impact THE OFFICIAL ICUR NEWSLETTER ISSUE 04 | OCTOBER 2018
CONGRATULATIONS After 48 hours and an impressive 345 undergraduate presentations, ICUR 2018 is complete! On behalf of all ICUR teams around the world, we would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to all of our student presenters, staff and volunteers following the completion of this year's conference! As usual our staff behind the scenes worked exceptionally hard to set the conference off without a hitch, and so we would like to take this opportunity to thank them once again for their hard work!
Further in these pages, for those of you aspiring to continue presenting your research, these prize winners (voted in by yourselves) provide their best advice on how to communicate research engagingly. (Great advice which will be useful for ICUR19!)
Lastly, for those of you inspired by our guest speaker, Professor Stephen Caddick, and his As for our readers who have recently presented- engaging words on the research impact of an at ICUR, hopefully after an exhausting two days undergraduate, we include a detailed article on you have recovered, after taking full advantage the further opportunities available to you as of all the opportunities the event had to offer... undergraduates in the future. In this edition therefore, we include some So without further ado, we would like to present a highlights from the conference and announce any few highlights from the event- see if you can spot prize winners from the event. yourselves amongst the images...
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EXPERIENCE #ICUR18 "Adding to the body of knowledge is an important way researchers improve the world..."
"After attending ICUR, you realise how relevant disciplines are to each other, how people studying over in Japan in a completely different field can be working on the same research as you and you don't necessarily become involved with them unless you actually get out there and do something together. "
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#ICUR18 IN PICTURES "ICUR is a totally unique experience in that you are exposed to so many cultures under one roof."
"ICUR is the platform to bring everyone together.”
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PRIZE WINNERS
MONASH Audience members and presenters voted on their favourite spoken presentation and poster presentation, and we are happy to announce the shortlisted finalists. The spoken presentation finalists are:
1. Taha Mollah: Impact of a newly established young adult Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) clinic on clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction 2. Tessa Tribe: Breaking The Sex Pistols Barrier: Demystifying the Diversity of Holocaust Representations in British Punk Culture, 1975-1990. 3. Audrey Prasetya: Fifty+ Shades of Yellow and Red - diversity in bird colours 4. Madeline Gordon: Incorporating Conductivity into Photoreversible Self-Healing Polymers for the Development of Flexible Electronics 5. Joe Collings-Hall: Maintaining Masculinities: Unemployment, Gender and Young Islamic Men in Melbourne, Australia. Each finalist will present in front of a panel of academics for a chance to win return flights to Singapore! The shortlisted poster presentations are: 1. Scott Ho: Investigating the genetic basis of quorum sensing in Acinetobacter baumannii 2. Jessica Eastman: Improving the Image of Influencing Shortlisted poster presentations will also present to a panel in front of academics to win an Amazon echo! Students at Monash University Australia were avid users of this year’s designated #ICUR18 tag, and two particularly enthusiastic posters won $100 gift cards.
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PRIZE WINNERS
The winner of Monash’s most prolific social media poster was Stephanie Daborn (@stephdaborn). Steph’s social media contributions amounted up to double digits in likes and retweets and were consistent throughout the whole conference, start to finish. Stephanie also gave a spoken presentation at this year’s conference on the impact of consumer products on climate change. Monash also hosted a social media raffle, where anyone who took a photo in front of our freshly designed banners would enter the draw to win a gift card. This year’s randomly selected winner was Duong Ngoc Vu, who also presented a poster at the conference.
