RSS Quiz
We will be hosting a welcome event and ‘pub’ quiz for newly enrolled research students on Friday the 1st October at 17:30 in the RSS Common Room (and the Cafe outside there). IRO have kindly agreed to supply us with a glass of wine or two each, as well as juice for all you non-drinkers out there. You are also invited to bring you own drinks if more than a couple of glasses of wine is what you require on a Friday afternoon! If you wish to attend, please email Charlie.fielding@uws.ac.uk by this Friday the 24th September, if you haven’t already, to help us arrange the quiz teams and drinks.
Welcome Event
There will be a second welcome party event, held in the Union on the 8th October, to which you are all invited to mingle with new students, staff and IRO alike. Again, please email Charlie if you intend to attend.
Election
The election will begin by email a week today and be open for one week – keep your eye out for next week’s newsletter as it will contain a link to the webpage where you can vote. There will be only one vote allocated for each email address on the mailing list so without that email you won’t be able to vote!
Mailing List
If anyone knows of any research student who is not on this mailing list, please let me know. If that research student would like to exercise their vote next week but not be a permanent member of the mailing list, this can be arranged – please let me know.
New Student Guide
Hard copies of the new student guide are in the RSS Common Room for anyone who wants one.
Faculty Representatives
Could those students who have been nominated/elected as student Faculty representatives please email me to let me know who you are.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
RSS Weekly Digest
RSS Common Room
We are still looking for a new volunteer to wash the tea towels from the common room on a regular basis - please email myself or Martin Smith.
Faculty Representatives
Could those students who have been nominated/elected as student Faculty representatives please email me to let me know who you are.
Election
In conjunction with last year's president, Peter Bloomfield, I have drawn up an outline of the roles of both the President and Secretary of the RSS. Please email me if you wish to be nominated for the Presidency, having reviewed this information.
The election will be conducted by email and votes will be counted using the web-based tool, Survey Monkey. If you have any issues with this, please let me know as soon as possible. I intend to open the voting on Monday 27th September and close at midnight on Tuesday the 5th October.
Induction for New Students
The induction for new students is being held on the 1st October. We will be hosting a 'pub' quiz in the Union in the afternoon and early evening, in order to get new students talking to one another. We hope that a number of you will be able to attend so that new students also get a chance to meet existing students - please email Charlie Fielding if you can attend.
Lockers
There are still a large number of lockers available in the RSS Common room for anyone who needs one. Please contact me for keys.
We are still looking for a new volunteer to wash the tea towels from the common room on a regular basis - please email myself or Martin Smith.
Faculty Representatives
Could those students who have been nominated/elected as student Faculty representatives please email me to let me know who you are.
Election
In conjunction with last year's president, Peter Bloomfield, I have drawn up an outline of the roles of both the President and Secretary of the RSS. Please email me if you wish to be nominated for the Presidency, having reviewed this information.
The election will be conducted by email and votes will be counted using the web-based tool, Survey Monkey. If you have any issues with this, please let me know as soon as possible. I intend to open the voting on Monday 27th September and close at midnight on Tuesday the 5th October.
Induction for New Students
The induction for new students is being held on the 1st October. We will be hosting a 'pub' quiz in the Union in the afternoon and early evening, in order to get new students talking to one another. We hope that a number of you will be able to attend so that new students also get a chance to meet existing students - please email Charlie Fielding if you can attend.
Lockers
There are still a large number of lockers available in the RSS Common room for anyone who needs one. Please contact me for keys.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
URKTB Meeting 22-09-2010, proposed agenda
1.Stipend
Some students still feel the stipend is too low and would like the University to reconsider its commitment to the 3 year, £6000 pa stipend for the following reasons:
Students are very unlikely to complete their PhD on a 3 year £6000 stipend. This is both because they must work whilst studying in order to fund their living costs and they have no opportunity to save any money to cover their living costs for the average 6 - 12 months it takes to complete a PhD after funding ceases.
Research students in the School of Computing and the School of Business (Marketing Division) have been told that there is no money whatsoever available to them for the foreseeable future, including in the form of teaching pay. That is, research students in the School of Computing have been categorically told that they will not be able to get paid teaching work or any funding from the School for research at all, under any circumstances. Many are worried that this will affect their ability to carry out their studies as they cannot afford to fund their living expenses or any research related expenses from their stipend alone.
The level of the stipend does not permit international ‘mobility’ to allow effective study between universities in different countries – those who are studying across borders cannot afford to live in the UK and/or away from family on the 6k stipend.
