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    Published 24 May 2013 Referencing Hub media
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    Dr Martin Markotsis of Scion has a passion for environmentally friendly materials. He describes how this passion, along with other personal skills and attributes, help him drive innovation1 forward.

    Jargon alert

    Fossil fuels Materials such as coal, oil and natural gas formed from the fossilised remains of plants that lived many millions of years ago. Often burned as fuel2.

    Transcript

    Dr Martin Markotsis

    For me, I have a strong passion for environmentally friendly materials. I really enjoy working with plastics, and when you can make plastic3 materials that have an environmental benefit or are less damaging to the environment or don’t use fossil fuels4, that gives me an extra drive and a passion to develop an end product. I quite like the biospife as an end product because it is so visible and it’s kind of cute and has a novelty value that helps, helps drive the project forward.

    I think that working with a team that is passionate to the end goal has helped me learn to keep my eye on that end product or end application so that, when you have a setback or there are issues, you can go, if we work out the solution, there will be this awesome end product.

    Voiceover

    Martin identifies key personal skills that help him contribute to innovation.

    Dr Martin Markotsis

    My personal energy levels, my personal ability to cope with setbacks and bring the problems as they occurred back to the drawing board, not let them knock me back in a way that I would give up, but then work with my team and drive for a solution.

    Acknowledgements:
    Dr Martin Markotsis, SCION
    Alistair Mowat, ZESPRI
    Scion

    1. Innovation: The development of a new process or product that is then used by others.
    2. fuel: 1. A combustible substance that provides energy. 2. A body fuel such as fat, carbohydrates and protein that supplies energy for animals’ activities.
    3. plastic: A synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers (such as polyethylene, PVC and nylon) that can be moulded into shape while soft and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form.
    4. fossil fuel: Materials such as coal, oil and natural gas formed from the fossilised remains of plants that lived many millions of years ago. Often burned as fuel – although this releases large amounts of CO2, which contributes to global warming. Fossil fuels are also not renewable – there is a limited amount.
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      Innovation

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    2. The development of a new process or product that is then used by others.

      fossil fuel

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    4. Materials such as coal, oil and natural gas formed from the fossilised remains of plants that lived many millions of years ago. Often burned as fuel – although this releases large amounts of CO2, which contributes to global warming. Fossil fuels are also not renewable – there is a limited amount.

      fuel

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    6. 1. A combustible substance that provides energy. 2. A body fuel such as fat, carbohydrates and protein that supplies energy for animals’ activities.

      plastic

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    8. A synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers (such as polyethylene, PVC and nylon) that can be moulded into shape while soft and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form.