Five students from Riccarton all made their down to Otago University, during the school holidays, to take part in Hands-On, an Otago University initiative that supports and shows interested students what researchers do, why they do these things and to encourage the students to consider further study as a step in their career pathway.

In total there were 414 Years 13 and 13 kids from all across the country that attended this camp. 

We were assigned to our hall based on our ‘project’ for the next week. Olivia’s project was in the first half of the alphabet so she spent the week at the Studholme hall (hence the different coloured lanyard), while Inise, Kate, Alana and myself all had project titles in the latter half of the alphabet so we found ourselves staying at the Arana hall. 

While most of our time was spent at the university studying our main projects, we had our afternoons consumed with ‘snacks’, other various activities to explore the other things that Otago University, as well as what Dunedin had to offer. In the evenings we had activities such as lectures, amazing races, quizzes, and on the very last night, we had a dance. 

The week was a very full-on, non-stop, eccentric week, where we meet some absolutely amazing people. Although extremely tired at the end, we would encourage anyone who thinks this would be for them to apply for next year.

I studied Genetics, and had the opportunity to clone a piece of DNA, to become resistant to a certain gene. Before starting out on this project I wasn’t extremely optimistic that I would enjoy it, because of the fact that biology wasn’t my strong suit. However when I got into the class, the people that I met were some of the best people I’ve ever associated with and all of the teachers were such incredible people. I enjoyed the project, and this camp immensely. 

 After attending this camp, I am even more unsure about what I want to do at university. It has opened my eyes to everything that Otago has to offer, and after doing genetics this could be a possibility. 

The week I spent at Hands On, I can easily say can be one of the best weeks of my life. The people I met and experiences I had there are unforgettable and I am so pleased that I got to attend it. Zara Mullaly.

For those of us in the Archaeology project, the week began by identifying different types of artifacts. 

After learning to identify particular stone tools, we were given the challenge to attempt to make our own from rocks around the lab (needless to say our tools would have been unusable). 

We also learnt to work with middens which are archaeological “trash sites”. From these we were taught how to identify trade routes by sourcing different rocks found in them through using microscopes, X-Ray Fluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Later in the week we were taken on trips to the museum and to the Otago Peninsula where we saw archaeological sites such as the Lime Kilns and the Okia Pyramids. Unfortunately, the weather turned against us mid-field trip and, after a 30 minute walk back to our van in rain and hail, we cut the field trip short. Despite this we still had fun, stopping at the Albatross Cafe before heading back to campus. It was a good chance to laugh and strengthen friendships within the group even in the frigid weather.

The leaders (known as the Purple Shirts) that ran the Archaeology project this year were amazing and helped me find a new interest in an area I hadn’t really considered prior to the Hands-On programme. 

Also, outside of the Archaeology project itself, the experience of staying in a dorm, participating in team activities (including laser tag, public lectures, microbiology, theatre studies, and the dance night), and even the mile-long lunch lines were awesome experiences as a taste of University life. Overall, Hands-On allowed me to find a new interest in Archaeology and Archaeozoology, meet some amazing new friends, and make memories I won’t soon forget. Olivia Kennnington.

The most exciting part about Hands On at Otago for me was that it opened my eyes to some aspects of university life that I had never considered before. 

My nanochemistry course was a great learning experience, but more than that, I had a great time getting to know the talented Otago students who tutored and mentored us for the week. 

Their passion was infectious and by the end of the week I had gained as many new friends as I had learned new things about nanochemistry.

The jungle-themed disco at the end of the week was a fantastic way to top off a great program filled with learning and friendship. Hands On at Otago was an eye opening and enjoyable learning experience for all of us. Kate Stedman.

I was assigned to be in the Languages and Cultures Programme for the week, and what a week it was. Because I have a Pasifika cultural background and take Japanese at school, I was very excited to learn about other cultures.

On the Sunday we arrived, we had the chance to meet with the other students from all over New Zealand who were studying the same project. Our small group of eight found that we all had one thing in common apart from speaking or studying a language, K-pop. From that first encounter, I knew that the rest of the week was going to be awesome.

We got to learn how to write our names in Burmese, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese which were scanned onto a T-shirt that we now get to keep. 

Everyday we got to immerse ourselves in the many different cultures Dunedin has. 

