News
Take a trip to the future -AgResearch Dairy Farm Open Day Monday, 12 October 2009
You can see the future of dairy farming today including how cows and their health and production are monitored, technology for maximum milk yield and environmental management.
All this and more will be shown at the Open Day for the revolutionary AgResearch Research Dairy Farm at Tokanui on 20 November from 9am until 5pm. This research farm is the largest investment in New Zealand dairy research in the last 20 years. Tokanui is just outside Te Awamutu and in the heart of Waikato dairy farming.
CRIs benefit New Zealand
Annual Reports show diversity of ways in which the 8 Crown Research Institutes are at the heart of New Zealand’s science effort, advancing ideas and delivering solutions.
The Annual Reports can be viewed by visiting the Science New Zealand Website.
Collaboration will deliver Government's Centre for Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research
The Government’s Centre for Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research will bring together the world-class expertise and experience of the nine organisations involved, says host provider AgResearch.
Project leader for the Centre’s establishment AgResearch’s Dr Harry Clark said ‘The partners will combine strengths so that New Zealand can meet its national and international commitments to mitigating the effects of agricultural greenhouse gases’.
The Centre will be funded by the government at $5M per annum for 10 years and will undertake research to complement and build on existing R&D activities, particularly those of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium.
Kiwi wins top European physics prize
A young ex-pat Kiwi has been awarded a top Austrian physics prize for his research into quantum computing at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Dr Andrew Daley has been named winner of the Boltzmann Prize – a highly-regarded scientific prize given to a physicist under the age of 35. Awarded every two years by the Austrian Physical Society for an outstanding piece of research in theoretical physics, it’s believed this is the first time a non-European scientist has won the prize since it began in 1957. Dr Daley, who left Auckland in 2002 after gaining a scholarship to undertake his PhD at the University of Innsbruck, was humbled by the award.
“To be awarded an Austrian science prize, particularly as a New Zealander living in Austria, is something very special for me,” the 30-year-old said. “I was excited and very proud to have the research that we’d done recognised in this way.”
Dr Daley was nominated for the award based on research he conducted into quantum computing in 2008. In that research paper, he and colleagues from Innsbruck and Colorado put forward a new method to build a so-called quantum computer: a new type of computer that would solve many difficult mathematical problems that cannot be solved using today’s technology.
Dr Daley, who attended East Auckland’s Macleans College before completing his Masters in Physics (first class hons) at the University of Auckland in 2002, has been living in Austria for the past 7 years. He completed his PhD at the University of Innsbruck in 2005 and has been employed as a lecturer and researcher at the university since that time.
Food Innovation New Zealand
A consortium of food R&D organisations plans to establish an international brand to market NZ expertise to the world. Called Food Innovation New Zealand (FINZ), the project has been signed by Massey University, AgResearch, Fonterra, Plant & Food Research (formerly HortResearch and Crop and Food Research), the Riddet Institute and the BioCommerce Centre. The brand will be formally launched in July and based in Palmerston North.
FINZ will aim to: provide one point of contact for potential global research customers; formalise existing collaboration between the partners; bring teams together from across the partner organisations to meet customer needs; consolidate the partner organisations’ global marketing efforts where appropriate; and help upskill NZ’s food science experts through new career and research opportunities here and abroad.
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IRL offers innovation prize of $1m
Industrial Research Limited (IRL) is giving away up to $1 million of R&D help in a competition to encourage companies to look to the future. One of the aims of the competition is to increase industry involvement in R&D activities to enable them to develop world-leading, high-value products for offshore markets. IRL will work with the finalists to properly define the scope of the R&D project and establish clear milestones and expectations. Intellectual property firm, A J Park, is a sponsor of the competition. A J Park will also work with the finalists to ensure that they have a strategy in place to protect their IP.
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