Wednesday, 23 October 2024 11:55

Top student jets in to collect Massey's science award

Written by  Peter Burke
Massey University’s top student Yeun An. Massey University’s top student Yeun An.

She came all the way from a sheep station in Tasmania especially to be presented with the top prize in this year's Massey University agriculture, horticulture and environmental science award.

Yeun An won the prestigious William Gearish Memorial Award. It was presented to her by Professor Nicola Shadbolt at a gala dinner in Palmerston North attended by more than 200 Massey students, staff and primary industry leaders.

Auckland-born An was two years into a chemical engineering degree at Auckland University when she worked on a dairy farm during the summer break.

"I suddenly got hooked and realised that agriculture was from me, so changed my study path and came to Massey," she says.

Two years into her degree at Massey she got offered a role as a shepherd on a sheep station in Tasmania and completed her final degree year by distance. She's also worked on a cattle station and, after receiving her prize, is flying back to her job in Tasmania. Her parents were from Korea, but she was born in NZ. Long term she hopes to get a job in the trade policy area.

Another Aucklander, Katya de Silva, won the top prize for excellence in agriculture. She says although a city girl, she loves the outdoors and when at school she picked up on the fact that people had a poor understanding of the primary sector and what farmers do.

"People don't realise the challenges that farmers face navigating issues such as climate change and environment," she says.


 Read More


While doing her degree, de Silva has been able to get out on farms and meet people and says in the long term she'd like to work in the environment area to try and help farmers work through the many issues they face. However, in the coming year she'll be working for Te Tumu Paera, the Maori Trustee, as a whenua services co-ordinator.

Massey's top horticulture students Brooke Challis was another student who just fell in love with the primary sector. She was doing a zoology degree, but after working part time on an apple orchard in Hastings in 2021/22, decided to change and went on to do a degree in horticulture. Challis says while at secondary school at Taradale, little if any mention was made about the career opportunities in agriculture and especially horticulture.

"People don't see it as a viable career option and don't see the oppportunities that are there. You can do lots of things within the sector such as marketing, innovation, business and science," she says.

Challis says she plans to continue working in the orchard until next season's harvest and then may look for a research opportunity.

 

 

More like this

Massey courses meet industry needs

Massey University is regarded by many as New Zealand’s leading tertiary education and research institute for the country’s primary industries.

Featured

Farmers urged not to be complacent about TB

New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.

Editorial: Making wool great again

OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.

National

Machinery & Products

Farmer-led group buys Novag

While the name and technology remain unchanged and new machines will continue to carry the Novag name, all the assets,…

Buhler name to go

Shareholders at a special meeting have approved a proposed deal that will see Buhler Industries, the publicly traded Versatile and…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Make it 1000%!

OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…

Own goal

OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter