University of Chester student awarded national accolade for animal research

A University of Chester student has earned a national award recognising her outstanding research on dolphins.

Lauren Kent-Walton has won the esteemed Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) Undergraduate Recognition Award for her dissertation on dolphin behaviour.

Lauren, a Psychology with Animal Behaviour student, observed captive bottlenose dolphins for 30 hours through online webcams, examining behaviours demonstrated in differently designed enclosures.

The 20-year-old, who is soon to graduate with a first-class degree, has received a year’s free membership of ASAB, and will be featured on the ASAB Education web pages.

Lauren said: “I am very happy to be in receipt of the Undergraduate Recognition Award of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. I have thoroughly enjoyed working on my dissertation, and I am grateful for the teaching I have received over the course of my time at university which has equipped me with the knowledge and skills to complete this work.

“I am especially thankful for the expert guidance from my supervisor, Dr Lindsay Murray, whose mentorship has been instrumental throughout completing my dissertation.”

Dr Lindsay Murray, Associate Professor of Animal Psychology at the University of Chester added: “Congratulations to Lauren who is a very deserving recipient of this Award – she has spent long and unsociable hours dedicated to close observation of these magnificent marine mammals across the world.”

The ASAB was founded in 1936 to promote the study of animal behaviour.