KEY POINTS:
Auckland University honoured its best postgraduate researchers last night in a ceremony at its engineering school.
Titled Exposure, the exhibition drew more than 100 entries.
Students entered their research into two categories - oral and poster presentations. A single live dance performance was also included.
The top three students in each category received prizes of $2000, $1000 and $500.
Oral presentation winner Shirin Foroughian is from the department of epidermology and biostatistics and poster presentation winner Priyadarshini Pantham from the department of obstetrics and gynaecology.
ORAL PRESENTATION WINNER
Shirin Foroughian: Lifestyle and obesity in Asian adolescents.
This study investigated what influenced young New Zealand Asians' nutritional and exercise behaviour, and suggested ways to help them improve their health.
The research found Asian adolescents' nutritional behaviour and knowledge, coupled with exposure to New Zealand culture's fat-inducing environment, could lead to weight concerns and related health issues.
Improvements could come from monitoring the school canteen, offering enjoyable and interactive educational health and nutrition programmes and activities at schools.
POSTER PRESENTATION WINNER
Priyadarshini Pantham: Do necrotic trophoblasts induce changes in maternal blood pressure?
This study investigated whether dead placenta cells helped cause hypertension in pregnancy.
Cells, induced to quickly die, were dyed and then injected in increasing doses into non-pregnant white rabbits.
The rabbits did not show increased blood pressure, indicating the injected cells were tolerated by the rabbit's non-pregnant cardiovascular system. The research proved dead cells were not the cause of the hypertension.
