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University of news for staff | Vol 43 | Issue 1| 14 February

Making science work Sir Paul Nurse (left) with Sir Peter Gluckman. “How can we make science work for society well as people from the wider community, Sir Paul and for the public good?”. presented on two topics crucial to science: “how This was the question addressed by Sir Paul good decisions can be made about what scientific Nurse, President of the Royal Society, at his public research should be supported for the public good” lecture at the Grafton Campus on 14 January. and “how good scientific advice can be given to The lecture attracted an eager crowd of more society”. than 200 people, with some choosing to stand at For Sir Paul’s full speech, which ranges widely the back of the lecture theatre rather than forego over the complexities and dilemmas of funding the chance of hearing Sir Paul speak. scientific research, and on the equally complex To an audience comprising many scientists as challenges of communicating science to society, can be found at www.pmcsa.org.nz (the office of Senior Chinese leader visits the Prime Minister's Science Advisory Committee). Visiting the University in the last weeks of 2012 was Madam Liu Yandong, State Councillor of Highlighted event the People’s Republic of China, the most senior Chinese leader our institution has hosted. Auckland Live - 20/20 Vision architecture, politics, bioscience, and business Madam Liu, who is also Chair of the Council of For fast-forward thinking from six of the - and their insights are not to be missed! The Hanban (the Confucius Institute headquarters), University’s internationally celebrated speakers are Dr Jilly Evans (Science), Norman and who will become a Vice-Premier in March, graduates, come along on 28 February to hear Godden (Arts), Kim Goldwater (Engineering); was in to commemorate the 40th the winners of this year’s Distinguished Alumni the Honourable Jim McLay CNZM, QSO anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic Awards discuss their careers, and their vision (Law), Andrew Patterson (National Institute of relations between New Zealand and China. for New Zealand and the world. Creative Arts & Industries), and Young Joining her delegation on 9 December were The event to be held from 6pm at the Alumnus of the Year Simon Denny (National China’s Minister of Education Yuan Guiren, Auckland Medical Research Foundation (AMRF) Institute of Creative Arts & Industries). Vice-Minister of Science and Technology Wang Auditorium at Grafton Campus will be hosted The reception is at 6pm, doors open Zhigang, the Director-General of Hanban Madam by alumnus and Qantas Media Award winner 6.15pm, and the show begins at 6.30pm. Xu Lin, the ambassadors of both countries, and Finlay Macdonald. Book tickets at www.iticket.co.nz and for more other eminent Chinese officials. These impressive alumni have excelled in a information visit www.auckland.ac.nz/live For a longer story on Madam Lui’s visit, see the wide variety of industries: winemaking, art, University Staff Intranet News.

University news is published by Communications, Fisher Building,18 Waterloo Quadrant, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142. EMAIL [email protected] www.auckland.ac.nz/universitynews Editor Judy Wilford, Tess Redgrave PHOTOGRAPHY Godfrey Boehnke, Lydia Arnold, Dean Carruthers Design AND PRODUCTION The Plate (Auckland University Press, 1991). education and development of an appropriate Julie’s current teaching and graduate medical workforce for NZ, which was the topic of New professors supervisions include Medical Anthropology, her MD research and has been a continuing Ethnographic Research Methods, and New theme in her career. Professor Joanne Zealand ethnography. Professor Paul Wilkes Kench (Department of Professor Laurence (Environment) is a English) was Simmons (Film, coastal educated at Sydney Television and Media geomorphologist and Oxford Studies) was and a leading universities and co-founder of the scholar in coral reef specialises in department at the and reef island Romantic and University of geomorphology. Victorian Literature. Auckland in 1992, Internationally, Her 1999 book, Lord Byron and Madame de employed full-time in he has developed a unique research programme Staël: Born for Opposition, won two international the department focused on understanding the environmental prizes. Her most recent critical study, Women 2005, and appointed controls on the formation and future stability of Reviewing Women in Nineteenth-Century Britain Head of Department in 2010. low-lying coral reef islands located throughout the (Ashgate, 2010) examined how women literary Pacific and Indian oceans. His work has made a He has three main research and publication