Patricia M. Fraser is a New Zealand soil scientist at

Crown Research Institute In New Zealand, Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) are corporatised Crown entities charged with conducting scientific research. Crown Research Institutes date from 1992, with most formed out of parts of the former Department of Scientific and Indus ...

Plant & Food Research Plant & Food Research ( Māori: Rangahau Ahumāra Kai) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute (CRI). Its purpose is to enhance the value and productivity of New Zealand's horticultural, arable, seafood and food & beverage industries. The int ...

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. Her work focuses on the role of earthworms in the soil, and nitrate leaching, to further understand soil quality in cropping systems. She won a 2020 New Zealand Woman of Influence Award in the Rural category.

Education

Fraser grew up on a mixed cropping farm on the

Black Isle The Black Isle ( gd, an t-Eilean Dubh, ) is a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of Cromarty and Fortrose, and the villages of Culbokie, Jemimaville, Rosemarkie, Avoch, Munlochy, Tore, and ...

in Scotland. She completed a BSc at the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

in 1988, followed by a PhD from the Department of Soil and Physical Sciences at Lincoln University in 1992. Her doctoral thesis was titled ''The fate of nitrogen under an animal urine patch'', and was supervised by Keith Cameron and Rob Sherlock.

Research

Fraser researches nitrate leaching, cropping systems and the role of earthworms in soil quality. Fraser has played a significant role in the New Zealand Society of Soil Science for many years. She has been a member since 1989, and was Secretary for 20 years, Vice-President for two years, and President from 2012 to 2014. She was the first woman president of the society.

Awards

Fraser was awarded the Norman Taylor Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to NZ Soil Science in 2009. In 2015 Fraser was awarded the Researcher of the Year Award by the Foundation for Arable Research. She is a Fellow and a life member of the New Zealand Society of Soil Science. Fraser won the Rural category of the Woman of Influence Awards in 2020. Her collaborative approach and unusual ability to communicate science to farmers were lauded by the judges. On receiving the award, Fraser said “I never think of myself as a trailblazer, but in retrospect what I’ve done out of passion and interest did make an impact on the communities that I serve. When I first started as a soil scientist almost 30 years ago, the rural community was extremely dominated by men. I knew I must prove myself through the quality of my work. I attended many field days to communicate my findings and educate farmers on how to improve soil health. Gradually they’ve come around, and they now value and respect me for the work I’ve done.”

Selected research

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References

External links

*Podcast
It's not just dirt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Patricia New Zealand women scientists New Zealand soil scientists Lincoln University (New Zealand) alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people New Zealand Women of Influence Award recipients Scottish emigrants to New Zealand Alumni of the University of Aberdeen