Graduand’s PhD thesis worth its salt
NAN Xin Wang’s research is not to be taken with a pinch of salt. It has earned the 32yearold Singaporean a PhD from the University of Otago and her thesis will be formally recognised by the university’s Division of Sciences as being of exceptional quality when she graduates today.
Her research was on the sodium and iodine content of New Zealand table salt, and how it could be altered to create a more healthy balance.
She said high dietary sodium intake was associated with elevated blood pressure, making it a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
The average sodium intake in New Zealand adults exceeds the recommended 2000mg/day and sodium reduction strategies were needed to counter this.
However, iodine intake in New Zealand has traditionally been low and the use of iodised salt in cooking, at the table or added to bread, improves the population’s iodine intake.
She said there were concerns that sodium reduction strategies could adversely impact on iodine intake.
Her research provided evidence that sodium reduction strategies would not interfere with efforts to ensure adequate iodine intake, if appropriate adjustments of the iodine content were made to iodised salt.
Miss Wang laughed as she looked back on her past three years studying for her PhD.
‘‘I thought I was busy then. ‘‘I’m more busy now than I was when I was doing my PhD because I’m working three jobs at the moment and I’m writing papers that have come out of my PhD.’’
She said she was doing laboratory demonstrations for human nutrition students at the university, working with the department of medicine on a healthy heart study and conducting research on food wastage in New Zealand, all while writing five papers on iodised salt.
Miss Wang said she had treated her PhD as a ‘‘life goal’’, and now that she had achieved it, she was a little lost about where her future lay.
‘‘Right now, I don’t really know where to go next. I have to think about new goals now.
‘‘It’s a huge milestone, but I still want to stay in academia.’’
She is now applying for lecturing and research jobs — particularly in cardiovascular diseases and public health nutrition.
Miss Wang is one of more than 600 students who will graduate in two ceremonies at the Dunedin Town Hall today.
At 1pm, 332 people will graduate in person and 62 will graduate in absentia, including with degrees in commerce, teaching, finance, arts, health sciences and surveying.
At 4pm, 291 people will graduate in person and 137 in absentia, with degrees in arts, education, music, teaching, theology and the bachelor of arts and science.