The conference starts
and finishes on
Field-Based STEM are holding conferences around New Zealand, at the end of Term 4 (November / December).
Registrations are now being taken for the Kapiti Conference. You can see what is on offer below and by clicking on the ‘Book This Conference’ button below:
Workshop Description
This half day workshop will introduce participants to the concept of marine protected areas, the different types and levels of protection that each type provides, the legal basis for these protected areas and a deeper dive into two local marine protected areas – Kapiti Marine reserve and the Pukerua Bay Rahui. The workshop will include a presentation on marine protected areas and a field trip to the Pukerua Bay Rahui as well as a discussion of the assessment opportunities.
Workshop Description
This half day workshop will introduce participants to Citizen Science. There will be a brief presentation to set the scene followed by a field trip to a local beach site to have a go at collecting some biological data using the citizen science platform iNaturalist, followed by a second indoor session exploring a range of citizen science datasets that are available for use in assessment contexts and a discussion of the opportunities and limitations of these datasets.(The workshop will introduce participants to a range of citizen science platforms and datasets including MM2, Inaturalist, SHMAK, Litter Intelligence)
Note: Participants will need to have downloaded the iNaturalist app onto their mobile device prior to the workshop.
This half day workshop will introduce participants to the Litter Intelligence programme and the use of rubbish science and rubbish data in an assessment. The workshop includes a 45 minute theory session followed by a field trip to a local beach site to conduct a litter survey. Participants will be trained in the litter survey methodology and will gain accreditation as a Lead Citizen Scientist enabling them to lead their own field trips to coastal sites to conduct official litter surveys with their students in the future. The field trip will be followed by a deeper dive into the Litter Intelligence data that’s been collected to date across NZ, and a discussion of its use in Geography or Science.
Most relevant Level 1 Achievement Standards
Geography 91932 – Demonstrate understanding of the spatial distribution of a phenomenon and its impacts on place
Geography 91933 – Explore an environment using data
Science 92044 – Demonstrate understanding of human-induced change within the Earth system
Science 91921 – Demonstrate understanding of the use of a range of scientific investigative approaches in a context
Half day Understanding river health using a SHMAK kit (or similar) and visual health assessment, and the implications for the environment. Workshop would be undertaken on-site, with a reflection back inside at the end, to summarise findings.
We will consider abiotic factors (temperature, reach dimensions, clarity, nitrogen), and biotic factors (invertebrates). This incorporates fair testing, as well as photos, measurements and tallies.
Full day. Starting with bird ID and five minute bird count sessions inside, before heading out for the rest of the day. Learn how to identify coastal birds and undertake 5MBC (with the group determining where they will carry out their surveys). At 5MBC stations, we will also do a quick quadrat survey (for example) of potential food sources, to determine if there is a link between the two.
Full day. Heading out and understanding what makes a rock pool tick. Measure rock pools (including depth), taking percent covers of algae, using quadrats to measure biodiversity and abiotic factors such as temperature and oxygen, pH. Includes tallies, measurements, observations, photos and fair testing. Using this information to infer what depends on what, and what we might expect if an abiotic factor were to change. Summing up back at base, comparing information, brainstorming report.
Half day. Indoors for the first part, with some activities outside. Running through the ethical considerations in conservation (activities), the representation of data for projects such as 1080 application, investigating claims and creating a science communication piece.
Half day. Walk and talk observing manu species and the effects certain events have had on genetic variation (case studies). Potentially link in with some tracking and trapping mahi.
Half day. Time spent making ink and chew cards, running through the physiology/behaviours of introduced and endemic species, and control methods. Links in well to the ‘Controversy in Conservation’ session.
Half-day workshop. In pre-European times the seas around Aotearoa were the main food source for most Māori. But having recently arrived, the earliest Polynesian settlers were used to spearing fish in clear tropical waters. In Aotearoa the murky seas must have been initially frustrating. Māori went on to develop the fishing hook beyond any other culture on the planet.
