Sam McColl, GNS Science was elected GSNZ President for a two-year term in November 2023.
Details of his tour will be advertised here as soon as the details are finalised.
2022 President's Tour
Tiny but Mighty – the role of pollen and palynology in the Geosciences
For the majority of people, experiences with pollen are localised to a particular time of the year, and for those who suffer from hayfever, this is seldom a pleasant time!
In the scientific world, pollen, spores and their study, palynology, might typically be regarded as belonging in the realm of the biologist. Yet, palynology provides an extremely valuable tool in many areas of the geosciences, including but not limited to biostratigraphy, petroleum exploration, and climate and environmental reconstructions.
The goal of this Presidential Lecture is to demonstrate the versatility and value of palynology in the geosciences, particularly here in Aotearoa NZ. I will draw on examples from my own research, as well as that of other NZ palynologists to illustrate the key contributions palynology has made to our understanding of environmental change in Aotearoa-NZ, as well as exploring some exciting new avenues in pollen-based research.
Details of the President's Lecture tour can be found on the National and Regional Events page.
GSNZ President 2021-2023
Dr Kat Holt (Massey University)
Kat’s research interests centre on applying analysis of subfossil pollen as a tool to track changes to vegetation communities in the past, with a particular focus on late Quaternary timeframes. Another research interest is development and testing of automated systems for pollen counting. She is currently leading a major research project aimed at reconstructing UV-B variation through time
using pollen, supported through the RSNZ Marsden Fund.
