Conference Prizes are awarded for outstanding student presentations during the NZMSS annual conference

Best Overall Student Talks

FIRST PLACE

Ian Blixt – Victoria University of Wellington

“Shedding light on sea ice microbes”

RUNNER-UP

Imogen Bunting – Victoria University of Wellington

“Impacts of marine heatwaves on juvenile giant kelp”

Best Student Posters

FIRST PLACE

Jessica Marinovich – University of Auckland

“Snapper snacks: Rocky reef snapper (Chrysophrys autatus) diet in northereaster New Zealand”

RUNNER-UP

Jinchen Guo – AUT

“Microbiome patterns observed among thermally stressed abalone at Cook Strait, New Zealand”

Best Student Talks - Special Topics

Coastal Marine Science and Resource Management

Sponsored by: Coastal Special Interest Group

Shinae Montie – University of Canterbury

“Facilitation of epifauna by 3D printed biogenic habitat during extreme marine heatwaves”

Marine Conservation and Restoration

Sponsored by: Department of Conservation

Imogen Foote – Victoria University of Wellington

“Whole-genome analysis to resolve genetic structure of Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross populations”

Mātauranga Māori

Tessa Thomson – Victoria University of Wellington

“I aha ki ngā toheroa nō Horowhenua: What’s happened to the toheroa in the Horowhenua?”

Mātauranga Māori Runner Up

Ashley Davis – Victoria University of Wellington | NIWA

“Reconstructing last millennium marine biogeochemistry using New Zealand deep-sea black corals”

Dr Grace Roger Scientific Diving Award

Sponsored by: University of Auckland

Celia Belami – University of Auckland

“Grazing in the dark: Impacts of Centrostephanus rogersii on sessile encrusting invertbrates”

Aquaculture

Sponsored by: Fisheries NZ

Ash Heaphy – University of Auckland

“Fatter snapper in shellfish farms says its all mussel”

Battle of the Labs!

Victoria University of Wellington

This prize is awarded to the university that achieved the highest average score across all of their student presentations/posters