Waikato University students clean up in Coastal Society scholarships

Waikato University students won three of the four top honours in the 2011 Coastal Society scholarships.

Amir Emami from the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences won the PhD scholarship of $5000 for his investigation of beach processes at Auckland’s Muriwai Beach. 

Shawn Harrison, also from Earth and Ocean Sciences, received an honourable mention for Modelling sediment exchange in and around ebb-tidal deltas in meso-tidal zones.

Lisa McCartain, from Waikato’s Department of Biological Sciences, received an honourable mention in the Master scholarship category won by Megan Young from Massey University.

Lisa’s thesis was on the effects of a thin terrigenous deposit on porewater fluxes in permeable sediments in response to modified hydraulic activities of Macomona Iiliana.

The scholarships were announced at the society’s conference this year and are awarded to students conducting research with the potential to lead to solutions for some of New Zealand’s most challenging coastal issues.

From Iran, Amir says the news about the scholarship was the best he has had during his time in New Zealand (nine months). “I was very pleased and the money will help with my field work expenses as well as paying for a conference I want to attend.”