Trinity student wins at Undergraduate Awards

Lyndsay Walsh won in the Earth and Environmental Sciences category

Trinity student Lyndsay Walsh is the global winner of the Undergraduate Awards 2018 Earth and Environmental Sciences category.

Speaking to Trinity News, Walsh announced that she is “absolutely delighted” to have received the award. “I would definitely recommend it to anyone in 3rd or 4th year of their undergraduate degree,” Walsh said. “It’s a great opportunity to get your work internationally recognised and be in for a chance of winning a prize!”

Her submission, “Investigating how Habitat Influences Bird Abundance, Diversity and Feeding Guilds in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico”, examined tropical forests in the Mexican Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and the three hundred bird species which reside in the forest.

Walsh is to deliver her thesis at the Global Undergraduate Summit in November, a three-day event in which students share their work and engage in discussions and workshops. The summit is set to take place in Croke Park.

In 2017, the Undergraduate Awards gave Walsh an honourable commendation for her submission: “Can International Designation of Outstanding Natural Heritage Sites Be Relied On To Ensure Their Long-Term Conservation?”

Walsh received a first-class honour in Natural Sciences, specialising in Zoology, from Trinity. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Development Practice in Trinity.

Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) student Brian Heffernan won the Business category for his submission: “An Exploration into Online Impression Management and the Selective Self-Presentation Strategies of Generation Z on Instagram”.

In the remaining 23 categories, winners hail from higher education institutions in Lebanon, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and Canada. Undergraduate students in any higher education institution globally are eligible to submit to the awards.

The Undergraduate Awards is a non-profit organisation which recognises undergraduate work of a high standard. Since 2012, it has been under the patronage of President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, who stated that: “The Undergraduate Awards celebrate original and creative thinking among students, and the need for such critical thinking has never been greater.”

Lauren Boland

Lauren Boland was the Editor of the 67th volume of Trinity News. She is an English Literature and Sociology graduate and previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.