Surveyor

Surveyor

A Surveyor or Land Surveyor is a Scientist who professionally examines the land and buildings. The main idea is to measure the surface of the earth. They work on things such as interpreting the different positions of points, distances and the angles between them in different areas. The points on land they try to find are often used in creating maps and finding boundaries in land ownership. Surveyors can find work in many industries, including engineering, architecture, construction and government.

 Land Surveying tools have been used for almost every construction and plotting of where buildings will go ever since thousands of years ago when ancient Egyptians used tools to plant the Pyramids. Over many years as technology has gotten better, the quality of the instruments people use to find the distance, direction, vertical and horizontal positions, time and astronomical location have advanced a lot.Today the technology people use to find certain points of the earth include machines that have enough memory to record tens of thousands of measurements.

To be a Surveyor you will need a bachelor's degree in surveying, mapping or geomatics. You can achieve these degrees at any of the following University's in New Zealand:

• Otago University
• Massey University

It also helps to be skilled in Maths and Geography while at college.

Botanist

What does a botanist do?

A botanist is a scientist who studies different species and aspects of plant biology such as growing patterns (like how they grow in different conditions), structure (how plants stay up and move with the sun)  and even do experiments on plants to understand many more things about plant biology!

What qualifications do you need to become a botanist?

To become a botanist you need a good all round education including languages, arts, humanities and social scientists in addition to majoring/specialising in plant biology at university, an understanding of full curricular maths mainly in calculus or stats, along with physics and chemistry. To be a qualified botanist you need a minimum of bachelors degree in botany which if succeed first attempt would take around four years to gain.

Where in New Zealand could you get these qualifications?

Otago university has multiple courses to give you the qualifications to become a botanist.

The all new zealand academy offers courses to future botanists.

The university of canterbury offers courses in biology which can help to peoples educations in botany.

what subjects should you take at school and to what level?

To help yourself get a head start in botany from as early as possible take english, a second language, chemistry, biology and mathematics in highschool. at university you should attemp a bachelors degree in botany, a bachelors or masters in plant science, biology or any other closely related subject.

Famous botanists include, George Washington carver and luther burbank who both contributed to the world of botany in various ways.

by Oscar

Zoologist- Trent

Zoologist- Trent

A zoologist is someone who studies the behaviour, origins, genetics, diseases and life progression of animals and wildlife. There are a variety of ways that a zoologist can specialize and there are many diverse jobs in this field. A zoologist may devote their work to the study of a single species, or work with a whole range of different species

Some zoologists work at zoos, participating in the direct care of animals. They will observe them, organize and conduct experimental studies in either controlled or natural surroundings. A zoologist may also help to develop educational materials for zoo staff or visitors. Others work overseeing wildlife reserves, counting animal populations or studying the behaviour of certain animals.

There are many different types of zoologists, identified by the types of species they study. The following are a few examples of those who specialize:

• Mammalogist - One who studies mammals, such as monkeys and elephants
• Herpetologist - One who studies reptiles and amphibians, such as snakes and salamanders
• Entomologist - One who studies insects
• Ichthyologist - One who studies fish
• Ornithologist - One who studies birds

To become a zoologist, you need to have a Bachelor of Science majoring in any of the following subjects:

• zoology
• ecology
• microbiology
• biotechnology
• molecular biology.

These can be attained at Massey University or Otago University.

NCEA Level 3 biology, chemistry, and maths with statistics are necessary. Geography and English are useful subjects when you are at college. 

Darwin's Singular Notion - Luke Walker

Summary of Chapter 25 Bill Bryson: The Short History of Nearly Everything

Darwin was born in an ordinary christian family. He was born on the 12th of February 1809 and had both parents for the first few years of his life. His mother was the daughter of a legendary pottery fame but she died when Charles was only eight years old. His father was a physician who introduced him to science and to question the world. Charles did not have good grades in school and never impressed his academic father. When he left school he studied medicine in university but was traumatized by the operations and live experiments. He tried to study divinity after that but, was asked to join a 23 year old man named Robert FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle, a naval survey ship. Darwin was just 24 at the time.

The job of the HMS Beagle was to chart coastal waters but Darwin wanted to pursue his hobby, to find a more understandable interpretation of creationism (how christians believe the world was created). The ship was at sea between 1831 and 1836. In this time Darwin collected many animal samples and saw many great sights. He developed new theory for the creation of coral, that it has not always been the same and that it formed and changed slowly over time. In 1836 Darwin returned home and contrary to popular belief he did not form the theory of evolution while on the ship. It was already a growing theory at the time. After looking at some documents of animals competing for food and fossils of similar looking animals, Darwin found that some animals had adapted to be able to find food better than other animals. He realized that this contributed to the theory of evolution and that these animals had not always been like that, they had changed over time.

