title: Materials for enhancing denitrification performance in partially saturated vertical flow wetlands for marae

authors: Liu, Lucian XiaoRan

abstract: There are upwards of 773 marae in New Zealand which are responsible for many key events for the indigenous people, Māori, many of which are located rurally and have inadequate on-site wastewater treatment mostly comprising of a septic tank followed by land application. Māori have many strong beliefs about water and subsequently criteria surround the treatment of wastewater due to the effects it can have on people and environment. One proposed solution that meets criteria are treatment wetlands, more specifically partially saturated vertical flow wetlands which require a smaller footprint and produce better effluent than traditional wetland designs. NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) has experimented with mesocosm scale versions of this design and has encountered issues with denitrification in the saturated zone.

This research is therefore directed at enhancing denitrification in the saturated zone with materials that are able to supplement organic carbon for denitrification. Several woodchip materials (Eastern Cottonwood, Mahogany, Manuka, Eucalyptus, Crack Willow, Princess Tree and Pine) along with two industry by-product materials (Brewers Spent Grain and Slum gum) and Coir (Coconut derivative) were examined for denitrification capabilities and to serve in producing a leachate for dosing the proposed system to supplement organic carbon for denitrification.

The research is split into three phases; the first examines the ability of materials to release organic carbon into water over 60 days, the second examines the same but over three 10 day cycles, and the third quantifies denitrification performance of the materials at lab scale.

Results showed that producing a suitable leachate is not possible without the use of fresh material for each batch. By-product materials had great capacity for releasing organic carbon into water and denitrification (up to 85.5% nitrate removal) but had limited lifespans as media. While woodchip materials did not exhibit as great carbon release, they achieved comparable denitrification (74.2-74.5% nitrate removal) with long lifespans. Therefore, a woodchip and industry by-product mix could be the solution. Alternatively, there are many woodchip species, some which could have better denitrification capacity or suitable industry by-products with longer useful lifespans.

text: Materials for enhancing denitrification performance in partially saturated vertical flow wetlands for marae There are upwards of 773 marae in New Zealand which are responsible for many key events for the indigenous people, Māori, many of which are located rurally and have inadequate on-site wastewater treatment mostly comprising of a septic tank followed by land application. Māori have many strong beliefs about water and subsequently criteria surround the treatment of wastewater due to the effects it can have on people and environment. One proposed solution that meets criteria are treatment wetlands, more specifically partially saturated vertical flow wetlands which require a smaller footprint and produce better effluent than traditional wetland designs. NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) has experimented with mesocosm scale versions of this design and has encountered issues with denitrification in the saturated zone.

This research is therefore directed at enhancing denitrification in the saturated zone with materials that are able to supplement organic carbon for denitrification. Several woodchip materials (Eastern Cottonwood, Mahogany, Manuka, Eucalyptus, Crack Willow, Princess Tree and Pine) along with two industry by-product materials (Brewers Spent Grain and Slum gum) and Coir (Coconut derivative) were examined for denitrification capabilities and to serve in producing a leachate for dosing the proposed system to supplement organic carbon for denitrification.

The research is split into three phases; the first examines the ability of materials to release organic carbon into water over 60 days, the second examines the same but over three 10 day cycles, and the third quantifies denitrification performance of the materials at lab scale.

Results showed that producing a suitable leachate is not possible without the use of fresh material for each batch. By-product materials had great capacity for releasing organic carbon into water and denitrification (up to 85.5% nitrate removal) but had limited lifespans as media. While woodchip materials did not exhibit as great carbon release, they achieved comparable denitrification (74.2-74.5% nitrate removal) with long lifespans. Therefore, a woodchip and industry by-product mix could be the solution. Alternatively, there are many woodchip species, some which could have better denitrification capacity or suitable industry by-products with longer useful lifespans.

year: 2023

title: Activating belonging: Towards a critcial ensemble pedagogy

authors: Brown, Gaenor

abstract: Contemporary research shows school belonging as a key determinant of learner health and wellbeing. Teachers, and teaching practices, are pivotal in developing safe, supportive communities in which students can learn and thrive, where they can belong. In this thesis the high school drama education ensemble in Aotearoa New Zealand is presented as a site for the exploration and activation of belonging. Framed through a self-study of teacher education practice, using (S-STEP) methodology, the research reimagines ensemble pedagogy for dramatic inquiry process through a lens of critical belonging. The research opens with a contextual review of contemporary scholarship and evolving theories about school belonging and ensemble pedagogy, mapping how both fields are relationally, spatially and temporally situated. The contextual review highlights the importance of drama education and school belonging practices and pedagogies in the generation of transdisciplinary knowledge.

Six principles of practice for drama educators have been developed to support the activation of belonging, relating to Identity, Process, Provocation, Space and Place, Performativity and Reflexivity. These principles are informed by semi-structured interviews with participants experienced in ensemble-based teaching and learning, and by autoethnographic reflective responses prompted by interview dialogues. In this research autoethnography is identified as a form of wayfinding, a traditional Pacific concept, drawing on the mātauranga Māori concepts and values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, to weave affective, political and socio-ecological belonging into a critical perspective of ensemble practice.

