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Media Release

Local Science Fair winners experience coal mine at first hand

9 October 2007

Five prize-winning intermediate and secondary students have had an opportunity to put science into practice, spending a day with expert Solid Energy New Zealand staff at Rotowaro Opencast Mine.

The students, winners in the Planet Earth and Beyond category at this year's NIWA Waikato Science Fair, donned hard hats, boots and fluorescent vests and joined geologists, environmental scientists and engineers at the mine west of Huntly to put science into action. Solid Energy sponsors the awards category.

Coal and rock identification and classification, core sampling, field observation, water quality assessment and invertebrate collection were among the science-based skills the students experienced.

"Extending our support of the science fair seemed a natural way to encourage student interest in earth sciences," says Craig Smith, General Manager of Solid Energy's North Operations. “The application and opportunities of some branches of science are sometimes less obvious than others and we wanted to illustrate these in the best way possible.

"It is a new initiative that we are piloting and evaluating this year. For safety reasons we cannot have large groups in the mine. A small group like this is manageable and makes the visit unique since not everyone has this type of experience."

Huntly's Jasmine Harrison, a Waikato Diocesan Year 10 student, says the visit confirmed her future career path. "The visit was spectacular. It definitely gave me some ideas of where I want to head in that huge area of science," she says. "Engineering is what I've always wanted to do now I know civil and environmental engineering are both worth looking at."

NIWA Waikato Science Fair Committee member Rosalie McGowan is enthusiastic about the visit. "It's hugely positive, with lots of spin-offs that will do a great deal of good. The students get hands-on experience and see science in context as well as realising the employment opportunities in the Waikato.

"Earth sciences are strong at the University of Waikato and initiatives like this stimulate interest, build critical mass and contribute to our region. Congratulations to Solid Energy for taking the initiative."

• LEARNZ, another Solid Energy supported initiative, provides primary and secondary students around the country with real-time virtual tours of underground and opencast coal mines.