The types of students that the stipend appeals to is very narrow as those with families to support are not able to live on this figure.
More students being recruited to the University will mean that the meagre teaching that is already available will be greatly reduced even further.
A number of students would like the IRO to confirm the specific reason(s) why the stipend was reduced to 6k. There appears to be some discrepancy between those reason(s) previously given and the reason given on the IRO response to the survey results.
2.Email
The University’s IT policy seems to stipulate that email/Exchange accounts be revoked when a student finishes their PhD. This is an issue because:
- They may not actually be ‘finished’ and still be in the writing up stage
- Any person who wishes to contact them, e.g. on the back of an earlier publication, cannot do so and is not given a forwarding address
We need to review this policy so that students are not losing access to their contacts in the latter stages of their PhD and, it has been suggested, set up a means of forwarding mail after the account has been closed down once the PhD is actually awarded, or set up a forwarding message on revoked accounts. It would also be helpful to set up a forwarding mechanism on existing accounts, for those students who often work from home or prefer to use other email accounts/managers. There are also issues with some distance and part-time students who are not ‘eligible’ for university email accounts. This must be addressed.
3.Survey
We need a repeat of the survey from 2009, as soon as possible, in order to assess whether the experiences of research students are changing or stable, especially for new students from the Oct 2010 intake.
4.Assessment
Research students need to be provided with some detailed guidance on the new 12 month interview assessment – specifically, an outline of what we will be asked at the interview.
5.Library
There is concern that the library has now withdrawn the capability to order items from ILL online and that it is planning to implement a maximum number of ILL items per head per year. Some PhDs are very literature heavy and the current library facilities are not adequate without substantial ILL access.
6.Research Funding
The 2009 survey conducted by the IRO into the financial situation of UWS research students articulates a number of issues. Of particular relevance, one third of students reported having to subsidise study-related expenses, while another third reported that they had been unable to undertake essential study-related activities due to funding issues. We do not consider this to be acceptable. Therefore, we aim, in conjunction with the IRO and individual Schools, to confirm/ negotiate:
(i) Which level of administration (Supervisor, School, Faculty, IRO, University) is responsible for providing funding for each specific activity (e.g. conferences, research expenses etc.).
There have also been significant issues for some students, especially in the science faculty, with regards to inappropriate, poor quality or unusable equipment. We feel a level of responsibility should fall on the University to provide funding for the completion on a PhD requiring this equipment if departments/schools are not able to afford this.
(ii) The appropriate contact details for information and application of funding for each of these administrative levels and activities.
(iii) Appropriate sums of money designated by each School to fund the number of students it recruits. We are aware that there is a lack of clarity for some students, some supervisors and some schools concerning the responsibility for research costs and what constitutes adequate funding. We strongly believe that none of these costs should fall upon students. We aim to work towards providing clarity, parity and guidance for all concerned. We feel the cost of a minimum standard of one conference per research student per year should be anticipated by each School, to a minimum agreed value.
(iv) Better information should be given to supervisors and prospective supervisors about sources of external funding for research and for research students. We need to confirm what information is given at present and work to improve that given.
7.Working Conditions
The survey also reveals a lack of clear information regarding the amount of time which should be dedicated to research versus the quantity of time ‘allowed’ for external work. Recent investigations have also uncovered dissatisfaction with the inflexibility of working hours for some students. Therefore, we will work to confirm:
(i) The exact nature of the research student’s commitment to the University, including the negotiation, if applicable, of flexible working arrangements.
(ii) The exact nature of the University’s commitment to the research student in the provision of a suitable working space/desk, computer, email address and internet access. This discussion will include how part time and distance-learning students could be best supported and we will lobby for greater parity between different Schools and modes of study. This is increasingly important considering the number of new research students recruited and we feel a universal hot-desking system is unacceptable and inappropriate for most research students.
It is also essential that research students, going forwards, be given at least 2 months notice of changes to their working conditions, for example, the institution of hot-desking arrangements at their workstation or a change of office.
8. Employment Opportunities
Finally, the survey uncovers a tendency for students to work outside the University. In doing so, they take on more hours than is ideal, at relatively low rates of pay, often with no added value to professional development. We feel that the University and individual Schools should be doing everything they can to provide jobs internally to research students.
