Category Archives: education

One way to crack a coder shortage

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

Ever tried to get hold of a professional who can write computer code? Such is the shortage, that a recent would-be returning ex-pat Kiwi, who knew how to program, put out a general inquiry through WellRailed if anyone in Wellington … Continue reading →

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Kickstarting a San Fran Bay school science rap promotion

Posted on March 28, 2013 by

You obviously can’t keep a science rapper down. Tom McFadden, a Californian and Stanford biology lecturer among other things, completed a Masters in Science Communication at Otago University last year. Under a Fullbright Scholarship and the moniker ‘Rhymebsome’ he toured … Continue reading →

Posted in Early stage science, education, Innovation, SciBlogs, Science, technology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Callaghan Innovation – building the plane while they fly it

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

There’s a term that’s particularly loved by IT-oriented start-ups, ‘building the plane while you’re flying it’. The business case put forward for and by Callaghan Innovation doesn’t use the term. However, that’s what I interpret from the ‘Purpose of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Development, Early stage science, education, Entrepreneur, high tech, Market validation, SciBlogs, Science, start-up | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Little school thinks bearly big

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

“And the prize for the best use of social media and punching well above its weight goes to,”….drum roll….”Koputoroa Primary School”. This 170 pupil country school, seven kilometres north of Levin on the Kapiti Coast deserves heaps of praise, alongside … Continue reading →

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‘Foolproof’ writer to study difference between new business intent and reality

Posted on February 20, 2013 by

The writer of ‘Foolproof’ a tome about how to find and test great business opportunities through market validation is off writing books – at least for a while. In a previous incarnation, Wellingtonian Jenny Douché put out a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in Angel investment, Development, education, Entrepreneur, Innovation, Market validation, Prototyping, SciBlogs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Change by chance, by design or by stealth – Callaghan Innovation’s ‘birth’ far from democratic

Posted on December 20, 2012 by

Hypothetically speaking, say we’re all on the same page and all wanting more to happen around the innovation space – you know, spend $X here and see a clear $Yreturn there. Say too there’s been a suggestion for an Advanced … Continue reading →

Posted in Early stage science, education, Entrepreneur, high tech, Innovation, Market validation, SciBlogs, Science, Science policy, start-up, sustainability, technology | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

If we knew what we were inventing when we figured it out…..we would’ve named it

Posted on December 11, 2012 by

The concept of rotational grazing has been around for so long now (but only about 60 years really) that we take it for granted. It is ‘just’ the way we do things at the on farm level, and there’s no … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Innovation, Processed food, SciBlogs, sustainability, technology, value added food | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What does our agriculture offer?……..romance and reassurance

Posted on November 13, 2012 by

I’ll be the first to admit that the frilly, intangible, non-scientific aspects of what and how we produce our agricultural products can be a tricky little number to get your head around. Much of what we’re good at doing as … Continue reading →

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Pastoral method’s lack of a brand/name is the opposite of the ‘tragedy of the commons’

Posted on September 20, 2012 by

Our failure to neither name nor own the story to our pastoral method is a type of opposite ‘tragedy of the commons’. (See Wikipedia’s explanation here). The TotC was (and still is in some arenas, e.g. fishing) an overuse and … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Innovation, Market validation, SciBlogs, Science, sustainability, value added food | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Relationship broking connects the dots between money and markets

Posted on September 6, 2012 by

There’s a certain ‘tell me more’ aspect to June Ranson’s description of her business as being a relationship broker. The managing director of Woburn International carries out many roles in what initially might be considered a licensed immigration advisory business. … Continue reading →

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