The six principles of practice have been trialled in dramatic inquiry workshops, with pre- service drama educators, in a design incorporating process drama, image theatre and forum theatre. Drama conventions as boundary objects, bridging the fields of drama education and belonging, provide structure to the workshops, further informing development of the principles of practice. Through an ongoing dialogic cycle of workshop enactment, participant feedback and drama educator reflection, the principles are reassessed, redefined and refined.

This research argues for a critical ensemble pedagogy that makes space for the ensemble as both site and practice. The study advocates for a pedagogy which honours indigenous ways of knowing in drama education, catalyses creative expression and activates critical belonging.

text: Activating belonging: Towards a critcial ensemble pedagogy Contemporary research shows school belonging as a key determinant of learner health and wellbeing. Teachers, and teaching practices, are pivotal in developing safe, supportive communities in which students can learn and thrive, where they can belong. In this thesis the high school drama education ensemble in Aotearoa New Zealand is presented as a site for the exploration and activation of belonging. Framed through a self-study of teacher education practice, using (S-STEP) methodology, the research reimagines ensemble pedagogy for dramatic inquiry process through a lens of critical belonging. The research opens with a contextual review of contemporary scholarship and evolving theories about school belonging and ensemble pedagogy, mapping how both fields are relationally, spatially and temporally situated. The contextual review highlights the importance of drama education and school belonging practices and pedagogies in the generation of transdisciplinary knowledge.

Six principles of practice for drama educators have been developed to support the activation of belonging, relating to Identity, Process, Provocation, Space and Place, Performativity and Reflexivity. These principles are informed by semi-structured interviews with participants experienced in ensemble-based teaching and learning, and by autoethnographic reflective responses prompted by interview dialogues. In this research autoethnography is identified as a form of wayfinding, a traditional Pacific concept, drawing on the mātauranga Māori concepts and values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, to weave affective, political and socio-ecological belonging into a critical perspective of ensemble practice.

The six principles of practice have been trialled in dramatic inquiry workshops, with pre- service drama educators, in a design incorporating process drama, image theatre and forum theatre. Drama conventions as boundary objects, bridging the fields of drama education and belonging, provide structure to the workshops, further informing development of the principles of practice. Through an ongoing dialogic cycle of workshop enactment, participant feedback and drama educator reflection, the principles are reassessed, redefined and refined.

This research argues for a critical ensemble pedagogy that makes space for the ensemble as both site and practice. The study advocates for a pedagogy which honours indigenous ways of knowing in drama education, catalyses creative expression and activates critical belonging.

year: 2025

title: Evolution of Bacillus subtilis: A Novel Phenotype and its Challenges

authors: Murray, Mitchell John

subjects: Evolution

abstract: The enzyme LeuB from the last common ancestor of the firmicutes has been statistically recreated using several different methods. This project deals with two versions, Rec/LG and Rec/EX. To better understand these resurrected enzymes, the proteins were crystallised. Despite extensive efforts to produce crystals of diffraction quality, none of the crystals developed during this project were large enough to be of any use in X-Ray crystallography. Strains of Bacillus subtilis were genetically modified to each have one of either Rec/LG or Rec/Rec/EX in place of the native leuB gene, and then were allowed to evolve alongside an unmodified strain for 500 generations. Attempts were made to extract DNA from the evolved strains at different points throughout the evolution experiment for whole genome sequencing, and to amplify the leuB gene via PCR for direct comparisons of changes that may have occurred to the leuB gene over the course of the evolution experiment. These attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. In lieu of this genetic data, phenotypic changes to the evolved strains were characterised. A new phenotype appeared extremely early on in the experiment (by generation 54), and in less than 300 generations had swept to fixation in 9 independent strains. In all cases, this phenotype included poor growth on LB agar plates, small colonies, and small cells. Similar changes have been observed before in laboratory experiments of B. subtilis, but none occurred so quickly or so uniformly across independent samples.

text: Evolution of Bacillus subtilis: A Novel Phenotype and its Challenges The enzyme LeuB from the last common ancestor of the firmicutes has been statistically recreated using several different methods. This project deals with two versions, Rec/LG and Rec/EX. To better understand these resurrected enzymes, the proteins were crystallised. Despite extensive efforts to produce crystals of diffraction quality, none of the crystals developed during this project were large enough to be of any use in X-Ray crystallography. Strains of Bacillus subtilis were genetically modified to each have one of either Rec/LG or Rec/Rec/EX in place of the native leuB gene, and then were allowed to evolve alongside an unmodified strain for 500 generations. Attempts were made to extract DNA from the evolved strains at different points throughout the evolution experiment for whole genome sequencing, and to amplify the leuB gene via PCR for direct comparisons of changes that may have occurred to the leuB gene over the course of the evolution experiment. These attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. In lieu of this genetic data, phenotypic changes to the evolved strains were characterised. A new phenotype appeared extremely early on in the experiment (by generation 54), and in less than 300 generations had swept to fixation in 9 independent strains. In all cases, this phenotype included poor growth on LB agar plates, small colonies, and small cells. Similar changes have been observed before in laboratory experiments of B. subtilis, but none occurred so quickly or so uniformly across independent samples.

year: 2018