Category Archives: Coming Events

Hawke’s Bay Branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand: 150th Anniversary Celebration

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Join us in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Hawke’s Bay Branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand. We are excited to commemorate this milestone with a series of special events:

Friday, September 13, 2024:

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Casual “Meet and Mingle”

  • Venue: East Pier, 50 Nelson Quay, Ahuriri, Napier
  • Cash bar and food available for order

Saturday, September 14, 2024:

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: House of Science Expo

  • Venue: Small Exhibition Hall, Napier War Memorial Conference Centre, Marine Parade
  • An opportunity for primary and intermediate students, their teachers, and whanau to explore House of Science resource kits and participate in hands-on science activities.

1:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Short Science Talks and Panel Discussion

  • Venue: MTG Hawke’s Bay (to be confirmed)
  • Featuring local scientists discussing their work, a presentation on the history of the Society, and an exhibition of some of the Society’s artefacts held at MTG.

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: 150th Anniversary Celebratory Dinner

  • Venue: Magdalinos Room, Havelock North Function Centre, 30 Te Mata Road, Havelock North
  • Guest Speaker: Julia Rotham, Director of Mahia Launch Site, Rocket Lab
  • Booking for this event will open soon. Stay tuned for details on how to reserve your place at this special evening.


More details will be updated in August.

Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle: A Unique Intersection of Art and Science

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Speaker: Louise Beer

Date: Thursday, 22 August 2024, 6pm

Venue: Napier Sailing Club, 63 West Quay, Ahuriri, Napier

Admission: Gold coin donation

Image source: Louise Beer
https://www.louisebeer.com/work#/gathering-light/

Join us for a fascinating lecture by Louise Beer as she delves into her artistic practice and discusses the philosophical and biological impacts of light pollution. Drawing from her British Council Connections Through Culture project, “Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle,” Louise will share insights from her collaboration with Dr. Ian Griffin from Tūhura Otago Museum. This event promises to blend art and science in an extraordinary way.

Supported by Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Hawke’s Bay Branch, and the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific, this lecture will highlight how Louise’s experience under varying night skies informs her work, examining our symbolic visual connection to the cosmos amidst increasing light pollution.

Image source: Louise Beer

Louise Beer is an artist and curator from Aotearoa New Zealand, currently working between London, Margate, and Aotearoa. Her multidisciplinary approach, which includes installation, moving image, photography, writing, participatory works, and sound, explores humanity’s evolving understanding of Earth’s environments and the cosmos. Sponsored by the British Council, this event will highlight how her experience under varying night skies informs her work, examining our symbolic visual connection to the cosmos amidst increasing light pollution.

Science, Shtick, and Segues: Reflections on 40+ Years as an Entomologist in NZ

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Speaker: Dr Dave Rogers, Scientist at Plant and Food Research

Date: Thursday, 25 July 2024, 6pm

Venue: Pacific Surf Club (26 Marine Parade, Bluff Hill, Napier ) 

Admission: Gold coin donation

Join us for an engaging lecture with Dr. Dave Rogers, a seasoned entomologist, as he shares captivating stories from his transformative journey in New Zealand’s apple industry. Dr. Rogers will take us from the silent, sterile apple orchards of the 1980s, dominated by broad-spectrum nerve poisons, to today’s vibrant ecosystems teeming with life. His pioneering work has been pivotal in making apple production more sustainable and eco-friendly, leading to higher quality apples while fostering healthier orchard environments. This talk will showcase how research and innovation have revolutionized fruit production, making it more sustainable and impactful.

Our speaker, Dr. Dave Rogers, is a senior scientist at Plant and Food Research, specializing in apple pest management within the Temperate Fruit Crops Entomology team in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. With a rich history of international work on fruit flies and other developmental projects, Dr. Rogers brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Notably, he served as the technical manager for a five-year MFAT-funded project in Vietnam, aimed at developing safe vegetable production systems for local farmers. This comprehensive project included agronomy, plant protection, postharvest and food safety, as well as marketing and branding. Dr. Rogers’ extensive expertise in pest management and the broader horticultural sector promises to offer invaluable insights. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a leading expert in the field and gain a deeper understanding of the advancements in sustainable horticulture.

Generative AI – a lecture series in May and June 2023

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Four lectures on this topical and important subject are being broadcast free of charge by the Faculty of Science, University of Auckland

Click here for more information about the lecture series

Thursday, 11 May: 2023 Gibbons Online Lecture – AI and the New Creative Revolution

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www.eventbrite.co.nz

The 2023 Gibbons Lectures series is intended to describe ongoing research in Computer Science to a wider public, organized by Faculty of Science, University of Auckland.

Tim Gibson, Stolen Glances Studio

Thursday 11 May, 6:30pm

Venue: Lib B15 Lecture Theatre General Library Basement, (109-B15) The University of Auckland 5 Alfred Street, Auckland CBD, register your place here.

This lecture will be available to livestream here.

Generative Artificial Intelligence like ChatGPT and its visual equivalents Dall-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion have shaken up the creative workforce, often producing industry level copywriting, editing, illustration and design at a fraction of the time and cost of a human worker. Their capabilities have set off a technological arm’s race at the world’s largest tech companies while simultaneously building a user base of enthusiasts faster than the most popular social media platforms.

What can Generative AI be used for, how powerful is it really, how could it be used ethically, and what impact will it have on our creative industries and the people who work for and engage with them?

What could a world look like where creativity is ‘free’? 

In this talk, Tim will showcase some of the current technologies’ capabilities, the hot takes and debates from within the creative industries and attempt to predict what is next for creative Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Tim Gibson is a Creative Director, Animator and Illustrator who has worked for companies big and small across film, television, comics, branding and packaging design. His work has appeared for Garage Project, Weta Workshop, Le Monde Diplomatique, Penguin Random-House, Te Papa Tongarewa and more.