Young science gun at AgResearch

The first participant in AgResearch's new scholarship and work experience programme for Maori tertiary students is the youngest ever science graduate from Hamilton's University of Waikato.

At 17-years-of-age, Bobby Brooks is also the youngest Maori student to graduate from the university. Based at AgResearch Ruakura, he's working with Dr Chris Miles' team in our Forage Improvement Section on research that relates to the toxicology of marine and freshwater biotoxins.

Where ever possible, AgResearch's science sections offer work experience to students and support Masters and PhD studies.

Bobby's employment is part of a new initiative to focus funding on Maori students in an attempt to increase the number of Maori students choosing science as a career. This is just the beginning. Next year we hope to also support Maori Masters and PhD candidates and their research projects.

Bobby graduated with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in chemistry, and will continue with his Masters next year. He says AgResearch's reputation as a science institution encouraged him to apply for summer employment.

"We identify the toxins from algae in the water and their structures. By purifying them we can assess how toxic they are - finding out which ones are potentially potent and which we should be trying to minimise."