SIT | Te Pūkenga School of Advanced Engineering students were well represented in the 2023 Three-minute Thesis Competition, winning three of the six prizes in the competition - best thesis speech, best poster, and highly commended poster. Held on November 10th at Te Rau o te Huia, the event which is in its 10th year at SIT, is modelled on the international ‘3MT’ competition, held at more than 200 universities globally. Entrants must pit themselves against the clock to present their thesis topic in just three minutes; there is a poster presentation category as well.
The overall speech winner, Aswathi Puthiyaparambath, who is completing a Graduate Diploma in Engineering Technology, spoke on her thesis: ‘Physical Impacts of Precipitation Variability and Sea Level Rise at Southport, NZ.’ Melissa Powell from the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise programme won second place, with her speech entitled ‘Green Prescription (GRX): New Zealand’s Time-Tested Health Ally’.
Bachelor of Engineering Technology student, Jet Hua Yen won Best Poster for ‘Rooftop Solar Power Potential Assessment at South Port, NZ’, and Bachelor of Environmental Management student, Kelsi Hayes, was awarded second place with ‘A study of kākahi populations in the Waikawa River’.
Highly commended poster awards went to Juan Miguel Veloso, Bachelor of Engineering Technology, with his poster ‘Mapping the Harbour: A Comprehensive Approach to Producing a Digital Topographical Plan of South Port NZ through Land Surveying and GIS Analysis’, and Louise De Chasteigner Dumée from the Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage, with her poster on a study which examined the use of massage for women who experience pain during menstruation.
School of Advanced Engineering Programme Manager, Carlo Gabriel, was very pleased with the engineering students’ strong performances in taking three out of the six available prizes. He said the students’ achievements reflected their dedication and calibre. The speech winner, the poster competition winner and second place-getter will receive their prizes and certificates at the SIT Awards night on November 28.