This year, Wageningen University will award prizes for four Master’s theses and one publication. On Monday 6 December the board of Wageningen University Fund will present the WUF-KLV thesis and publication prizes for 2010. Four students will receive a prize for an excellent Master’s thesis in the academic year 2009/2010. One student will receive a prize for a graduation publication in the same year.
The winners will receive €500, a replica of the Wageningen Tree and a certificate with a classification. The prizes are sponsored by the KLV alumni association.
Wageningen University Fund received a total of 24 nominations, 22 for the thesis prizes and two for the publication prize. The jury judged the theses and publications on the basis of scientific merit, written presentation, practical relevance and the quality of the academic research. The prize-winners in each discipline are:
Environmental Sciences
• Martine Burger, Environmental Sciences student (Forest and Nature Conservation) chair holder: Professor B.J.M. Arts. Thesis title: ‘Planning for Tomorrow, Today: how (Dutch) forest and nature management organizations cope with uncertainty’.
Social Sciences
• Ekaterina Grekova, Social Sciences student (Management, Economics and Consumer Studies), specialization: Management, chair holder: Professor S.W.F. Omta. Thesis title: ‘The Relationship between Environmental and Financial Performance Taking into Account Strategy and Innovation’.
Life Sciences
• Maartje Bakker, Biology student (Radboud University, thesis written at WUR), chair holder: Professor F.J.J.M. Bongers. Thesis title: ‘Connecting the Lifecycle’s Loose Ends: direct and indirect effects of land use on decomposition – can green leaf traits and functional composition predict decomposition in lowland Bolivian land use types?’.
Nutrition and Technology
• Wouter Bac, Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering student, chair holder: Professor G. van Straten. Thesis title: ‘Oxygen Competition and Ion Resistance Influence Current Density Profiles in a Porous Anode (Modelling and Experimenting with the Porous Anode Compartment of a Microbial Fuel Cell)’.
The publication prize will be awarded to:
Environmental Sciences
• Lucas Nebert, Soil Science student, chair holder: Professor L. Brussaard. Thesis title: ‘Earthworm – Denitrifier Interactions Determine Increased Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Soil Mesocosms Amended with Crop Residue’.