015 were the celebration of 10 years of Professor Stephen Goldson the Dumont d’Urville programme, which fosters linkages ONZM FRSNZ CRSNZ, Councillor between New Zealand and French researchers in the (until 30 June 2015) Pacific region, and the launch of the new Catalyst Fund Dr Liz Gordon MRSNZ, Constituent for advancing global science partnerships for New Zealand. Organisation Representative Associate Professor Christine Jasoni Goal 5: Create an enduring MRSNZ, Regional Constituent organisation with effective Organisation Representative 5 resource management Dr David McNamara MRSNZ, Co-opted Councillor The Society works to maintain its membership by electing leading researchers and scholars to our Academy and Professor Caroline Saunders ONZM, by supporting individual members. We seek to maintain Councillor strong links with our branches, constituent organisations Professor Margaret Tennant FRSNZ, and affiliate organisations and prudently manage our Co-opted Councillor financial resources. Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith CNZM, We improved our financial equity in 2015 and strengthened Co-opted Councillor consultation mechanisms with our branches, constituent Dr Siouxsie Wiles MRSNZ, Councillor organisations and affiliate organisations. (from 1 July 2015) 6 ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND | HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015 Goal 1 Meet New Zealand’s need for 1 information on challenging issues Speaker’s