title: A survey of the Australasian clinical medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce

authors: Round, W. Howell

subjects: workforce

abstract: A survey of the medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce was carried out in 2006. 495 positions(equivalent to 478 equivalent full time (EFT) positions) were captured by the survey. Of these 268 EFT were in radiation oncology physics, 36 EFT were in radiology physics, 44 were in nuclear medicine physics, 101 EFT were in biomedical engineering and 29 EFT were attributed to other activities. The survey reviewed the experience profile, the salary levels and the number of vacant positions in the workforce for the different disciplines in each Australian state and in New Zealand. Analysis of the data identifies staffing shortfalls in the various disciplines and demonstrates the difficulties that will occur in trying to train sufficient physicists to raise staffing to an acceptable level.

text: A survey of the Australasian clinical medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce A survey of the medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce was carried out in 2006. 495 positions(equivalent to 478 equivalent full time (EFT) positions) were captured by the survey. Of these 268 EFT were in radiation oncology physics, 36 EFT were in radiology physics, 44 were in nuclear medicine physics, 101 EFT were in biomedical engineering and 29 EFT were attributed to other activities. The survey reviewed the experience profile, the salary levels and the number of vacant positions in the workforce for the different disciplines in each Australian state and in New Zealand. Analysis of the data identifies staffing shortfalls in the various disciplines and demonstrates the difficulties that will occur in trying to train sufficient physicists to raise staffing to an acceptable level.

year: 2007

title: Satellite remote sensing for improvement of groundwater characterisation

authors: Westerhoff, Rogier Sebastiaan

subjects: satellite

abstract: Groundwater, the water stored in the subsurface, plays an essential role in water provision for domestic, industrial and agricultural use. Groundwater is also vital for ecology and environment, since it provides base flow to many streams, rivers and wetlands. Groundwater demand in New Zealand has grown strongly in recent years and assessment of groundwater volumes, fluxes and flows requires more advanced methods. Exploration of groundwater, the least-known water resource, often requires the combination of multiple research disciplines, such as well-drilling, geophysical techniques and groundwater models. These combined products often are uncertain in areas where ground-observed data are sparse. This uncertainty limits our future scientifc capability to better assess our complex groundwater resources.

Satellite geophysical data can help tackle the problem of data sparsity in groundwater research because they commonly cover several regions or a whole nation in one image. On a global scale, in recent years, use of satellite-derived data in hydrogeology has gained considerable attention. Although data access is relatively easy and data are mostly free, similar in-depth hydrogeological studies have not been performed for New Zealand. This is mainly because satellite data can contain much noise, as the signal has to travel far before it reaches the Earth, and because data are often too coarse for the New Zealand aquifer scale. Therefore, satellite data for hydrogeological research in New Zealand are not proven technology and they are generally not used by New Zealand scientists, consultancies or water managers. A break-through is needed.

This thesis researches the added value of satellite data to better estimate groundwater volumes and flows, including their uncertainties, in New Zealand. The thesis uses the concept of `efficient combination', where satellite data are combined with existing information from ground observations or models, so that they can fill in gaps and trends in data-sparse areas. The satellite data used are those on evapotranspiration, vegetation properties, and soil moisture (the amount of water stored in our top soils). These water budget components are important input for the estimation of rainfall recharge to groundwater: the amount of rainfall that percolates through the soil to eventually replenish the groundwater. Rainfall recharge to groundwater is an important component for groundwater flow models. This thesis shows that satellite data can be used as a tool with other data (e.g., with ground observations and models) to better spatially estimate evapotranspiration, soil moisture, rainfall recharge and groundwater table, including their uncertainty estimates. Satellite data thus help to better estimate groundwater volumes, fluxes, and flows, at both the regional and national scale. This thesis has resulted in the first New Zealand-wide gridded estimates of rainfall recharge and groundwater table. 

