Noragric student Brenda Awuor Jimris-Rekve won the prize for Best Master’s Thesis at NMBU in 2016 for her work on the impact of terrorism on the Kenyan media.
Outstanding study
This year, seven theses were nominated for the prize with the assessment committee concluding that Jimris-Rekve’s study was outstanding. Noragric Professor, Stig Jarle Hansen was her main supervisor.
This study presented many challenges, says Jimris-Rekve; much caution was required, for example, in her contact with respondants - both for her own and for others' safety. Hear Jimris-Rekve talk about her work in the video below.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLvi4QXrlmE width:560 height:315 autoplay:0]
The winning thesis: A clampdown on a public sphere : the impacts of Al-Shabaab terror attacks on the Kenyan media freedom
The Assessment Committee wrote:
“Brenda Awuor Jimris-Rekve has chosen a difficult and current issue from Kenya. The Kenyan government has adopted laws aimed at improving the country's security after several terrorist attacks, but these new laws have created debate about the media’s freedom of expression, due to the government's power through this legislation. With the press and the government now apposing each other, Jimris-Rekve reflects on the question of how far such a situation can go before the functions described in Habermas’s 'public sphere' collapse. Jimris-Rekve obtained her data under demanding conditions in Kenya. These data and the interviews that she conducted are unique, and the requirements of the challenging field situation demonstrate an independent student able to work under high pressure. The assignment stands out in terms of understanding, independence, reflection, maturity and analytical competence. The assignment is also written in such a way that the layman can also follow the problems and reflections in the thesis, and thus understand the analysis. The thesis meets all of the criteria in the prize for Best Master’s Thesis, presenting a deep understanding of the subject matter with a clear focus. Jimris-Rekve has triangulated her data with secondary literature and treated these data in a professional and source-critical manner. This master's thesis reveals a candidate who has shown a high degree of independence and maturity in her research. She has identified an important issue in her field of study and has made the study her own in a way that is very current in today’s political climate” (translated from Norwegian).
25 000 Norwegian crown prize
Brenda Awuor Jimris-Rekve was awarded 25 000 Norwegian crowns for her efforts. The purpose of the Best Master’s Thesis prize, awarded annually, is to appreciate and stimulate excellent student research at NMBU. Only Master’s theses are eligible for the prize, which is presented by the University Board at the annual matriculation ceremony. Nominated theses should demonstrate understanding, independence, maturity and analytical competence, and much emphasis is placed on specialization in the subject studied and the student's ability to identify problems within the field, and the competence to present them effectively.
The following theses were nominated for Best Master’s Thesis at NMBU in 2016:
| Student’s name | Department at NMBU | Thesis title | Study Points | Main Supervisor |
| Kine J. Aurland-Bredesen | Economics and Business | The Norwegian Electric Vehicle Policy and the Excess Burden of Taxation | 30 | Eirik Romstad |
| Lenora Louise Evens Ditzler | Plant Sciences | Managing Manure for Sustainable Organic Basmati Rice Production: Farm-level, trade-offs in Uttarakhand, India | 30 | Tor Arvid Breland |
| Maria Henden Kjetså | Animal and Aquacultural Sciences | Optimal Contribution Selection Applied to the Norwegian Cheviot Sheep Population | 30 | Theo Meuwissen |
| Tora Asledottir | Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science | Ex Vivo Digestion of Bovine Milk with Genetic Variants A1 and A2 of b-Casein and Identification of Bioactive peptides | 60 | Gerd Vegarud |
| Truls Olve Terjesønn Hansen | Environmental Science | Forsøk med ulike jordløsnings-metoder til korn på jord med dårlig plantevekst i Rakkestad og Nannestad – virkning på jordfysiske egenskaper, kornavling og trekkraftbehov | 60 | Trond Børresen |
| Kristian Olsen Årseth | Landscape Planning | Trikk i ring 2 – Muligheter og utformingsprinsipper | 30 | Ola Bettum and Truls Lange |
| Brenda Awuor Jimris-Rekve | Noragric | A clampdown on a public sphere: The impacts of Al-Shabaab terror attacks on the Kenyan media freedom | 30 | Stig Jarle Hansen |
The Assessment Committee for the prize:
Professor Inger Lise Andersen, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences
Master student Sunniva Brajkovic, Department of Landscape Architecture
Associate Professor Siw Fosstenløkken, School of Economics and Business
Associate Professor Lars-Gustav Snipen, Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science
Professor Knut Asbjørn Solhaug, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management