critics responded to novelists such as Jane Austen, major contribution to global debates concerning interests: contemporary art and film; Italian Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot. the vulnerability and physical stability of small Renaissance culture and Italian film; and critical Joanne also has a long record as an editor of island nations. In New Zealand, his research theory (including film, media and television women’s writing, beginning with Geraldine focuses on coastal morphodynamics and theory) and visual culture. Jewsbury’s 1848 novel, The Half Sisters (1994, processes on gravel beach systems, shore His publications include a book on revised 1998). She went on to edit for Pickering & platform processes and medium-scale coastal contemporary New Zealand painting and Chatto Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton in 2005, change. photography, The Image Always Has the Last and has recently been involved in editing / Paul completed his BA and MA at The Word (Dunmore, 2002), a volume on Freud’s co-editing for the same publisher, three volumes University of Auckland, and earned his PhD from papers on aesthetics, Freud’s Italian Journey of the literary criticism of Margaret Oliphant the University of New South Wales. He has held (Rodopi, 2005), Rethinking New Zealand: Essays (1828-97). academic positions at the Universities of and Interviews on Intellectuals and Public Culture She has been active in service at departmental, Melbourne, Waikato and Auckland and this (Auckland University Press, 2006) and Tuhituhi, faculty and University levels, and is currently year will take up the role of Head of School William Hodges Cook’s Painter in the South Pacific Head of the English Department. of Environment. (Otago University Press, 2011). Laurence has been awarded two Creative New Professor Professor Julie Park Zealand grants, a Senior Fulbright Fellowship and Michael Graduating from Visiting Scholar awards at the universities of Parekowhai (Elam the University of UCLA Santa Barbara, Australian National School of Fine Arts) Otago with BA, MA University and the University of Cambridge. is one of New First Class Hons, and Zealand's most PhD in Anthropology Professor important in the 1970s, Phillippa Poole contemporary art Professor Julie Park (Department of practitioners. received academic Medicine) has a BSc His work is held appointment to the in Mathematics and in all significant University of MBChB from The public and private collections throughout New Auckland in 1993. University of Zealand and Australia, as well as in permanent Her research interests include medical Auckland and is a collections across the Asia-Pacific region and anthropology in New Zealand and Polynesia, Fellow of the Royal Europe. transnationalism, and New Zealand anthropology. Australasian He has an extensive exhibition history, including She is currently working with colleagues on College of the Venice Biennale (2011); the Asia Pacific projects funded by the Health Research Council of Physicians. She gained an MD (Auckland) in 2012. Triennial (2006-2007); the Gwangju Biennale NZ (HRC) and Marsden Fund respectively, on (2004); and the Sydney Biennale (2002). Pacific health, and on moral reasoning at the As a staff member of the Faculty of Medical Michael received an Arts Foundation Laureate intersection of reproductive technologies and on and Health Sciences and through her many Award in 2001 and was awarded the Premier of genetic difference in New Zealand. international activities, Phillippa has contributed Queensland Sculpture Commission in 2012. A book, co-edited with Dr Susanna Trnka and strongly to the development of medical education throughout Australia and New Zealand. She is Dr Christine Dureau (Anthropology), Senses and Professor James now Head of the Department of Medicine, and Citizenship: Embodying Political Life (Routledge) is Curran combines her clinical academic position in the due out in April. Amongst significant publication (Department of department with her work as a specialist general of journal articles, books and monographs, Julie’s Statistics) is a world physician with Auckland District Health Board. publications include “Whakapapa in leading researcher Phillippa’s strong and continuing commitment Anthropological Research on Tuberculosis in the in forensic statistics, to the health of New Zealanders is shown in her Pacific” (Sites, 2011); “Tuberculosis and Syndemics: in particular research interests, which span two distinct areas. Implications for Pacific Health in New Zealand” statistical analysis One is in the management of chronic obstructive (Social Science & Medicine, 2009); and Ladies a of trace evidence, pulmonary disease and the other is in medical

