MasseyAuckland • Palmerston North • Wellington • Extramural News16 Pipiri, June 2008 Issue 8 Award for commitment to mental health Page 3 Bachelor of Midwifery graduate Gwen O’Neill couldn’t resist bringing her most special guest on stage with her – three-week-old Archie. Graduation First novel shortlisted for top book award Wellington Page 5 Mr Kolb diving for leeches in the Arctic Ocean. Below, an Arctic leech. Marine leeches in Antarctic may Engineering an art form provide climate change clues Page 13 Elusive marine leeches in Antarctica are the focus of study on he is one of a handful of biologists internationally studying how climate change is affecting vulnerable fish species. marine leeches. German-born doctoral researcher Juergen Kolb The bloodsuckers have generally been says it is proven that leeches transmit viruses and ignored by scientists because they are so bacteria into host bodies, and that new strains are hard to find and collect, he says. But gaining currently arriving in Antarctica. a better understanding of their biology and “The situation is potentially quite dangerous. If ecological importance could provide vital conditions become warmer, we’ll get new types of clues about the impact of climate change on pathogens being transmitted into fish. Not only can fragile ecological systems and the survival of this cause harm or death of individual fish but lead to less adaptive animal species. the collapse of entire fish populations,” says Mr Kolb. Although little is known about marine “Eventually this could threaten commercial fishing industries leeches in extreme environments such as Antarctica, Above: Sunia Foliaki was made a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at the Cell-phone drivers as dangerous as drunks and the food sources that humans depend on.” their physiology is thought to be similar to fresh water and afternoon graduation ceremony. Based at Massey’s Institute of Natural Resources in Auckland, terrestrial leeches in warmer habitats. Left: Graduate Leith Porter-Samuels celebrated with whänau at the ceremony to Page 15 continues page 2 honour Mäori graduates held in the Great Hall. http://news.massey.ac.nz © Massey University 2008 http://news.massey.ac.nz Notices 16 June 2008 - issue 8 AK – Wednesday 25 June Postgraduate 10.00am to 7.00pm Publisher: Massey University Communications and Marketing Course Advice Day Tainui Education Grants – 29 June 2008 Visit us at our Course Advice Day. An Printed: Massey University Printery Next issue: 30 June 2008 essential step to ensure you are well AMP Scholarship Programme – 30 June 2008 prepared for university study before Semester Notices: All notices should be sent to editor@massey. 2 classes start. NZ Planning Institute Bursary – 30 June 2008 ac.nz by Monday prior to publication. 10 am - 1 pm and 5pm to 7 pm Event notices should be submitted to the web - http:// http://cms.massey.ac.nz/massey/study/ events.massey.ac.nz and classifieds to Nga Manu Trust Scholarship – 30 June 2008 http://ads.massey.ac.nz (please note that classified services-for-students/whats-on/auckland/ advertisements are a service for University staff. These course-advice-day.cfm Putaruru Veterinary Club Education Trust – 30 are not published in the print edition of Massey News. Venue: Atrium Building June 2008 Contact: Jo Wilkins Advertising: All classified advertisements, including accommodation, are now available online at http://ads. Ph: 09 414 0800 ext 9184 Royal Society of NZ Medals & Awards – 30 massey.ac.nz June 2008 For paid advertisement enquiries, contact the editor. AK – Thursday 26 June Circulation: Please advise David Wiltshire of your 9.00pm to 5.00pm Massey University Doctoral Scholarship – 1 Humanities and Social Sciences Day circulation and delivery changes. July 2008 email: [email protected] High schools are invited to bring their senior students (Y12 & 13) to participate in a Massey University Masterate Scholarship – 1 Copyright: Articles and photos are copyright. We welcome reprinting if permission is sought. Contact Humanities and Social Sciences Experience July 2008 Day at Massey University Auckland. The Communications and Marketing. draft programme can be found at the website Massey University Masterate Scholarship for Contact: above. Maori Students – 1 July 2008 http://sscs.massey.ac.nz Director of Communications (Acting): James Gardiner Venue: Sir Neil Waters Building Gate 1 Albany China Scholarships – 4 July 2008 Expressway email: [email protected] Tel 06-350-5255 or 021-275-3394 Contact: Leanne Menzies NOTICEBOARDS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE Ph: 09 441 8163 FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: Communications Manager (Acting): Lindsey Birnie SOCIAL SCIENCES LECTURE BLOCK FOYER, email: [email protected] TURITEA