Applications now open for Curious Minds funds
Community groups can apply
Community groups can now apply for up to $20,000 worth of funding through Curious Minds Taranaki.
The funding allows community groups to undertake locally relevant projects.
Venture Taranaki, general manager of regional strategy and sectors, Anne Probert, says the core objective of Curious Minds Participatory Science Platform is to build capability and life-long interest and fascination with science.
“This is done through engaging, real-world research, to inspire and provide relevance as to how science forms a critical part of our daily lives.”
Curious Minds Taranaki funds, supports and provides expertise to community groups looking to explore ideas and carry out research investigations that are educationally valuable, locally relevant, and scientifically robust with expressions of interest closing Friday, October 21.
“One of the more recently funded projects saw Curious Minds Taranaki working alongside The East Taranaki Environment Collective and Norfolk School to begin managing the pest control at Everett Park, near Inglewood.”
The project aimed to answer the question “Did curiosity kill the possum?” with a trap network laid with the help of pupils to target possums in the park involving setting up cameras to observe possum behaviour and testing four different trap designs.
“We tested the Sentinel, Goodnature A12, Steve Allen, and Trapinator trap designs, and cameras were set up on the traps to see how the possums interacted with them,” said the East Taranaki Environment Collective conservation manager Kat Strang.
“Traps were baited every five days, and after three weeks the cameras were brought in.”
ETEC staff analysed the videos and recorded the possum’s interactions with the traps. The students from Norfolk School then examined this data and made recommendations on the specific trap that the trust should use and why to catch the most possums.
“It’s exciting to see that the Norfolk School students were able to assist in a real-world issue in their own backyard and through their environmental
monitoring and research they could make an informed recommendation that is now being implemented,” said Anne.
Thom Adams, the programme coordinator for Venture Taranaki, encourages anyone
with a project in mind to register their idea and find out if Curious Minds Taranaki can support it to be turned into research action.
Any type of community group or research professional
may apply for this funding so long as the eligibility criteria is met. Community groups may include students, schools, kura, community-based organisations, businesses or Ma¯ori organisations and collectives.
Visit curiousmindstaranaki. org.nz to find out more and register your idea or contact Thomas to discuss your idea further.