WARWICK Warwick door prize winners (who lasted the entire 24 hours – 12 hours a day): 1. Olurotimi Sanusi (poster presenter): What are the physiological roles of adiponectin receptors in the adrenal glands and their implications on obesity and diabetes mellitus type II? 2. Ellen May Humpreys (spoken presenter): The politics of technology: How can Blockchain revolutionise governance as we know it? ICUR 2018 Favourite Presentation 1. Lukasz Bartoszcze: Rational Exuberance: Is the cryptocurrency market a speculative bubble or a viable currency for the world? 2. Anoshamisa Gonye: Widening Participation in Higher Education through Undergraduate Research
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LEARN FROM AN ICUR PRIZE WINNER It is never easy to transition from simply memorising lecture notes to conducting independent research. Attending an undergraduate conference greatly helps this, as it allows you to connect with others in a similar position and discuss your work in a friendly environment. However, undergraduate students are sometimes wary of public presentations- here are some tips to help you prepare before your next big speech... Łukasz Bartoszcze: Spoken Prize Winner at the University of Warwick
1. Know your audience It is impossible to fit months of your detailed studies into a 15-minutes presentation. Sometimes, the attendees will have an entirely different background from the speaker. Depending on the situation, a presenter might decide to go for a detailed and accessible introduction to the field, quick skim of the main ideas included in the paper or opt for a detailed explanation of lengthy mathematical equations. No matter what your strategy is going to be, it is vital to think about how to make the audience interested in the subject, while not over simplifying.
2. Place your research in context New research should always add to the existing body of literature and an indication of the source of inspiration helps to highlight the foundation of your research. Think about your field and select key methods typically used. Be clear in defining key terms necessary to understand the links with already published papers and show, how your work adds to an existing debate. Moreover, try to imagine a real-life application of your conclusions- it will make the whole room listen attentively and present a tangible outcome from the work you’ve done.
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LEARN FROM AN ICUR PRIZE WINNER 3. Be clear and confident As your first step into the world of research, undergraduate conferences should be your practice ground- try to relax and enjoy the experience as well. If you are truly passionate about your topic, it will help you deepen your own knowledge about the field and enable you to share your expertise with dozens of research enthusiasts.
4. Actively look for resources around you Whether it is a tutor who could help you with your research, a colourful presentation template or an interesting article pointing your conclusions in a different direction, try to make your life easier by asking for help. Research is already something you might struggle with- applying an already created macro or a spell-checking software will allow you to focus on improving the essence of your work. In order to gain experience, try to assist senior figures at the university with their research- even if you don’t understand everything at first, it will give you a sense of good practices in the field. At the undergraduate level, speakers often expect to make a breakthrough by employing f research methods that are far too complicated. It is certainly appreciated if the presentation demonstrates the high aptitude of the researcher, but make sure you understand the techniques used in the paper. Be mindful of your methodology and be prepared to explain every sentence you put on your slides in detail. Moreover, do not overestimate the significance of your conclusions and always critically evaluate your key findings.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Anoshamisa Gonye from the University of Warwick presented work (co-written with Dan Nadasan) at ICUR this year by giving an award winning presentation entitled: Widening Participation in Higher Education through Undergraduate Research. After watching, and seeing its obvious connections to ICUR, we asked them to briefly share their findings in a brief article... Widening Participation (WP) and Undergraduate Research (UR) are two areas of increasing importance in the UK Higher Education (HE) landscape. UR, as an institutional movement, seeks to refashion the role of the student from a passive recipient to an active partner. This practice presents a unique opportunity for universities to better integrate students into communities of academic practice, by facilitating the development of a 'researcher' identity. By bridging this with WP-related themes of diversity and inclusion, research shows that UR can function as a tool for breaking barriers and creating opportunities for the academic engagement of underrepresented students. Through UR, underrepresented students have the chance to acquire the social and cultural capital that is needed for success within and beyond HE, with UR participation being correlated with higher retention rates, better academic performance and increased transition to graduate study. Due to this potential egalitarian impact of UR, the purpose of research in this area is to determine the methods of best practice upon which UR opportunities can be modelled to be more accessible and accommodating for underrepresented students. Our research aimed to investigate, and subsequently demonstrate, how undergraduate research can be utilised as an effective tool for
removing barriers and creating impactful opportunities for underrepresented students to engage in HE. We conducted a review of 42 UR schemes at US research institutions and we found that, when compared with our review of UR schemes at all UK HE institutions, there is a more prominent overlap of UR with WP initiatives in the US. Themes that arose from the literature and were embodied by successful schemes included students as partners, communities of practice and self-authorship. These themes were found to map with those that emerged from WP literature, of which the most salient recommendation was to implement initiatives that have a positive impact on the whole student lifecycle. Consequently, the conclusion we have formed is that UR is an effective institutional tool to be used throughout the student lifecycle for integrating underrepresented students into a community of practice within HE, enhancing their student experiences and improving their educational outcomes.
