Old meets new at doctoral celebration

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Old meets new at doctoral celebration

One of Massey’s first doctoral graduates met with the latest candidate today as the University celebrated having 1000 doctoral students concurrently enrolled.

Dr Marcus Ulyatt was the ninth PhD graduate from Massey in 1964. His thesis was entitled Studies on the digestion of ryegrass species and the regulation of food intake in sheep.

Dr Ulyatt was a senior scientist at the AgResearch Grasslands Centre in Palmerston North before retiring in 2001.

Today he cut a celebratory cake with Dagmar Knoflach, the 1000th PhD candidate currently enrolled at the University.

Ms Knoflach is researching the reproductive development of nematode parasitic worms in sheep at the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical sciences. She will be based at the Manawatu campus for three years.

Coincidentally, her research is being co-supervised by Professor Heather Simpson, the second woman to be awarded a PhD at Massey.

Dr Ulyatt said he had intended to do his PhD overseas, as was normal at the time, but decided to stay at Massey.

“I think that era in the late ‘60s was the start of New Zealand universities, including Massey, becoming a real option for doctoral study.”

Dean of Graduate Research Professor Margaret Tennant paid tribute to the staff at the Graduate Research School, who had to deal with increasing numbers of post graduate students.

ENDS

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