Students Explore New Zealand’s Medical History

A group of our College students continued their involvement in the Our Health Journeys initiative, researching New Zealand’s medical figures, discoveries, developments and areas of research before transforming their findings into projects accessible to a wider audience.

This year, twenty-six students completed projects, with eighteen selected for publication. Particular recognition went to:

• Enjia Li and Mika Feng, who received the Best Junior Project award for The Discovery of CDH1 Gene Mutation
• Jessie Zhang, who received the Best Senior Project award for Robert Weinkove and the Rise of CAR T-Cell Therapy in New Zealand
• Lucy Lin and Isabella Li, who received the Best Overall Project award for When the Heart’s Natural Pacemaker Fails: A New Zealand Story

Their work demonstrated careful research, intellectual curiosity and independence.

Since the initiative began in 2024, twelve students have contributed for two consecutive years: Stefanie Li, Isabella Li, Lucy Lin, James Wang, Jeanna Ho, Jessica Jin, Ruolin Xiao, Jessie Zhang, Ruby Ma, Tiffany Wang, Vesa Zajmi and Emma Liu. Harriet Ludbrook has contributed for three consecutive years. This represents an outstanding commitment, particularly as students complete these projects independently in their own time, outside their regular curriculum.

To celebrate the students’ involvement in the initiative, Dale Bailey and Margaret Horsburgh visited the College on 20 October to present all twenty-six students with certificates and badges. We would also like to acknowledge Jocelyn Peach, and Student Futures Advisor Alvis Lee and Science teacher Liz Hewes, for their invaluable support of the students throughout the year.