2 14 February 2013 forensic genetics and expert systems for evidence completing a book on language and pretence. Andrew earned his BSc and MSc in Zoology evaluation. For the past 15 years he has also been an and his PhD in Marine Biology from The He consults with forensic agencies in New editor (more recently an author) for the Stanford University of Auckland. Before joining the Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom and Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Frederick has served University as a member of academic staff, he was is involved with the production of expert systems as Head of the Philosophy Department, and has General Manager for Aquaculture and Marine software for the interpretation of evidence. His chaired the University’s Human Participants Biotechnology at NIWA. work has influenced forensic operations Ethics Committee. He is currently the Associate internationally, and he has developed several Dean (Postgraduate) for the Faculty of Arts. Professor André major commercial software packages that allow Nies’ (Computer people without his level of statistical expertise to Science) primary evaluate forensic evidence. Professor Frank interest is in In addition to his focus on forensic statistics, Bloomfield (Liggins computation and its James also has strong interests in statistical Institute and connections to computing and automation projects. James Department of mathematics. Much earned his BSc and MSc in mathematics and PhD Paediatrics: Child of his work is in in statistics from The University of Auckland. He is and Youth Health) computability, a currently a director of the University’s completed his subfield of Bioinformatics Institute and President of the New clinical training as a mathematical logic, Zealand Statistical Association. neonatologist in England, Canada which gives a theoretical background for Professor Grant and New Zealand applications such as analysing the limits of Covic (Electrical and and studied for his PhD at The University of current computers. Computer Auckland. After a postdoctoral placement at the Over the last decade he has studied the Engineering) heads University of Toronto in Canada, he returned to interaction between computability and power electronics join the staff of The University of Auckland. randomness, and more recently he has focused research at The Frank practises clinically at National Women's on the connection between randomness and University of Health, Hospital and heads the effective analysis. Auckland and LiFePATH research group at the Liggins Institute. André studied at Universität Heidelberg, and co-leads the He leads a large multidisciplinary research group has held academic positions at the Universities of inter-operability of scientists, clinicians, research nurses, Wisconsin at Madison, and Cornell University, for sub-team within the technicians and administrators in a programme a semester each, and the University of Chicago SAE J2954 wireless charging standard for electric focusing on fetal and neonatal nutrition, growth for five years. He joined The University of vehicles. and development. He is well-known internationally Auckland in 2002, and has since won two He graduated from the University BE(Hons) for his research on development of the fetal Marsden grants as a principal investigator. PhD and was appointed as a full time lecturer in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the André’s research is internationally renowned 1992, a senior lecturer in 2000, and associate developmental consequences of altered and he is one of only three New Zealand-based professor in 2007 within Electrical and Computer intrauterine growth. Frank is President of the mathematicians to be invited to speak at the Engineering. Perinatal Society of New Zealand and President- International Congress of Mathematicians. His In 2010 he co-founded (with Professor John Elect of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New book Computability and Randomness was Boys), a new global start-up company HaloIPT Zealand. published in 2009 by Oxford University Press. focusing on electric vehicle (EV) wireless charging infrastructure. Today his research and consulting Professor Andrew Professor Alexei interests include power electronics, electric vehicle Jeffs (Leigh Marine Drummond battery charging and inductive (contact-less) Laboratory) is an (Department of power transfer (IPT). expert in Computer Science) aquaculture and describes himself as Professor marine an evolutionary Frederick Kroon biotechnology, biologist who relies (Department of industries that have heavily on Philosophy) has been rapidly computational research interests in growing in New science to model mathematical and Zealand. complex biological philosophical logic, His research interests are broad, ranging