Public Talk Tuesday 15:30 – Monarchs and more

Most people adore the monarch butterfly and want to know more about them. The monarchs are a wonderful ambassador for all of our invertebrates. Once you learn about how you can best help monarchs, you’ll understand how important all our other insects are as well… and the part they play in our ecosystem. Come and hear from Jacqui Knight, founder of the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust and pick up tips how you can have a bounty of butterflies in your own garden.

Wednesday, 10:00 – Adventures in insect genomics

The advent of genome sequences transformed our ability to study the biology of a small number of insects, but as the technology has improved it has become easier and easier to use genome data to rapidly probe the expression and function of genes, outside of traditional model system. In this talk I will explain how we use genome sequence to understand insect biology, ranging from how embryos are made, how reproduction is controlled, to how biocontrol systems work.

Wednesday,12:55 – Invertebrate’s life – permission to research

Ways to foster or influence conservation effort are a keen interest of mine and I am invested in how to engage about new technologies for wasps and a little differently, how communities and science can combine to retain anciently associated invertebrates and plants in their landscapes.  And, not only because Te Papa Atawhai DOC’s resources are finite, it is essential to partner and enable many and varied researchers documenting and building knowledge of invertebrates.

Thursday, 9:00 – Lost children; scientific forays into Te Aitanga-a-Pēpeke

Māori knowledge of te taiao has been of interest to Pākehā since first encounters although the motivations have changed over time. Using te-aitanga-pepeke as a focus, this talk will present a taxonomy of sorts of information about Māori relationships with insects, spiders and other invertebrate fauna. It will include anthropological texts written in English and niupepa Māori, and introduce pūrākau and whakapapa as methodologies for understanding the natural world.

Thursday, 13:15 – Biosecurity hide and seek

Early identification of new invaders through extensive monitoring is the best approach if eradication is to be successful. Therefore, we need to develop new technologies that can help our biosecurity systems work smarter and faster to detect pests and diseases that pose threats to New Zealand’s environment, economy and way of life. Here we describe recent research that has deployed environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques for biosecurity monitoring.

Friday 9:00 – Insects in art

From the caves of our ancestors to high-status galleries in London and New York, the history of insects in art is rich and varied. Art offers us a way into the insect world. It can showcase their incredible beauty and diversity, create a sense of wonder in the person looking at it, and offer new perspectives on the animals. But if art has the power to connect us with the insects we share the world with, it can also do the opposite, rehashing ideas about insects as mechanical, alien, or invasive creepy crawlies. As we navigate the biodiversity crisis and the changing climate, how we represent insects and the stories we tell about them matters.