EIT research director Jonathan Sibley announced that research at the institute is more active than ever.
EIT’s Research and Innovation Centre is delighted to announce that 15 research projects will receive an EIT research grant in 2020. A record number of 39 projects were submitted, demonstrating research at EIT is more active than ever.
“We are really pleased to see such a broad range of research happening across the institute. EIT’s research capability and activity has grown substantially over the last years,” says EIT research director Jonathan Sibley.
The projects come from seven schools and cover topics from Māori visual arts, to local business attitudes and social sciences bearing significant relevance to the wider community and economy.
Pii-Tuulia Nikula (School of Business) for instance, tackles a global challenge by exploring the environmental and social sustainability of organisations. Pii-Tuulia will look at the barriers and what enables taking climate action, with the ultimate goal of helping organisations reduce their carbon emissions.
Anita Jagroop Dearing (School of Health and Sports Science) is working with the HBDHB investigating the effectiveness of a “Green Prescription” exercise programme using heart rate monitors on patients with peripheral vascular disease (a blood circulation disorder in which narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs).
Victor Ye (School of Viticulture and Wine Science) is delving into a new method for sensory analysis using “Napping” (French for “tableclothing”). People place the samples of wine on a “nappe/tablecloth” in such a way that they can quantify the sensory differences between them. This is the first time this technique will be applied to Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay wines.
With four projects being funded in her school, Gwenda Kevern, Head of School of Education and Social Sciences, states there is a growing interest in research. “We are excited at the possibilities offered by the EIT research grants to further contribute research that will make a difference to our teaching and our communities.”
Lecturers on the Bachelor of Social Work Charlotte Chisnall and Sue Hanna will lead projects to better understand the situation of young adult carers who are enrolled as students at EIT.
Karlin Austin and Mandy Pentecost will review how social work students on fieldwork placement at the Hawke’s Bay DHB experience the positioning of social work within an interdisciplinary team.
Lynn Davies, a lecturer on the Bachelor of Primary Education in Tairāwhiti will lead a project looking at the organisation of mathematics learning in innovative learning environments.
The EIT Research Grants are funded by the Performance Based Research Funding provided through the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). The purpose of the fund is to ensure that outstanding research in the tertiary education sector is stimulated and financed. In 2018 EIT’s researchers received a very positive evaluation in TEC’s nationwide research review. 39 EIT researchers were awarded a national ranking for their research excellence. This was an increase of 22 percent compared to the last evaluation in 2012.