Northern Hemisphere Summer Research Projects @ LENScience

The Northern Hemisphere Summer Research scholarships are a great way to develop international research collaborations with leading researchers at the University of Auckland, gain valuable research experience, and experience living and studying in Auckland.

• Conduct a research project under supervision for eight weeks between June and August at New Zealand’s leading university.
• Receive a tax-free stipend of up to NZ$4,400 and NZ$2,000 towards your travel.
• Open to students from selected international universities.

Supervisors

Dr. Jacquie Bay, Liggins Instntite and Dr. Kath Woods-Townsend, University of Southampton

Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Collaboration partner: University of Southampton
Project code: MHS016

As part of an ongoing collaboration between the Liggins Institute and the University of Southampton we are working with data from school-based learning programmes developed and implemented by LENScience in New Zealand, Tonga and the Cook Islands, and by LifeLab Southampton in the United Kingdom. The programmes share a common goal of facilitating learning that enables adolescents to explore, develop an understanding of, and act on scientific evidence examining associations between early-life environmental exposures and later life health and disease. All programmes link to opportunities in national curricula in each country.

This studentship will involve a comparative analysis of the societal and educational contexts of New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and data exploring adolescent perceptions of the impact of environmental exposures in early life on later life health and well-being for the individual and their potential offspring. We have already compared evidence from New Zealand and the Cook Islands. The studentship will be using the methods established for this prior comparison. The purpose of the study is to inform the diversification of these health-promotion programmes into additional settings. The student should be undertaking study in either health sciences or science education and have an interest in engagement between science and society.

SKILLS:

• Case comparison methods
• Comparative analysis of aspects of two different socio-cultural contexts 
• Quantitative analysis (statistical training provided)
• Writing skills (including the potential to be an author on a published paper) 

Supervisors

Dr. Jacquie Bay, Liggins Instntite and Dr. Kath Woods-Townsend, University of Southampton 

Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Collaboration partner: University of Southampton
Project code: MHS017

The development of scientific and health literacies increases the potential for people to engage with and use scientific evidence in health-related decision making. The Liggins Institute and the University of Southampton have a long-standing collaboration associated with the design, implementation and evaluation of school-based programmes that promote health and scientific literacy development within adolescent populations. Through these programmes, we have established that access to opportunities to engage with scientists and explore the culture and nature of science is an important factor in enabling adolescents to explore and potentially act on scientific evidence. The studentship will involve an analysis of the impact of engaging with scientists on adolescents' perceptions of who scientists are, what they do, the culture of science, and the nature of scientific evidence. Data from teenagers in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Cook Islands will be used to analyse the impact of socio-ecological environment on responses of adolescents to engagement with science and scientists. Students interested in this opportunity should be undertaking study in either health sciences, health education or science education and have an interest in engagement between science and society. 

SKILLS:

• Case comparison methods
• Comparative analysis of socio-ecological contexts 
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis (training provided)
• Writing skills (including the potential to be an author on a published paper)