SITE AND Tel 06-350-5185 or 027-534-5622 If you wish to register an event please IN EACH ACADEMIC UNIT use the online events submission form at Communications Advisers: Mr Kolb overlooking the Arctic Ocean where he went diving for elusive marine leeches. http://events.massey.ac.nz. For other event enquiries please contact a campus events General notices Helen Vause (College of Business) coordinator or email events-admin@massey. [email protected] email: [email protected] Marine leeches may provide climate change clues Tel 09-414-0821 or 027-540-0701 ac.nz. from page 1 The Grant Institute: Certificate in Jennifer Little (Auckland campus) Based on his earlier research on Arctic email: [email protected] attached to seaweed, algae, fish and crabs. earthworm but with suckers at both ends. A Professional Program Development and marine leeches, Mr Kolb says it is highly Tel 09-414-0821 ext 9331 or He then decided to continue his research leech is a thin tube of muscles around a cavity Scholarships and Grant Communication will be held at the likely leeches will survive any rise in water 027-453-4562 from New Zealand because of its proximity containing a gut and reproductive system. It Awards University of Otago - Auckland Centre, July temperature from global warming that would to Antarctica. He hopes to gather a much can flatten its body to avoid being removed http://awards.massey.ac.nz 28 - August 1, 2008. Interested development Lindsey Birnie (College of Sciences) threaten other extreme cold water-adapted greater quantity of leeches, this time by an from a host and, if necessary, swim in an professionals, researchers, faculty, and email: [email protected] species more sensitive to change. Tel 06-350-5185 or 027-534-5622 easier method of catching leech-covered undulating movement for kilometres. graduate students should register as soon Mr Kolb began his studies at the University fish off the Antarctic coast. He will carry out A Snap-Shot of Scholarships Closing May “I’ve always been fascinated by parasites,” as possible, as demand means that seats Kereama Beal (College of Education, Palmerston North of Freiburg in Germany. In 2006 he sailed on genetic analysis on the leeches to determine says Mr Kolb. /June 2008: full information about these will fill up quickly. Please forward, post, and campus, Massey News Editor) a Norwegian scientific research vessel to how closely they are related to other leech “They are extreme in terms of their scholarships and all others scholarships can distribute this e-mail to your colleagues and email: [email protected] Svalbard Archipelago – halfway between Tel 06-350-5019 or 027-471-8571 species. physiology and adaptation to their parasitic be found on http://awards.massey.ac.nz/ listservs. Norway and the North Pole – where he dived Leeches, or Hirudinea, are a class of Phylum lifestyle. They are, by nature, ultimate survivors All participants will receive certification in up to 35 metres deep in freezing waters. Bryan Gibson (College of Humanities and Social Annelida or segmented worms – most widely – if you are a fish you have a hard time killing professional grant writing from the Institute, Sciences) But difficult conditions meant he was able Undergraduate represented by the common earthworm. a leech.” as well as 3.5 CEU units. For more information email: [email protected] to collect only seven leeches, which were Leeches are divided into sections like an Tel 06-350-5562 or 021-819-487 Tainui Education Grants – 29 June 2008 call 00-1213-817-5308 or visit The Grant Institute at www.thegrantinstitute.com Katherine Hoby (College of Creative Arts, Wellington AMP Scholarship Programme – 30 June 2008 The Grant Institute Campus) Massey News Certificate in Professional Program email: [email protected] Development and Grant Communication Tel: 04-801-5799 ext 62334 16 Pipiri 2008 - issue 8 NZ Planning Institute Bursary – 30 June 2008 will be held at the Mäori Communications Manager: For the latest news from Massey, or Director of Communications (Acting): Editor: Copyright: Articles and photos are NZ Property Institute Study Award – 30 June University of Otago - Auckland Centre Lana Simmons-Donaldson to subscribe to an expanding range of James Gardiner Kereama Beal copyright. We welcome reprinting 2008 July 28 - August 1, 2008 email: [email protected] electronic newslatters, visit email: [email protected] email: [email protected] if permission is sought. Contact 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tel 04-801-5799 ext 62333 or 021-821-835 http://news.massey.ac.nz Tel 06-350-5255 or 021-275-3394 Tel 06-350-5019 Communications and Marketing. Putaruru Veterinary Club Education Trust – 30 Electronic Publications Coordinator: Publisher: Massey University Communications Manager (Acting): For full list of