A Kerikeri woman is in the running for a $5000 grant to help her research into "toughening up" her generation - but first she has to woo the judges with a live theatre performance.
Sarah van Rooyen, 28, is one of 12 PhD students from around the country to reachthe finals of the AMP Ignite competition.
Contestants will have just 150 seconds - less than three minutes - to pitch innovative research projects as entertainingly as possible to a live audience. The show will take place at Auckland's Galatos Theatre on October 23.
Finalists are allowed to use storytelling, performance art, dance, comedy, music or even magic to get their ideas across.
Ms Van Rooyen, who is studying for a PhD in psychology through AUT University, aims to find ways of "toughening up" her generation and developing Mental Toughness (MT). Her research investigates MT in employees and how it relates to work performance and wellbeing.
She said mankind had missed out on incredible contributions because people did not have the MT to maintain control and composure under pressure. Her research aimed to identify effective interventions for MT so society could get the most out of people's abilities.
She could not reveal what she planned for the competition - that would remove the surprise factor - but it would involve testing the MT of a surprise guest.
The judges will award $5000 for the most captivating performance. The audience will decide the winner of the $1000 people's prize.
