2023 Science Writing Prize
If you are a current student carrying out health or wellbeing-related research at the University of Otago with an interest in communicating your science to a wider audience, the Otago Medical School Research Society Science Writing Award is for you.
We want you, in no more than 800 words, to tell us why your research matters in a way that would interest a non-scientific audience. Tell us about your research and why it is important. Why does it interest you? Why should it interest the reader?
The winning article will be published by the Otago Daily Times. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize with the runner up receiving a $250 prize sponsored by Kainic Medical Communications.
Judging criteria
Your writing will be assessed on the following criteria:
- Does the article answer the question why does my research matter?
- Does the article explain the writer’s research in a way that is easy to understand?
- Is it a compelling read?
The article must be based on the research you are doing or have done as part of your degree, diploma or summer project. This could be on the whole of the project or on one aspect, but it should not be a general review of the area.
The piece should be aimed at a non-specialist audience; written at a level that an interested member of the public could understand while conveying the significance of your research or key issues.
The rules
- The competition is open to all undergraduate or postgraduate students carrying out health-related research currently enrolled at the University of Otago. Past winners in this competition are not eligible to compete.
- One entry per author, and only one author per entry, submitted via the student’s University email address.
- The article should be no more than 800 words excluding references. Pieces with more than 800 words will be declined.
- A coversheet should include the title of your article, your name, email address, Department/School in which you are studying and your degree, a contact telephone number, and word count of your piece. Please use 12-point font without templates for the cover sheet.
- The article should be text only: no diagrams or tables should be included. Please use a 12-point font and double line spacing.
- Entries close at 5 pm on Friday 8th of September, 2023.
- Articles should be emailed to lara.vlietstra@otago.ac.nz with the subject line “OMSRS Science Writing Submission”. Articles should be attached and in the “.doc” or “.docx” file format.
- The judges’ decision will be final.
- The winner will be declared on 4th October during our 100th Anniversary Celebrations (details to follow)
- Any questions? Contact: Dr Lara Vliestra (lara.vlietstra@otago.ac.nz )
2022 Masters/Hons Award and AGM
The Otago Medical School Research Society’s 264th Scientific Meeting is the 2022 Masters/Honours Student Award and Annual General Meeting
This will occur between 5.00 – 7.30 pm on Wednesday 9th November 2022 in the Barnett Lecture. In person attendance is welcomed, but you may also join by zoom (details below).
8 students will present their work. Presentations will be 8 minutes long, with 4 minutes for questions.
This will occur between 5.00 – 7.30 pm on Wednesday 9th November 2022 in the Barnett Lecture. An option for attending and presenting via Zoom will also be offered.
A panel of judges will award $500 to the best speaker, and $250 to the runner up, sponsored by the Society.
After the 4th speaker, we will hold the Annual General Meeting of the Society at approximately 5:50pm, before the final four speakers. All are invited to attend the AGM.
Please join us to celebrate our emerging health researchers. Refreshments will be served from approximately 7pm.
Our speakers are listed below in confirmed order.
| Time | Speaker | Title | Co-authors | Department |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00 | Alisha Dabb | The cardioprotective agent oCOm-21 inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome assembly in cardiac ischaemia reperfusion injury. | Thwaite S, Payne F, Bland A, Harrison J, Sammut I | Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Biomedical Sciences and HeartOtago, University of Otago, Dunedin. |
| 5:12 | Haylea Rodgers | Identifying the optimal dose of dopamine agonists to initiate motor activity in a parkinsonian sheep model. | A Banstola and JNJ Reynolds | Department of Anatomy and the Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin. |
| 5:24 | Yi ZhenTan | Carbon nano-onions as a novel and safe drug delivery system. | L Thomsen and RJ Rosengren. | Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. |
| 5:36 | Mia Pugh | Health outcomes of children in state care in Aotearoa New Zealand. | N Bowden1, J Kokaua2, P Dawson1, M Duncanson1 | 1 Department of Women and Children’s Health, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, 2 c Va’a O Tautai—Centre for Pacific Health Research, University of Otago, Dunedin. |
| 5:50 | Annual General Meeting | |||
| 6:05 | Break | |||
| 6:15 | Daniel Gray | Brothers discordant for gout have differing DNA methylation patterns in inflammatory genes. | Emily Ewers1, Amanda Phipps-Green1, Archie Campbell2, David E Porteous2, Stewart Morris2, Rosie M Walker2, Nicola Dalbeth3, Lisa K Stamp4, Tony R Merriman1,5, Michelle C Thunders6, Tanya J Major1 | 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 2Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh3Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland 3Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland 3Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland |
| 6:27 | Barnaby Kelly | Second generation curcumin analogue RL71, induces apoptosis via the regulation of growth signals in canine osteosarcoma cells. | RJ Rosengren2 | 1,2Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Biomedical sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin. |
| 6:39 | Chole Schwass | Raji and Daudi B cell-lines are not appropriate models of blood-derived B cell responses to interleukin-10. | GS Stuart1, AJ Highton2, LM Wise1. | 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin. |
| 6:51 | Harriet Spoelstra | The relationship between secreted amyloid precursor protein alpha (sAPPα) and the cell surface expression of NMDA glutamate receptors – a time-course study. | CM Westlake, JM Williams | Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin. |
Zoom details:
Topic: OMSRS Masters/Hons Meeting and AGM
Time: Nov 9, 2022 05:00 PM Auckland, Wellington
Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://otago.zoom.us/j/93749579198?pwd=enNHdzQ4WkxTZVhCWUJXZWlrN1VYdz09
Meeting ID: 937 4957 9198
Password: 774481
OMSRS – now for a blog!
Welcome to the new weblog for the Otago Medical School Research Society.
While our previous webpage will remain as an archive, this weblog will bring you up-to-date news of coming events, as well as highlighting the winners of our competitions.
Out with old in with the new… but seriously, we thank those members of the committee who are leaving to pursue other agendas, as well as those who are staying on for another stint (perhaps in a new role), and welcome new members. This year our new President is Assoc. Professor Shyamal Das (School of Pharmacy), who is taking up the reins from immediate past President Assoc. Professor Gisela Sole(School of Physiotherapy). A full list of committee members can be found HERE.
So, without further ado, on with the blog!
