Not one but two University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) graduates have won prestigious national prizes.
UHI is celebrating double success after Stephanie McKenna and Jeniffer Simpson won separate awards for their academic papers.
Stephanie’s final-year dissertation on the psychological impact of wild swimming won the Jonathan Sime Award from the University of Surrey. The annual prize is for the best UK undergraduate dissertation in people-environment studies.
The 22-year-old, a BSc (Hons) Psychology graduate, is the first winner from a Scottish university.
Told at school she ‘wasn’t academic enough’
And Jeniffer’s literature review on the dental benefits of drinking green tea won the New Communicator Award for undergraduates from the British Dental Industry Association/British Dental Editors and Writers Forum.
Jeniffer’s success comes after she was told at school that she wasn’t academic enough to go to university.
UHI principal Professor Chris O’Neil congratulated the pair.
He said: “We are so proud that the papers they wrote as UHI students have been judged by prestigious British institutions as being the best.
“Their awards say a great deal about the exceptional academic abilities of our students and the high quality of the teaching at UHI Inverness.”
Stephanie’s dissertation, entitled ‘An Interpretation of Wild Swimming in the Scottish Highlands: the Relationship Between Flow, the Therapeutic Landscape and Wellbeing’, explored the potential of wild swimming to benefit wellbeing. She interviewed seven wild swimmers in Lochaber aged between 24 and 56, and analysed the data.
‘Invigorated my passion for the outdoors’
The Fort William native said: “I’m incredibly delighted to be the 2022 recipient of the Jonathan Sime Award, and the first from a Scottish university.
“I’m excited to share my research with a wider audience, conveying the importance of active engagement in nature to improve our health and the health of the places we call home.”
The award includes a cash prize, publication in the International Association of People-Environment Studies (IAPS) Bulletin, and a presentation at the IAPS Conference.
Since graduating, Stephanie has been working for The John Muir Trust as a Ben Nevis ranger.
“The job has invigorated my passion for the outdoors and inspired me for the future,” she said.
‘Extremely flattered and privileged’
Meanwhile Jeniffer, 42, from Alness, studied BSc Oral Health Science at the UHI’s Centre for Health Science.
Her literature review was published in June this year in BDJ Team, a British Dental Association journal.
She had no idea she had been nominated for the award by editor Kate Quinlan until she was told she had won.
“I was completely shocked at having won the award considering I didn’t even know I had been nominated,” said Jeniffer.
“I didn’t even know there was this type of award out there. Now I’ve had time for it to sink in, I’m extremely flattered and privileged to receive it.
“Especially as the members of the BDIA/BDEWF are some of the most influential and revered names in dentistry.
“It has given me a huge confidence boost and a new sense of pride in my research and writing abilities.”
Combined studies with bringing up twins
Now a fully-qualified dental therapist, Jeniffer researched and wrote the article ‘Does the adjunctive use of green tea improve periodontal indices in patients undergoing non-surgical periodontal treatment?’ as part of her third-year studies.
She decided to focus on the effects of green tea after meeting a patient who had spoken about its benefits.
Jeniffer, who won a prize cheque and certificate, was told by careers advisors at school that she was not academic enough to go onto university.
After years in office roles following her HND studies, she completed a trainee dental nurse programme. This led to her running her own oral health clinics in Orkney.
She later studied Higher human biology at UHI Inverness and was accepted onto the degree course in 2019. She successfully juggled studying with being a mother to young twins during the pandemic.
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