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ICUR 2018 PLANNING SYMPOSIUM With only a month until ICUR 2018, three Warwick Student Directors travelled to Melbourne, Australia. They were hosted by their Monash University counterparts for several days whilst they worked on developing the conference to be as best as it could be. Ben Hayday shares his thoughts on the experience and what was achieved.... For a few days in August, I balanced the slow creep of jetlag with an unrivalled opportunity to develop how we run ICUR and its complementary projects. It is the Monash Warwick Alliance – a unique global partnership between two leading universities – that keeps ICUR running. The fact there is a relationship between students at institutions on opposite sides of the world is remarkable, and ICUR further builds on this. As it is a student-led conference, the Student Directors play a big part in shaping its direction. We meet over video-conferencing every month, but there are just some things it is easier to understand with a visit! There are Student Directors at three universities: Monash (Australia), Warwick (UK) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Unfortunately, Raj and Shalini from NTU were unavailable, but it was great to meet Ruby and Peter in person.
Whilst the broad strokes are the same, it was interesting to see how the ICUR experience at Monash is different. We sat in on a great Compass programme session, led by Claire Brace. In her meeting were four undergraduates from different disciplinary backgrounds. It was brilliant to see how much progress they were making by bouncing ideas off one another. It’s much easier to know if an interdisciplinary audience can understand your technical terminology if you’ve already developed your presentation with one! There was a lot we would like to build into the Compass programme at Warwick. We spent some time participating in the session chair training. This was a great chance to meet many of the key students who helped to keep everything running smoothly during the conference itself. Many had participated in www.icurportal.com | 8
ICUR 2018 PLANNING SYMPOSIUM ICUR last year, so it was interesting to hear the challenges they had encountered as presenters or session chairs. Some challenges are inherent to the ICUR concept, technology crashes for example, but others were small and resolvable. I didn't quite realise the value of these informal conversations until we had finished our time at Monash and were at the conference itself! Our campus tour in particular showed off the facilities available to Monash studentsand it was a surreal experience entering conference rooms we had only previously seen through webcams! We achieved a lot during the short time we had in Melbourne. We recorded some ‘How to’ videos so we can share some top tips on social media throughout the year. We tested some new techniques to help people get the most out of their presentation. And I learnt something very significant… coffee at Monash is far better than at Warwick!
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BEYOND ICUR: TAKING YOUR RESEARCH FURTHER Following ICUR, I hope many of you were fulfilled with the amount of undergraduate research you learnt about. I also hope you’re satisfied with your own efforts of producing your own presentation and showing it to the world. But as quickly as ICUR approached, it has now left us for another year, leaving many of us still eager to get involved with undergraduate research. Thankfully, the opportunities for undergraduate research beyond ICUR are myriad for those looking to explore... For those based in the UK there is the British Conference for Undergraduate Research (BCUR). As with ICUR, BCUR welcomes the submission of research from undergraduates at all levels (so you should not feel discouraged if you are in your first year of university!). The research can be presented as a paper, poster, workshop or performance – the choice is yours. BCUR is hosted at a different university each year and, by contrast with ICUR, it gives you the opportunity to personally meet students from other universities who might have different specialisms, interests and knowledge. As well as being a conference, therefore, it is also a fantastic opportunity to network with other undergraduates from across the country. This year, BCUR will be held at the University of South Wales in Cardiff (UoSW), on the 15th and 16th April 2019 - All Warwick Undergraduate students are welcome to submit abstracts! The deadline for abstract submissions is Thursday 20th December 2018. Please visit the UoSW BCUR website to submit your 250 word abstract online (NOT the BCUR.org !!!). Any questions that you may have can be directed to BCUR@warwick.ac.uk.
