Possum food and New Zealand music impress at Waikato conference

Possum and Music: FASSGRAD Conference winners Kristie Cameron and Nick Braae.

A study on the feeding behaviours of possums and a look into the identity of New Zealand music were winning topics at the Annual Interdisciplinary Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Postgraduate Conference late last month.

The conference ran over two days and judges picked a winning presentation for each day. Music Masters student Nick Braae impressed judges on day one with his presentation titled: ‘New Zealand Music? Place and Identity in Songs by the Herbs and Don McGlashan’ and Kristie Cameron, a PhD candidate from the School of Psychology won on day two with her presentation titled: ‘Assessing Possums’ Food Preference and Demand’.

The conference featured a wide spectrum of diverse research topics ranging from new technologies, their uses and impacts on society to new perspectives and understandings of contemporary and historical issues.

Each winner received $500 for their efforts and the judges commented on their level of confidence, passion for their topics and engagement with the audience. “The winners showed mastery of their research topics, and an ability to present their research to a non-specialist audience in an accessible way,” says conference co-convenor, Kirstine Moffat.

"All of the speakers are to be commended for the high standard of their presentations and their obvious sense of passion for their research topics. It was wonderful to see the level of professionalism in the speakers, with such impeccable time keeping!”