He expanded on his research and looked over pictures of finches. He noticed three different types of finches all with similar bodies, but very different heads. Ones who ate nuts and seeds had large tough beaks to crack open the shells. Another had a long thin beak to pull insects out of the soil and bushes. The last had a beak of medium length and width which could eat fruit. Darwin used this example and began to sketch up ideas to grow on the theory of evolution. The small sketches turned into a 230 page “sketch” but then it all stopped. Darwin put away his works for 15 years. He fathered ten children and studied barnacles. After the fifteen years he tried to get back into his work but depression stopped him.

Later on, Darwin met a man named Alfred Wallace, who had done similar studies. They partnered together and through tough times, expanded on Darwin’s previous work. They unveiled their ideas in a “press conference” and not many people thought it was good, but a small few did. Darwin and Wallace continued to conduct experiments and develop theories but soon split up and for fifty years, separated and worked on their own projects. In 1959 Darwin had his book “the origin of species” published and it sold many copies, but it was not all praise. Some said that it was marvellous and provided a good look on the world, others argued it was un-christian and that it was work of satan. Even Darwin’s close family thought it was a bit dodgy. After his book was published another rival book was made called “the descent of man” which was similar. Both books sold very well for their time but as Darwin passed away in 1882, his views faded away and were not brought back and widely accepted until 1930 and 1940. His ideas are now taught in schools and widely accepted as the correct answer for how life has become what it has.

Geophysicist - Monique Corich-Hermans

GEOPHYSICIST - A geophysicist is someone who studies the earth using gravity, magnetic, and seismic methods. Some geophysicists tend to do most of their work indoors on technology doing modeling and calculations and some go outside and study features of the earth first hand. Geophysicists study the internal structure and the evolution of the earth, earthquakes, and the ocean.

To become a geophysicist you would need to take as many science and maths and earth based sciences as possible at college, like physics, geology, chemistry, and advanced maths, and in university a major in geology or definitely in physics, with a strong background of maths and sciences.

Lots of universities offer graduate degrees in Geophysics, including Victoria University of Wellington, Auckland University, and University of Otago.

Bill Bryson Chapter 14 The Fire Below - Josh Ogier

In 1971, Mike Voorhies discovered one of the most extraordinary fossil beds in North America. It was a mass grave for scores of rhinos, horses, saber-tooth deer, camels and turtles killed around 12 million years ago. They were killed from breathing abrasive ash spewed by a volcano. Scientists say that they know more about outer space than the core of the earth. In around 1938 Charles richter and Beno Gutenberg created the Richter scale. The Richter scale is often mistaken as a machine when it is actually more of an idea. In the 1960s in an attempt to get a better understanding of the core they tried to drill into the core which was disastrous. Scientists are in a dispute about how the crust was created, some believe it happened fast early in earth's history while others believe it happened slowly over time.

Meteorologist

Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere and the cause of the weather. Meteorology has been around for thousands of years dating back when people looked at could formations and the season cycle to predict the weather. Meteorologists predict the weather today by finding the daily high and low temperature, the humidity, air pressure and the speed and what direction the wind is coming from. They then use computer generated maps to track the weather patterns. Meteorologists usually work in: The media (like the news) and transport services like shipping or air. The Word Meteorology has nothing to do with meteors it comes from the Greek word “metéōros” which means “high in the air”.

Qualifications:

To be an Meteorologist you would need a Bachelor in Science and physics as well as : Good problem solving , Writing ( for reports) , communicating and be able to work in a team. Also it requires some geographical skills  .

Ice time

In 1815 a volcano erupted on the island of Sumbawa. This eruption through clouds of ash and dust into the air, blocking out the sun. This had the consequence of making a mini ice age for the world. Crops failed to grow and there were outbreaks of disease. Globally the temperature had only fell by one degree. This shows how delicate the temperature of the earth actually is.

Scientist knew there is something strange about the past. For example arctic animals remains in warm climates or boulders stranded in impossible places. Geologist James Hutton was the first to theorize wide spread glaciation, unfortunately his ideas where ignored. Common peasants, not corrupted by science, knew that glaciation was the cause of these strange events.

A naturalist called Louise Agassiz embraced this theory. While at the post of professor of natural history Agassiz friend Karl Schimper first came up with the term ice age and showed that there is good evidence to show that ice covered much of Europe, Asia and North America. Louise and Karl swapped notes which lead to Louise getting much of the credit that Karl felt should be his own. Agassiz then travelled spreading his theory around the world but everywhere he went he found reluctance to accept his theories. It took a while but eventually people accepted wide spread glaciation. But what causes ice ages?

James Croll a janitor at Anderson’s university published a paper in the philosophical magazine in 1864, which was recognized as work of the highest standard. His paper was about how earth’s orbit might have an impact on how ice ages start. Croll was the first to suggest that shape obit of the earth, circular to oval and back, might have an effect on the start and end of ice ages. Thanks to Croll people in Britain started to accept the ideas of ice ages more readily. Sadly the ice age theory fell out of fashion it was ‘to be rejected without hesitation’ in the words of Agassiz’s successor.

