Thu Jul 14

Congratulations to the Pitch it Clever winners for 2022

Written by: Misha Ketchell, Editor, The Conversation

The Pitch it Clever awards ^[1] celebrate the work of researchers who have produced a one to two minute video explaining their work and its impact on the world.

Each year, hundreds of early-career researchers enter the awards, producing stunning short videos on everything from advances in bionic hearing devices to the next generation of batteries.

The awards are run by Universities Australia and The Conversation sponsors the Vice Chancellor’s award to help researchers develop the skills to share their work with the broader community.

Misha Ketchell, editor of The Conversation, accepts the Vice Chancellors’ award for Kasi Yasin from Education Minister Jason Clare (right) and Chair of Universities Australia John Dewar (left). Image: Universities Australia

The Vice Chancellors’ Award: Kazi Yasin Islam

Edith Cowan University researcher Kazi Yasin Islam won the Vice Chancellors’ Award for his idea to develop innovative wireless technology that can be used underwater.

“The realisation that a wide range of research fields can benefit from my own research… has inspired me to pursue research in energy-efficient underwater wireless communications,” he said.

Kazi will now complete an internship at The Conversation’s Melbourne headquarters to continue honing his story pitching and research communication skills, alongside winning $3,500 and a ticket to the 2022 Universities Australia conference.

The Universities Australia Award: Kristyn Sommer

Kristyn Sommer from Griffith University won the Universities Australia Award for her research on how robot design and programming impacts children’s learning.

“I am ecstatic to be awarded a Pitch it Clever prize for my research,” said Kristyn, who uses TikTok ^[2] and Instagram ^[3] to break down complex scientific problems for her more than 400,000 followers.

People’s Choice Award: Nirmal Madhavanpillai Sajeevkumar

Swinburne University of Technology researcher Nirmal Madhavanpillai Sajeevkumar’s won the People’s Choice Award for his research making steelmaking more sustainable, which attracted over 1300 votes from the community.

“Undertaking this PhD has been a truly life-changing experience for me,” Nirmal said. “The effect of global warming is hitting us and as a researcher, ways to decarburize the steel industry is the need of the hour.

"My research sought to understand the energy aspects of the oxygen steelmaking process which helped us to tackle most of the pressing problems that the industry faces at the moment.”