$17m Institute Opens for Business

By DYKES, Mervyn

Massey University hopes to reap a bumper crop of PhD science graduates thanks to the new $17m Hopkirk Research Institute on its Palmerston North campus.

The institute, which is a collaboration between Massey University and AgResearch (Wallaceville), was opened by the Minister of Research, Science and Technology Steve Maharey yesterday.

Already it is being lauded as housing the largest concentration of animal health sciences in the Southern Hemisphere and many of those scientists have international reputations.

The Hopkirk stands next door to Massey’s Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences (IVABS), headed by Professor Grant Guilford.

“We have about 150 post- graduate students,” he said yesterday, “but one of the problems of New Zealand science is that many bright, young minds in science are struggling under the load of student debt.

“They feel a pressure to get on with their earning and get things under control rather than go on to further education and risk compounding debt.”

Now there was the chance of completing doctorates whilst being involved in funded research projects at the Hopkirk, he said.

Coupled with this was the possibility of obtaining funding so that substitutes could be used to release doctoral students from teaching obligations.

Professor Guilford said that up to 60 doctoral students could soon be working alongside senior scientists at the Hopkirk Institute.

Moves had been made already to get the first of the students involved in projects. He said it was hoped that these contacts would inspire them to engage in their own research projects later and not be lost to the field of science.

The potential for interaction between experienced scientists and up-and-coming younger people was commented on by several of the AgResearch and Massey leaders at the opening ceremony yesterday.

The inaugural director of the Hopkirk Research Institute, Dr Wayne Hein, said that initially the AgResearch and Massey scientists would be co-operating on two large projects and a number of integrated smaller projects that he hoped would lead to bigger and better things in the future.

Massey Vice-chancellor, Professor Judith Kinnear, said the new institute would “provide an academically rich and research-active environment for post-graduate training”.

“Initially, the co-location provides an opportunity to double the number of post-graduate students in animal science and animal health – and this will ensure an even stronger future for veterinary science in New Zealand.” AgResearch chairman Rick Christie said the mere existence of the Hopkirk Research Institute was sufficient to improve funding prospects for scientists.

“The simple fact is that within the Hopkirk, scientists who would previously have been competing for funding and preparing separate paperwork to justify next year’s income, will now agree on priorities, apply jointly for resourcing and, I believe, use it much more efficiently.”

The new research facility has close to 4000sq m of laboratory space, sufficient to house 90-100 research staff.

Professor Guilford said some of the projects being worked on had the potential for considerable benefits to New Zealand.

For example the development of a more effective drench had the potential to save the country $5.5 billion over a decade.

——————–

(c) 2007 Evening Standard; Palmerston North, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.