With my thesis, I hope to have paved the way for further use of satellite-derived data sources in groundwater research. I am confident that the results and recommendations of this thesis will lead to a further increase of New Zealand research and applications of satellite data for groundwater and freshwater studies.

text: Satellite remote sensing for improvement of groundwater characterisation Groundwater, the water stored in the subsurface, plays an essential role in water provision for domestic, industrial and agricultural use. Groundwater is also vital for ecology and environment, since it provides base flow to many streams, rivers and wetlands. Groundwater demand in New Zealand has grown strongly in recent years and assessment of groundwater volumes, fluxes and flows requires more advanced methods. Exploration of groundwater, the least-known water resource, often requires the combination of multiple research disciplines, such as well-drilling, geophysical techniques and groundwater models. These combined products often are uncertain in areas where ground-observed data are sparse. This uncertainty limits our future scientifc capability to better assess our complex groundwater resources.

Satellite geophysical data can help tackle the problem of data sparsity in groundwater research because they commonly cover several regions or a whole nation in one image. On a global scale, in recent years, use of satellite-derived data in hydrogeology has gained considerable attention. Although data access is relatively easy and data are mostly free, similar in-depth hydrogeological studies have not been performed for New Zealand. This is mainly because satellite data can contain much noise, as the signal has to travel far before it reaches the Earth, and because data are often too coarse for the New Zealand aquifer scale. Therefore, satellite data for hydrogeological research in New Zealand are not proven technology and they are generally not used by New Zealand scientists, consultancies or water managers. A break-through is needed.

This thesis researches the added value of satellite data to better estimate groundwater volumes and flows, including their uncertainties, in New Zealand. The thesis uses the concept of `efficient combination', where satellite data are combined with existing information from ground observations or models, so that they can fill in gaps and trends in data-sparse areas. The satellite data used are those on evapotranspiration, vegetation properties, and soil moisture (the amount of water stored in our top soils). These water budget components are important input for the estimation of rainfall recharge to groundwater: the amount of rainfall that percolates through the soil to eventually replenish the groundwater. Rainfall recharge to groundwater is an important component for groundwater flow models. This thesis shows that satellite data can be used as a tool with other data (e.g., with ground observations and models) to better spatially estimate evapotranspiration, soil moisture, rainfall recharge and groundwater table, including their uncertainty estimates. Satellite data thus help to better estimate groundwater volumes, fluxes, and flows, at both the regional and national scale. This thesis has resulted in the first New Zealand-wide gridded estimates of rainfall recharge and groundwater table. 

With my thesis, I hope to have paved the way for further use of satellite-derived data sources in groundwater research. I am confident that the results and recommendations of this thesis will lead to a further increase of New Zealand research and applications of satellite data for groundwater and freshwater studies.

year: 2017

title: The teaching, learning and testing of te reo Māori in tertiary institutions in Aotearoa/New Zealand

authors: Tihema, Ngaire L. A.

