Auckland student Briony Bennett has been awarded the 2013 Excellence Scholarship by the New Zealand France Friendship Fund.
Each year, the Fund awards an Excellence Scholarship to one New Zealand and one French student for postgraduate studies in the other country at master’s or doctoral level.
Briony has a BA/BSc in Mathematics, Physics and Politics in 2012 from the University of Auckland and is currently taking a Masters in International Energy at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po.
She has a particular interest in social justice aspects of climate change, as she believes that climate change disproportionately affects third world nations. Motivated by a desire to make a positive contribution to improving energy policy and decision-making worldwide, Briony chose the Paris School of International Affairs at which to complete her Masters.
During the first year of her studies, Briony has been President of the Sciences Po Energy Association (SPEA). The SPEA plays an important role in building and improving the Master’s programme and fostering relationships between students, professors and the professional world. Briony’s work as President has included planning roundtables with industry professionals.
She has been actively involved in debating, organising the Transatlantic Debating Championship, a prestigious debating tournament held at Sciences Po in April. She also participated in the French Debating Association’s annual tournament of Grandes Ecoles, the annual British Parliamentary tournament at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and the annual BP debating tournaments in Paris and Berlin.
It is compulsory that PSIA students complete an internship during their Master’s programme. In May, Briony was accepted by the Gas, Coal and Power Division of the IEA to work on an energy model that probes how the increased share of variable renewable energies (solar and wind power) in a country’s electricity mix negatively affects the economics of thermal power generators.
Each year, the Fund awards an Excellence Scholarship to one New Zealand and one French student for postgraduate studies in the other country at master’s or doctoral level.
Briony has a BA/BSc in Mathematics, Physics and Politics in 2012 from the University of Auckland and is currently taking a Masters in International Energy at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po.
She has a particular interest in social justice aspects of climate change, as she believes that climate change disproportionately affects third world nations. Motivated by a desire to make a positive contribution to improving energy policy and decision-making worldwide, Briony chose the Paris School of International Affairs at which to complete her Masters.
During the first year of her studies, Briony has been President of the Sciences Po Energy Association (SPEA). The SPEA plays an important role in building and improving the Master’s programme and fostering relationships between students, professors and the professional world. Briony’s work as President has included planning roundtables with industry professionals.
She has been actively involved in debating, organising the Transatlantic Debating Championship, a prestigious debating tournament held at Sciences Po in April. She also participated in the French Debating Association’s annual tournament of Grandes Ecoles, the annual British Parliamentary tournament at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and the annual BP debating tournaments in Paris and Berlin.
It is compulsory that PSIA students complete an internship during their Master’s programme. In May, Briony was accepted by the Gas, Coal and Power Division of the IEA to work on an energy model that probes how the increased share of variable renewable energies (solar and wind power) in a country’s electricity mix negatively affects the economics of thermal power generators.