News

Impressive turnout as SLU’s soon-to-be-graduates are celebrated with a virtual Thesis Day

Published: 28 May 2020

27 May, the third Thesis Day took place at SLU, and this time it was a virtual event. Around 750 people saw the live-streamed ceremony, and the digital poster exhibition has already attracted several visitors.

All SLU students doing the degree projects this spring have had the opportunity to make a scientific poster and exhibit it digitally. The exhibition opened on Thesis Day, and the awards for best posters were announced during the ceremony.

The winners were Rebecca Johansson and Linn Torstensson, students on the Sustainable Food Systems Master’s programme, and their poster Old food habits die hard – combine old habits with new sustainable alternatives. In their degree project, they have found that our eating habits need to change to manage not only diseases related to lifestyle but also the climate changes we are facing.

Those who watched the ceremony could listen to presentations by alumni and students, as well as inspiring speeches by the SLU vice-chancellors. One of the students who gave an oral presentation of his project was Wael Alkusalbati, student on the Environmental Economics and Management Master’s programme.

Wael has investigated how the contingency theory can help humanitarian organisations reach their objectives efficiently when working under extreme and violent conditions, using the UNHCR in Syria as an example.

‘According to the contingency theory, organisations must adapt their strategy, structure and size to changes in their environment to maintain sufficient performance. My study shows that the UNHCR applies the principles of this theory and makes structural adaptions to handle the challenges they face in Syria’, explains Wael Alkusalbati.

The ceremony was live-streamed to students from the Campus Ultuna assembly hall, turned into a studio for this purpose. Thesis Day hosts were Tuva Wrenfelt and Thea Folke, chair and vice chair of the Joint Committee of Student Unions at SLU.

‘This virtual setup makes Thesis Day accessible for everyone, regardless of what campus they study at. This year in particular, given the situation we’re in, we felt that it was important to give our students a nice ceremony to celebrate the end of their studies’, says Charlotte Walhed, Thesis Day project manager.

Facts:

Thesis Day 2020

Winners

1st place

Rebecca Johansson & Linn Torstensson, Sustainable food systems programme. Poster: Old Food Habits die Hard – Combine old habits with new sustainable alternatives.

Motivation: A harmonic poster that uses the format and medium to share information in an project specific way. A title that gives associations and a sub title that explains. The choice of photos and the graphic together with the text enhances the message clearly.

Shared 2nd place

Emma Arvidsson, Landscape architect programme. Poster: Spare nature! How to handle the increasing amount of nature lovers.

Motivation: A short direct title with a sub title that very clearly explains the problem and the content of the project. Well chosen photos that's put us in the project landscape. A heading with the sky as a limit, a central photo that welcomes us into the national park and the project, and also describing the challenge.

Charlie Gong, Bachelor's programme in Biology. Poster: Coral reefs in the making – Exploring a sea of opportunities.

Motivation: Good use of the posters possibility in both pictures and colors. The layout takes consideration to the content and leads the eye though the story. A title, and a sub title, that attracts attention and creates curiosity. When you pass the poster you perceive the sense of the sea.

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