We aim, therefore, to work in conjunction with Schools and the IRO, to develop an improved system for the advertisement of internal employment among research students, in order to provide sufficient additional income and more relevant experience. This could, perhaps, take the form of a dedicated website for the advertisement of jobs suitable for research students, with standardised forms and procedures (and not be required to reapply annually for ongoing positions). We not consider the current methods, especially of teaching opportunities by word-of-mouth, to be acceptable in promoting fairness amongst students.
Some students still feel the stipend is too low and would like the University to reconsider its commitment to the 3 year, £6000 pa stipend for the following reasons:
Students are very unlikely to complete their PhD on a 3 year £6000 stipend. This is both because they must work whilst studying in order to fund their living costs and they have no opportunity to save any money to cover their living costs for the average 6 - 12 months it takes to complete a PhD after funding ceases.
Research students in the School of Computing and the School of Business (Marketing Division) have been told that there is no money whatsoever available to them for the foreseeable future, including in the form of teaching pay. That is, research students in the School of Computing have been categorically told that they will not be able to get paid teaching work or any funding from the School for research at all, under any circumstances. Many are worried that this will affect their ability to carry out their studies as they cannot afford to fund their living expenses or any research related expenses from their stipend alone.
The level of the stipend does not permit international ‘mobility’ to allow effective study between universities in different countries – those who are studying across borders cannot afford to live in the UK and/or away from family on the 6k stipend.
The types of students that the stipend appeals to is very narrow as those with families to support are not able to live on this figure.
More students being recruited to the University will mean that the meagre teaching that is already available will be greatly reduced even further.
A number of students would like the IRO to confirm the specific reason(s) why the stipend was reduced to 6k. There appears to be some discrepancy between those reason(s) previously given and the reason given on the IRO response to the survey results.
2.Email
The University’s IT policy seems to stipulate that email/Exchange accounts be revoked when a student finishes their PhD. This is an issue because:
- They may not actually be ‘finished’ and still be in the writing up stage
- Any person who wishes to contact them, e.g. on the back of an earlier publication, cannot do so and is not given a forwarding address
We need to review this policy so that students are not losing access to their contacts in the latter stages of their PhD and, it has been suggested, set up a means of forwarding mail after the account has been closed down once the PhD is actually awarded, or set up a forwarding message on revoked accounts. It would also be helpful to set up a forwarding mechanism on existing accounts, for those students who often work from home or prefer to use other email accounts/managers. There are also issues with some distance and part-time students who are not ‘eligible’ for university email accounts. This must be addressed.
3.Survey
We need a repeat of the survey from 2009, as soon as possible, in order to assess whether the experiences of research students are changing or stable, especially for new students from the Oct 2010 intake.
4.Assessment
Research students need to be provided with some detailed guidance on the new 12 month interview assessment – specifically, an outline of what we will be asked at the interview.
5.Library
There is concern that the library has now withdrawn the capability to order items from ILL online and that it is planning to implement a maximum number of ILL items per head per year. Some PhDs are very literature heavy and the current library facilities are not adequate without substantial ILL access.
6.Research Funding
The 2009 survey conducted by the IRO into the financial situation of UWS research students articulates a number of issues. Of particular relevance, one third of students reported having to subsidise study-related expenses, while another third reported that they had been unable to undertake essential study-related activities due to funding issues. We do not consider this to be acceptable. Therefore, we aim, in conjunction with the IRO and individual Schools, to confirm/ negotiate:
(i) Which level of administration (Supervisor, School, Faculty, IRO, University) is responsible for providing funding for each specific activity (e.g. conferences, research expenses etc.).
There have also been significant issues for some students, especially in the science faculty, with regards to inappropriate, poor quality or unusable equipment. We feel a level of responsibility should fall on the University to provide funding for the completion on a PhD requiring this equipment if departments/schools are not able to afford this.
(ii) The appropriate contact details for information and application of funding for each of these administrative levels and activities.
(iii) Appropriate sums of money designated by each School to fund the number of students it recruits. We are aware that there is a lack of clarity for some students, some supervisors and some schools concerning the responsibility for research costs and what constitutes adequate funding. We strongly believe that none of these costs should fall upon students. We aim to work towards providing clarity, parity and guidance for all concerned. We feel the cost of a minimum standard of one conference per research student per year should be anticipated by each School, to a minimum agreed value.
(iv) Better information should be given to supervisors and prospective supervisors about sources of external funding for research and for research students. We need to confirm what information is given at present and work to improve that given.
