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UCL Student wins Posters in Parliament national competition

19 March 2019

UCL students from two departments were among 65 students presenting their original undergraduate research to MPs and policy makers at Westminster

Posters in Parliament

A UCL undergraduate has won first prize for presenting her research at a national exhibition in the UK Houses of Parliament.

Natural Sciences student Alice Pistono presented on her dissertation research, which investigated how changing temperatures affect the degradation of DNA. 

Her research supervisor, Georgina Meakin, joined her at Westminster.

Also presenting their research were second year Biochemical Engineering students, Ana Maria Ionescu, Delphine Tavernier, Roumyana Kotopanova, Maxim Sverjinski, Gonzalo Valdes Davila and Samuel Shannon, whose research into producing bioethanol from longline seaweed was supervised by Dr Brenda Parker.

Students present research to policy makers and MPs

The UCL students were among 65 students presenting their original research to MPs, on 7 March, in a national exhibition, Posters in Parliament, showcasing the best of undergraduate research from 31 UK universities.

They had been selected to represent UCL at the event after entering their research posters to our annual Posters in Cloisters exhibition. Find out what happened at the day-long exhibition at UCL.

The seventh annual Posters in Parliament competition, organised this year by University of Sussex, took place on Thursday 07 March.

It provides an opportunity for students to present their work, at the Houses of Parliament, to legislators and policy makers and to demonstrate they are part of a new generation of emerging researchers able to meet global challenges.

Creating connections with MPs

Presenting students from UCL discussed their research with Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, MP for Slough and UCL alumnus.

““As a proud alumnus of UCL, it is truly wonderful to see a team engaged in innovative research, which can truly transform our society. So many of us are truly concerned about sustainability and our environment. It is great to see such innovative research.” Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, MP for Slough and UCL alumnus

Other members of Parliament in attendance included:

  • Gillian Keegan, MP Chichester
  • Stephen Loyd, MP Eastbourne
  • Ben Bradshaw, MP Exeter
  • Hilary Benn, MP Leeds Central
  • Paul Blomfield, MP Sheffield Central
  • Rachel Maskell, MP York
““Today students have had the opportunity to speak to the most important people in the country. Whether those in the room decide to become a researcher or take their skills to the workplace - this event and skills learnt here will serve them well.” Vice-Chancellor and President of University of Sussex, Adam Tickell
““When we think about research and researchers; we think about Postdoctoral and PhD students. But actually, research starts from the very first day of undergraduate studies. What we are seeing today is so impactful.” Professor Stephen Hall, co-chair of the British Conference of Undergraduate Research

Further opportunities for you

There are lots of other ways to enhance your experience and support you to make a difference to education at UCL.

Find out more about the opportunities in the UCL Student Opportunities Booklet.