University supports Hamilton Science Excellence Awards

10 July, 2014

Waikato University supports Hamilton Science Excellence Awards

The University of Waikato is again supporting the KuDos – Hamilton Science Excellence Awards – as a gold partner of the event.

The KuDos awards were launched in 2007 to celebrate science and innovation from within the Waikato region. Nominations for awards are now open and close on Friday 1 August.

This year’s award categories include environmental science, agricultural science, laboratory technician, medical science, agricultural innovation, secondary science educator and lifetime achievement.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which is sponsored by the University of Waikato, recognises a local scientist whose research has made a major contribution to the Waikato and the international profile of New Zealand science.

Last year two University of Waikato researchers, Dr Johan Verbeek (Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering) and Dr Daniel Laughlin (Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering), claimed coveted KuDos Awards.

Dr Verbeek won the Hill Laboratories Science Entrepreneur category for his work in turning bloodmeal into bioplastic products. The work of Dr Verbeek and his team is part of Aduro Biopolymers, the spin-out company formed by Waikato University’s research commercialisation arm WaikatoLink Limited.

Dr Laughlin, a senior lecturer in biological sciences, took out the Hamilton City Council Emerging Scientist category. Dr Laughlin and his research team developed and tested a model that was able to predict where plant species would grow and how their distributions may shift in response to changes in environmental conditions.

This sponsorship is part of the University of Waikato’s ongoing commitment to supporting excellence in science.

Nominations for the 2014 KuDos Awards close on Friday 1 August. The awards dinner will be held on Thursday 9 October. To find out more about the awards or to make a nomination, visit the KuDos website.

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