7.Working Conditions
The survey also reveals a lack of clear information regarding the amount of time which should be dedicated to research versus the quantity of time ‘allowed’ for external work. Recent investigations have also uncovered dissatisfaction with the inflexibility of working hours for some students. Therefore, we will work to confirm:
(i) The exact nature of the research student’s commitment to the University, including the negotiation, if applicable, of flexible working arrangements.
(ii) The exact nature of the University’s commitment to the research student in the provision of a suitable working space/desk, computer, email address and internet access. This discussion will include how part time and distance-learning students could be best supported and we will lobby for greater parity between different Schools and modes of study. This is increasingly important considering the number of new research students recruited and we feel a universal hot-desking system is unacceptable and inappropriate for most research students.
It is also essential that research students, going forwards, be given at least 2 months notice of changes to their working conditions, for example, the institution of hot-desking arrangements at their workstation or a change of office.
8. Employment Opportunities
Finally, the survey uncovers a tendency for students to work outside the University. In doing so, they take on more hours than is ideal, at relatively low rates of pay, often with no added value to professional development. We feel that the University and individual Schools should be doing everything they can to provide jobs internally to research students.
We aim, therefore, to work in conjunction with Schools and the IRO, to develop an improved system for the advertisement of internal employment among research students, in order to provide sufficient additional income and more relevant experience. This could, perhaps, take the form of a dedicated website for the advertisement of jobs suitable for research students, with standardised forms and procedures (and not be required to reapply annually for ongoing positions). We not consider the current methods, especially of teaching opportunities by word-of-mouth, to be acceptable in promoting fairness amongst students.
RSS Weekly Digest
Upcoming URKTB Meeting
Please find attached the items for the agenda we will be putting forward for the upcoming URKTB meeting on the 22nd September. This has also been posted on the RSS blog, the address for which will now be permanently located at the bottom of this weekly newsletter. Please email me with any additions you wish to make or post these on the blog by Monday the 13th September.
Minutes of the last URKTB
The minutes from the last URKTB meeting in April this year have still not been approved by the board. They are therefore still in draft form and cannot be distributed outside members of the board until they are approved at the upcoming meeting on 22-09-2010. The last approved set of minutes from the meeting in February this year are attached.
Inter-Library Loan
The library has recently removed the facility to apply for Inter-Library Loan items online through SFX. If this is a facility you regularly use, we recommend that you contact the library to express an interest in having this facility reinstated.
RSS Meetings
It has been decided that the RSS should hold a regular meeting every 2 months, regardless of the absence/presence of items for an agenda. The next will be held in the first week of November and the date will be notified shortly. Heather Lambie from IRO will be joining us at this meeting, as it was felt by some members at the last RSS Meeting that the role of IRO should be clarified. Heather will, therefore, be present to discuss the exact remit of IRO and answer any questions you may have on the subject.
RSS Common Room
A number of issues were raised at the last RSS meeting regarding the common room. Firstly, could nay students who have borrowed cutlery or crockery from the common room please return it as soon as possible as we are running very low. Secondly, could you please ensure that you do not leave unwashed items in the sink and that you clean up after yourself, particularly in the case of the microwave. Finally, could we please have a new volunteer to wash the tea towels from the common room on a regular basis - please email myself or Martin Smith.
Faculty Representatives
Could those students who have been nominated/elected as student Faculty representatives please email me to let me know who you are.
IRO Funding Initiatives
I'm sure you don't need reminding, but in case you missed the email, IRO have now opened up both the 'hardship' fund and the conference/training fund for this year. For details on how to apply please see IRO. IRO have also released a document providing advice on how to apply for third sector funding for your research.
Election
The election for the position of RSS President will be held on Tuesday the 5th October. We are hoping to run this as a web-based election this year, so that those who cannot be present and those who wish to vote anonymously can do so. Could anyone who either has any issues with this format or anyone who could provide me with any assistance/expertise in organising this please email me as soon as possible. Finally, we have only had ONE nomination for candidacy for this election, so could anyone who wishes to be nominated please let myself or Barry know as soon as possible.
Induction for New Students
The induction for new students is being held on the 1st October. We will be hosting a 'pub' quiz in the Union in the afternoon and early evening, in order to get new students talking to one another. We hope that a number of you will be able to attend so that new students also get a chance to meet existing students - please email Charlie Fielding if you can attend. It is worth noting that we were unable to host this event in the canteen space outside the RSS common room, as was discussed at the RSS meeting, due to the expense of providing alcoholic drinks through catering services instead of the Union bar.
Lockers
There are still a large number of lockers available in the RSS Common room for anyone who needs one. Please contact me for keys.
