What a team!

Our team worked unexpectedly well. Despite having very different and busy schedules, we managed to find time to meet and efficiently finish all tasks. Our first meeting consisted of introductions and assigning roles to one another. One team member was pretty confident with the role she wanted to assume to ensure completion of Assignment 2. Suggestions were made that I would be a good leader for the team, while being unsure at first, I believed I could effectively lead our team.

Unfortunately we had lost a team member so we all had to step up and assume many roles at once to ensure we all got the report completed. Another team member and myself were initially implementers - we needed a bit of guidance to begin working on the assignment. One person of the team went above and beyond to startup the process of working on our assignment, she showed strong leadership skills and I believed that she had the strong and positive qualities of a coordinator. As the report progressed and we had finished a draft copy, we all became thorough completer finishers where we constantly read over the report to reduce the word count and make it perfect.

Upon learning the belbin team roles, I believed I had attributes of most of the positions, but agreed that I fit best with the Coordinator, monitor evaluator, implementer and the completer finisher. I agree that I am a good motivator, I set deadlines to have things completed by, I can be manipulative by convincing others that I have a lot to do - dare I say it. Like the monitor evaluator I initially start slow, but once I have a great understanding of what needs to be done I quickly become bossy. An implementer - although I am hard working and will definitely get the job done I definitely need guidance to be able to get to that position. I am meticulous, I read over everything with a fine tooth comb; everything has to be perfect. I make sure that everyone is on track with what they are doing, which are also great qualities of a completer finisher.

With the loss of one of our team members, our tutor suggested that we either drop step 3 of the assignment which was the public survey or to only have 2 topics for step 2. We chose the latter as we had already sent out our public survey and had began collecting results. With the other two team members focusing on the body of our report and the introduction already completed I was at a loss of what I had to do to contribute to this assignment. I was getting worried that I wasn't doing as much as the others and was letting the team down. Upon the second meeting, with the other two working on their sections I began to figure out what I should do as a contribution for the report. With the guidance of others I managed to work through all the bits and pieces that made the report.. a report. I assumed the position of a completer finisher and read through everything excessively to make sure it made sense and we were under the word limit.

Throughout the duration of us working on our report, I believe we successfully worked together to complete assignment 2. Though we had many bumps along the road, we managed to produce a great report as well as learning to work as a team. This new experience has been exciting for me and I am so grateful to be part of a team that was hard working and knew exactly what they wanted to achieve.

All eyes on me

Reminiscing back to the days of pre-teen Grace, she was a performer, she loved attention and she jumped at the chance to speak publicly. Give her any topics, she spoke like she was passionate about it. Any tips given by her teachers absorbed into her brain, she utilised them. But the one thing she could never shake off, was indeed the constant nerves and shaking. Although being extremely excited to be centre of attention, nerves still seethed through her body.

To me, a great public speaker is one who engages with a crowd, smiles when appropriate, speaks confidently, is passionate and has something interesting to say. Throughout high school, public speaking became one of my worst fears. I enjoyed speaking to a crowd but always feared that I would forget words, bore everyone or present poorly written content.

Practicing my presentation over and over again gave me confidence that I knew what I was speaking about. I wanted to be able to recite it without the guidance of the whole script in front of me. Developing goals on how much I would learn each day helped push me to be comfortable with what I'm saying. Finally, having small cue cards with sentence starters helped to jog my memory as to where I was during the presentation. I quickly learned that having everything you are going to say written on cue cards is a big waste of time. I would lose my place if I looked up for more then 2 seconds, I didn't engage with the audience and I started to sound very mono toned.
Tip #1 don't write your whole presentation on cards.

Writing about something you're not passionate about clearly shows when you speak about it. Speaking about sheep won't be interesting to others if you aren't interested in sheep yourself. A speech I once did was indeed about sheep, which you would think isn't that interesting, but because I was a quirky young girl with a passion for sheep my audience was interested in what I was saying. Being well informed about your subject matter makes it a whole lot easier to speak about it and engage the crowd.
Tip #2 Be/act passionate about what you are speaking about.

I have never been a confident writer, it takes a long time to produce written work that I am happy with. I would sit with a pen and paper for hours trying to produce sentences that will connect with an audience. To remedy this, I would read my sentences out loud and correct them when things did not sound right. This was a slow and long process but I was rewarded with writing what I would be comfortable presenting. Reassurance has also helped me believe that my writing is not as terrible as I thought, although one is never truly satisfied with their work.  
Tip #3 proof read repeatedly.

