Albany winners for Three Minute Thesis chosen

The ecology of fish leech parasites in Antarctica, and the link between senses and chewing food were the winning topics at the Albany preliminary round of the Three Minute Thesis competition for doctoral students last week.

Juergen Kolb shared details of his research on the life and death of fish leeches in Antarctica, and Jean Ne Cheong revealed her exploration into the relationship between sensory perceptions and chewing.

They were among seven doctoral students who took part in the first of three preliminary contests being held on Massey campus over the coming week.

Both winners are from the College of Sciences, with Mr Kolb at the Ecology and Conservation Group in the Institute of Natural Sciences, and Ms Cheong with the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health.

Other entries at Albany were nutrition researcher Cheryl Gammon, on kiwifruit, diet and men’s heart health; history student Barry Buckley, on the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in New Zealand; computer scientist Yasir Javed on new software to coordinate mass evacuations in a natural disaster; historian Noel Derbyshire on the evolution of the Anglican Church in New Zealand since 1945; and Pervais Akhtar on coordinating the international agri-food supply chain.

Judges were Professor Michael Townsend (College of Education), Professor Emeritus Ian Watson, and Business Development Manager at North Auckland Tourism Ngaio Merrick. They were asked to judge the contestants on communication, comprehension and engagement with the audience, and complimented Mr Kolb on his natural presentation style, and Ms Cheong on evoking her fascination with the ordinary act of chewing food.

Manawatu entrants were presenting on Monday, August 8, and Wellington entrants on Tuesday, 9 August. The Grand Finals will be held at the Manawatu campus on Monday, 29 August. The winner will be awarded $1,000 towards conference or research expenses, plus travel and accommodation to participate in the Trans-Tasman finals at the University of Western Australia in Perth on 29 September.

Last year, psychology doctoral student Isabelle Miclette represented Massey University at the finals in Australia, presenting her topic on helping elderly people develop resilience.

The event at Massey University is organised by the Graduate Research School.