Ashwini Petchiappan wins the Alfred Russel Wallace Prize
MSc graduate Ashwini Petchiappan has won the Alfred Russel Wallace Prize for her dissertation research on The Impact of Climatic Oscillations on Bird Migrations.
The prize is awarded once per year by the Examinations Board for the MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, at the discretion of the Board members. It recognises a dissertation that not only attains one of the higher marks but also most clearly demonstrates ambition, independence and adventure in the location of field work and/or in the exploration of ideas, concepts or methods. Ms Petchiappan graduated with an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management in 2023.
The prize is named after Alfred Russel Wallace, a polymath who worked out the theory of evolution through natural selection independently of Charles Darwin. Asked what the prize means to her, Ms Petchiappan said: ‘The award is a wonderful recognition of my efforts towards designing innovative and accessible approaches for biodiversity monitoring and conservation. My dissertation provided a "bird's eye view", so to speak, of climate impacts. I had a grand time hunting for patterns in bird movements on the radar, and linking them to environmental factors. Remote sensing technology is bound to play a big role in future conservation planning and action. I hope to do my part in it.’
Congratulations, Ashwini!
