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Merryn Baker, a PhD student from UNSW, has bagged an award for her research based on the diagnosis of lung disease using analysis of the breath. As a part of their research presentation, there were provided with a 3-minute presentation as a part of UNSW annual thesis finals. A total of 18 candidates qualified for finals, where they had to give a PowerPoint-based presentation to showcase the significance of their research. The participants of this competition include researchers in a variety of fields ranging from health, education., law and justice. The panel of judges for this competition consist of scientist Dr Bhaskar, strategist Zina Kaye and Vice-chancellor Professor Brungs. Moreover, according to the judges, the task of selecting a winner was a difficult one.

However, Merryn Baker from the School of Chemistry eventually won the prize. According to her research, it was found that various diseases such as Cancer showed symptoms such as a change in chemicals and their concentration in the breath. However, the isolation of these chemicals is an arduous task. It is equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. Besides, through her research, she showcased some of the materials she is developing to capture the relevant molecules of these chemicals. Furthermore, these materials would pave the way for various diagnostic tools to detect the presence of these chemicals and their concentration. For her research, Ms Baker was awarded $3000, and now she will represent UNSW at the Asia Pacific 3MT tournament.