A PROFESSOR from the University of the Philippines Visayas bagged the Best Speed Talk Award in the 2021 World Fisheries Congress held in Adelaide, Australia recently.

Asst. Prof. Mary Grace Sedanza, a faculty member of UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, bested seven other finalists to claim the title.

“Speed Talk was one of the student awards competitions to promote excellent science communication. Other competitions in the Student Awards were the Best Oral Presentation and video competition,” UPV said.

“Sedanza participated in the three events sponsored by Harry Butler Institute and the Australian Society for Fish Biology,” it added.

As member of ASFB, Sedanza was recognized for her entry titled ‘A family that sticks together, stays together: The Sticky Story of Oyster’.

The presentation was about her research on oysters, specifically on a glycoprotein and its sugar-recognizing receptor that can help unlock the mystery of how settlement works in oyster larvae.

The UPV professor hoped the findings of her study could help increase the production of oysters.

“Because more oysters mean more food for the people. More oysters can help us fight against pollution and climate change,” she said.

Sedanza is currently a third-year doctorate student at the Faculty of Fisheries Science-Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences in Nagasaki University, Japan.

WFC is one of the largest gatherings of researchers, industry leaders, and managers from around the world to discuss the most recent developments in fisheries.

With the theme ‘Sharing our oceans and rivers-a vision for the world’s fisheries’, the virtual event was participated by 1,200 participants from 61 countries.