Dunedin School of Performing Arts lecturer Dr Stuart Young and University of Otago (Wellington) rheumatic fever and penicillin research programme leader Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu are among the seven selected for the scholarship, which will allow them to travel to the United States to pursue independent research and form international connections.
Both were delighted to receive the awards.
Dr Young said he would use the scholarship to research issues relating to verbatim performance — specifically approaches to acting — at the Verbatim Performance Lab at New York University.
‘‘Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre. It takes its cues from real people and their stories.’’
Dr Sika-Paotonu’s main research areas are in the fields of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, and in supporting the development of a potential blood test to identify circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) which could enable cancer to be detected at an earlier stage.
She plans to continue her research during visits to Harvard University and the University of Oklahoma.
