The annual Prime Minister’s Science Prizes recognise the best in New Zealand science research, teaching and communication, and the 2021 results are in. Congratulations to all the winners!
Bianca and students stand in front of the school's native garden area. Photo: RNZ
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Bianca Woyak is passionate about what she does - ‘People call me high energy. I’ve got so much energy. I always give 150% into anything that inspires me and I want to do.’ Add a specialist science role, a supportive principal, large school grounds and an enthusiastic school full of students, and you’ve got a winning combination.
A teacher at Burnside Primary School in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Bianca has been awarded the 2021 Te Puiaki Kaiwhaaho Pūtaiao Science Teachers Prize for her success in engaging students in science through a range of environmentally focused activities. These have included water testing in the local stream, riparian planting, beekeeping, growing trees for planting in Ōtautahi red zone areas and maintaining the school’s veggie patch and fruit trees.
Bianca Woyak, at Burnside Primary School. Photo: RNZ
Bianca believes in the power of hands-on approaches and real-world learning that is student-led as much as possible. This is how the B5 (Burnside Brings Back Boulder Butterfly) project came about. While studying the self-introduced Monarch butterfly the students started to wonder about local endemic species. Working with local experts the team decided to recreate a boulder copper butterfly habitat on school grounds and translocated some of these as yet undescribed butterflies there. When a new generation hatched, they knew that the project had been a success, and the students are now working with other schools and the local zoo to create boulder copper butterfly habitats there too.
Claire Concannon visits Burnside Primary School to catch up with Bianca and tumuaki Matt Bateman, and to learn about some of the projects from the student scientists themselves.
Listen to this week’s full length episode to hear interviews with prize winners Bianca Woyak, Carol Khor and Professor Dame Jane Harding.
