Royal Society of New Zealand Research Honours

EMBARGOED until 10.30pm, 23 November 2016

Royal Society of New Zealand Research Honours

University of Auckland researchers were awarded the Rutherford Medal and eight other top honours across a diverse range of disciplines in the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) and Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) research honours dinner in Christchurch tonight (23 November 2016).

Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis FRSNZ (Psychology) was awarded the Rutherford Medal for foundational research on the nature and evolution of the human mind, including cerebral asymmetries, handedness, mental imagery, language, and mental time travel. This medal is the highest honour awarded by the RSNZ and acknowledges a lifetime of significant scholarly research.

“We congratulate our academics, whose awards demonstrate their exceptional achievements and the quality and breadth of research at the University of Auckland,” says Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Jim Metson.

Honours awarded to University of Auckland researchers are:

· Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis FRSNZ (Psychology) – the Rutherford Medal for foundational research on the nature and evolution of the human mind, including cerebral asymmetries, handedness, mental imagery, language, and mental time travel.

· Associate Professor Iain Anderson (Engineering Science) – the Pickering Medal for the development and commercialisation of electroactive polymer technology.

· Professor Merryn Tawhai (Auckland Bioengineering Institute) – the MacDiarmid Medal for her research in computational physiology of the respiratory system, having pioneered development of anatomically detailed models that span cell-to-organ function, and providing new understanding of lung physiology and pathophysiology.

· Associate Professor Stéphane Coen (Physics) – the Hector Medal for outstanding contributions in understanding, generation, and manipulation of temporal cavity solitons, and in identifying their role in microresonator Kerr frequency combs.

· Professor Wendy Nelson FRSNZ (Biological Sciences) – the Hutton Medal for significant contributions to understanding the diversity, biology and evolution of marine macroalgae.

· Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson (Learning, Development and Professional Practice) – Mason Durie Medal for her contribution to educational research by identifying the differential impact of different types of school leadership practice on the achievement of learners, which has materially changed national and international educational policy and practice.

· Professor Stuart McNaughton (Curriculum and Pedagogy) – Dame Joan Metge Medal for his contributions to the building of research capacity in educational sciences, advancing literacy and language development, and for his evidence-based impact on educational policy both nationally and internationally.

· Emeritus Professor Alastair Scott FRSNZ (Statistics) – the Jones Medal for a career in statistics spanning over 50 years where he contributed through path-breaking research in survey sampling and biostatistics, and through service to the wider statistical profession in academia, government and society.

· Distinguished Professor Jane Harding FRSNZ (Liggins Institute) – Beaven Medal, Health Research Council of New Zealand for her team’s groundbreaking programme of research into low blood sugar levels in newborns, which transformed the treatment of this potentially dangerous condition by showing that dextrose gel massaged into the inside of a baby’s cheek is more effective than feeding alone.

© Scoop Media