What we do
Into the community
Sharing greetings at the MATERIALise sustainability forum
Sharing the beauty of science with others is an important role for the MacDiarmid Institute. We aim to inspire teachers, students and communities and to ignite – or reignite - a love of science.
Our investigators and students have a long and proud history of community engagement, from the DiscoveryCamp programme for Māori and Pacific Island high school students to the physics teachers’ workshops.
The value of these activities is not just the impact they have on the broader New Zealand community, including budding scientists, but the experiences they provide our researchers.
Our partnerships
Our community outreach programme is enhanced by our ongoing partnerships with various organisations and people.
The Spinoff: Building a new science audience
House of Science and Lab-In-a-Box: Inspiring science resources for teachers and students
Whakarewarewa: Linking mātauranga Māori and western science.
Physics teachers' workshops
MacDiarmid Institute investigators run a hands-on programme for high school physics teachers. We take workshops to teachers throughout the country in collaboration with the New Zealand Institute of Physics (NZIP) and the Dodd-Walls CoRE. The programme, which has been running since 2015, meets a real need as more than half of New Zealand secondary school teachers have had little university-level physics training. We aim to give our science teachers the tools to inspire a life-long passion for physics in their students.
It was unlike any professional development I’d ever done. I felt as though I’d had a deep massage of my brain in places that hadn’t been used for a long time.
Dr Kerry Parker Physics and Science Teacher Wellington High School
Kōrero with Scientists
The Kōrero with Scientists programme involves MacDiarmid Institute investigators teaching nanoscience directly to early childhood and primary teachers throughout New Zealand. These workshops explore physical science concepts such as magnets, light, and acids and bases. The experiments are designed to be run anywhere – schools do not need a science lab to replicate Kōrero science. Our partnership with the House of Science and Nanogirl also shares science know-how with primary school teachers and students.
Cluster hui
Each year we hold a cluster hui on nanoclusters where MacDiarmid Institute scientists from several universities present a huge range of work within the cluster umbrella. The informal atmosphere of the cluster hui facilitates lively discussion and enables students to engage with each other’s projects.
DiscoveryCamp and NanoCamp
The annual NanoCamp and DiscoveryCamp for Year 12 and 13 secondary school students take place in January each year and are hugely popular.
Read more about DiscoveryCamp and NanoCamp
Regional Lecture Series
Each year MacDiarmid Institute investigators travel to regional centres to deliver public lectures on materials science and nanotechnology and how they impact our lives. The series allows us to directly address members of the public and to raise awareness of how materials science can address global problems.
Read more about Regional Lecture Series
More information
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