Botany student's hard work bags two awards

Winning ways: Simon Power's work has won him two awards in the recent botany conference.

A passion for his work and the ability to convey this to audiences has landed UCT student Simon Power two awards at one conference.

The master's student in botany won the Hannes van Staden Prize Best Oral Presentation by a Master's Student and came third in the Best Oral Paper by a Young Scientist at the recent conference of the South African Association of Botany in Stellenbosch.

The annual event gives scientists and students an opportunity to showcase their work.

Power presented a chapter; does phosphates acquisition constrain legume persistence in the Cape Floristic Region? The chapter was part of his thesis, Factors Constraining Legume Persistence.

Power said he was glad to win the awards, a tribute to hard work.

"This is important because as a student you often get recognition only when you graduate."