The scholarships, awarded in late 2009, fund six secondary and tertiary level students to take part in environmental projects throughout the summer. Students submit reports on their projects that include their findings and recommendations.

The scholarship scheme is funded by Bayer New Zealand Ltd and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Bayer spokesman William Malpass says he is delighted with the work the students have completed over the summer.

“They’ve obviously put a huge amount of effort into their research and produced results that can really help preserve some of New Zealand’s native flora and fauna.

“The challenge now is for regional and local bodies to look at the students’ findings and where feasible, act on the recommendations.”

The 2009/2010 scholarship winners come from Invercargill, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Otago and two from Wellington.

They worked on a range of environmental research projects around New Zealand including:

·         Investigating microbial contamination of shellfish at Riverton, Invercargill

·         Research on stream environments, profiling the Mangaharei and Mangakino streams on the East Coast

·         Evaluating and characterising deep-sea life from video and still images

·         Researching the ecological and economic impact of fresh water eels in the New Zealand environment

·         Re-measurement of the Totara trial at Tapapakanga Regional Park to gather data for improving the diversity of native New Zealand forests

·         Researching the small-scaled skink in the Tongariro-Taupo region.

Bayerboost offers students a unique opportunity to be involved in hands-on research and to learn skills appropriate to their chosen fields of study through summer work projects.

The 2009/2010 students will received between $3,000 and $6,000 in grants, depending on their level of study.

William Malpass says that as a research-based global company, Bayer has supported environmental and education initiatives for more than 100 years and supports a number of global projects aimed at increasing environmental awareness and improving knowledge of the environment among young people.

“What has impressed us about these young people is the emphasis they have placed on the cultural, economic and ecological impact of their research. 

“They really are pushing the boundaries of what so many of us take for granted and they should be heralded for their passion and commitment,” he says.

Through the partnership with the Royal Society, Bayer is in its second year of contributing $120,000 over three years to the BayerBoost environmental scholarship scheme.

The 2009/2010 BayerBoost Environmental Scholarship winners who have just completed their research reports are:

Recipient: Bailey Lovett, Year 12 student at James Hargest School, Invercargill

Host: Environment Southland

Research: Six week study on microbial contamination of shellfish at Riverton

Recipient: Raumiria Pohatu, Year 12 student at Aranui High School, Christchurch

Host: He Oranga mo nga Uri Tuku Iho Trust, Ruatoria

Research: Six weeks research on stream environments, profiling the Mangaharei and Mangakino stream within the sub-catchment.

Recipient: Sonja Hempel, Year 13 student at Onslow College, Wellington

Host: NIWA, Wellington

Research: Ten weeks evaluating the intensity of sampling required to adequately characterize deep-sea benthic assemblages from sea floor video and still images.

Recipient: Alexandra Bowles, Year 13 student at St Mary’s College in Wellington

Host: Otago University’s Zoology department

Research: Ten weeks researching fresh water eels and their ecological and economic impact in the New Zealand freshwater environment.

Recipient: Vicki Alderson-Wallace undergraduate Bachelor of Science student at Otago University

Host: Scion Research, Rotorua

Research: 12 weeks to undertake a research project to assist in the re-measurement of the Totara trial at Tapapakanga Regional Park.

Recipient: Moniqua Nelson-Tunley undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree at Massey University

Host: Tongariro Natural History Society

Research: Twelve week research into the small-scaled skink of the Tongariro-Taupo region

For more information see http://www.rsnz.org/education/bayerboost/  or

http://www.bayerboost.co.nz/about.html

Ends

Interviews

To arrange interviews with the students, contact Debbie Woodhall at the Royal Society of New Zealand:

Ph 04-470 5762

Mob 027 229 6380

Debbie.woodhall@royalsociety.org.nz

Media contact

William Malpass

Corporate Communications Manager

Bayer New Zealand Ltd

Ph 09-441 8591

Mob 021 935 217

William.malpass.wm@bayer-ag.de

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. The company’s products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time Bayer creates value through innovation, growth and high earning power. The Group is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its role as a socially and ethically responsible corporate citizen. Economy, ecology and social responsibility are corporate policy objectives of equal rank. In fiscal 2009, Bayer employed 108,400 people and had sales of €31.2 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to €1.7 billion, R&D expenses to €2.7 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About the Royal Society of New Zealand

The Royal Society of New Zealand is an independent, non-government organisation with the objective of advancing and promoting science and technology.  It is the Academy of Sciences for New Zealand and has a membership of more than 1500 individual scientists and technologists as well as about 50 constituent organisations.

The Society promotes science and technology through various channels including education programmes for primary and secondary school students and teachers and the provision of advice to government to promote evidence-based policy. The Society also administers government research funds (for research of excellence in New Zealand as well as international collaborations).

For more information visit www.royalsociety.org.nz/

Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports, which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.