Overall, young Grace thoroughly enjoyed her years of public speaking through high school, she followed all the advice her teachers gave her and managed to successfully achieve great results. I hope these 3 handy tips are helpful to those who need them. For those who just hate public speaking, I suggest deep breathing, rescue remedy and to realise the quicker you start, the quicker you finish.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

Stress levels are running high as we are entering the final days before we submit our first assignment as a team. Working with a team for a tertiary paper is an unfamiliar territory for me. I am used to relying on myself to succeed in my work. Through my many years of education, working as a team was not my favourite thing to do. There was always one or two people in the group that did not pull their weight and in turn it reflected badly on us. Luckily, these tasks were not as important as ones assigned throughout university. I can happily say that I could not have asked for a better team to pop my group work cherry.

With the withdrawal of one of our team members, we were slightly set back. Unfortunately she gave us no indication that she was not dedicated to this paper and we were later informed of her absence. But these things happen, just another obstacle to conquer. Although this was frustrating, it did not hinder our ability to work as a team and complete this assignment.

The remainder of the team worked like a well oiled machine. With great help from Facebook, sharing links, setting deadlines and arranging meetings has been very easy. Facebook has a handy little feature that shows us who has seen each of the posts so we know when we have been deliberately ignored, fortunately we all replied in a timely manner.

I think that the only other frustrating thing is finding a time where we are all available. With summer jobs, christmas/new years filling up our schedules we were left with small vacancies to meet. But luckily we were all willing to meet at any time that we were all available and made use of each gathering.

Being able to meet with my team mates has been a very helpful tool in finishing this assignment. Rather that just using google docs as a way to work together, we were lucky enough able to talk face to face. Our initial meeting really got the ball rolling on our assignment. We were able to tackle the assignment head on and answer each others puzzling questions. Every decision made during the process has been straightforward with us all agreeing on mutual choices.

I am very thankful for the team that I have been working with, they have made me very comfortable with the assignment we have produced. What made our team great is that we all strive for similar results. As the old saying goes, "there's no I in team," which I wholeheartedly agree with.

Top 5 Scientific Discoveries of 2015

Happy New Year! Reflecting back I have realised that I, personally have not had the most eventful year. I moved back home, worked a dead end part time job and have had a minimal social life. But I discovered what I would truly be passionate doing and pursued studying a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science at Massey University. Although I have not done much this year, the same can not be said for the scientific community. A lot of great discoveries have been made and through reading some hobby scientific blog posts I have gained an appreciation for some of the great scientific breakthroughs of 2015. Through this post I will highlight my top 5 Scientific discoveries of 2015.

5. Fossil discovery of Human Ancestors

Venturing deep into the Rising Star cave located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Two slender cavers have discovered a site where many fossilised bones lie. These represent a new species of Human ancestors dating back approximately 2 million years ago. An expedition to extract the discovered fossils commenced in November 2013 running for 21 days. A team of 60 scientists plus additional cavers managed to uncover over 1,500 bones/fragments. 15 individuals were discovered from the same species. Named Homo Naledi, Homo - from the same genus as humans and Naledi - named after the cave they were discovered in "star in the South African language sesotho." This discovery have given scientists a greater insight to the evolution of humans with H. Naledi having similar characteristics as both humans and apes. The slender hominid stood at approximately 5ft weighing approximately 45 kilograms. This is such an exciting discovery for evolutionary sciences as it brings us one step closer to understanding our evolutionary journey.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/

4. Finding a winged ancestor of the Velociraptor 

I love dinosaurs. During some of my free time I play a mindless app based of the movie Jurassic World. The game features many fascinating dinosaur species and it has sparked my interest into learning more about dinosaurs. I am also a great fan of Dino Night on National Geographic (Sundays, 7.30pm). The fossil was immaculately preserved in limestone in north-east China. It is believed that it was completely covered in feathers, but the wings it had were not suitable for flying due to its large body. From this discovery an assumption was made that most if not all dinosaurs might have been covered in feathers/down. This has changed my perspective on dinosaurs. What I once thought would have been great big leathery creatures are now said to be big feathery bird-like creatures. Although I have heard that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is a direct descendant of the chicken, in no way did I imagine it having many features of a chicken.
 

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33510288

3. Free flowing water discovered on Mars 

I have always had an underlying interest in astronomy as my grandfather was a great astronomer who always inspired me. Finding free flowing water on Mars was a great, significant discovery for NASA in their search for life on Mars. Using a imaging spectrometer on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter researchers of NASA have been able to determine that the once mysterious dark patches on images are actually hydrated minerals. The water runs down downhill and contains hydrated salt which prevents it from freezing a low temperatures.

2. Drugs identified for a potential male contraceptive pill

Previously, I had a fascination in studying pharmacy, so any drug discoveries seem to catch my eye. Two drugs given to transplant patients have been identified as potential contraceptives for males. Tested on male mice, the two drugs cyclosporine A (also known as CsA) and FK506 (also known as tacrolimus) have shown to inhibit sperm to penetrate the zona pellucida (cell membrane) making it unable to fertilise the egg. These two drugs make the join between the head and tail of the sperm too rigid which makes it unable to forcefully beat its tail back and fourth (also known as hyperactivation) making it unable for fertilisation to occur.

