5th May 2016
The annual Research Showcase conference held at the University Centre, South Devon College has celebrated another successful year. A total of 43 final year students presented their research alongside industry experts to an audience of approximately 350 students throughout the week. Over 60 academic posters have been on display at various times.
The event provides an opportunity for final year degree students to share and exhibit their research using posters and presentations. A number of subject areas were represented including Sport, Creative Industries, Computing, Health, Business, Law, Science and Psychology. Kelsey Flynn is currently studying the Animal Science Foundation Degree and presented at the showcase she said, “The opportunity to present our study at the research showcase was an invaluable; it allowed me to develop my presentation skills, my ability to engage audiences and the way in which I present research and results. It’s a great way to get students engaging with other researchers or organisations within their field. It allowed for constructive criticisms, comments and questions from the audience that really enabled me to reflect on my research; both in areas of the study that were delivered or carried out well and areas that could be improved in future research. It’s the perfect way to show both the academic and public audience the exciting and diverse research projects that are happening here at South Devon College.”
Alongside the student presentations, there were talks and presentations from several external keynote speakers covering a range of topics including Sharon Berry OBE, CEO and founder of Storybook Dads, James Portus from Fishstock Brixham and Sarah Clark from IFCA to name a few. Throughout the week students were able to develop their knowledge on key topic areas, gain an insight into future research and explore new subject areas too. The Showcase also inspired those thinking of progressing to a university level of study and introduced others to the range of courses on offer.
It successfully brought together students, businesses and societies with similar academic interests. Feedback from the external keynote speakers has been very positive about the range and quality of the research being undertaken by the final year students. There have also been great comments about the showcase on social media.
