Good Works is back!
In celebration of the 150-year anniversary of scientific partnership between NZ and the USA, we present a Good Works special in partnership with Universities New Zealand.
In this talk, 2014 Fulbright NZ Scholar Professor Craig Rodger provides an image-rich view of what it is like to live and work at Scott Base, Antarctica. New Zealand has operated an Antarctic programme through Scott Base for well over 60 years, operating in collaboration with the United States. Many kiwis have worked in and around Scott Base, and while the primary point of the base is scientific research, it is not only scientists who “go south” with the New Zealand Antarctic programme–many Defence Force personnel and skilled tradespeople also make the trip. But of course, most of us won’t get the chance to visit Scott Base or get a feeling of what is like to live and work down there.
Click here to watch this fascinating insight into life on the ice.
About Craig Rodger
Craig works in the Space Physics and Space Weather research fields. He joined the University of Otago Physics Department as a lecturer in 2001 and took up the Beverly Chair in Physics in early 2019. He installed an experiment near Scott Base in 2008, and has sent people to Antarctica nearly every year since. New Zealand has operated an Antarctic programme through Scott Base for over 60 years, operating in strong collaboration with the United States.
About the 150 year anniversary
2024 marks 150 years since the first documented example of New Zealand and American scientists collaborating on a project. The project was the 1874 Transit of Venus, an astronomical event so rare that great effort was made across the world to document it with 19th century science and technology. When two American scientific parties travelled to Aotearoa to document the Transit, little did anyone know that that would be the start of a long and fruitful research relationship between the two nations.
This year, Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara and various partners are celebrating this important anniversary with a host of events, articles, exhibitions, and a publication.