Rutherford Medal Lecture Tour 2026

Our Mysterious Brain: The Making and Breaking of Memories

Cliff Abraham

7.00 pm, Tuesday, 21 July, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

How does our brain remember – or forget? What happens to the nerve cells in our brain to cause this? Distinguished Professor Cliff Abraham FRSNZ won the Rutherford Medal in 2025. He will speak about our mysterious brains, and ideas for new treatments emerging from the discoveries made by his research team.

How the brain stores memories has long been mysterious. Intensive research over decades has revealed the mechanisms that change connections between nerve cells in the brain and allow memories to be stored. These mechanisms are affected by a variety of internal and external signals, from genetics to environmental stressors. Importantly, this knowledge helps explain memory decline in neurological disorders, leading to revolutionary ideas for new treatments.

Emeritus Distinguished Professor Wickliffe (Cliff) Abraham FRSNZ, of the University of Otago, was awarded the Rutherford Medal in 2025 for breakthroughs in understanding of the neural mechanisms of memory and for providing inspirational leadership for neuroscience in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Prof Abraham established the Brain Health Research Centre at the University and most recently co-led the national Aotearoa Brain Project – Kaupapa Roro o Aotearoa. He is passionate about translating his fundamental research into treatments for neurological disease, as well as mentoring and inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists.

All warmly welcome!

Digging up the oceans: prospects, potential and pitfalls

Glenn Banks

7.30 pm Tuesday, 23 June, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

Deep-sea mining (DSM)—once the realm of Jules Verne—is closer to becoming a technological, economic and political reality. Governments and corporations are increasingly promoting extraction from the ocean floor, driven in large part by growing demand for “critical minerals” such as nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements needed for the global transition away from fossil fuels.

This talk explores three interrelated issues: emerging technologies and proposals for deep-sea mining in the Pacific, the geopolitics of the seabed, and the prospects for seabed mining in the waters around Aotearoa New Zealand. Along the way, it asks a central question: can deep-sea mining support a just, sustainable energy transition, or does it risk creating new environmental, economic and geopolitical challenges?

Glenn Banks is a Professor of Geography at Massey University with more than 35 years’ experience in the minerals sector in the Pacific. Most recently he worked with Forest and Bird on the TransTasman Resources proposal to mine the seabed off South Taranaki.

All welcome!

Provenance and guardianship of taonga tree species

David Chagné

7.30 pm Tuesday, 19 May, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

David Chagné’s research uses genomics for developing fundamental knowledge and new tools for fruit trees and taonga species. His work has led to understanding the genetic control of many traits that are important to fruit tree growers and consumers such as disease resistance, fruit colour, texture and flavour.  His work on taonga species (mānuka, swamp maire, karaka) embraces new ways of working with, and for, Māori by embedding tikanga, Te Tiriti with co-innovation. David Chagné will present about his work on mānuka genetic diversity, to support regional provenance trademarking for honey, as well as the restoration of an endangered tree species in the Manawatū (swamp maire).