Associate Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu and Dr Ehsan Arabahmadi
Royal Society awards for science communication and PhD research
Associate Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu from the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke has been awarded the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Callaghan Medal for science communication, the first Pacific scientist to receive the honour.
Otago PhD graduate Dr Ehsan Arabahmadi won the Royal Society’s Hatherton Award for the best scientific paper by a student registered at a New Zealand university for a PhD in Physical Sciences, Earth Sciences, or Mathematical and Information Sciences.
Associate Professor Dianne... - University of Otago Alumni & Friends | Facebook
Justice Christie French appointed President of the Court of Appeal
Otago alumna Justice Christine French (LLB Hons, 1981) has been appointed President of the Court of Appeal.
After leaving Otago, she completed a Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford University in 1983, on a Rhodes Scholarship.
After practicing law in Invercargill for more than 20 years, Justice French was made a High Court Judge in 2008 and a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2012.
Fellow Otago alumna, Associate Judge Dani Gardiner (LLB Hons, 1995) has been made a High Court Judge. She will sit in Auckland. Read more in this story from The Post here:
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Cross-country journey to raise money for Movember
Recent University of Otago graduate Ben Reeves undertook a cross-country challenge with his two friends, Tane Tarlton-Kraus and Alex Smith, to raise money for Movember, and to honour his Dad, who died of prostate cancer earlier this year.
He talks about the perilous 60km trek in this story in the Otago Daily Times:
Across the wilds of Northland to raise money for Movember | Otago Daily Times Online News
Distinguished alumna Mazlan Othman talks about her trail-blazing career in astrophysics
Mazlan Othman.
Malaysian-born Mazlan Othman was the first female to gain a PhD in Physics from Otago in 1981.
Mazlan’s story is both insightful and inspirational, and her New Zealand chapter began at the age of 14 when, even though her passion was arts, she decided to study Physics at Otago. She credits her years in the Physics Department as making her the person she is today.
"The astrophysics field didn't even exist in Malaysia, but it was that New Zealand attitude that spurred me on - making do with what you have and moving forward in the best way possible," Mazlan says. "The spirit of not being afraid when there's nothing in front of you."
Mazlan’s full story published recently on RNZ here
Malaysian-born Mazlan... - University of Otago Alumni & Friends | Facebook
Tech start-up provides global vetting for potential employees
Law graduate Hamish Darling’s tech start-up Thistle Finder uses data from social media, news and other data sources across the web to help employers make informed hiring decisions. Read more in this Otago Daily Times story:
Winnowing out the crop’s best clients | Otago Daily Times Online News