Students are the future of ecological research and management and we are always pleased to have a strong representation of students at our annual conferences. This year was no different, with students comprising a third of all conference attendees.

“The quality of student presentations this year was, once again, extremely high, making the role of judges a difficult one,” said ESA Vice President Next Generation Professor Andy Bennett.

“From the 76 student presentations and 25 student posters we are pleased to announce these prizes to students who are already making positive contributions to the Australian ecological sector.”

“Congratulations to all our students.”

The ESA all thanks all the judges who volunteered their time during the conference to assessing student presentations and posters.

Marilyn Fox Award for Best Inaugural Presentation

Katharina-Victoria Perez-Hammerle, University of Queensland – ‘Ecology via onto-epistemology’

ESA Student Prize for Outstanding Student Spoken Presentation 

1st – Benjamin Stepkovitch, UNSW – ‘From threatened to threatening: Impacts of a reintroduced predator on reintroduced prey’

2nd – Kimberley Michael, Flinders University – ‘Is there a lizard down that spider burrow? Microhabitat preferences of the endangered pygmy bluetongue (Tiliqua adelaidensis)’

3rd – Yasara de Mel, QUT – ‘Using molecular data to resolve species boundaries in lyrebirds’

ESA Student Prize for Outstanding Speed Talk Presentation 

1st – Madeleine Holmes, Macquarie University – ‘Avoidance of environmental chytrid by green and golden bell frogs’

2nd – Max Tibby, UNE – ‘The Importance of Thermal Refugia for ectotherms under a Changing Climate: Fire-induced Impacts on reptile microhabitats in arid Mallee woodland’

3rd – Olivia Dove, IMAS UTas – ‘Diving into new waters: quantifying the dive behaviour of short-tailed shearwaters (Ardennatenuirostris) foraging in southeast Tasmania’

ESA Student Prize for Outstanding Poster Presentation

1st – Shannon Coppersmith, University of Adelaide – ‘Individual movements and seascape connectivity of threatened sea snake populations’

2nd – Sarah McInnes, UNSW – ‘Cracking the code: ​​Seed chemistry in physically dormant seeds’

3rd – Rachel Mason, Deakin University – ‘Non-target impacts of lethal control of an invasive mesopredator in a semi-arid mallee environment’

ESA EMR Student Prize for Outstanding Spoken Presentation on Management or Restoration

Cameron Kirk, Local Land Services – ‘Fire severity affects mistletoe abundance in Warrumbungle National Park’

ESA EMR Student Prize for Outstanding Poster Presentation on Management or Restoration

Peter Contos, La Trobe University – ‘Using DNA metabarcoding to assess arthropod dispersal in a highly fragmented restoration setting’

AFF Student Prize for Outstanding Spoken Presentation on the Biology or Cultivation of an Australian Plant

Giancarlo Chiarenza, UNSW – ‘Large-scale patterns in Delayed Greening ’

AFF Student Prize for Outstanding Poster Presentation on the Biology or Cultivation of an Australian Plant

Claire Kenefick, University of Melbourne – ‘Closing the loop: Recycled mineral products as sustainable substrates for native Australian urban plantings’

 

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Open Awards:

The ESA also awards a number of non-student prizes each year at our conference. This year, these have been awarded to:

Bush Heritage Australia ‘Right Way Science’ Award

Dr Alana Brekelmans, Deakin University and the Tiwi Rangers – ‘ “Turtuni sits in Murrukupuni”: Using local governance stories to guide decision-making for Murrukupuni (Country).’

Bush Heritage Australia ‘Indigenous-led Science’ Award (Joint Winners)

La Shaya Body, Australian Tropical Herbarium – ‘A Deadly Solution: Towards an Indigenous-led bushfood industry.’

AND

 

ESA Members’ Service Prize

Dr Sam Lloyd, Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, Healthy Land and Water

The ‘Above and Beyond’ Commendation for an Unexpected Contribution to the Conference

Dr Maggie Watson, Charles Sturt University