Undergraduate Research Support Scheme (URSS) The University of Warwick offers its current undergraduates at their University funding to carry out an interdisciplinary summer research project during any year of their undergraduate degree. The scheme is open to any student at Warwick, and only requires them to find an academic supervisor relevant to their field of research, and a project that should last 6-10 weeks. Grants of up to £1000 for UK research and £1500 for research based overseas are on offer to help cover travel, accommodation and living costs. In 2019 four students will also be given the opportunity to undertake a project at Hong Kong University as part of the HKU/Warwick Undergraduate Research collaboration (email urss@warwick.ac.uk for more information on this particular opportunity.) The application process opens on the 12th November and will close on 1st February 2019. Students can apply through the URSS website: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/skills/urss/
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Reinvention is an undergraduate journal that solely publishes undergraduate research. There are countless journals with potential to publish with, but we at ICUR like to highlight Reinvention, a journal managed by student editorial teams based in Monash University, Australia and the University of Warwick. Reinvention is designed to solely highlight undergraduate research from any research discipline. Reinvention accepts submissions at any time on a rolling basis, and is published bi-annually in April and October (The new issue just published!). As with many other opportunities stated here, you’re most definitely welcome to ask members of the editorial board for advice. For more information, check out Reinvention’s website at https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/reinvention/ Overall, there are many ways to build on your efforts on ICUR, so be sure to see what suits your motives best! At Monash, there are plenty of ways to incorporate your research into your course. For example, the Global Leadership and Advanced Research Program (GLARP) gives undergraduate students the opportunity to get funding for their research. The GLARP runs over Monash Australia’s winter semester, so keep that in your diary. Monash’s Undergraduate research centre, CURIE, also hosts the Compass program, a peer mentoring group for anyone looking to work on a research project. As an ICUR presenter you might even have the experience to be a mentor yourself. Both the Compass program and the GLARP are international, with participants from Monash Malaysia, Warwick and Kyushu University. ICUR itself is made possible with the help of many volunteers who chair sessions, and support the little known aspects for the conference that keep it not only afloat but vibrant. Make sure to contact the organizers of ICUR at your institution to see what sort of opportunities are available. Students in Singapore at Nanyang Technological University are offered the opportunity annually to participate in URECA, an undergraduate research experience on campus. Every year the most academically bright and talented students at the university are offered the chance to pursue a module designed to give them the research experience required for a career in academia. This experience culminates in presenting their research at the annual NTU Poster Competition each year, followed by participation in ICUR. Those selected few then graduate with the coveted title of NTU President Research Scholar- a valuable addition to any student's CV! Students wishing to participate in this project are invited based on academic accomplishments- and should therefore aim to show interest early on.
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FINAL NOTE Looking back over the past year, from the various workshops hosted by the different research institutions, to the international trips that our Student Directors were privileged to enjoy, and of course, to ICUR18 itself, it has certainly been one full of adventures. But REMEMBER, it does not end here! For those excited to continue their research journey, there are many more opportunities to look out for. As they say, "It almost takes at least twenty years to become an overnight success". ICUR18 is only a starting point, but nevertheless a springboard, launching all of you onto your paths to success. With your enthusiasm, passion and dedication to continue striving to do what you love best, every step you take now, however small, can bring an impact to your lives. With that in mind brings a wrap to our final edition of IMPACT this year. We really hope that you have enjoyed your journey with us. Best of luck with whatever is ahead, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year at #ICUR19.
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impact ICUR Student Directors University of Warwick Adam Place Ben Hayday Eugenia Lau Imogen Fitt Monash University Peter Halat Ruby Ballantyne Nanyang Technological University Rajkumar Thiagaras Shalini Sivakrishnan Aik Seng
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