This session will look at examples of hooks, lures, traps, nets and aquaculture, looking at design, manufacture, functionality, and explore some of the tikanga and science around traditional Māori fish harvesting and enhancement methods. This content links to NZ Histories.
Half-day workshop. New Zealand/Aotearoa is the envy of many countries, being the only country in the world with a quota-managed fisheries resource for all commercial species. In the long term, how sustainable is commercial and recreational fishing in this country?
We will look at Commercial Fish harvesting and the controls and strategies employed to do the job efficiently. How does this compare with Aquaculture? Is aquaculture going to be the answer to supplying consumer demand for seafood? Where will we end up? How will climate change affect the marine environment and the way it works? What effects will be seen on species we are used to having in our waters. Includes a Mussel dissection and a demonstration of mussel water filtering.
Half day. Looking at how schools can investigate/discover what’s going on below the surface. Exploring the undersea world can be problematic. That can either put you off trying or it can create a worthy challenge to try and come up with simple solutions to find out what is going on down there. Low-tech answers can lie in using inexpensive action cameras in smart ways, taking bottom samples, video transects, light traps, plankton sampling, water sampling (temp/salinity/pH etc), sediment deposition and using ROVs. Much of this gear can be designed by students and built in a school’s technology suite. Getting real-world data from the real world, is life experience stuff and its value cannot be underestimated.
A workshop covering the development of the light pollution issue over the last few decades and the response that NZ had taken starting with Tekapo/Takapō and how this has also been implemented in New Zealand. We will look at the impact of light pollution on a range of issues including the effect on pollinators, birds and humans. We will show how the science around the impact of light pollution has developed and the role that citizen science has played in getting a better understanding of this global problem. This will be an indoor based workshop with a ‘ virtual field trip’ component in our inflatable planetarium to view the Moon garden and planting that promotes pollinators.
Half day. This workshop will examine the atmospheric column on Venus, Earth and Mars and how energy is moved around the atmospheres of these planets and the impact this has on the surface. We will also look at the movement of energy in the Sun and how this radiates out to the planets. The workshop will cover concepts such as pressure, heat transfer, the electromagnetic spectrum and gravity. It will be mainly based inside but we will observe the Sun through a Solar Telescope and make observations of sunspots and other prominent solar features. We will also look at an experiment to measure total solar flux (depending on the weather).
Half day. The movement of the Earth around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth is translated into the apparent movement of the celestial bodies as viewed from the Earth. This has been used by humans for thousands of years to mark the passage of time and for assisting with navigation. This workshop will utilise our portable planetarium to demonstrate how the apparent movement of the stars, Moon and Sun can be used to help navigate. We will look at both Pacific and modern techniques in navigation and how these have developed over time. This will be an indoor workshop mainly in the planetarium but also using a range of navigation devices outdoors.
Half day. In this workshop we will look at how observing celestial occurrences has helped us build an understanding of the universe. Using scientific investigative approaches and examining scientific method we will look closely at the moons of Jupiter to determine the mass of Jupiter. This workshop will look at how we can measure distances in space, angular distances using telescopes and calculating basic relationships. To finish the workshop we will have a session in the planetarium to view both Jupiter and Saturn and try and measure the distance from one of the moons to the planet.
Workshop Description
This hands-on half day workshop will introduce participants to the learning opportunities from making paper out of fibrous and native plants (e.g. harakeke, tī kōuka, raupō, palms, yucca).
Papermaking provides a platform for learning through experimentation, creative exploration, and scientific evaluation throughout the production process. Different material properties can be achieved through the choice of raw material (e.g. different plant species vs recycled paper), the pulping process (intensity, types of chemicals used), the sheet forming stage (thickness, additives to change absorbency, colour etc.), and the postproduction stage (pressing and drying methods, adding additives like beeswax, sizes etc.).
Papermaking offers the unique opportunity for students to create a material from scratch without expensive or hazardous equipment or source materials. These skills then enable applying scientific methods to test and compare outcomes and to match outputs to desired applications.
The workshop will be held by Rob Kennedy from local Kāpiti papermaking business Paperscape at his Paraparaumu Beach home-based workshop.
