Presenting Research at the Undergraduate Research Conference at Lancaster University
By Lyea Rivers, July 2024.
Overview of Project Leader Role:
I applied for the role of Project Leader as part of the Young Professionals Global Pathway Project at Lancaster University. The role involved working with other students in the Lancaster UK, Ghana and China campuses who were also recruited as Project Leaders. Together we researched sustainability topics including clean water for health, food wastage, support for disabled students, sustainability on campus, etc. We presented our research in the Undergraduate Research Conference. In this blog I will share how we worked together on the research project, what the Undergraduate Conference is, the research we presented in the Undergraduate Research Conference, and the experience of presenting our research.
How I got the job:
I applied for the job through the university's Employment and Recruitment Service. This website has many student job opportunities. Before applying for the role, I met with my success coach on the Lancaster Success program. Through this program and my coach, I have been able to receive coaching and work towards developing the skills, experience, etc that I want for my future career. I also met with the Grow Your Future team and the Career Services team who helped with career advice, application advice, etc. that was also beneficial to me getting the role.
How to Build Skills at Lancaster University to Apply for Jobs:
Lancaster University has many opportunities to develop employability skills through students’ access to:
- LinkedIn Learning, for courses on project management, technology, SEO, etc.
- The Learning & Development team for support with maths, writing, etc.
- The Careers Portal for courses on business, finance, change management, health and safety, customer service, data protection, etc.
- Career workshops
And so many other learning and development opportunities!
What is the Undergraduate Research Conference?
Lancaster University and its partners come together each year during March to host an online conference for undergraduate students from across the partnership and from any discipline to present their research to an international audience.
Find out more information on deadlines, applying, etc.
Working Together on the Research Project:
Our professors in the project provided us with invaluable mentorship as they volunteered their time to support us. We networked in the first online meeting with our professors and colleagues in different campuses, cultures & fields. We learned recent technology platforms including Teams, WeChat, etc. By learning recent technology platforms, we became more open-minded on the different communication platforms in different countries and different communication styles. As we recruited volunteers for the project, we learned how to market the projects to others and how to improve our communication skills as we approached people in the future for data collection.
We brainstormed our project’s focus areas and reviewed literature. We learned about the sustainable development goals. We followed a project plan, and after deciding on our focus area and reviewing literature, we conducted field research and analysed the data. After the data analysis was completed, we created a poster of our research to present in the Undergraduate Research Conference.
View the final research posters on the Undergraduate Research Conference’s website.
Experience of attending the Undergraduate Research Conference:
Having our research published on the Undergraduate Research Conference’s website was absolutely amazing and one of my proudest moments this year! While my team member presented our work, I enjoyed attending online and recognising a few of my peers presenting their research in addition to listening to new peers and learning about their research. It provided a platform to meet other students from different campuses and learn about research in different disciplines.
Support from the Undergraduate Research Conference:
The Undergraduate Research Conference at Lancaster University offers support and resources to presenters including:
- Presentation skills
- Research ethics
- Research and employability skills
- Research and cross-cultural competencies
The support was really appreciated, and more information can be found on their website.
Benefits of attending the Undergraduate Research Conference:
There are many benefits of attending an undergraduate research conference:
- Networking with other researchers and students and other university staff is one of the top benefits of attending a conference whether you are presenting your research or watching the research presentations.
- Presenting your research builds your public speaking skills and presentation skills.
- Watching the research presentations builds your knowledge in your field and in other fields. It allows you to build systems thinking and bigger picture thinking skills as you learn about new fields and their research. The research presentations can also give insights into future career opportunities.
- By watching the research presentations, you can learn how to improve on your own skills including presentation, public speaking, research methods, etc.
Benefits of Completing Undergraduate Research:
In addition to the benefits of attending an undergraduate research conference, there are many benefits of completing undergraduate research! Researching a subject or problem builds research skills that employers and graduate schools are looking for. Research also builds employability skills including creativity, problem solving, innovation, critical thinking, etc. These skills are also valuable for graduate schools. Conducting research also provides an opportunity to gain exposure to career fields. There is also opportunity for mentoring relationships and networking with professionals in the career field. If you work within a research team, you can build on your teamwork and communication skills. Research design and methodology knowledge and skills are also gained from the research.
Conclusion:
To conclude, there are many benefits to completing undergraduate research, and to attending the Undergraduate Research Conference including building employability skills, increasing knowledge, networking, and gaining exposure to career fields. I personally enjoyed my research experience and attending the Undergraduate Research Conference and would recommend undergraduate students to attend as a presenter or to learn from the audience about the research being presented.