Rate My Professor John Steel

John Steel is the Herbarium Technician in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he supports research and teaching through management of plant specimens. In 2016, he was identified as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Botany. Steel contributed to the cultivation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) in the department's glasshouses, as highlighted on the department's quinoa project page. His expertise in plant taxonomy and identification has been utilized in multiple scientific publications. He provided voucher specimens (OTA 061166 and OTA 061167) for Sonchus oleraceus L. (pūhā), credited in the 2015 paper 'Anti-Ageing Effects of Sonchus oleraceus L. (pūhā) Leaf Extracts on H₂O₂-Induced Oxidative Damage in Human Foreskin Fibroblast Cells'. Steel also assisted in the 2015 publication 'Clarification of the author and year of publication of Cotesia congretorum Takada (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae)' by establishing contacts with Japanese researchers and supplying copies of relevant papers. He offered feedback that improved the manuscript for 'Conservation of saline patches in Central Otago needs better protection' published in 2018. Furthermore, Steel identified the fern for a study on Niveamorpha annulata in the Weta journal.

Steel is actively involved in the local and national botanical community. He presented on 'Pronunciation of Botanical Latin' in the Botanical Society of Otago Newsletter. He organized field trips for bryophyte studies, serving as contact person with email john.steel@otago.ac.nz in the New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter Number 123 (March 2016). The Department of Botany Facebook post recognized him as a stalwart for his contributions to a bryology project by the International Association of Bryologists. He is thanked for assistance in the 2021 paper 'Spore viability and germination of some ectomycorrhizal fungi from Nothofagus forests in southernmost Chile'. Steel's ResearchGate profile, linked to the Department of Botany, University of Otago, documents 23 publications garnering 1,028 citations, underscoring his influence in plant ecology, biodiversity, and taxonomy. His practical contributions extend to supporting conservation and restoration efforts through accurate plant identifications and herbarium resources.