Please find attached the items for the agenda we will be putting forward for the upcoming URKTB meeting on the 22nd September. This has also been posted on the RSS blog, the address for which will now be permanently located at the bottom of this weekly newsletter. Please email me with any additions you wish to make or post these on the blog by Monday the 13th September.
Minutes of the last URKTB
The minutes from the last URKTB meeting in April this year have still not been approved by the board. They are therefore still in draft form and cannot be distributed outside members of the board until they are approved at the upcoming meeting on 22-09-2010. The last approved set of minutes from the meeting in February this year are attached.
Inter-Library Loan
The library has recently removed the facility to apply for Inter-Library Loan items online through SFX. If this is a facility you regularly use, we recommend that you contact the library to express an interest in having this facility reinstated.
RSS Meetings
It has been decided that the RSS should hold a regular meeting every 2 months, regardless of the absence/presence of items for an agenda. The next will be held in the first week of November and the date will be notified shortly. Heather Lambie from IRO will be joining us at this meeting, as it was felt by some members at the last RSS Meeting that the role of IRO should be clarified. Heather will, therefore, be present to discuss the exact remit of IRO and answer any questions you may have on the subject.
RSS Common Room
A number of issues were raised at the last RSS meeting regarding the common room. Firstly, could nay students who have borrowed cutlery or crockery from the common room please return it as soon as possible as we are running very low. Secondly, could you please ensure that you do not leave unwashed items in the sink and that you clean up after yourself, particularly in the case of the microwave. Finally, could we please have a new volunteer to wash the tea towels from the common room on a regular basis - please email myself or Martin Smith.
Faculty Representatives
Could those students who have been nominated/elected as student Faculty representatives please email me to let me know who you are.
IRO Funding Initiatives
I'm sure you don't need reminding, but in case you missed the email, IRO have now opened up both the 'hardship' fund and the conference/training fund for this year. For details on how to apply please see IRO. IRO have also released a document providing advice on how to apply for third sector funding for your research.
Election
The election for the position of RSS President will be held on Tuesday the 5th October. We are hoping to run this as a web-based election this year, so that those who cannot be present and those who wish to vote anonymously can do so. Could anyone who either has any issues with this format or anyone who could provide me with any assistance/expertise in organising this please email me as soon as possible. Finally, we have only had ONE nomination for candidacy for this election, so could anyone who wishes to be nominated please let myself or Barry know as soon as possible.
Induction for New Students
The induction for new students is being held on the 1st October. We will be hosting a 'pub' quiz in the Union in the afternoon and early evening, in order to get new students talking to one another. We hope that a number of you will be able to attend so that new students also get a chance to meet existing students - please email Charlie Fielding if you can attend. It is worth noting that we were unable to host this event in the canteen space outside the RSS common room, as was discussed at the RSS meeting, due to the expense of providing alcoholic drinks through catering services instead of the Union bar.
Lockers
There are still a large number of lockers available in the RSS Common room for anyone who needs one. Please contact me for keys.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Survey Results
The Innovation and Research Office have released the survey results from last year. We have issued a response, both of which you should have already received. If you missed it, these are attached. We welcome your thoughts.
URKTB Meeting
The next URKTB meeting has been set for the 22nd September. We need to compile a list of research student issues to be raised and discussed at the meeting. We are already aware that some students are still concerned over the level of the stipend and, despite the fact that we will no longer be actively pursuing an increased stipend (as detailed in the response to the survey results), the Board will be informed that some students are still concerned over the level of the stipend and of the reasons they have provided for this. We will also be introducing to the Board the RSS Priority Areas for Action as outlined in the response. If you feel you have any points that you wish us to raise at the meeting, please email them to me.
Election
In light of the fact that I am now approaching a year of Presidency of the RSS and that we have worked up a series of action points that a very small minority of students have voiced their concerns/dissatisfaction with, I have decided to open the floor to nominations for the next election. If you feel you might like to stand for Presidency of the RSS, please email me or Barry to discuss any questions you might have or just to put yourself forward. The election won't be held until after the URKTB meeting in September, so its something to think about over the next month or so.
Pub Lunch
The next pub lunch Friday will be next Friday the 27th - meeting outside the library at half past 12.
The Innovation and Research Office have released the survey results from last year. We have issued a response, both of which you should have already received. If you missed it, these are attached. We welcome your thoughts.
