On Friday 18 August 2017 a group of second year Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology students presented the findings of a ground breaking study on ecological memory of drought stress at The University of Adelaide’s third annual Beacon Conference of Undergraduate Research (BeaCUR).
The research was undertaken as part of their course work in Foundations in Plant Science and investigated the little-understood concept of “ecological memory”, a theory that a plant’s experience of stress at one point in its life cycle may influence its response to a similar stress later in the life cycle.
The group were investigating ecological memory of grapevine with regard to drought stress, a problem that is likely to become more common and widespread in our changing climate. The group were mentored over the 10 week project by Dr Vinay Pagay, Lecturer in the School of Agriculture Food and Wine.
Over the course of the conference, 26 seminars spanning all Faculties and many Schools across the University were presented. Due to the high quality of their presentation, the Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology students were selected by a panel of judges to represent the University in the Faculty of Science at the Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Education 2017 (ACUR) to be held on September 27-28th 2017.
BeaCUR and ACER both provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to present their work in a professional environement.
“BeaCUR was such a valuable experience. It gave us an opportunity to showcase our research coursework and to also see how other undergraduates across other fields are approaching research problems.” said Imogen.
Matt also commented that: “Being able to present our research at BeaCUR was a great experience, showing us that the tasks we undergo in our studies can have bearing and credibility in Adelaide University science community.”
We wish the team luck at the ACUR event!
For more information about BeaCUR and ACUR visit:
Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology students presenting at BeaCUR (from L-R): Michelle Huckel, Matthew Howard, Imogen McNamara and Grace Jiranek (group members Gavin Mills and Declan Howkins absent)
