Todd awards nine research scholarships to benefit New Zealand

The Todd Foundation has awarded scholarships to nine postgraduate students to encourage the development of new concepts, technology or research which will benefit New Zealand.

Dr Christina Howard, Executive Director of the Todd Foundation said, “These innovative research projects – ranging from bees to earthquakes, and from stormwater to strokes - all have significant potential to benefit New Zealand and improve the lives of New Zealanders.”

The 2015 Scholars are:

Ksenia (Kess) Aleksandrova has been awarded $8,000 for her Master of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University.  Her research will identify the best way of integrating green infrastructure into existing road corridors to help alleviate pressure on stormwater networks.  It also aims to find functional solutions that contribute aesthetically and ecologically to communities locally and nationally.

Dane Aronsen has been awarded $9,500 for his PhD in Neuroscience at Victoria University of Wellington.  His research will investigate the effects of the common drugs of abuse, cocaine and MDMA, on brain systems that underlie drug addiction.  Harmful drug use is estimated to cost New Zealand $6.5 billion annually, in the forms of healthcare, crime, lost productivity, and other diverted resources, not to mention the loss of quality of life.

Jarrod Cook has been awarded $7,000 for his Master of Engineering in Mechancial Engineering at the University of Canterbury.  He is developing, testing and modelling a ratcheting, tension-only device to improve the performance of seismic energy dissipation mechanisms to avoid buckling, and protect buildings and their occupants during earthquakes.  The device could offer another option in the development of low damage structural technology to limit the devastation caused by future earthquakes.

James Hewett has been awarded $9,000 for his PhD in computational fluid dynamics at the University of Canterbury.  His research will model the accumulation of unwanted fouling or scaling material in pipes and heat exchangers.  The project will add to the fundamental understanding of scaling, so that maintenance procedures and plant designs at geothermal power stations could more accurately account for scaling effects.

Nicholas (Nick) Lowther has been awarded $10,000 for his Master of Science in Medical Physics at the University of Canterbury.  His research will look at a real-time cardiac MRI tracking technique based on anatomical matching used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (which triggers 20% of strokes), with radiosurgery.  This ground-breaking topic will help promote New Zealand’s world-leading medical physics and science research.

Regine Morgenstern has been awarded $8,500 for her Master of Science in Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury.  Her research will study Rare Earth Elements (REEs) granite to help determine the future management or protection of these resources, which have the potential to contribute to the economic prosperity of the West Coast.  Regine has also volunteered to talk about her experiences to local schools to increase awareness of our geology and geological resources.

Leila Nicholson has been awarded $2,000 for her PhD in Virology at the University of Otago. She will study the effectiveness of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV), a commonly used biocontrol agent for wild pest rabbit populations in New Zealand and determine if the new calicivirus is able to provide cross-protection against the pathogenic RHDV stains.  She hopes that more effective pest control strategies will enable future generations to enjoy New Zealand’s biodiversity and native species.

Abigail (Abby) Sharrock has been awarded $5,000 for her PhD in Biotechnology at Victoria University of Wellington.  Her research seeks to understand how tiny biological machines called nitroreductase enzymes can activate anti-cancer drugs for new cancer therapies.  She aims to develop an improved treatment technology with fewer side-effects to provide cancer sufferers with a better quality of life and a much better prognosis.

Jamie Stavert has been awarded $8,000 for his PhD in Conservation Ecology at the University of Auckland’s School of Biological Sciences.  His research aims to improve the resilience of pollination systems in New Zealand.  He will use large bee enclosure experiments to manipulate pollinator communities and determine how the composition and diversity of biological traits influence pollination.  The research will help inform changes in land-use practices and enhance biodiversity and agricultural and horticultural productivity in New Zealand.

Universities New Zealand, also known as New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, administers these awards in addition to 40 other undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships each year.  Applications for the 2016 Todd Foundation Awards for Excellence close on 1 March next year.