Posted: 14 December 2005
Ant, dairy effluent studies earn students $1000 NRC awards
Research into whether garden centres are helping spread a pest ant and studies of farm dairy effluent treatment have earned two polytechnic students Northland Regional Council Environmental Management Awards.
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Polytechnic student Jeremy Barker tests geo-textile fabric for its ability to filter farm dairy effluent.
The awards – worth $1000 each - encourage study and research on environmental management in Northland and have been awarded to Northland Polytechnic students annually by the Council since 1998.
This year’s winners are Whangarei’s Jeremy Barker, 31, who studied the use of geo-textile tubes as an environmentally friendly way of treating farm dairy effluent; and Penny Johnston, 26, from Whangarei Heads, who researched whether garden centres were helping to spread the pest insect Argentine ant.
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Penny Johnston with tubes containing samples of ant species captured during her study.
Regional Council Environmental Education Officer Susan Karels says the two winners were chosen by Regional Councillors Peter Jensen and Bill Rossiter from a shortlist of six projects provided by the polytechnic.
Ms Karels says both the Council and the polytechnic recognise the awards as an ideal opportunity to compliment each other’s roles.