As part of the International Science Festival, the university of Otago Science Expo was held last week. Reporter Simon Henderson went along to the University of Otago Business School foyer for a deep delve into discovery.
Do rocks glow? Do soiled undies rot?
These were some of the questions posed at this year’s University of Otago Science Expo.
Charlotte Scott (10), of Waikouaiti, showed how burying cotton underwear in the soil can help provide information on soil health.
When the underwear was dug up in a couple of months, the level of deterioration helped show the relative number of micro-organisms, worms, dung beetles and other biological indicators in the soil.University of Otago geology PhD student Rachael Baxter explained how putting minerals under a UV lamp could reveal the internal chemical composition.
University of Otago psychology PhD student Roger Yan and honours student Liv Bruce helped explain how the brain interprets information.
These were just some of the insights from research at the University of Otago.
