Events

People commonly, but mistakenly, think of genes as dictating our makeup, our physiology and even our actions. Many attempts to explain behavioural patterns use “inherent” differences as an excuse, perhaps particularly when it comes to gender and the way men and women behave. But we can’t point the finger at biology to account for complex gender differences.

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Welcome to the first Polar and Alpine Microbiology conference in the Southern Hemisphere.
This conference will continue with the tradition of a single session divided into thematic topics related to the exciting research being carried out globally in polar and alpine ecosystems.

The conference is organised by The International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR) at the University of Waikato and the local organising committee.

The schedule will include four days of oral and poster presentations with a mid-week day off to participate in a number of organised day trips into the heart of New Zealand.

Following the conference, we intend to host a series of workshops presenting some of the latest methods and developments in the field.

Early-bird registration deadline: 10th December 2018

Conference Website here. 

Speaker: Professor Arndt von Haeseler, Scientific Director at Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Vienna Biocenter / Professor of Bioinformatics, University of Vienna/Medical University of Vienna.

Counting DNA or RNA molecules using next-generation sequencing (NGS) suffers from amplification biases. Counting unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) instead of reads is still prone to over-estimation due to amplification and sequencing artifacts and under-estimation due to lost molecules. We present an algorithm that corrects for these errors, based on a mechanistic model of the PCR and sequencing process whose parameter have an immediate physical interpretation and are easily estimated. We demonstrate that our algorithm outputs essentially unbiased counts with substantially improved accuracy.

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Preterm infants and growth-restricted newborns are at high-risk of brain injury that can lead to severe neurological disorders, cognitive deficits and psychiatric diseases. There are currently no therapeutic interventions available to protect the brain of these high-risk infants.

Hypoxia-Ischemia, inflammation and fetal growth restriction are major triggers of preterm brain damage and altered brain development.

Lactoferrin ß (LF) has roles in the iron homeostasis and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. A role of lactoferrin in brain development and cognition is also suggested.

Using different rodent models of developmental brain injuries, we have shown that lactoferrin given through lactation reduces inflammation, neuro-axonal apoptosis, and attenuated macro- and micro-structural alterations.

In conclusion, LF given as a supplement during lactation reduces acute and long-term cerebral alterations in chronic and acute developmental brain injury models. LF could play a key role in future neuroprotective strategies to protect the brain of the preterm and growth restricted infants.

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This research looks at the specific language of Stereoscopic 3D techniques (S3D) in the framework of digital technology. It considers the relationship between aesthetic strategies and the forms of story-telling and representational content in Argentinean animated feature films that were produced and exhibited in 3DS since 2010.

Considering that animation as a language has its own rules of design, composition, story-telling and assembly in the broad field of audiovisual disciplines (Saenz Valiente, 2009), this study seeks to systematize how the characteristics of the design, production and distribution processes of S3D were constituted. It contextualizes a practice of designer and aesthetic fact, historically at the beginning of the 21st century and in relation to the conditions established by digital technology that makes it possible to sustain the pipe line of production.

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Internet and mobile phone interventions targeting unhealthy alcohol use have been available for more than 20 years. Enough research has accumulated for the conduct of systematic reviews supporting the overall efficacy of these interventions. This presentation will take a ‘trees in the forest’ approach – discussing the types of interventions available, and the issues with conducting research in this area – to provide a critical overview of current research as well as a discussion of future directions. Examples will be drawn primarily from the presenters’ own research in this area.

Professor John Cunningham (PhD, experimental psychology, University of Toronto, 1995) works in the intersection between clinical and population health. His research is driven by the question, “how do people change from addictive behaviours?” To answer this question, John has combined population research methods with clinical and other research traditions. The findings from these studies have been translated into a series of brief interventions for people with unhealthy alcohol use, or other addictions concerns, that can be applied in treatment or community settings. John currently holds a Canada Research Chair in Addictions, is a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and a Professor at the University of Toronto.

