Triple joy on very busy day
AS drum major, Hamish Prince will wear his family tartan and lead the University of Otago graduation parade before graduating at the Dunedin Town Hall today.
‘‘It’s very exciting.
‘‘It’s going to be a very nice feeling to be able to lead the parade for my own graduation,’’ Mr Prince (24) said yesterday.
On a busy day, he will achieve a rare treble, combining several of his key interests.
After leading the 11.30am parade with fellow members of the City of Dunedin Pipe Band and wearing his Hamilton family tartan, he will graduate from Otago with a master of science degree in physical geography at the second of two Saturday graduation ceremonies, at 4pm.
He will then cross the Octagon to the Regent Theatre to play clarinet in the orchestra for an evening performance of musical Les Miserables.
He grew up in Dunedin, has played in many graduation parades with the pipe band, and has also played regularly in musicals and shows over the past seven years.
‘‘It is not often that these three very different facets of my life collide on a single day — my university studies,
Scottish heritage and musical performance — but combined, the day becomes much more meaningful, symbolising the ending of my time here at Otago,’’ he said.
‘‘I am grateful for the time I’ve had at Otago, especially the people I have met who have supported my passions.’’
Mr Prince is the first author of a scientific paper on ‘‘rivers’’ in New Zealand’s atmosphere, which was recently published in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Climate.
This research, based on his master’s work, aimed to improve knowledge and forecasting of the largest storms in the Southern Alps, including some that caused damaging floods on the West Coast.
In September, he will start work on a PhD in atmospheric and ocean sciences at the University of WisconsinMadison, in the United States, backed by a $NZ100,000 Fulbright Graduate Award.
His thesis supervisor, Associate Prof Nicolas Cullen, of the Otago School of Geography, said Mr Prince’s master’s thesis was an ‘‘extremely impressive contribution to geography in New Zealand, and will become a benchmark for future research in the climate sciences’’.