Undergraduates compete to showcase their research to policy-makers

Undergraduates from across UCL got the chance to showcase their research posters last Tuesday.

While they were judged by a UCL panel, the students spent time explaining their research to fellow students and academics at the Posters in Cloisters competition.

The panel comprised:

• Professor Sam Smidt, Academic Director of UCL Arena Centre Research-based Education
• Dr Ruth Siddal, UCL Student Mediator

Celebrating undergraduate research 

Two research posters were selected by the panel to represent UCL at Posters in Parliament, a national undergraduate research competition, in March. 

First place was awarded to Lou Herbert, Emma Dulac, Hana Mahmood, Salma Abdirizak, Yasmin Madani-Lavassani (pictured), third-year students studying a BSc Intercalated Degree. They presented their research on, 'Nurse migration: the Philippines’’ invisible wound? Analysing the macro to micro consequences of nurse exportation of the Philippines.' 

Second place was awarded to Jun Jie Ong, a third-year student, studying MPharm Pharmacy, who presented his research on '3d printing of opioid medicines with alcohol-resistant and abuse-deterrent properties.'  

Full list of shortlisted students

All students were highly commended for the presentation of their poster and the quality of their research. 

Faculty of Brain Sciences

•    Silvia Gini, MRes Developmental Neuroscience & Psychopathology
Poster title: The relationship between resting heart rate and psychopathic personality traits 

Faculty of the Built Environment 

•    Hong Bui, BSc Urban Planning and Real Estate
Poster title: Climate action plan: transforming Naples, Italy 

Faculty of Engineering Sciences 

•    Richard Capraru, MEng Engineering (Electronic and Electrical)
Poster title: DopNET: The first and largest radar micro-doppler database and data science challenge 

•    Zvezdin Besarabov, MEng Computer Science
Poster title: Distributed creation of machine learning agents for blockchain analysis 

Faculty of Life Sciences

•    Albert Marti i Sabari, MSci Biological Sciences
Poster title: Decoding the molecular mechanisms underlying sex-specific cell fate switches in C. Elegans 

•    Maria V. Carreira, Isadora C. Furigo, Lucas C Pantaleao, Juliana Faria, Laura Dearden, Susan E. Ozanne, BSc Biochemistry
Poster title: Investigating the role of hypothalamic miRNAs in the programming of obesity by maternal diet-induced obesity 

•    Corinna C.Y. Wong, MPharm Pharmacy
Poster title: Effects of BET inhibitor birabresib in advancd bladder cancer  

Faculty of Medical Sciences

•    Jessica Ying-Yi Xie, Shoba Poduval, Victoria Vickerstaff, Sophie Park, MB,BS Medicine
Poster title: Preferences and Expectations of UK Undergraduate Medical Students From a Culinary Medicine Course 

•    Jessica Ying-Yi Xie, Rachael Frost, Richard Meakin , MB,BS Medicine
Poster title: Not quite a doctor, but should I help? A qualitative exploration of medical students

•    Marcellus George Augustine, MB,BS Medicine
Poster title: Investigating the role of a specific protein in the innate immune response to Listeria monocytogenes infection

•    Aimi Pu, BSc Global Health
Poster title: Chinese red, British red: Agitating the struggle between land and sea 

Faculty of Population Health Sciences

•    Melissa Tan, Loes Wals, Lotto Tsao, Gabriel Gurmail-Kaufmann, BSc Population Health
Poster title: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Problems, Praise and Proposals  

Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences

•    Alysha Ravendran, Affiliate Anthropology
Poser title: Understanding educational institutions in Malaysia as sites of radical ontological processes 

•    Fengyu 'Isabella' Duan, BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Poster title: US State of exception: the cases of unlawful enemy combat  

Institutional priorities

Posters in Parliament is staged by the British Conference of Undergraduate Research and designed to show the growing emphasis on undergraduate research at UK universities. A key objective of our institutional strategy, UCL 2034, is to give all our students at every level the opportunity to carry out research.