The Press  Sat, 07 Mar 2015

Mike Crean

 

Research scientist was a Kiwi all-rounder

World leaders in bio-electro-chemistry developed personal friendships with Lincoln researcher Dr Neil Pasco. They collaborated with him in research, visited him at his Christchurch home and enjoyed the generous hospitality with a Kiwi touch that he and wife Janne extended.

They paid heartfelt tributes when Pasco died recently of cancer, aged 68. Typical of their comments was this from German scientist Wolfgang Schumann: ‘‘We hiked together and we worked together. We had fantastic green mussels from your barbecue, and many good glasses of wine. We went fishing together and we watched the Crusaders.’’

Born in Invercargill to a family in the fishing business, Pasco attributed his academic success to the Brothers at the Catholic school he attended. Their derisory remark that he would never go to university became a challenge. And Pasco, all his life, loved a challenge. He would show them . . .

Wife Janne says he was ‘‘extremely competitive’’. This showed in sport, as he represented Southland and later Otago in softball, and Otago University at rugby. He was a keen squash and tennis player, later competing in veterans’ tennis tournaments. As a youth he loved deer stalking with his older brothers. He was at home in the mountains and became an avid skier and tramper.

Pasco showed his competitiveness in his field of chemistry as well. As government strictures tightened around spending on research, he managed the application of his research to the production of beneficial outcomes that attracted funding. This combination of pure science with pragmatism made him highly valued as a senior research scientist at Lincoln Ventures Ltd, a subsidiary of Lincoln University.

While at university in Dunedin, Pasco met his future wife, Janne. He completed his PhD in thermodynamics and they headed overseas. Two years of postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, were followed by three years in England, at the University of Manchester Institute of Science Technology. He regarded this formative period in his career as the best time of his life until then, Janne says.

The couple then headed home ‘‘the long way’’, travelling overland and on a shoestring budget. He was offered a teaching position in chemical engineering at the University of Canterbury and accepted, so they settled in Christchurch.

Pasco next joined the research staff at Lincoln Ventures, known then as the NZ Agricultural Engineering Institute, during the first ‘‘oil crisis’’, when fuel prices began to soar and alternative fuels were being sought. His new position was to lead a project to examine the potential of sugar beet as a fuel source. His boss, Peter Barrowclough, said Pasco and his staff showed their dedication by using the experimental fuel-mix in their own cars. ‘‘The project worked well but with the end of the oil crisis the research was put aside,’’ Barrowclough said in a tribute to Pasco.

A following project showed similar dedication, as Pasco and others lived for several weeks in a caravan on a Waikato kiwifruit orchard in mid-winter for two successive years. Their work involved assessing an experimental frost protection system.

When the Government introduced competitive funding for research, Pasco was put in charge of making Lincoln Venture’s bids for funding. His successful bids included devices for measuring toxicity levels in waste streams. Patents were granted and commercial production of the devices ensued. Sales of the devices returned a useful royalty stream to Lincoln Ventures, Barrowclough said.

Pasco’s work brought him to the notice of scientists internationally. His work was written up in journals and magazines. He was invited to address science conferences in other countries. He had professional papers published.

Collaboration with colleagues, nationally and abroad, was a major part of Pasco’s  approach and an important factor in his success. He built a network of colleagues and interacted with experts in many places. Meanwhile, he ‘‘kept his feet on the ground’’ supervising more than a dozen doctoral students in their research projects.

Colleague Ravi Gooneratne said in a tribute: ‘‘He was always there for them [students] with a smile . . . I have always admiredhim for his support and his gentleness towards students.’’

Neil Francis Pasco, born Invercargill, June 20, 1946; died Christchurch, December18, 2015. Survived by wife Janne and daughters Emma and Nicola.

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