Over 50 undergraduates spent ten weeks working as paid interns with academic supervisors to produce postgraduate level research and their work was displayed at Preston Campus.
Microplastics, cybersecurity, machine learning algorithms, routine blood count, seashell-based permeably concrete and ethical practice with child participants were among the research topics covered.
The Undergraduate Research Internship Programme (UURIP) gives students a taste of life as a researcher. Working alongside academics, undergraduates take part in research projects with meaningful outcomes. The programme helps students build skills in data collection, analysis and interpretation. The student research interns gain hands-on experience, attend conferences and engage with the community.
The First Prize for Best Poster Presentation was awarded to Yik Nok Bryan Lee for his Institute for Behaviour, Sport and Rehabilitation research project titled ‘Beyond The Bust: A New Narrative For Better Inclusive Design.’ Bryan received a £200 Amazon voucher and will represent the University of Lancashire at both the Posters in Parliament event and the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR).
Second place was awarded to Sitara Lewis for her research titled ‘Statistics Phobia: Evaluating the Effectiveness of the MRes Biostatistics Assignment Amongst MRes.’ The project was part of the Institute for Relational Research (INTERRELATE) and Biomedical Evidence Synthesis and Translation (BEST). Sitara received a £150 Amazon voucher and will also represent the University at both the Posters in Parliament and BCUR events. When asked about her experience, Sitara commented: “I am truly grateful for this opportunity and was so impressed with how smoothly the programme ran. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many talented peers.”
Third place went to Kinza Ramzan for research titled ‘Reinventing Heat for a Sustainable Culinary Future.’ Kinza received a £100 Amazon voucher and will represent the University at BCUR with her Institute for Planetary Resilience and Community Transformation (PACT) research project.
Two students, Iain Harris and Hannah Baker, were also recognised as Highly Commended for their contributions to this year’s competition.
The Undergraduate Research Internship Programme continues to support University students. A student research intern summed it up: “Such a massive thank you for all your tireless hard work in making UURIP such a fab experience, it quite literally gets better year upon year, and I'm so grateful for the amazing time I've had. Wish I could do it again.”