1. First new antibiotic discovery in 30 years

2015 science kicked off with an amazing and great discovery! It had been 30 years since the last antibiotic was discovered. On January 7, 2015 a team of international scientists claimed to have created an amazing and powerful antibiotic. Named teixobactin, it is said to be capable of destroying microorganisms responsible for pneumonia, blood infections, staph, tuberculosis etc. Due to its powerful nature scientists also claims that the microorganisms attacked by teixobactin will be unable to develop a resistance. It is hard to believe that the scientists had found this antibiotic in dirt. Successfully tested on mice, it is said to be available for human use within the next 5 years.

Anderson, G. (2015, September 29). NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Today’s Mars. Retrieved from NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-on-today-s-mars

Gill, V. (2015, July 15). Dinosaur find: Velociraptor ancestor was 'winged dragon'. Retrieved from BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33510288

Kaplan, K. (2015, October 2). Scientists identify potential birth control 'pill' for men. Retrieved from Medical Express: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-10-scientists-potential-birth-pill-men.html

National Geographic. (2015, September 10). This Face Changes the Human Story. But How? Retrieved from National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/

Piddock, L. J. (2015, June 18). Teixobactin, the first of a new class of antibiotics discovered by iChip technology? Retrieved from Oxford Journals: http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/70/10/2679.full

 

Not what it used to be.

Toxic river algae alert! A sign I have been seeing a lot in the Hutt Valley over the past 10 years. As a child, a summer tradition was to venture down to the river and go for a swim. I was a small, skinny child so getting into cold water was always such an effort. Each year I became more confident getting into the water. But when I was finally comfortable being submerged in the cold water, the river suddenly became covered in a mat of toxic algae and was no longer suitable for swimming. I was once told that the algae came from other rivers that was brought here by the horses involved in the filming of The Lord of the Rings but I think that was just hearsay. Recently, I read a blog post highlighting the causes of waterway pollution and was briefly reminded about the toxic algae that has been present in my local rivers and I wanted to know more about it. What is it? And why is there so much of it?

Algae is a made of many microorganisms called cyanobacteria. It is an aquatic organism that feeds via photosynthesis. It forms black or brown mats along the river bed covering most rocks. When I visited the river whilst the algae had no toxicity warning, it felt slimy, smelt dreadful and was very slippery to step on. When detached from the rocks its floats along the surface of the water; if exposed to dry conditions the algae will dry up and produce a musty odour.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news/11898/eight_col_ALGAELR.jpg?1387412678

Favourable conditions for extensive algae blooms include warm temperatures, sunlight, a low or stable river flow and nutrients. Being a type of bacteria, it thrives in warmer conditions. This is why the toxicity levels are much higher in summer months as the temperature of the water increases. Nutrients for the algae mainly include phosphorus and nitrogen. The presence of nitrogen in the waters is mainly due to nitrogen rich urea found in animal urine. Phosphorus is found in the ionic form phosphate, which clings to soil particles that wash into the river forming sediment. This makes the Hutt Valley River a perfect environment for Algal blooms to thrive.

The toxicity of the algae can kill dogs and livestock in less than an hour in extreme cases. Symptoms after ingestion can include lethargy, muscle tremors, fast breathing, twitching, paralysis and convulsions. This is a very cruel way to watch your beloved pet pass. In humans, symptoms of algae ingestion are not normally as severe but can include skin and eye irritations, gastrointestinal disorders, cramps and diarrhoea. Of course the concentration of toxins in the water do contribute to the symptoms that may develop but it is recommended to stay away from the river altogether.

It is so unfortunate that the algae blooms have made their way into my once great swimming locations. It makes me curious as to where such a toxic cyanobacteria came from in the first place. Was it always there? Does increasing pollution and temperature rises contribute to the increase of the toxic algae bloom in the river? I am constantly saddened and frustrated that the river is no longer a destination I can go to in summer.

Dangers of toxic algae . (n.d.). Retrieved from Environment Canterbury Regional Council: http://www.ecan.govt.nz/services/online-services/monitoring/swimming-water-quality/Pages/toxic-algae.aspx#causescyanobacteria-algal-blooms

Wright, D. J. (2012). Water Quality in New Zealand: Understanding the Science. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment: www.pce.parliament.nz/media/.../pce-water-quality-in-new-zealand.pdf

Expanding a single minded opinion.

Being a simplistic human being, I thought that it was a simple answer of placing a 10-year moratorium on commercial eel fishing. Done, species in rehabilitation and hopefully would no longer be a threatened species. I am a "hippie," when it comes to animals, SAVE THE ANIMALS NO MATTER WHAT! (unless that animal is a mosquito, then DEATH TO MOSQUITOES). As human beings, I believe that as soon as we came to earth we have caused a lot of harm to this planet; I think we should do whatever we can to save the earth now. I believe that something as small as saving one species will help to make a difference.

