Australian National University’s Welliton Menario Costa has won the 2024 Dance Your PhD competition with ‘Kangaroo Time’.
We have been following the annual Dance Your PhD competition for several years now, where researchers adapt their doctoral theses to movement on topics ranging from “nanosponge” materials and superconductivity to the physics of atmospheric molecular clusters. We are pleased with the many creative approaches we have devised. The science of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This year’s winner is Welliton Menario Costa from the Australian National University. his paper “Personality, Social Environment, and Maternal-Level Influences: Insights from Wild Kangaroo Populations” His video entry “Kangaroo Time” has had a bit of a viral moment, with a catchy beat and captivates viewers with their colorful and quirky combination of dance styles and personalities.
As previously reported, Dance your Ph.D. The competition was founded in 2008 by science journalist John Bohannon. Previously sponsored by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), it is now sponsored by Primer, an AI company where Bohannon is scientific director.Bohannon told Slate in 2011 He came up with this idea when he was thinking of a way to relieve stress among doctoral students during the defense of their dissertations. So he organized an Austrian dance party. Institute of Molecular Biotechnologywhich also includes a competition for candidates who can best illustrate their paper’s topic using interpretive dance.
The contest was so popular that Bohannon started receiving emails asking when the next one would be held, and Dance Your PhD has continued ever since. We are now in our 16th year. He has four broad categories: physics, chemistry, biology, and social sciences, and there is considerable openness to interpretation as to what topics fall into each category. Winners in all categories will receive $750, and overall winner Costa will receive an additional $2,000.
Mr Costa, from Brazil, completed his PhD in ecology from ANU in 2021 after spending several years using remote-controlled cars to uncover the unique personalities of giant kangaroos. For example, some people were bold enough to approach the car out of curiosity. Others were shy and avoided cars. Among his main findings: Kangaroos prefer to socialize in groups, but prefer smaller social circles. Kangaroo personalities emerge early, just like in humans, and mothers, children, and siblings often have similar personalities. However, their personalities are also somewhat flexible. Kangaroos adjust their behavior based on social cues from surrounding kangaroos.
When it came time to apply his research to movement, Costa sought to capture the rich behavioral diversity of kangaroos with an equally diverse collection of dancers and dance styles, including classical ballet, Brazilian funk, and urban style. I decided. Everyone was free to improvise, but the only instructions were to interact with others and slowly come together as a group. Costa also participated, generally adapting her style of dancing to suit the other dancers, imitating the way a kangaroo adapts its personality to fit into a group.There is also a behind-the-scenes video that you can watch here.
“There was a sense of surprise and delight,” says visual artist Alexa Mead, one of the content judges. told science As for why I chose Costa’s entry. “They had fun throughout the process and found it wasn’t such an arduous and stressful experience.”
Mr Costa is the first ANU researcher and fourth Australian to win the competition. “I think this not only shows the incredible power of the research that’s been done here in Australia, but it also shows how creative we are as a nation, even as scientists.” Costa said About his victory. “One of the main messages I wanted to convey through this work is that difference leads to diversity, and this is evident throughout the video. It’s obvious when you see it.” Costa pursues music as “Dr. WELI,” and “Kangaroo Time” is one of four songs featured on his debut EP. Academic Regards, Dr. Weli. However, he will work at ANU as a visiting researcher until early 2025.
check out Winner On the next page, we will discuss the Chemistry, Physics, and Biology categories.