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2019 will mark 75 years since the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering first opened its doors. We intend to celebrate this milestone with our alumni on Friday the 8th of February 2019. Over the course of the day we will revisit CAPE's past, explore our curent spaces and activities, and hear from some of our alumni.  \

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Here, you will find information about the venue, registration, abstract submission, our keynote speakers, and the programme. Information will be updated regularly as it becomes available.

The International Conference on Mindfulness – Asia Pacific (ICM-AP) will bring the ICM conference series to New Zealand. In 2016, ICM was held in Rome, and in July 2018, it will be in Amsterdam (www.cmc-ia.org/icm2018amsterdam). In 2019, we will add a unique South Pacific flavour! We are proud to host our international visitors during the time of the year when Auckland summer weather will present itself at its most magnificent.

You will find that the conference has a large variety of topics and presentations to offer. There is a well-established evidence base for the health benefits of mindfulness, and we are now showing how it can be applied in a wide range of situations. Our keynote speakers have been carefully selected to showcase the variety of applications of mindfulness (such as in clinical situations and education), including in the Asia Pacific region. 

Conference Website here.

By 2062, experts in artificial intelligence estimate we will have created machines as intelligent as humans. Is this the end or a new beginning?

Professor Walsh is a strong advocate for limits to ensure AI is used to improve our lives. He has been a leading voice in the discussion about autonomous weapons (aka "killer robots"), speaking at the UN in New York and Geneva on the topic. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and recipient of the NSW Premier's Prize for Excellence in Engineering and ICT. He appears regularly on TV and radio, and has authored two books on AI for a general audience, the most recent entitled 2062: The World that AI Made.

For more info, see the University of Otago website. 

Healthier Lives is pleased to share the details of an upcoming symposium on the role of dietary fibre in preventing and treating non-communicable diseases, and the importance of knowing what New Zealanders eat to inform effective health research and policy. A line up of distinguished and up-and-coming researchers from New Zealand will be joined by international speakers, Emeritus Professor John Cummings, world expert on dietary fibre, and Tracey Hambridge, of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Jerome F. Singleton, PhD, CTRS is a Professor in the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

His research is focused in the area of Leisure and Ageing. He was made a Fellow of the World Demographic Association, named Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association Professional of the Year and is a founding member of the Leisure and Aging Research Group, which was established in 2008.

This free seminar is hosted by the New Zealand Society of Diversional and Recreational Therapists Inc and the School of Population Health.

More information 

Join AI Forum NZ and FinTechNZ at the first joint event of the Tech Alliance 2019 event series, looking at how AI is transforming customer service experience across the financial industry. 

For AI Forum dates and locations in Auckland and Christchurch, check techalliance.nz.

Symposium – Vitamin C for Cancer and Infection: from Bench to Bedside
There has been an upsurge in new discoveries around the role of vitamin C in cancer and infection. Public awareness and the interest of many health professionals in vitamin C has increased following a number of recent reports of clinical benefit from vitamin C administration and new mechanistic insights are providing rationales for targeted clinical trials.

This Symposium brings together the widest group of international experts working in the field of vitamin C, cancer and infectious diseases ever gathered in New Zealand. These comprise respected international research scientists and clinicians conducting clinical trials who will share their latest discoveries in the fields of cancer and infection.
More info: http://vitaminc2019.co.nz/

The Commonwealth Ocean Acidification Action Group Workshop will bring approximately 45 international experts and Commonwealth marine policy and science officials together to share knowledge and experience to better understand and address the impacts of ocean acidification.

Dr Christina McGraw of Otago’s Department of Chemistry, and Chair of the NZOAC Council, says the drop in pH of our oceans (or ‘ocean acidification’) in a relatively short historical timeframe makes the issue one of the most significant influencers of ocean health today.

“Ocean Acidification is something that is happening now. We can’t stop it until we reduce carbon emissions, but we can start thinking about ways to plan and mitigate for it. The more people we have thinking about it now, the more ideas that can be generated towards the issue,” Dr McGraw says.

