Victoria University - Celebrating achievement
14 May 2007
Celebrating achievement
For many students, this week marks the end of several years of study and one of the biggest achievements of their lives.
About 1,850 students will graduate with degrees, diplomas and certificates in six graduation ceremonies held between 16 and 18 May.
Two distinguished New Zealanders are also to be honoured with honorary doctorates in this round of graduation: producer John Barnett, chief executive and co-owner of South Pacific Pictures, and Kiwi-born business leader, Wade Thompson, who is unable to attend graduation and will receive his award in the United States later this year.
Sixteen PhDs will be conferred, with topics ranging from children’s interactions in the playground and classroom, to violent offending in women, to the biology of virus uptake and elimination by Pacific oysters.
The traditional street parades of graduands and staff will depart from the Government Buildings Historic Reserve on Wednesday and Thursday at noon, parading along Lambton Quay and Willis and Mercer Streets to finish in Civic Square, where they will be welcomed by Mayor Kerry Prendergast.
If the parade is cancelled, notification will be given on Newstalk ZB from 11am on the morning of the parade.
Ceremony details:
Wednesday 16 May: Michael
Fowler Centre
Noon graduation parade
Ceremony 1:
1.30pm Faculties of Architecture & Design and
Science
Ceremony 2: 6pm Faculty of
Education
Thursday 17 May: Michael Fowler Centre
Noon
graduation parade
Ceremony 3: 1.30pm Faculties of
Commerce & Administration and Law
Ceremony 4: 6pm
Faculty of Commerce & Administration
Honorary Doctorate:
John Barnett
Friday 18 May: Michael Fowler
Centre
Ceremony 5: 1.30pm Faculty of Humanities &
Social Sciences
Ceremony 6: 6pm Faculty of
Humanities & Social Sciences
Graduation stories
Mother
and daughter graduation
Kamolwan Sonsomsook, 57, will be
graduating on Friday with her daughter Arunee Wilson, 20.
Both decided to study at Victoria in 2003. Arunee is
graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science,
while Kamolwan has completed her MA in Teaching English as a
Second Language.
Off to Oxford
Euan Sadden is
graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours, First
Class, in International Relations. Recently he was accepted
to read for a Master of Science degree at Oxford University,
and is starting in October.
Finally graduating
Matt
Nippert completed his Bachelor of Commerce & Administration
with Honours, First Class, in Public Policy in 2001 – and
is having it conferred on Friday. Exactly one year ago, on
17 May, Matt was also due to attend the ceremony to receive
his MS in journalism from Columbia University in New York,
but on the morning of the ceremony was admitted to hospital,
where he remained for a month. He was diagnosed with
Goodpasture’s Syndrome – causing permanent kidney damage
– and says finally graduating this week “is an effort to
not let things drag on – and also make up for missed
ceremonies.”
Deafness no barrier
Jared Flitcroft
graduates on Friday with a Bachelor of Arts in Media
Studies. He’s profoundly deaf, but with the help of
teachers, interpreters, Victoria’s Disability Support
Services and many more, this has proved no barrier to his
learning. His mother Gladys focused on using visual aids to
help him learn and would talk, sing and sign to him as a
child in the hope he would read the expressions on her face.
“We’re proud of his achievement and hope he’ll be a
role model to other deaf students who have the willingness
to learn.” Contact Gladys on 04 478 9416, 027 249 1428 or
email afex@ihug.co.nz
Third generation law graduate
Amy
Shearer is becoming the third generation in her family to
graduate from Victoria with a law degree. On Thursday she is
graduating with an LLB, as did her father, Geoffrey Shearer,
and grandfather, Hamish Shearer. Both still practice in the
Inglewood branch of Govett Quilliam, New Plymouth, and both
will attend her graduation. Contact Amy on 04 976 4435 or
027 231 3603.
PhD Thesis topics (a selection from 16 graduands)
Violent offending in women
Sharlene Murdoch
analysed data collected from women imprisoned for violent
offences. She used this to provide a description of the
process underlying women’s violence and how this unfolds
over time. Among others, she identified the main risk
factors to be dysfunctional family of origin, early
traumatic experiences, the inability to regulate emotion and
behaviour, and how violence is learned and incorporated into
their sense of self. Sharlene’s study has implications for
understanding the specific clinical and rehabilitation needs
of this offender group. Contact Sharlene on 04 494 9560 or
027 663 9759.
Pacific oysters
Gastroenteritis outbreaks
have been associated with the consumption of oysters
contaminated with viruses in New Zealand. Catherine Seamer
researched the biology of virus uptake and elimination by
Pacific oysters. Different patterns of uptake and
elimination of distinct viruses were observed and may result
from differences in the interactions of viruses with oyster
cells. This highlights problems with using surrogate
pathogens to estimate the risk associated with faecal
contamination of shellfish. Given the traditional and
economic importance of kaimoana to New Zealanders, this
additional knowledge provides positive direction for future
research and the refinement of risk management strategies.
Contact Catherine on 04 894 2648 or 029 894 2648.
Identity
conflict
En-Yi (Judy) Lin’s thesis explores the
identity conflict experienced by Chinese young adults,
placing emphasis on the construction of a predictive model.
The three theoretical perspectives considered were
developmental, intergroup, and cross-cultural. Her results
suggest intergroup variables—social interactions and
relationships with the host society—played the most
significant role in predicting a person’s level of
identity conflict. En-Yi also examined the relationship
between identity conflict and other domains of
acculturation. Her results reveal that cross-cultural
adaptation consists of affective, behavioural and cognitive
domains that are conceptually related, but empirically
distinct from one another. Contact En-Yi on 09 440 9119 or
021 604 4767.
Researching plant species
Flavonoids are
important chemicals that vary among and within plant
species. Kevin Mitchell’s PhD research surveyed leaf
flavonoids of New Zealand’s largest plant genus, Hebe. He
used his comprehensive database of 700 plant samples and 115
flavonoids to address questions about species limits,
relationships, and classification. The data supported the
recognition of several new species, for instance the
newly-named Hebe cryptomorpha, and have been published in
nine scientific papers. Kevin’s research contributed to a
collaborative programme involving the Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa, Victoria University, and Industrial
Research Ltd, culminating in a recent book on Hebe published
by Te Papa Press.
Music and organisations
Ralph
Bathurst examined the relationship between the arts of
composing, performing and listening to music, with ways of
understanding how organisations function. Using the
language of music to analyse the Auckland Philharmonia
during a time of governance change, he explored the idea
that organisations themselves are works of art and can be
understood by applying the same processes used to listen to
music. This new way of examining organisations enables
researchers to listen to the many different themes that
comprise an organisation’s music.
Child’s
play
Carly Butler’s research involved recording
children’s interactions in the school classroom and
playground. Her thesis examined a game called ‘fairy
club’ that was played by a group of six- and
seven-year-olds during lunchtimes. The analysis is based on
detailed examination of the children’s talk, and considers
the resources and practices that were used to produce and
organise the club. Carly’s thesis offers a rare glimpse
into children’s everyday lives and the real-time
management of play and friendships. The study demonstrates
children’s competencies in producing their social worlds,
and in using language and interaction for organising social
activity. Contact Carly on carlywbutler@gmail.com
ENDS