2007 Science Honours Dinner

New Zealand’s fifth annual Science Honours dinner took place in Dunedin Town Hall on Tuesday 20 November, with announcements of the prestigious Rutherford, Pickering, Liley and Thomson medals. The country’s top science and technology award, the Rutherford Medal, was awarded to internationally renowned neuroscientist, Professor Richard Faull FRSNZ of The University of Auckland, for his groundbreaking work in understanding the human brain.

The awards evening – occurring during International Polar Year – also featured a live phone link to kiwi scientists on the ANDRILL drilling rig in Antarctica, a display of the New Zealand flag that Edmund Hillary planted on the South Pole in January 1958, and the national launch of a documentary film showing the recent BIG Science Adventures trip to Greenland, where a team from Otago Girls High observed the effects of climate change first hand.

For more information on the medals awarded on the night see the Royal Society press releases:
Science Honours (with full citations)
Rutherford Medal
Creative Science Writing Prize

For further information regarding this event please contact Faith Atkins on 04 470 5781 or faith.atkins@rsnz.org