from processes. the philosophy of applied projects working closely with the seafood His research interests are centred around language, industry to more esoteric marine ecological issues probabilistic models of molecular evolution and metaphysics, related to aquaculture. He undertakes population genetics, using evolutionary methods epistemology, consultancy in these areas for international to study everything from the spread of HIV to the ethics, and the philosophy of fiction. companies and government agencies. expansion of languages. His work is published extensively in books and Andrew has played a major role in the Alexei completed his BSc and PhD at The journals, among them some of the most emergence of research describing the ecological University of Auckland and spent three years at prestigious English-language journals in significance of underwater sound in the marine the University of Oxford before returning here. He philosophy, such as the Philosophical Review, the environment, and has developed novel is the developer of open-source scientific software Journal of Philosophy, Nous, Ethics, and underwater equipment to advance the field. He is package BEAST, used by scientists around the Philosophical Studies. Much of his recent work has also a leader in the ecology and aquaculture of world for the analysis of molecular sequences, resulted from invitations to contribute to essay spiny lobsters, and studies a wide variety of and wrote the prototype for the award winning collections for publishers such as Oxford commercially important species. software package Geneious. He is the founding University Press, for whom he is currently

The University of Auckland News 3 scientist and Director of Biomatters, a Australia before returning to New Zealand in Professor Susan bioinformatics software company. 1996 to an academic position in the Department Stott (Department Since returning to New Zealand Alexei of Physiology. of Surgery) has been principal investigator on two completed her Marsden Grants and recently was awarded Professor Poul MBChB at The a Rutherford Fellowship. Michael Fønss University of Nielsen (Auckland Auckland, became Professor Simon Bioengineering a Fellow of the Malpas Institute, Royal Australasian (Department of Department of College of Surgeons Physiology, School of Engineering in 1989, and was Medical Sciences, Science, and Liggins awarded a Fellowship of the Australasian Faculty and Auckland Institute) is a of Rehabilitative Medicine in 2004. Bioengineering Principal Susan joined the staff of the University in 1997 Institute), investigator in the Auckland Bioengineering after working in the United States and investigates the role Institute, an academic member of the completing her PhD at the University of Southern of the central Department of Engineering Science, and an California. She currently divides her time nervous system in Honorary Professor of the Liggins Institute. between the Department of Surgery and Starship the development of cardiovascular disease with a Poul's research focuses on using novel Children’s Hospital, where she is a paediatric specific focus on the sympathetic nervous system. instrumentation, detailed computational models, orthopaedic surgeon and Clinical Director of the His research team has developed a range of and quantitative descriptions of physical Paediatric Orthopaedic Department. Since 2008 platform technologies for the wireless monitoring processes to gain a better understanding of she has been a Board Member of the Health of physiological signals. This research was human physiology. Many of his projects couple Research Council of New Zealand and a member commercialised through the spin-out company, mathematical modelling with innovative of the HRC Ethics Committee. Telemetry Research in 2005 which maintains a instrumentation to improve our ability to The major focus of Susan’s research is on the strong research and development programme in understand and interpret measurements of impact of acquired neurological disorders such collaboration with the Auckland Bioengineering complex biological systems, subject to the as cerebral palsy on musculoskeletal function and Institute. More recently the company merged constraints of well-understood physical walking ability in childhood. She is currently with Millar Instruments and Simon is Chief conservation and balance laws. working with colleagues from Auckland Scientific Officer for the company. Bioengineering Institute to develop Simon is a graduate of Victoria University and musculoskeletal models to better understand the The University of Otago and he did postdoctoral changes in muscle and joint function in children research in Japan, the United Kingdom, and with neurological and other physical disabilities.

