Opportunity of a lifetime for London Met students

International research exchanges await London Met Undergraduate students thanks to new initiative.

Date: 8 January 2015

Students at London Met have the chance to win research funding, take part in international research exchanges, and secure summer internships thanks to a new initiative.

The University has launched the Promoting and Disseminating Undergraduate student Research project (PADUR).

PADUR is a University-wide initiative with participants from every Faculty, led by Undergraduate research project module leaders, and has received strong support.

Student representative in Parliament

The initiative involves participating in external UG research events, the main one being Posters in Parliament, an open event bringing together undergraduates from selected universities across the UK to present their original research. Posters in Parliament offers a great opportunity for undergraduates to share research and ideas with students from other universities.

The event is organised by the British Conference for Undergraduate Research (BACUR) and sees students submit abstracts to be approved by the PADUR committee (consisting of UG module leaders and CELT representatives), and two students will be able to present their research in a poster format and ultimately represent the University in Parliament.

Posters in Parliament will take place at the House of Commons, 10 February 2015.

There will also be a BCUR conference at the University of Winchester on 21 April, where students will be able to present their UG research in three different formats: poster, talk or workshop.

With representatives from both the UK and international universities attending, the conference will give students an unprecedented opportunity to present their dissertations and projects. Students will have the opportunity to gain valuable research experience that can set them up for postgraduate study, and many go on to publish their work.

A focus on employability

Sundus Tewfik, from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing, said: "The PADUR initiative involves working on a project that promotes and enhances transferrable skills, and develops empowered and self-directed students.

Enhancing awareness of the students’ own learning will go a long way in assisting them in their Personal Development Planning, and thus preparing them for their undergraduate studies.

At London Met, we understand the importance of employability, and work to provide the best student experience possible for our students."

A University wide initiative

Projects for the event have been submitted by The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH), The London Guildhall Faculty of Business and Law (Guildhall) and The Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing (FLSC).

The four projects (students and supervisors) with the potential to represent London Met in Posters in Parliament are:

The effects of barefoot versus shod running on sub-talar eversion following a four-week habituation period: Victoria Houchin BSc Sports Therapy (Kevin Champbell - FLSC)

Blended Inorganic/Organic Nanofibres as Potential Ammonia Sensors: Youssef Itani, BSC Chemistry (Dr Nick Chatterton - FLSC)

Pay-day-loan industry: Hurum Hussain BSc Economics (Dr Silvia Dal Blanco - Guildhall)

The human cost of increasing drug resistance: Penelope Castillo-Morrey BA Journalism (Associate Professor Victoria Neumark Jones - FSSH)

People looking at posters at the Graduate Research Conference