Save the bees
The first Māori woman to get a PhD from engineering at AUT graduated on Friday.
Ngaire Hart is believed to be only the second Māori woman to have the qualification in this field.
Dr Hart’s research focused on saving native bees.
She developed a model using photos to see if there is a drop in nests at three sites at Parihaka and Mt Tiger in Northland.
She found a significant drop in the number of nests which could be caused by pesticides in the environment, disease, loss of habitat or resource competition with other insects.
Professor Enrico Haemmerle, Head of AUT’s School of Engineering, Computers and Mathematical Sciences, says Ngaire is an inspiration. “Her bee research demonstrates how personal interests and culture can be combined with academic research to create outcomes of significant value."
Her supervisor, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Loulin Huang, was also proud.
“Her background and philosophy teamed with her enthusiasm and stamina was a breath of fresh air in engineering research.”
TVNZ Te Karere also interviewed Ngaire. Click here to watch the interview.