Prize Winners: Research Student Poster Conference 2012

The Research Student Poster Conference took place on 13-14 March 2012, successfully showcasing the best in postgraduate student research at Brunel University.

The Institute for the Environment, the School of Health Sciences and Social Care and the Wolfson Centre for Materials Processing were represented among the winning entries.

Congratulations to research students Natalie Crawley, Gemma Bourne, Jessica Pickles, Halime Derya Arican and Thian Hong Ng, winners of the Vice Chancellor’s Prizes of £500. Special congratulations also to Sue Wagland, winner of the Graduate School Award of £250 for the best entry by an early-stage researcher (0-12 months through their research, or the part-time equivalent). These students achieved the highest scores for their posters, judged on the first day, and for the oral defence of their posters, judged on day two.

Natalie Crawley, research student in the Institute for the Environment, won a Vice Chancellor’s Prize for her poster, Assessing the Effects of Chronic Thermal Stress on the Stickleback, Gasterosteus Aculeatus. Natalie reflects, “The conference was an invaluable experience in terms of gaining feedback on my research and practicing effective communication, particularly to those outside your specific field.”

The Graduate School was pleased to welcome a higher of number participants than ever before to this year’s conference, with registration up by nearly 30% on the previous year. The general viewing session also proved popular, with around 150 staff and students dropping in to view the poster exhibition and to talk to students about their research.

Photos from the conference can be viewed on the Graduate School Facebook page. You can also find out more about the entries by reading the abstract list, which can be accessed from the event webpage (Brunel login required).

The winning posters will be on display in the Graduate School (opposite the Lecture Centre) until 1 April, so please visit us to view them. Drop in on a Tuesday between 10:30 – 12:30 and you can also join us for Coffee Morning.

Summary of Prize Winners

Vice Chancellor’s Prize Winners

Natalie Crawley, Institute for the Environment

Poster title: Assessing the effects of chronic thermal stress on the stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus

Supervisors: Prof John Sumpter and Dr Andrew Johnson

Gemma Bourne, School of Health Sciences and Social Care

Poster title: A Novel Approach for the Identification of Genes Involved in Human Premature Ageing

Supervisors: Dr Ian Kill and Dr Joanna Bridger

Jessica Pickles, School of Health Sciences and Social Care

Supervisors: Prof Robert Newbold and Dr Amanda Harvey

Halime Derya Arican, School of Health Sciences and Social Care

Poster title: Parasitic Influences on the Host Genome Using the Molluscan Model Organism Biomphalaria Glabrata

Supervisors: Dr Joanna Bridger and Dr Anthony Tsolaki

Thian Hong Ng, Wolfson Centre for Materials Processing

Poster title: Anti-oxidant from wheat straw: A bio-refinery from waste product under bio-alcohol

Supervisors: Prof Jim Song and Dr Karnik Tarverdi

Graduate School Award

Awarded for the best poster presentation by an early-stage research student, 0-12 months through their research, or the part-time equivalent.

Sue Wagland, School of Health Sciences and Social Care

Poster title: Cytotoxic activity of Indian plants on breast cancer cells

Supervisors: Dr Mariann Rand-Weaver and Dr Gudrun Stenbeck