Sciences Lectures

Nancy Dahl-Tacconi, National Environment Reporting, Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts gives a seminar about the interface between science and policy.

Held March, 2011.

Steven Blair is a Professor in the Departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. His research focuses on the associations between lifestyle and health, with a specific emphasis on exercise, physical fitness, body composition, and chronic disease. He has published over 400 papers and chapters in the scientific literature, and was the Senior Scientific Editor for the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health.

In this presentation, Steven will review the scientific evidence on the role of physical activity in the development of weight gain, overweight, and obesity. He will discuss current recommendations related to amount of activity required to prevent weight gain, to lose weight, and to prevent weight regain. There are numerous misconceptions regarding how much activity is required for these objectives, and these will be discussed.

Held February 1, 2010.

Brain Day 2011 is sponsored by the Neurological Foundation of NZ and the University of Otago. As part of Brain Awareness Week, we join this major international effort to communicate the wonders and achievements of brain research.

Dr Andrew Clarkson from the Departments of Psychology and Anatomy & Structural Biology speaks on “Understanding how the brain can be repaired after a stroke”

Held March 19, 2011.

Brain Day 2011 is sponsored by the Neurological Foundation of NZ and the University of Otago. As part of Brain Awareness Week, we join this major international effort to communicate the wonders and achievements of brain research.

Dr Graeme Hammond-Tooke, from the Dunedin School of Medicine, speaks on “Stimulating the brain with electricity: From electric rays to magnetic coils”

Held March 19, 2011.

Brain Day 2011 is sponsored by the Neurological Foundation of NZ and the University of Otago. As part of Brain Awareness Week, we join this major international effort to communicate the wonders and achievements of brain research.

Dr Louise Parr-Brownlie, from the Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, speaks on “Shedding light on Parkinson’s Disease”

Held March 19, 2011.

Sir Fraser Stoddart lecture, delivered as part of the ISMSC-7 conference held at University of Otago in February 2012. The lecture traces sir Fraser's fascination with art forms within science, in particular the usefulness of Borromean rings as the structural framework of nano-particles.

The lecture is entitled "Mingling Art with Science" and it was delivered on Wednesday the 1st of February 2012.

Brain Day 2011 is sponsored by the Neurological Foundation of NZ and the University of Otago. As part of Brain Awareness Week, we join this major international effort to communicate the wonders and achievements of brain research.

Dr Liana Machado from the Department of Psychology speaks on “Maintaining control over visual orienting: Age related changes and potential remedies”

Held March 19, 2011.

Professor Robert Aldred, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Division of Science. Inaugural Professorial Lecture, given on April 7, 2011.

Held November 24, 2010.

Lawrence M. Krauss Foundation Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration and Department of Physics, Arizona State University gives a public lecture.

The distinction between science and fiction and between sense and nonsense has become blurred in popular discourse, most recently manifesting itself around the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. In this lecture Professor Krauss uses examples from government and the media to explore what science is, and what it is not. The lecture is part “tour” through the fascinating world of modern science, part fun-filled examination of video clips, and part sober discussion of the various dangers facing modern society if we fail to learn the lessons science has taught us about the world.

Given March 15, 2010.

New Zealand is geologically favourable for gold, iron and coal deposits. As an experienced geologist and researcher on the environmental effects of mining, Professor Craw shows how assessing the damaging effects of past mining activity helps with prediction of the effects of modern mining. He argues that, whichever way the mining debate goes, it needs to be informed with real environmental science.

Held 22 July, 2010.