Our research project was to interview people who migrated to New Zealand. These encounters were very intriguing because we got to interview the participants in their own home. My group got to interview a Taiwanese couple, Bihua and Yu-shin, and Adelso and Lilian from Venezuela.

Tasting food from other cultures was definitely a huge part of our project. Foods such as, sushi from Japan, Arabic biscuits, croissants and galette from France, apple strudel and nachos from Mexico.

This wouldn’t have been an awesome experience without my Purple Shirt Mentors. Their passion for Languages and Cultures was contagious and I hope one day I will be able to positively influence others in the same way that my mentors believe we can change the world. The Languages and Culture programme has left me considering taking Language as either a major or minor at university.

Also, at my time at University of Otago, I was given ‘PI (Pacific Island) Centre’ as a snack. Here I was given the opportunity to get to know other talented Pacifica Students who also had an interest in science and humanities. 

It was at the PI Centre where I felt most at home. I learnt that the University of Otago fully supports Pasifika students to do well in their studies. I was definitely scared about going to University of Otago but seeing the support they have to offer such as tutorials, study programmes, study areas, the motherly support from Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai and the rest of the Pacifica Department made me feel more open to considering University of Otago as an option. Inise Manu

My Hands On at Otago 2017 is an experience that I will not be forgetting any time soon. I had such an amazing time, met so many interesting and learning positive people and learnt quite a lot about university and myself.

My journey started with me applying for this, but started a little different than the common. I had no idea that the Hands On at Otago programme even existed, so I wasn't planning on going. However, Ms Varcoe, Head of Science, tracked me down to tell me about this amazing opportunity that she thought would be perfect for me. And even better, that I was eligible to apply for the Science Wananga scholarship, as a Māori from the South Island, provided by the Ministry of Health. 

The whole idea of a week of University was super appealing to me, and so I sent in my general and scholarship application. Then a couple months later, I received not only acceptance into the course, but also the scholarship, which I later found out had been given to only nine other students. I had been placed in the Performing Arts project, which worked really well for me.

Fast forward to the 15th of January, I started the trip of a lifetime, and drove down to Dunedin, thinking about what on earth Hands On would be like. I was excited and worried and anxious and eager and about a million other emotions. 

Once I got there though, my love of learning took over. 

At both Arana and Studholme, the atmosphere was so amazing, since there was so much to learn about, whether that be the people that came in from all over the country, or the people who were in my Performing Arts group or general University life.

Once we got into our project groups, the real fun started. In theatre, everyone bonded really quickly since you open yourself up so quickly, and this project group was no exception. We all got so close within the first day, and to this day, we have a extremely active chat.

In my project, we had the genre of musical theatre, where we act a small scene to give context, and then do a song and dance within the same context. We ended up being different people who are at an airport, arriving in New Zealand, and then sang a Kiwiana version of ‘Jetset’, which was amazing. Day 1 of projects was just like day 2, and day 3 and day 4, which was great because day 1 was the best time ever. We had a awesome duo of Purple shirts, Lydia, who was our director and choreographer, and Arlie, who was our singing coach. Without them, we would have stood on the stage looking silly, so a massive thank you to them! We nailed our final performance on the Friday, and all came away smiling.

I also insanely enjoyed my snacks, which were Biochemistry, Orokonui and the Māori Center. I was super lucky to get these, especially Biochemistry, which I'm currently planning on doing as my major in University. I really enjoyed what we did there, and would like to continue it through Uni. 

Second, I went to the Orokonui Wildlife Eco Sanctuary, where we learnt about the Earth underneath our feet, and how that relates back to everything. Lastly, I went to the Māori Centre, and that was so amazing. I didn't know that there was a system for Māori students at all, and their support system is so strong and effective. I was only there for an hour but I felt at home there.

I would like to extend a massive thanks to the Red shirts, the Purple shirts and everyone who helped me along this amazing journey. I learnt so much, and this has also majorly decreased my stresses around 2018 and my future University life. I would also strongly recommend this experience to everyone. And don't think that you have to be into science to go, I did Performing Arts, and had the time of my life.

The five of us thoroughly enjoyed our time at Hands-On and would like the thank the Red and Purple Shirts, Ms Varcoe and Rotary for making this experience accessible to us. If you ever find yourself considering to apply for Hands-On, we’d recommend giving it a go as you might just have one of the best weeks of your life. Alana Hillary.