Conference Prizes are awarded for outstanding student presentations during the NZMSS annual conference.
Best Overall Student Talks
Rikki Taylor – Best Overall Student TalkFirst place: Rikki Taylor – University of Auckland
“Developing fish based indicators for Ecosystem Based Fishery Management: A Chatham Rise case study”
Runner-up: Emily Frost – University of Auckland
“Impact of long-term near fear ocean acidification on the physiology of adult Evechinus chloroticus“
Best Student Poster
Casey Peat – University of Canterbury
“The use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyse underwater videos and recognise canopy-forming brown algae”
Best Student Presentations - Special Topic
Noval Contribution to Science
Sponsored by: the Royal Society
Jacinta Forde – University of Waikato
“A symbiotic relationship: An ethnographic account of a Northland community and their toheroa”
Use of Quantitative Methodology (Talk)
Sponsored by: MPI Fisheries
Rikki Taylor – University of Auckland
“Developing fish based indicators for Ecosystem Based Fishery Management: A Chatham Rise case study”
Use of Quantitative Methodology (Runner-Up)
Sponsored by: MPI Fisheries
Grady Petersen – University of Waikato
“Are trait-based functional groups better predictors of benthic ecosystem functioning than constituent species?”
Marine Protected Areas
Sponsored by: Department of Conservation
India Merrick – University of Auckland
“Establishing new marine reserves: Using species presence data to increase conservation of biodiversity”
Applied Environmental Science
Sponsored by: Coastal Special Interest Group
Dana Clark – University of Waikato
“The multivariate Benthic Health Model: a standardised and sensitive approach to assessing estuary health across New Zealand”
Conservation Biology
Sponsored by: the Society of Conservation Biology
Marta Guerra – University of Otago
“Environmental drivers of the fine-scale foraging distribution of sperm whales”
Battle of the Labs
University of Auckland
This prize is awarded to the university that achieved the highest average score across all of their student presentations/posters