The workshop is the first activity by the Commonwealth Ocean Acidification Action Group, which New Zealand volunteered to champion as part of its support for the Commonwealth Blue Charter – an agreement by all 53 Commonwealth countries to collaborate to solve ocean-related problems and sustainably manage the ocean. Manager of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Environment Division Rosemary Paterson said New Zealand was proud to support the Commonwealth Blue Charter.

“Commonwealth countries are responsible for a third of the world’s national coastal waters and many of us are vulnerable to the impacts of ocean acidification, so it’s vital we step up to lead collective action on this significant threat facing the globe,” she says.

More information is available on the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre website. 

The past five decades have seen a total paradigm shift in our understanding of the microbiology of Antarctic terrestrial environments, some of the most extreme habitats on Earth. From the culture-dependent studies of Dry Valley microbiology in the early 1970s prior to the US Mars Viking missions, through to the latest landscape-scale studies using advance metagenomics, international researchers have been fascinated by the ‘extreme’ microbial ecology of the eastern Antarctic desert soils.

Over this period and with the dramatic evolution of molecular technologies, Professor Cowan and colleagues have come to understand some of the complexities, both in structure and function, of Antarctic soil microbial communities. These communities are more diverse, more complex, more spatially heterogeneous and more responsive than ever imagined.

In this seminar Professor Cowan will summarise the 50-year evolution of Antarctic soil microbial ecology, highlighting both the revelations and the limitations of research on this harsh but charismatic environment.

More information.

This two day symposium provides an opportunity for both emergent and established scholars and practitioners in the field of sexuality education to engage with what more sexuality education could become. Responding to contemporary issues in sexuality and gender politics, the presenters will explore what might be productive about considering alternative approaches to sexuality education which come in "slantwise".

For more info, see the University of Canterbury website. 

Professorial Fellow Nathan Hughes, Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, examines the influence of health and developmental difficulties on the risk of criminality and criminalisation among young people and young adults, with a particular focus on experiences of neurodevelopmental disorders and traumatic brain injury.

Strong international evidence shows that neurodevelopmental disability, poor mental health, trauma, and experiences of child maltreatment all appear to increase the risk of exposure to criminal justice systems in adolescence.

Come along to find out more about the persuasive evidence that could influence approaches to reforms relating to criminalisation on the basis of health and developmental difficulties.

More information. 

The University of Canterbury's engineering school presents this year's Guthrie Debate on the future of the engineer. 

Professor Peter Guthrie OBE FREng, will be joined by the following speakers for the debate:

• Dr Duncan Webb – MP, Christchurch Central 
• Shirley van Waveren – Business and International Trade Adviser, Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce
• Dr Kristen MacAskill – Fellow of St Edmund's College, Construction Engineering Masters Associate Course Director, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

More information. 

Professor Gary Evans, Dr Rob Murdoch, and Professor Hamish Spencer, Science Advisors at MBIE, are giving a presentation on The New Zealand Research, Science and Innovation System. During the talk, they will offer some thoughts on the challenges and opportunities for the science system and the wider science community.

All welcome to attend; no RSVP needed.

More information.

After 10,000+ quakes, how do we help our tamariki? On the eve of the eighth anniversary of the deadly 2011 Canterbury earthquake, a panel of mental health and education experts will discuss ways to help quake-affected children, who’ve been shaken by thousands of aftershocks and the chaos of living in the aftermath. How do we improve learning and behaviour of school children after a natural disaster?

 Panellists
· Principal Investigator Associate Professor Kathleen Liberty, School of Health Sciences, UC College of Education,Health and Human Development
· Maureen Allan, Cluster Manager, Te Paeroa Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB)
· John Bangma, Principal | Tumuaki of Mairehau Primary School, Lead Principal of Te Paeroa RTLB Cluster and former President of the Canterbury
Primary Principals’ Association
· Britta Liberty, educator, Bromtreeinquiry.com

More information.