Category: Plant and Food New Zealand

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Dr James Sainsbury – Buzzworthy science (SLFM)

Working with bees, and in local body politics means you are always at risk of being stung at some stage, but that hasn’t stopped our latest guest, apiculture scientist Dr James Sainsbury taking up the challenge. In this podcast Andrew Dare speaks to James, who specialises in honey bee health and pollination, about his interesting and diverse career so far – from working with Kaka parrots in Wellington, bumble bees in London Zoo, supporting science involving at-risk communities in Africa, along with a stint being a stay at home dad. James also has another life as councillor for the Matamata Piako District Council for the past 7 years and recently has taken up the challenge to be our podcaster at our Lincoln site. He clearly likes to be a busy man! James’s brother is comedian Tom Sainsbury and his video to support James that Andrew mentioned in this podcast, can be found here: www.facebook.com/jsainsbury/videos/373247890273858

To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: The New Zealand Food Composition Database (SITK)

Knowing what’s in the food you consume is important – to help with that, scientists at Plant & Food Research are responsible for managing a database containing more than 2,700 foods commonly consumed in Aotearoa. In this episode we hear more about what the New Zealand Food Composition Database is and how to use it from Dr Carolyn Lister, leader of the Food and Health Information team at Plant & Food Research. The database is very easy to use with a variety of search options including searching on a specific nutrient. This episode also covers serving sizes, ultra-processed foods and the importance of national nutritional surveys. To view the database see: www.foodcomposition.co.nz.

To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra links and information on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages www.plantandfood.com/scigest.

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Mobile aquaculture (FTS)

New Zealand’s ocean space is many times larger than our land area and presents an enormous opportunity to expand into sustainable open ocean aquaculture for finfish and shellfish. In this week’s podcast, Julie Blommaert speaks to scientist Suzy Black about mobile aquaculture, an innovative new system for farming fish that has massive potential for the future of seafood production, at a time when the world’s reliance on seafood as a protein source is set to continue growing.
To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information on podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Dr Andrew Allan: A life in genes (SLFM)

Today on Scigest, we speak to Dr Andrew Allan, Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. Andy was recently elected as a Fellow to the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in recognition of more than 30 years of research in plant genetics, and has featured on the 2022 and 2023 Clarivate Highly-Cited Researchers list compiled from the world’s scientists. Andy talks about his science journey, including his insights on the evolution of genetic technologies and their potential to support sustainable food production.
To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Crossing Borders: Embracing A Science Career in New Zealand (SIS)

From language barriers to cultural adjustments, international students and professionals face unique challenges when relocating to a new country to pursue their science careers. In this podcast episode, Jay Jayaraman, hailing from Fiji, chats with fellow scientists Luna Hasna from Bangladesh, Liz Florez from Peru, and Tina Wang from China. Together, they share their experiences, highlighting the challenges and the incredible opportunities of immigrating to Aotearoa New Zealand.
To see links to the support groups as mentioned in this podcast and to view our full catalogue of podcasts please go to our Scigest pages www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Jolon Dyer: From introvert to science leader (SLFM)

Science careers can take many paths, some planned and some not. This week Tom Moore speaks to Jolon Dyer who is the GM Science Services at Plant & Food Research about his fascinating science journey from working on innovative cancer drug research, to teaching English in Japan, to then looking at the science around wool fibres before moving into leadership roles. Jolon also discusses his self-development from a self-confessed introverted nerd to someone that can inspire students through his teaching and mentoring.
To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Dr David Teulon Biosecurity and beyond (SLFM)

Today on Scigest we speak to Dr David Teulon – an entomologist and Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research. During his 30-plus year career in science, Dr Teulon has championed sustainable pest management and biosecurity research through his efforts as a researcher and in his role as the Director of Better Border Biosecurity or B3. In 2023 David was presented with the Plant & Food Research Lifetime Achievement Award. See video link: https://youtu.be/7cJ8pFJruQI?feature=shared
To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Fresh findings on beneficial insects (BIOSECURITY)

Scientists studying the pollination of native plants have been surprised by the large number of insect visitors contributing to pollination, which bodes well for those planting native species on their farms. This week podcaster and scientist Dr Tom Moore speaks to Entomologist Brad Howlett who provides an update on this research project. The research findings helps to confirm the importance of native plantings in encouraging pollinating insects, and allows us to design plantings based on the best insect species to attract for any particular farm. This Biodiversity for Beneficial Insects research has been funded through a Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFFF).
To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Working with wētā (SLS)

In Marlborough’s Awatere Valley ground wētā are a common sight on some vineyards, burrowing in soft irrigated soil beneath the vines. Winemakers are keen to find ways to co-exist with this taonga species, including looking for sustainable solutions that could help prevent wētā from feasting on the tender foliage on grape vines during the crucial spring budburst. This week scientists and podcaster Nicola Sullivan speaks to crop protection entomologist Jessica Vereijessen about progress so far on this project.
The project is funded by the New Zealand Wine Futures Fund. The NZWFF is funded through New Zealand Winegrowers levies and project managed by the Bragato Research Institute (BRI).

To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra information for some of our podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: New way of sensing becomes commercial reality with Scentian Bio

Unravelling the mystery of how insects smell led to a ground-breaking discovery – a panel of synthesized insect receptors could be used to create a device to smell and taste chemical compounds. Scentian Bio was formed to create a novel technology for comm

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