Ten tertiary and high school tauira (students) from across Aotearoa New Zealand recently came together for ESR’s first ever genomics boot camp.
Held at ESR’s Kenepuru Science Centre in Wellington, the bootcamp was an opportunity for tauira with an interest in genomics to take a deep dive into a range of career prospects and study areas.
Tauira learnt about DNA and sequencing, the application of genomics, and coding and data analysis. They also had the opportunity to explore the facilities and gain experience working in a laboratory.
“The experience has definitely enforced the idea that you need to understand technology in modern science. Being able to do practicals with technology has been really helpful,” says Hine, from Auckland’s Papakura High School.
ESR staff spoke to the tauira about their own career journeys and the diverse career opportunities that exist. They also spoke about the value rangatahi Māori (Māori youth) can bring to this workforce. A long-time partner of Pūhoro STEMM Academy, ESR are committed to creating more opportunities for Māori in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and mātauranga.
“This experience has definitely opened my eyes up, especially in regards to genetics, genetic diversity, different microbes and organelles. That was my favourite subject in biology and I didn't really know what different fields there would be and how diverse it would be,” says Ryan, from Palmerston North Boys High School.
ESR's genomics work, a fast moving and evolving field of science, covers many areas, like studying humans, the environment, and solving mysteries in forensic research using DNA clues.
Find out more about ESR's genomics work
By studying the genetic instructions of living organisms, ESR is helping to improve our health and the health of the world around us, for a better Aotearoa.