Avice Hamilton’s story

MSciComm student Tom McFadden looks at Kiwi culture during the Rugby World Cup.

Rugby Physics

MSciComm student Zoe Patterson-Ross looks at the physics of the rugby scrum

Cauliflower ears

A discussion on the causes of “cauliflower ears”, by Rachel McMechan and Julia Williams

The “Waking Incubator”: Exploring the Interface Between the Performing Arts and the Science of Sleep

Jean S. Fleming, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Rosemary Gibson, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Brent Harris, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand
Sally Morgan, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Anne Noble, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Karyn O’Keeffe, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Anna Wirz-Justice, University of Basel, Switzerland
Sam Trubridge, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Philippa Gander, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract: In early 2010 a diverse group of scientists and performance artists came together in Wellington, New Zealand, for a week of dialogue and collaboration on the topic of “Waking”. Following on from the successful production in 2008 of “Sleep/Wake”, by performance designer Sam Trubridge and chronobiologist Professor Philippa Gander, the Waking Incubator was designed to investigate the transition from sleeping to waking, from the multiple perspectives of dance, music, photography, film, sleep science, chronobiology and science communication. A diverse range of installations, performances and presentations were displayed in an Open Laboratory at the end of the week. The aim of the Open Laboratory was to engage the public in dialogue and to develop new ways of communicating sleep science. Although “The Two Cultures” still remain largely parallel today, the Waking Incubator began to blur the edges of what constitutes art and science. The artists transformed the science of sleep through their exploration of affective resonances of scientific processes and technologies, and the scientists became actors in their role of objective communicators. We conclude that such interactions increase the chance of meaningful conversations, stimulate respect for and interest in other disciplines and promote both creative art and science communication.

Keywords: Sleep, Waking, Chronobiology, Science-art Interaction, Performance Science, Science
Communication, Practice Focus, Science Pedagogy

“When we sleep, we don’t perform. But the moment we wake up, we enter the world again. We start to put on our costumes, our make-up, constructing our persona until we’re ready to face the world again, and ready to take the stage.”
Sam Trubridge

It has taken me a while to find the time to set up a WordPress account, but I am on my way now hopefully.

I am really excited about the Waking project – and a little nervous.  I know very little “scientifically” about sleep and waking, although clock genes and biological rhythms have fascinated me for many years.  My research over the past decade has largely focused on the ovary, in particular the causes of ovarian cancer, on the identity of the cells that become cancerous and on the role of ovulation in the development of ovarian cancer.  It strikes me that the ovary is a tissue that undergoes several sleep-wake cycles during development, as the eggs lie dormant for many years until puberty, when select ones “wake up” and begin to grow again. And I guess cancer remission and re-development could also be described in those terms, though I personally I’d rather concentrate on less depressing topics. The aspect of my scientific research that I love is the visual nature of cell biology – I am one of those crazy scientists that love how cells look down a microscope.  I am also a great fan of scanning electron microscopy. Here is a picture of the “wound” left behind on the surface of a mouse ovary, once the egg has burst through the surface of the tissue at ovulation.

An egg has burst through the surface of this mouse ovary.

More recently I have become a science communicator – whatever that means – and run courses aimed to awaken graduate students to better ways of describing science to those without science in their lives. My Popularising Science students communicate science through exhibitions, photo-essays, science shows and drama, digital or print media, but we have other students in the Centre who communicate science through film or non-fiction creative writing (www.sciencecommunication.biz/index.html).  I have learnt a great deal from these students over the past two years – you could say I have been awaked to the possibilities of science communication. My experiences in science communication, especially concerning controversial issues such as genetic modification, tell me it always takes two to tango – true dialogue and mutual respect is needed before communication can be successful. This project seems to tick all the boxes for me and I look forward to listening and learning from your experiences.

I feel very honoured to be included in the Waking project and I look forward to getting to know you all over the week.

Lord Ernest Rutherford, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 1908

The importance of science communication has been recognised since New Zealand’s most famous scientist, Sir Ernest Rutherford, made the claim above. Awareness and understanding of scientific ideas and issues by those without scientific training is vital, if the world is to regulate carbon emissions, control over-population or make the best use of nano-technology. Today’s science is big and complicated and often very controversial. At the University of Otago’s Centre for Science Communication in Dunedin, New Zealand (www.centreforsciencecommunication.com/index), we are training people to communicate science using film, the written word, image and digital media. Everyone has an opinion: we should all be talking with barmaids, rather than to them.