Groundbreaking doctorates at AUT graduation

Media release
Thursday, October 13, 2005

Groundbreaking doctorates at AUT graduation

AUT University holds its Spring Graduation this Friday, 14 October at the Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna. There are approximately 1400 graduates, including four doctorate recipients who have completed significant studies.

Waitakere-based Welby Ings, Associate Professor at AUT University’s School of Art and Design, will receive a PhD for his research into narrative structures and storytelling in music video and television commercials.

Out of this thesis came Boy, a short film which won the John O'Shea Best New Zealand Film Award, Best Art Direction and Best Director (Welby Ings) and Best Editing at the recent Drifting Clouds Film Festival in Wellington. Boy has also been short-listed for next year’s Academy Awards.

Another doctorate recipient is North Shore resident Ian Renshaw from AUT University’s division of sport and recreation. He worked with three international sport scientists on his doctorate thesis, Constraints on Interceptive Actions in Cricket.

“We discovered that while cricket legend Sir Donald Bradman had poor eyesight and reaction times, plus an unorthodox batting grip, he developed a perfect rotary technique during countless hours of backyard practice,” he says.

His study found in cricket coaching, practice and hard work propelled players towards perfection and athletes had to be treated as individuals.

Hinematau Naomi McNeill will be the first Maori to receive a doctorate from AUT University. Her doctorate study, titled Te Hau Ora o Nga Kaumatua o Tuhoe - A Study of Tuhoe Kaumatua Mental Wellness, found this group has no incidence of clinically-diagnosed mental illness and the Tuhoe language and culture were key factors.

And Carl Paton, based in the Waikato, examined the Monitoring and Enhancing the Performance of Competitive Cyclists.

The graduation procession starts at 9:30am from outside the North Shore City Council building (1 The Strand, Takapuna) and travels down The Strand, Hurstmere Rd and The Promenade to the Bruce Mason Centre.

The ceremonies are as follows:
10.30am Health and Environmental Science faculty
1.30pm Design and Creative Technology, School of Hospitality and Tourism faculties
4pm Business degree graduates
6.30pm Te Ara Poutama, Applied Humanities faculty and business diploma and certificate graduates.

For more information on Spring Graduation, including ceremony details and procession cancellation procedures, visit www.aut.ac.nz/student_services/graduation or call (09) 921 9779

ENDS

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