Originally Publish in 2024
Keen hiker and second-year Master of Science student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’”
Born and bred in Dunedin, the 23-year-old says one of his favourite close-to-home tramping spots is the Silverpeaks, half an hour out of town. He also loves to get away to Stewart Island. “It’s beautiful –rugged as anything, thick bush, horrendous weather and really, really stunning. I love being outdoors for the connection and the disconnection.”
Nature is ever-present in Liam’s life. Describing his study in natural products chemistry in layman’s terms, he looks at plants, figures out what’s in them, and extracts the compounds. “It’s broadly looking at the bioactivity of compounds from kānuka,” the University of Otago student says. “That involves working with three different Māori partners around the country, which is incredibly rewarding.” Liam’s interest in kānuka goes back to his days at Dunedin’s King’s High School. “I was looking at mānuka for a science-fair project and accidentally sampled some kānuka –and got back some quite surprising results,” he recalls.
Fast-forward to his masters research and a supervisor connected him with Ngāti Kahu in Northland. “I talked to them, and said, ‘Hey, I’m doing my masters. This is the sort of stuff I’m doing, exploring kānuka and seeing what’s in it, and what you can use it for.’ They came on board, and it’s been a really great relationship. I’ve had this great dialogue with them. The way the research works is I’ll do something, analyse it, evaluate it, and say, ‘Hey, this is what I found. This is what I think it means. Here’s where I would like to take it next. How do you feel about that?’ I talk through where I’m at, and what the relevance is for them –keeping them actively involved in directing my research and ensuring it aligns with their aspirations for their taonga.”
When he’s in Northland, Liam also does outreach work with children and young people in schools. “I’ve been to about five or six Science Wānanga and outreach trips, doing chemistry and science experiments, teaching some core skills, getting them excited. And then, particularly with the older kids, bringing in my work around native plants and bioactivity. They get super into it! They’re really cool kids.”
One of Liam’s own early childhood memories is finding a dead squid washed up on the beach near his family home on the Otago Peninsula. “We hauled it up and dissected it in the backyard. I remember falling over and getting ink all over my knees,” he says. Liam credits his grandparents Christopher and Gillian Pope with helping him develop a thirst for knowledge and interest in science. The now-retired chemistry lecturer and chemistry teacher helped their grandson “become curious about the world and having different experiences, asking why, and getting amongst stuff”.
Liam has enjoyed the connections the Pinnacle Programme has brought him. “Pinnacle is great at (hosting) meetings and workshops, where you get to see a whole lot of other people, both in your stage and in different stages of the programme. That’s been super cool. I’ve loved going to those (events) because you get to network and see the sort of diversity of experience and passions and energy that people bring to the programme. I’ve made some wonderful connections and found some top-notch mates who pop up all over the place. I’ve got heaps out of it.”
Giving back and youth development are also important to Liam. He does this through voluntary roles with Scouts Aotearoa, serving on the board and helping out with national events, strategy and governance. He also volunteers for the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad, which fosters interest and participation in the subject at secondary-school level.
Liam isn’t sure yet where his career will take him, whether it’s here in Aotearoa or overseas. “At the moment, and this is shaped by the point I’m at in my career, I’d love to keep working with Māori, looking at their taonga species and finding bioactive compounds, which is very rewarding for me.” No matter where his career takes him, Liam relishes pushing boundaries and finding things out about plants that haven’t been found before. “Science has always been this really cool, problem-solving mystery for me. There is huge potential for new discoveries, and a heck of a lot of problem solving, which I find super exciting.”