subjects: tertiary educational institutions

abstract: Additional language teaching and learning is fraught with problems the world over and Aotearoa/New Zealand is not immune to these issues.  This doctoral research investigates current practices of teaching and learning te reo Māori (the Māori language) as an additional language in tertiary educational institutions and explores the appropriacy of measuring the language proficiency of speakers and learners of te reo Māori by using a variation of the C-test principle.  The first chapter (Chapter One) sets the context by providing an overview of post-colonial historical events in Aotearoa/New Zealand that led to a language shift which would result in many Māori learning te reo Māori as a second language.  The literature review (Chapter Two) provides an historical overview of additional language teaching methods and approaches since the 18th century and critiques some language teaching methods/approaches – found to be outdated, teacher-centred and/or too limited in scope – that are currently used to teach the Māori language in tertiary institutions.  The next two chapters report on responses from a questionnaire-based survey (Chapter Three) and semi-structured interviews (Chapter Four) with tertiary teachers of te reo Māori, which found that most teachers are largely untrained and unqualified in the area of additional language teaching and learning.  The chapter that follows (Chapter Five) provides an analysis of a textbook series – reported to be the most widely used Māori language resources in tertiary institutions – which was found to be largely influenced by an eclectic approach to textbook design that includes grammar translation and audiolingual methods.  For the next chapter (Chapter Six), the development of a particular type of Māori language proficiency test (variant C-test) is discussed, along with the findings and results of its trial, which was done, firstly, with a sample of highly proficient speakers of te reo and, secondly, with a small sample of second language learners of te reo, prior to a pilot of the test which was conducted with a second sample of tertiary learners of te reo Māori.  While analyses of test scores reveal that satisfactory reliability coefficients were obtained, more research is required, not only to investigate the validity of this particular C-test variant, but also to further explore the appropriacy of applying the (variant) C-test principle to measuring general Māori language proficiency.  This chapter (Chapter Six) concludes with a discussion of the questionnaire responses about the educational backgrounds, language backgrounds, motivations and attitudes of the samples of learners, approximately half of whom are additional language learners and the other half of whom have been raised with te reo Māori as (one of) their main language.  An overview of the research findings and its limitations is provided in the final chapter (Chapter Seven), along with potential contributions of the research and further recommendations for future research.  The challenge that each issue raised in this thesis places on teachers, students and the revitalisation movement of te reo Māori in tertiary institutions, is one which needs to be further explored and addressed.

text: The teaching, learning and testing of te reo Māori in tertiary institutions in Aotearoa/New Zealand Additional language teaching and learning is fraught with problems the world over and Aotearoa/New Zealand is not immune to these issues.  This doctoral research investigates current practices of teaching and learning te reo Māori (the Māori language) as an additional language in tertiary educational institutions and explores the appropriacy of measuring the language proficiency of speakers and learners of te reo Māori by using a variation of the C-test principle.  The first chapter (Chapter One) sets the context by providing an overview of post-colonial historical events in Aotearoa/New Zealand that led to a language shift which would result in many Māori learning te reo Māori as a second language.  The literature review (Chapter Two) provides an historical overview of additional language teaching methods and approaches since the 18th century and critiques some language teaching methods/approaches – found to be outdated, teacher-centred and/or too limited in scope – that are currently used to teach the Māori language in tertiary institutions.  The next two chapters report on responses from a questionnaire-based survey (Chapter Three) and semi-structured interviews (Chapter Four) with tertiary teachers of te reo Māori, which found that most teachers are largely untrained and unqualified in the area of additional language teaching and learning.  The chapter that follows (Chapter Five) provides an analysis of a textbook series – reported to be the most widely used Māori language resources in tertiary institutions – which was found to be largely influenced by an eclectic approach to textbook design that includes grammar translation and audiolingual methods.  For the next chapter (Chapter Six), the development of a particular type of Māori language proficiency test (variant C-test) is discussed, along with the findings and results of its trial, which was done, firstly, with a sample of highly proficient speakers of te reo and, secondly, with a small sample of second language learners of te reo, prior to a pilot of the test which was conducted with a second sample of tertiary learners of te reo Māori.  While analyses of test scores reveal that satisfactory reliability coefficients were obtained, more research is required, not only to investigate the validity of this particular C-test variant, but also to further explore the appropriacy of applying the (variant) C-test principle to measuring general Māori language proficiency.  This chapter (Chapter Six) concludes with a discussion of the questionnaire responses about the educational backgrounds, language backgrounds, motivations and attitudes of the samples of learners, approximately half of whom are additional language learners and the other half of whom have been raised with te reo Māori as (one of) their main language.  An overview of the research findings and its limitations is provided in the final chapter (Chapter Seven), along with potential contributions of the research and further recommendations for future research.  The challenge that each issue raised in this thesis places on teachers, students and the revitalisation movement of te reo Māori in tertiary institutions, is one which needs to be further explored and addressed.

year: 2018