House of Science New Zealand

Q&A with House of Science New Zealand

What were the biggest challenges in this project?
Jane Hoggard:- Ensuring the science is accurate and relevant while keeping the academic level suitable for primary school users.- Co-ordinating all the collaborators, giving everyone space for considered contributions while working to tight funding timeframes.

What different strengths did different people bring to the team?
Eva Gaugler: The project team for the 'A Load of Rubbish' bilingual science resource kits included an array of people without whom the creation of the kit would not have been possible. - Countdown: Countdown provided sponsorship for the 'A Load of Rubbish' science kit development; without them the kit development would not have been possible.- The House of Science: Jane Hoggard, Chris Duggan and Sandra Kirikiri were pivotal in turning our scientific concepts into exciting science for school age children. They are the creators and guardians of the science resource library.- Scion: Eva Gaugler and Marc Gaugler initiated the science kit development, secured funding and supplied the scientific foundation of the science kits. Kylie Gunn and Jenha Phillips organized the launch event and the publicity for the event.Vanessa Crowe: The team bought together the skills of eDNA experts, science communicators, educators and community engagement experts to develop education kits to connect young learners with science and their local environment.

Why is this work so important and exciting?
Jane Hoggard: STEM careers are at the heart of many future workforce requirements, and underpin the transition to a climate-resilient, sustainable, low-emission economy. Most students have made up their mind about what they do not want to do by the age of 10 years so developing students’ STEM aspirations needs to start in primary school.Ham Davidson: It empowers teachers and learners to explore science in contexts that are meaningful for them. It brings new science and technologies to their classrooms with enough flexibility and support to suit a huge range of learners.Mike Bunce: To make good decisions we need good information and eDNA is fast becoming the best way to collect 'all of ecosystem' data. It is important that we inspire the next generation of scientists to explore new ways of biomonitoring. The really important message is that we need to look beyond what we can see and think deeper into the underpinning food webs. It was our vision that the 'Who’s Been There' kit was the first step in this journey.Laura Kearney: Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. The more children engage in a constructive and knowledge-based way and see themselves as connected to the environment, the better placed they are to become changemakers in the future.

Where do you see the biggest impact of this project being?
Jane Hoggard: Empowering primary school teachers to deliver engaging science lessons on a regular basis will ensure we populate the STEM career pipeline and grow future talent. Laura Kearney: Growing a passion for science at primary school is key to providing pathways for learners to explore STEM careers in the future.

How do you see this work developing over the next few years, and what is next for this initiative/project?
Mike Bunce: Our collective aim is to explore new ways of connecting people to their local environment. There are lots of ways that this can happen, and we think eDNA is a new tool that, using DNA barcodes, is able to enable students and community to explore biota in a different way. We hope that the House of Science kits are a stepping stone for students to engage with molecular biology.

What inspires or motivates your team?
Eva Gaugler: The vision behind the 'A Load of Rubbish' bilingual science resource kits is to help 'Kiwis do the right thing' and to contribute to a circular bioeconomy adoption in New Zealand. By using the resource kit and applying scientific principles, students will learn how to identify and solve environmental problems, sparking an interest in sustainability. As a result, the students will be able to make informed choices on sustainable packaging materials and their end-of-life as well as (hopefully) develop a lifelong passion for science.Vanessa Crowe: Creating ways to make highly sophisticated and cutting-edge science accessible and easy to understand to foster the next generation of scientists and environmental protectors.

How can this project benefit the wider education community?
Jane Hoggard: The resource kits developed by this team form part of a vast library of resources that are used by hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers each year. The kits are distributed and maintained by volunteers on a fortnightly basis so lots of schools can use them.Eva Gaugler: The House of Science resource library provides much-needed science expertise, confidence, and resources to primary school teachers in New Zealand. The House of Science resource kits support New Zealand’s school aged children in becoming scientifically literate, meaning they have a clear understanding of scientific concepts and processes encountered in their everyday lives. Improving scientific literacy will have a huge economic and social benefit to New Zealand.Vanessa Crowe: The project kits include eDNA testing kits that enable students and wider communities to discover the life of their local waterway. Learning about the species that live in the local ecosystems can capture people’s hearts and minds, galvanising their environmental protection efforts.Mike Bunce: We believe it provides alternate pathways for communities to engage with nature. eDNA involves a lot of computers (bioinformatics) and many students gravitate towards this new technology.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Ham Davidson: Don’t leave your own passions, perspectives, and culture at the lab door. Who you are, the way you think and what interests you is important in shaping research questions and priorities and will inform the topics you choose to work on. You don’t have to redefine who you are to fit the mould of a chemist.

What is the importance of collaboration in the chemical sciences?
Jane Hoggard: Science is a team effort, often straddling disciplines and regions. Research collaborations can foster greater understanding, respect, trust, and knowledge. Collaboration is an important skill to enhance knowledge building and problem solving. It is one of the key skills students need to grasp to succeed in their rapidly changing world. Schools are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist… to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet.

How can good science education support solving global challenges?
Jane Hoggard: Raising scientific literacy is crucial for our society, as scientifically literate people participate as knowledgeable citizens and make informed decisions that will affect the quality of their lives and that of their children. Science learning builds key competencies like critical thinking, questioning and problem solving.The House of Science resource library connects schools with science experts across a vast range of relevant issues like climate change, waste management and sustainability.Ham Davidson: Good science education is equitable, accessible, and relatable. This can support and empower people to bring their unique perspectives and ideas to spaces where challenges can be addressed collectively to create solutions that are fit for everyone.Laura Kearney: Global challenges need global solutions – people working together from different backgrounds and disciplines, bringing different wisdom and experience to the table for the greater good. Science has a key role to play in this, fighting for future generations, animals, plants, and environments.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?
Mike Bunce: There is a lot of chemistry in the eDNA programmes that we run. Firstly, the chemical structure of eDNA and how/why it is stable post-mortem. Secondly, how we isolate DNA away from all the other parts of the cell, and finally, how we harness enzymes to ‘photocopy’ (PCR) DNA to enrich for the barcodes we are interested in.

Why is chemistry important?
Ham Davidson: It can help to inform our understanding of the world around us. From the awe of bees using chemicals to communicate to marveling at how unique the structure of water is, understanding chemistry is one way to connect with our environment and make decisions that protect it.