Wax On, Wax Off: Physics and the Hero’s Journey
With just a few strokes of chalk, we see that lightning and rainbows are drawn from the same well of knowledge. What’s delightful, from the teacher’s perspective, is that this last step is much simpler than the arduous journey it takes to get there, so the proverbial pot of gold turns out to be guarded by a surprisingly amiable dragon.
Letting the Per Capita Go To Your Head…
It is worth pausing to recognise the extent to which New Zealand and New Zealanders have achieved something remarkable in space. And I am looking forward to seeing what we – and my students – do next.
A Bigger Sky
Amongst everything else that happened in 2023 a key anniversary for a landmark in our understanding of the Universe passed largely unnoticed – the centenary of the realisation that not only was our Sun one of many stars in the Milky Way galaxy but that our galaxy was one of many galaxies in the Universe.
We Don’t Need No Education?
My mother and father – whose own childhoods took place against the backdrop of the Pacific War and the Blitz, respectively – hoped that their children’s lives would be safer and more comfortable than their own. But parents today should have no such illusions about what our children could face in the anthropocene if climate action does not begin right now.
What’s In A Name?
Showing visitors around the University of Auckland can be a quick lesson in our colonial history. The University is named for the city, which is named for a spectacularly unsuccessful Governor-General of India. Our oldest streets are centred on Queen Street — which is crossed by Victoria Street. The settlers took a belt and braces approach to honouring their young monarch when the city was laid out in 1841.
There’s A Creationist In the Science Class!
No-one seems to dispute that the video was played, but minimising it as a conversation starter or “just one viewpoint” will not inspire confidence. If this was part of a wider programme to slip creationism into science classes, it speaks to a failure of leadership and, I believe, integrity.