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Professor Paul Callaghan recently elected fellow of the Royal Society of London introduced each of the award recipients and Palmerston North Mayor, Jill White, presented these highly prestigious Royal Society of New Zealand Academy medals and honours. Four Massey University Scientists received awards at a special meeting of the Manawatu Branch on the evening of Tuesday, 15 May.
Professor David Parry, Head of the Institute of Fundamental Sciences at Massey University, will receive the 2000 Sir Charles Hercus Medal for outstanding scientific research in Biochemical and Health Sciences.
Professor Parry has spent many years trying to understand the structure of hair and skin, which are remarkably closely related. Last year, he and a team of Marsden*-funded researchers made a world-breakthrough by successfully working out the arrangement of the molecules in hair. A surprise was the way in which these rearrange themselves as the hair grows. Understandably, there is keen commercial interest in research which might lead to a cure for baldness.
Professor Parry has also studied another group of these fibrous proteins, the filaments of which form the skeleton or "backbone" of cells. The filaments also play an important role in cell communication. As well as understanding the structure and formation of healthy tissues, Professor Parry has identified subtle differences between healthy tissue and those deformed by genetic mutations. This complete understanding is essential before researchers are able to develop genetic therapies and other treatments to help patients with life-threatening diseases and many other distressing conditions. Some of the skin complaints associated with such mutations are extremely unsightly and unpleasant for sufferers.
* The Marsden Research Fund is administered by the Royal Society.
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The Hatherton Award is for the best scientific paper by a student registered for the degree of PhD at any New Zealand University or accepted for publication, either during their studies or within a year of the receipt of the PhD degree in Physical Sciences, Earth Sciences and Mathematical and information Sciences.
Dr Roger Shand, awarded with his PhD at Massey University on the same day (15/5), receives the 2000 Award for his research paper on the behaviour of sandbars on the Wanganui Coast. The migration of sandbars can have a rapid and dramatic impact on coastal areas. Studies of this kind can be difficult and costly. Dr Shand used innovative time-lapse photography, which removed the need for expensive sea-borne instruments. The study of these movements is of great interest to engineers involved in coastal development projects. It also informs beach users and surf lifesavers about rip channel developments.
His global research, which included Wanganui Coast, uncovered a pattern in which sandbars are formed near the shore, then systematically migrate seaward, eventually disappearing 4-500m offshore. This process takes several years to complete. Dr Shand’s research challenged accepted theory that sandbars formed and remained in approximately the same place.
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The Thomson Medal is awarded for outstanding contributions in the fields of the organisation, administration or application of science and technology.
Professor Anderson is Pro Vice Chancellor of the College of Sciences, Massey University. He has been described as a visionary leader, who has been effective in building relationships between researchers and in developing the College of Science as a series of research-focussed networks.
Professor Anderson graduated PhD from Cornell University in 1978 and was appointed, by invitation, as Professor and Head of the then Department of Sheep Husbandry at Massey University in 1980. This appointment ushered in a remarkable period of leadership and achievement in the agricultural sciences. In 1985, Professor Anderson was appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences. Professor Anderson set about to streamline the organisation and management of the faculty and to set a vision and strategy for its development. Of particular note during Professor Anderson's Deanship, was a review and complete redesign and repositioning of the Faculty's undergraduate degree and diploma offerings.
Professor Anderson's prowess was recognised in 1986 with the award of a Centennial Medal by the Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture for "outstanding contributions in the field of biometrics and services to agricultural sciences." He was invited by the State Member of Agriculture, Victoria, Australia, to lead a review and reorganisation of agricultural science and related education in Victoria.
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The evening’s presentation is to be given by newly-elected Fellow of the Royal Society, Michael Hendy, Professor of Biological Mathematics, Massey University.
Professor Hendy has specialised in a branch of mathematics which helps deduce evolutionary relationships between species. With the rapid developments in DNA analysis, this branch of so-called "biomathematics" has become increasingly important as a tool for working out evolutionary trees. The models also have use in other fields such as linguistics, archaeology and anthropology.
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