Affiliations
Director, The Elshire Group Ltd,
President (2017-2022, 2023-), Genomics for Aotearoa New Zealand
Councilor (2021), New Zealand Association of Scientists
Member, Maize Genetics Cooperation
Member, New Zealand Open Source Society
Associate Member, Aotearoa Tech Union
Associate Member, Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand, Inc.
Genomics Technology Innovator
I was the lead developer for the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology at Cornell University. It was better, faster, and cheaper than other DNA analysis methods. We made it free to use (no license fees) and trained many researchers. Here in Aotearoa, GBS is being used by many of our Universities and Crown Research Institutes. From kiwi fruit (breeding PSA tolerant gold varieties at Plant and Food Research) to kiwi conservation (the Kiwi Whakapapa project at Massey University) - all through our primary industries and our natural world.
Public Scientist
Over the years, I got to know all kinds of people through working many different jobs: construction labourer, petrol station attendant, pizza delivery driver, hardware store clerk, computer operator, etc. These experiences helped me understand the importance of each person, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what circumstances they find themselves in. My efforts are for the people. I am fortunate to have broad and varied education, training, and experience. From a start in electrical engineering, to biology and horticulture. Then on to genomics science, DNA sequencing, through to training in ethics, professionalism, entrepreneurship and intellectual property. I have set up molecular marker labs, managed a number of business for others, and am currently a director of a genomics research company with clients all around the world. I have a strong interest in seeing public investments in research benefiting the public. I believe that all of the people in our research system (regardless of position or title) deserve to be treated fairly and with kindness as well as have career pathways that will assist them to flourish in their work and personal lives.
The chapters in this book provide best practices and key insights into digital alternatives for student mobility, operations, marketing, and recruitment, while simultaneously laying the foundation for creating more equitable and environmentally friendly international learning environments.
We define this idea, present the updated principles and subprinciples, and highlight how these can be used to decolonise algorithms currently in use, and argue that these ideas could potentially be used to developed Indigenised algorithms.
Phil Garnock-Jones has just published a new fascicle on indigenous Veronica. It published on the NZFlora site under a CC-BY license. With over 500 pages of text and photographs it is a great piece of research.
I spent this morning in the garden, thinking about the promise of the future. Our asparagus patch has been three years in planning and preparing that bit of papatūānuku to nurture the seedlings. I planted 60 today. They will grow there season on season. In four years, we will take the first harvest to nourish us. The conditions they will see in future years are unknown. But, with care and a bit of luck, they will feed many in the years to come and long after my time. Short term gratification is no where close to the aim.
The simple act of planting an asparagus patch is a hopeful thing. Something beyond one's self and one's time. That's how I feel about this community. I am not sure how it will develop, how long it might last, or what it may achieve. But by preparing the ground, planting the seeds, and looking beyond ourselves, I am hopeful. I know that many of you are as well.
Thank you for being part of this community as we collectively determine what it will become.
As per the credo of the "Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality", this map uses the Equal Earth projection to ensure proportional land-mass size, the South is at the up, and - of course - the globe has been rotated to 150°.
I love everything about this project. From the quote above, to the approach taken (open licensed data and free / open source software), to having all the code publicly available, to being able to support the map maker via buying a copy. ?
This alignment, we argue, suggests a recasting of science from a competitively managed activity of knowledge production to a collaboratively organized moral practice that puts kindness and sharing at its core. We end by examining how Flourishing Science could be embodied in academic practice, from individual to organizational levels, and how that could help to arrive at a flourishing of scientists and science alike.
I particularly like the concept of empathetic joy as one of the values. How awesome is centering a delight in the achievement of others in one's approach to science (and life).
My colleague @Karaitiana Taiuru was one of three panelists. See the summary at the link below.
OpenStreetMap is among the world’s most successful open data projects. If the right decisions are made as its implementation is finalised, the EU Open Data Directive could become one, too.
We used a CC-0 license for all the submission snippets that community members wrote in response to the green paper. Being mindful of how one chooses licensing can help communities leverage their collective might.
New Zealand Political parties used the term data and or evidence at far higher rates than parties in the UK, the USA, or Australia. And while people can argue about the degree to which that is rhetorical, none the less New Zealand had very high expectations of showing your evidence when making an argument.
Great talk on data, COVID, and how rigor matters. This is a github repository with the text and images. Perhaps a bit more than was in the talk as presented.
To change the background image for your profile. Click on the icon circled in red below. From there you can upload an image and adjust which part appears. Have a play and see how it works.