Today I’m posting a piece I wrote for the latest NZ Entomological Society Newsletter on my collaboration with Science Learning Hub.
…
Updates: Conference, podcast, illustrations
Even though its the middle of winter I’m still flat out with my PhD project – mainly because nothing is working so I’m scrabbling for any kind of progress I can muster! Here are some recent updates.
My PhD project in a nut shell
I started my PhD in October 2017 at the University of Auckland. My supervisor is Associate Professor Greg Holwell. Greg is interested in evolution—particularly sexual selection—and uses arthropods to work on some of the biggest questions in this area. My co-supervisor is Dr Gonzalo Avila, leader of the biocontrol team at Plant & Food…
Why aren’t taxpayers given access to the research they fund?
New Zealand taxpayers should have access to the research they fund. Around half of university and Crown Research Institute funding comes from the government. Most research in New Zealand benefits from public money in some way. This is a good thing. The private sector lacks an incentive to fund research which will broadly benefit society….
My first teaching resource & recent media
I’m very excited to share my first teaching resource: An article on insect antennae hosted by the Science Learning Hub. I’ve added the link to a new Outreach page on my site.
Dissecting the Insect Apocalypse
Update: This post is published on SciBlogs.co.nz here. Studies on insect declines published over the last few years have thrown up some scary headlines. “The insect apocalypse is here” proclaims the New York Times, warning the pace of insect declines could spell catastrophe within decades. It’s a grim picture, but how accurate is it?
What is taxonomy and why should we be concerned about its decline?
Update: A condensed version of this post is published on Newsroom.co.nz here. We may be alone. Our planet could be the only place in the universe where, over billions of years, matter became aware of itself. Despite the dazzling variety of life on Earth, all living things are united by the genetic material inside our…
Guide to Getting the Most out of Zotero
A good reference manager will save you countless hours of tedium and frustration. Students, researchers, and volunteers who work with references should all be using one. Zotero is my preferred option, because it is free, open source, actively developed, and solves many of the problems I’ve encountered during my work. In this guide I outline…