What I found interesting about assignment one is that although being strongly for placing a 10-year moratorium on commercial eel fishing, I was able to form a mutual argument and create an understanding of why one should not be placed. Commercial eel fishing is not a big industry in New Zealand like the dairy industry for example.

I thought that placing a temporary suspension on commercial eel fishing would not have a large effect on our economy. But the more I researched the more I understood that although commercial eel fishing is the largest contributing factor to the decline of Longfin eels, it is not the only factor. This helped me form another opinion that maybe temporarily banning commercial eel fishing was not the most effective idea.

In the early 20th century, Europeans had considered eels (especially large female longfin) pests as they would eat all the trout that the Europeans had farmed. This is when the Eel destruction campaigns had started. Fishers were encouraged to kill as many eels as they could catch. These eel destruction campaigns went on for approximately 30 years. Although these campaigns are no longer happening I believe that this is a major factor as to why we do not have many eels left with us.

Loss of wetlands is also another reason why eels are disappearing. It is estimated that only 10% of wetlands remain in New Zealand to what was originally here 200 years ago when Europeans arrived. The construction of Hydro dams also have a high eel mortality rate with generally no female eels surviving when entering a hydro dam.

I do agree that placing a 10-year moratorium on commercial eel fishing will be the most effective way to help ensure the survival of longfin eels. But I do believe that this is not the only way about saving the species. Alternatives that I have thought of are:

• placing a 10-year moratorium on only longfin eels might be effective. 
• reducing catch limits for longfin eels.
• increasing conservation status of longfin eels
• creating more habitat and wetlands

"Eels are a taonga and have been the lifeblood of many iwi and hapu for generations."
                 - Chairman of Te Wai Maori, Ken Mair 

Jellyman, D. (January 2012). The status of Longfin eels in New Zealand - an overview of
             stocks and harvest. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

Wright, D. J. (December 2014). Update Report: On a pathway to extinction? An investigation into the status and management of the longfin eel. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Enviroment.

Is a 10-year moratorium a good idea?

The endemic longfin eel. Native to New Zealand. It once thrived in our freshwater lakes, rivers and streams. Slowly the eels population has been declining. The longfin eel is now an at risk species and faces extinction if action to save our eels does not take place soon. A 10-year moratorium on commercial eel fishing has been proposed to help ensure the survival of this species. For my position paper I chose to highlight all the factors that have been contributing to the decline of the eel to help form an opinion based on these factors.

Acknowledging that although commercial eel fishing might be one of the more obvious reasons why Longfin eels are disappearing from our waters. It is not the only reason the eel population is slowly declining. Things like habitat loss, infection & illness and hydro dams also contribute to a reduction in Longfin eel populations.

A report written by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment outlined the main reasons how Longfin eels have become a threatened species. She felt very strongly to help ensure the survival of the species. Three recommendations were made based off her investigation. The first was to suspend all commercial eel fishing. The commercial eel fishing industry is not a very large industry in New Zealand so suspending commercial eel fishing will not have an outstanding effect on our economy. The second recommendation was for the Minister of Conservation to increase the protection of longfin eels and other threatened migratory fish. The Commissioners final recommendation was for the Ministry of Primary Industries to establish an independent review panel to allow for greater transparency and public trust of scientific advice. It was in the Commissioners best interest for the survival of the longfin eel, and I agree that her first recommendation will be the most logical, quickest and effective way to ensure the survival of this species.

The second source that highlights the Minister of Primary Industries views the status of the longfin eel was the updated report initially written by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. The minister's response to the first recommendation suggested that from the information made available to him that there is no sustainability concern to warrant closure of the commercial longfin fishery. He believes that there are other ways to sustain the population of longfin eels then just suspending commercial eel fishing altogether. The Minister made suggestions implementing a new way to manage longfin eel stocks including:

• a review of catch limits for longfin eels,
• consideration of separate South Island longfin and shortfin stocks,
• introduction of abundance target levels, and
• improved information from the commercial longfin eel fishery.

The final recommendation given to the Minister had me questioning where he gets his scientific advice and management decisions. This has lead me to believe that the Minister does not feel that the longfin eel as at risk as it is. Because of his "lack," of information the Minister of Primary Industries does not believe suspending commercial eel fishing is not necessary to ensure survival of the Longfin eel.

Wright, D. J. (April 2013). On a pathway to extinction? An investigation into the status and management of the longfin eel. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Enviroment.

Wright, D. J. (December 2014). Update Report: On a pathway to extinction? An investigation into the status and management of the longfin eel. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Enviroment.