One of the difficulties that caused this was that Croll’s calculations meant that the last ice age had to be only 80 thousand years ago whereas geological evidence shows that the last ice age was much more recent than that. The theory was saved by an academic by the name of Milutin Milankovitch. He thought that more complex cycles in the astrological orbit of the earth are responsible for ice ages coming and going. These cycles being tilt, pitch, and wobble which have a profound effect on the earth’s temperature. He spent the next 20 years calculating the angle and duration of incoming solar radiation at every latitude on earth, in every season, for a million years, adjusted for three ever changing variables. Eventually he wrote a book in 1930 called mathematical climatology and the astronomical theory of climate change. He thought that, like most people, it was a gradual increase in harsh winters that result in ice ages. Meteorologist Wladimir Koppen saw that it was more subtle than that.

Koppen found out that the cause of ice ages was because of cool summers and not harsh winters. If all the winters ice wasn’t melted by the summer, he found, more heat from the sun will be reflected back causing overall cooler temperatures globally. ‘It is not the amount of snow that matters’ said Gwen Schultz ‘but that the snow lasts’. This can cause ice ages. In the 1950’s scientist where unable to associate Milankovitch’s cycles to ice ages. Sadly because of this Milankovitch died before he was able to prove his cycles were correct and his calculations fell out of fashion.

We are actually in a small ice age at the moment. Having both poles frozen over is a unique situation for the earth. In fact at the height of the last ice age 30% of the world was covered in ice, 10% still is today. Earth usually has dramatic changes from hot periods with no ice, then plunges into an ice age with glaciers everywhere. There is no reason that this period of fine weather that we live in should continue for any longer, there is every reason that is should tip into freezing cold or much too hot. We live on a knife edge.

Ice ages are not bad things for the planet. They grind up rocks leaving rich soil and scrape out fresh water lakes. They shape the planet into how it is today. Tim Flannery once said ‘there is only one question needed to ask of a continent to determine the fate of its people “did you have a good ice age?”’

Bill Bryson Chapter 21- Life Goes On - Josh Smithson

Fossilisation is an extremely rare occurrence, less than 0.1 percent of all living organisms become fossilised, and Only about one bone in a billion ever becoming fossilised. About 95 percent of all fossils are from animals that once lived in the water, so it is very unlikely for a land animal to become fossilised.

Richard Fortey studies trilobites, an organism with three main body parts - head, tail and thorax. Trilobites first appeared about 540 million years ago in what is known as the Cambrian explosion, a great outburst of complex life. Trilobites were around for 300 million years before dying out.

A paleontologist named Charles Walcott was the first person to discover that trilobites are anthropods, a group that includes insects and crustaceans. Walcott also discovered the Burgess shale, a large array of unturned fossils that no one had seen before containing over 140 species, making it one of the greatest finds in paleontology history.

One of the fossils found in the Burgess Shale was a worm like creature called pikaia gracilens. It had a spinal column making it the earliest known ancestor of all vertebrates, including humans.

Over the years there have been many scientists such as Stephen jay Gould and Reginald Sprigg have been able to overturn the idea of the Cambrian explosion with findings of complex creatures from millions of years before the so called Cambrian explosion. The explosion wasn't an appearance of complex life, but rather a growth in the creatures found.

Bill Bryson - The Stuff of Life

Every living thing is an elaboration on a single blueprint. This blueprint is called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

DNA was first discovered back in 1869 by Johann Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss scientist working at the University of Tubingen in Germany. While searching microscopically through the pus in surgical bandages he found a substance he didn’t recognize and called it nuclein (because it was found in the nucleus of cells).

As far as anyone could tell DNA didn’t do anything at all. But there were two problems with dismissing it. Firstly there was nearly 2 meters of it in nearly every nucleus and secondly the fact that it kept turning up, like the suspect in a murder mystery. DNA appeared clearly in two particular studies – one involving the Pneumoncoccus bacterium and another involving bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria). The evidence found here suggested that DNA was somehow involved in the making of proteins, a process vital to life. Yet it was also clear the proteins were being made outside the nucleus, away from the DNA. No one knew how DNA could possibly be getting messages to the proteins. The answer is RNA (ribonucleic acid) which acts as an interpreter between the two.

DNA is made up of four basic components called nucleotides – adenine, thiamine guanine and cytosine. Every living thing is a variation of these four components but every now and then, about one time in a million, a letter joins in the wrong place. This is called SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) more commonly known as ‘Snip’. These variations or ‘snips’ get passed down through generations and make us different from each other. ‘Snips’ can sometimes leave you vulnerable to diseases, but they could also give you an advantage e.g. increased production of red blood cells for someone living at high altitude.

It was first thought that humans had at least one hundred thousand genes, but that number was drastically reduced by the first results of the Human Genome projects, which suggested a figure more like 35 to 40 thousand genes, about the same number found in grass. Interestingly almost half of human genes, the largest proportion known in any organism, don’t do anything at all, except reproduce themselves.  

In some sense we are all slaves to our genes.

Ainslie