Winners of the VLIZ Awards 2017 announced
Every year the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) honors the work of meritorious marine researchers. In this way we aim to encourage them to continue to provide high-quality scientific contributions in the future and to promote marine scientific research in Flanders and the North Sea.The winners of the North Sea Award and the Thesis Awards edition 2017 have just been announced. They will receive their prize at the VLIZ Marine Science Day on 21 March 2018.
The VLIZ Awards wants to give excellent young marine scientists a boost. Here the winners of the VLIZ MSc Awards edition 2016: Niels van Putte and Kathleen Wils. Photo: VLIZ (Reynaert)
North Sea Award 2017
The North Sea Award is awarded annually to a post-graduate or post-doctoral researcher active in a country bordering the North Sea. The prize of EUR 1 000 crowns a recent and original scientific work that contributes to innovative fundamental and applied research improving the knowledge and management of the North Sea.
The North Sea Award 2017 goes to the Dutch researcher Maria Anouk Goedknegt for her thesis "Pacific oysters and parasites: Species invasions and their impact in parasite-host interactions".
Anouck Goedknegt obtained her PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam in November 2017, but she carried out her research at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). In the award-winning thesis she describes the effects the invasion of the Japanese oyster in the Wadden Sea has had on the parasite-host ratios in the local shell community.
MSc Thesis Awards
Every year VLIZ awards two prizes to reward two MSc theses on marine or coastal related subjects, obtained at a university or college (master's degree). Both fundamental and applied research topics in all branches of the marine sciences are eligible. The prices - one for the best in biological sciences and one in non-biological sciences - are each 500 EUR.
The MSc Thesis Award 2017 in biological sciences goes to Emily Lodewijks' thesis entitled: "Potential Human Health Effects of Phycotoxins in Marine Bioaerosols". She carried out her work at the Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology (GhEnToxLab) at Ghent University.
Emily Lodewijks investigated the extent to which low doses of algal toxins, which enter the air along with tiny seawater droplets (aerosols) and are inhaled by humans, can have a positive effect on our health.
The MSc Thesis Award 2017 in non-biological sciences goes to Michiel Dekoninck for the thesis "Roman salt production in the civitas Menapiorum: A study of the technological processes on the salt production sites on the basis of the briquetage pottery from the Zeebrugge-Dudzele region". The work was supervised by Prof. Wim De Clercq of the Department of Archeology at Ghent University.
A study of literature and pottery artefacts excavated in the Zeebrugge-Dudzele region provided Michiel Dekoninck insight into the ingenious technology used by the Romans to produce salt along the coasts of northern France, Belgium and the southern Netherlands.
BSC thesis awards
In 2017 VLIZ launched for the first time a prize of 500 EUR for an excellent bachelor's thesis on a marine or coastal subject, that was conducted at a Flemish university or college (bachelor's degree). Both fundamental and applied research topics in all branches of the marine sciences were eligible.
Unfortunately, VLIZ did not receive any candidates on the call. We would like to appeal to thesis supervisors of bachelor's programs to keep an eye on the announcement of this award next autumn. You can find more information about the regulations and the file to be submitted on the VLIZ website.
Presentation of the Awards
All winners may present their winning work to the audience at the VLIZ Marine Science Day and receive their prize.
The presentation of the awards and the award ceremony will take place on Wednesday 21 March 2018 at Staf Versluys Centrum in Bredene.