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DiscoveryCamp over the years - Annual Report 2022
21 April, 2023
Our first ever Discovery Awards (the precursor to DiscoveryCamp) ran in the summer of 2008/2009 with five Year 12 and 13 Māori and Pacific Island students spending time over the summer in the labs of MacDiarmid Institute researchers, as well as receiving a $1k cash award. The awards aimed to identify and encourage capable Māori and Pacific Island Year 12 and 13 pupils to enroll in science courses at university level.
Kate Tarawhiti, who was one of the first Discovery Award recipients in 2008/2009, says the Award was very valuable for her at that age and that the connections were invaluable.
“It really showed me what university was like. I remember going into a physics lab and doing nanotechnology – it really gave me an insight into the practical things you can do with science. The Discovery Awards introduced me to the Māori Centre at the University of Otago, a key contact for me throughout my studies.” Kate says the students were also invited to AMN4 in Dunedin.
“All of us were invited to this flash conference, given front row seats and the chance to talk to a whole bunch of international scientists. I’m so thankful for those opportunities. Programmes like this are very important for Māori students.”
(Left) Inaugural Discovery Awards recipients Nikita Hunia and PJ Campbell from Hutt Valley High School in Wellington, Kate Tarawhiti, Christchurch Girls' High School, Ben Jones, St Bedes College, Christchurch and Jardin Rose from Buller High School in Westport Discovery (Right) Awards recipients at AMN4 in Dunedin, February 2009. Although initially planning to study health sciences, Kate went on to complete a Bachelor of Science in psychology and then later a law degree
These days what is now DiscoveryCamp brings students to a centre (this rotates around the country from year to year) to spend a week in MacDiarmid Institute labs, hearing from PhD students, running experiments, meeting with our Deputy Director Māori, visiting government and more.
2014 Discovery Awards alumnus Edward Popham went on to study mechanical engineering at the University of Canterbury.
“My Discovery Awards experience helped me strengthen my passion towards science and its use in day-to-day life.” He is now a Lines Asset Management Planner at Transpower.
My Discovery Awards experience helped me strengthen my passion towards science and its use in day-to-day life.
Edward Popham 2014 Discovery Awards alumnus
Discovery alumna Mariah McDonald cites her time as a Discovery Awards student in MacDiarmid Institute labs at the University of Canterbury as setting her course for her career.
“Receiving the Award when I was 16 invoked a passion for engineering and for research which has hugely influenced my choice to pursue the PhD and I am incredibly grateful to the institute for providing me with the initial experience. As part of the Discovery Awards, Maan Alkaisi showed me around the electrical engineering department at the University of Canterbury and I spent most of my time in the nanofabrication lab. This cemented my desire to study engineering and opened my mind to the idea of doing postgraduate research work.”
During her undergraduate degree in mechatronic engineering, Mariah picked up a MacDiarmid Institute summer lab internship. “In the summer of 2016/2017 I received a student scholarship from the MacDiarmid Institute in which I worked as a lab assistant to a PhD student in the Canterbury nanofabrication lab which further contributed to my passion for research and desire to do a PhD.”
Discovery alumnus Eden Skipper says that the Discovery Awards were his first experience at a science forum or any other forum for that matter, leadership, culture and so on.
“Attending Discovery Awards gave me confidence to put myself out there more and just go for it.” Eden completed a Bachelor of Science degree in statistics at the University of Canterbury and is now Special Adviser - Māori Capability at the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Inaugural Discovery Awards students speaking with Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Harry Kroto at AMN4
Discovery alumna Lizzie Tafili attended the Discovery Awards at the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014.
“Having a fortnight length internship at Callaghan Innovation felt like working at the candy land equivalent for a science junkie where every single day was absolutely enthralling. This experience affirmed my love and passion for science so that I went on to complete a Bachelor of Biomedical Science majoring in medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Victoria University."
It felt like working at the candy land equivalent for a science junkie where every single day was absolutely enthralling.
LIZZIE TAFILI 2013/2014 Discovery alumna
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