Rate My Professor Dianne Nyhof

Dianne Nyhof serves as the Curator, Teaching Support, and Outreach coordinator in the Department of Geology at the University of Otago. She holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) from the University of Otago, completing her postgraduate diploma in 2016. Her thesis, supervised by R. Ewan Fordyce, examined "A comparison of two sampling methods for benthic foraminifera in modern ecosystems." In her professional roles, Nyhof curates the department's rock, mineral, and fossil collections, which are accessible through the Geology Museum. She supports undergraduate teaching in geology courses and conducts outreach programs to engage the public and school students with geological topics, such as discussions on fossilised shells.

Nyhof contributes to research support through specimen preparation and collection management. She prepared the fossil Aureia rerehua (specimen OU 22553), an archaic odontocete dolphin. She sorted otoliths for the study "Otoliths reveal diverse fish communities in Late Oligocene-Miocene strata of Northland, New Zealand" by Schwarzhans et al. (2017). Additionally, she provided and prepared New Zealand nephrite samples and thin sections for "An evolutionary model and classification scheme for nephrite jade" by Tarling et al. (2022). Nyhof handles requests for materials from the OU Geology Rock Catalogue, facilitates access to collections for researchers, and supports departmental health and safety protocols. Her work ensures the preservation, accessibility, and utilization of geological collections for education and research at the University of Otago.