Wednesday 20 February bthrm available from mid January Internet. Short or long term. Prefer non- What’s on Inaugural lecture 2013 in a modern, sunny, four bdrm smoker, female. $190 pw. Phone Helen on Grafton townhouse (share with owner). (027) 301 6888 or email saturday 16 February Prof Saville Kushner: Educational achievement and other illusive Short walk to the University, Hospital, [email protected] Exhibition talk outcomes: How the measureable Medical School and Auckland Domain. Mt Eden apartment: Fully furnished, The nervous motion between art, overwhelms the immeasurable. 7pm, Suit visiting academic/professional. cosy and modern big apartment. $280 narrative and science. 1pm, Gus Fisher Lecture Theatre 102, OGH. References available and will send pw including expenses. One large bdrm, Gallery, 74 Shortland St. RSVP to http://savillekushnerlecture. photos on request. $250pw + expenses. lounge, kitchen and bbq area. Electricity, Emeritus Professor Roald Hoffmann eventbrite.co.nz Contact [email protected] water, phone (free nationwide calls) and from Cornell University, will discuss All welcome. Devonport, three-bdrm fully-furnished 30GB Internet. One stage bus fare to the images on display in the Art of character home for rent. Available mid- downtown, two minutes to bus stop, the Invisible exhibition. Queries to June 2013 to end January 2014. Quiet 10 mins walk to Mt Eden shops, quiet [email protected] SATURday 23 February friendly neighbourhood. Ten minute neighbours and close to amenities. walk to Devonport village, schools, and Available 17 March until 20 April 2013. Exhibition event MONday 18 February ferry to Auckland campuses. Sunny with Contact Mariaelena on (021) 1420445 or Discussion with Dr Cather Simpson: private garden and modern appliances. email [email protected] Hood Fellow lecture Where is the soul in science, and Three dble bdrms, two living areas, high- anytime to arrange to view. Prof Joanna Aizenberg, Harvard where should it be? 1pm, Gus Fisher speed Internet. Rent negotiable. Email Office/studio for rent. Suit designer/ University: Learning from nature how Gallery, 74 Shortland St. Queries to [email protected] writer/architect/composer etc. Light, quiet, to build smart, adaptive materials. 2pm [email protected] Freemans Bay townhouse for rent. clean and private space accommodating Rm 423-342, 22 Symonds St. Enjoy the ease of living within walking one or two people. Facilites include an air distance of the University. Sunny, conditioner/heater and separate phone Tuesday 19 February Classifieds warm spacious townhouse with two line. Close to Mt Eden train station and Bioengineering research seminar dble bdrms, internal two car garage, bus services. $150 pw plus Internet. Syn Schmitt, Human Movement ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE furnished or unfurnished. $550 pw. Contact Marianne on (09) 308 9072, (021) Simulation Lab, Dept of Sport and Available March 2013 until March 2014. 023 12340 or [email protected] Available now: One-bdrm apartment Exercise Science, and Oliver Röhrle, Contact Gill, (027) 2856444 in city centre. Close to Britomart, Junior Research Group on Continuum or [email protected] Foodtown, Downtown Shopping Centre, MISCELLANEOUS Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Grafton apartment for rent. Two University, Queen St. Stunning views of Travel. I have 12 years experience in Institute of Mechanics, University of bdrm, unfurnished, secure complex, harbour, Rangitoto, Eastern Suburbs. booking all aspects of personal travel Stuttgar: What can we learn from two carparks, pool and gym. Minutes Fully furnished including whiteware, for university staff and lecturers. I pride the biological motor using simulation walking from Medical School and DVD, Sky TV. Plenty of parking nearby. myself in ensuring that your travel plans technology and engineering techniques? University. Available from mid February. Ideal tenants: professional, no pets or are sourced at the lowest possible costs 4-5pm, Ground Floor Seminar Rm G010, Contact Benson Kerse on (09) 5381059. smokers please. $420 pw. Phone (09) and are tailor-made to your requirements. UniServices House, 70 Symonds St. Kingsland. Two-bdrm town house to 348 5319 or (021) 932 391 or email share with owner. Only 2.5 kms from Contact Karen on [email protected] University. Easy bike, train, or bus ride. [email protected] or Comfortable room with separate Fully furnished, quiet, secure, wireless 940 0064 (wk) or (021) 188 7781.

For a full list of The University of Auckland events see www.auckland.ac.nz/events Please email classified ads to [email protected] nine days before publication. Cost $20 (incl GST).

4 14 February 2013