Lecturer’s program succeeds

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 26

Lecturer’s program succeeds

A senior lecturer in zoology at Victoria University, Dr Gordon Hewitt, has scored a publishing success with microcomputer programs on population genetics. An Australasian company dealing with educational software, Science Education Resources, will publish his programs “Pop Genetics 1” and the more advanced “PopGenetics 2,” and will seek sales in the United States. Dr Hewitt is the company’s first New Zealand author, and Pop Genetics will be the first programs the company has pub-

lished for the Macintosh computer. Aimed at university students of genetics, the Pop Genetics programs were developed during the last five years, initially on the university’s VAX computer and then on the Macintosh. The programs have been used at Victoria with third-year students. , Built on both genetic theory and the discoveries of scientists over the years, the programs enable students to study the inheritance of physical characteristics through successive generations. Dr Hewitt said the.

more advanced program can be applied, for example, to predicting the characteristics of the offspring of seriously endangered species where only a few mating couples survive. Built into the pro- 1 gram are factors such as inbreeding. A Victoria University computer science honours student, David Oborn, worked with Dr Hewitt to implement the program for the Macintosh. Dr Hewitt’s programs are believed to be two of only three so far developed in New Zealand to publication stage for the Macintosh.