URKTB Meeting
The next URKTB meeting has been set for the 22nd September. We need to compile a list of research student issues to be raised and discussed at the meeting. We are already aware that some students are still concerned over the level of the stipend and, despite the fact that we will no longer be actively pursuing an increased stipend (as detailed in the response to the survey results), the Board will be informed that some students are still concerned over the level of the stipend and of the reasons they have provided for this. We will also be introducing to the Board the RSS Priority Areas for Action as outlined in the response. If you feel you have any points that you wish us to raise at the meeting, please email them to me.
Election
In light of the fact that I am now approaching a year of Presidency of the RSS and that we have worked up a series of action points that a very small minority of students have voiced their concerns/dissatisfaction with, I have decided to open the floor to nominations for the next election. If you feel you might like to stand for Presidency of the RSS, please email me or Barry to discuss any questions you might have or just to put yourself forward. The election won't be held until after the URKTB meeting in September, so its something to think about over the next month or so.
Pub Lunch
The next pub lunch Friday will be next Friday the 27th - meeting outside the library at half past 12.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Loch Lomond Trip
On Saturday (12th June) we took a trip up to Loch Lomond in the UWS people carrier. We stopped for an hour or so to see the little duckies near Balloch...
...and then drove up to have a BBQ on the beach (yum!). The weather was gorgeous, and some of us got a little burnt (Fraser, Lee...) so we decided the next stop should be a beer garden, naturally.
A couple of pints later (not for the driver of course!) we took a drive up into the hills...
And then back down and home. Lovely.
Not a bad Saturday for a fiver!
...and then drove up to have a BBQ on the beach (yum!). The weather was gorgeous, and some of us got a little burnt (Fraser, Lee...) so we decided the next stop should be a beer garden, naturally.
A couple of pints later (not for the driver of course!) we took a drive up into the hills...
And then back down and home. Lovely.
Not a bad Saturday for a fiver!
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Ambisonics Symposium Report
Despite some set-backs caused by volcanic ash, first year PhD students Barry Watson and Andrew Horsburgh were able to attend the 2010 Ambisonics (3D Audio) Symposium in Paris last week. The event was held at the prestigious IRCAM Centre, birthplace to avant garde forms of electronic music and their associated technologies. It featured papers from a variety of leading researchers in the field, audio demonstrations and an electro-acoustic concert utilising the impressive speaker array of the Projection Space, pictured below.
Barry presented a poster outlining his research entitled ‘Ambisonic acoustics replication for solo musicians in a digital audio workstation environment’.
Barry presented a poster outlining his research entitled ‘Ambisonic acoustics replication for solo musicians in a digital audio workstation environment’.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Virtual Conference
On Saturday 10th April, Peter J Bloomfield presented at and helped to organise the SLOODLE Moot 2010 virtual conference. It took place entirely over the Internet, in a virtual world called "Second Life", supported by a website at www.sloodle.org. The theme of the conference was anything and everything related to SLOODLE (Simulation Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment), which is an international research and development project involving Internet-based educational technologies. Peter has been a Research Assistant and Lead Developer on the SLOODLE project in the past, and is doing a PhD in the same field. On this occasion he led an interactive session called "SLOODLE Usability: A Critical Walkthrough of Common User Tasks".
The linked images demonstrate the conference.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elusivepete/sets/72157623699079343/
Poster Presentations
On Friday, May 7, 2010 the University of the West of Scotland is organizing a poster event for its research students. The morning will be dedicated to final year research students presenting their research (M004, Paisley Campus) and the afternoon to first and second year research students displaying a poster related to their research (Student Union, Paisley).
Ana ADI
For the students who haven’t attended many conferences as presenters, a poster event is always a valuable opportunity to gain experience in this area. However, the biggest advantage that a university-centered event like can provide is that of networking with peers and getting to know better what other research projects are being undertaken in the university.
I have recently received numerous questions about how should one organize and present a poster. Past experience makes me believe that the most important in a poster presentation is the speaker’s ability to depict and explain his/her research project in a way that is accessible and understandable to a non-academic audience. I would argue that is recommendable to have a sound research idea (with clear objectives, research precedents, methodology and sampling) since that would support the researcher progress in his/her work. However, it is the appeal, enthusiasm and understandable argumentation that would win the attention of the audience. Moreover, I would argue that how the poster looks is less important but when designing it one should keep in mind that the poster’s role is to attract attention. Clarity, balance and color are among the elements that make a successful poster design no matter if the poster uses the traditional rectangular form (be it portrait or landscape) or chooses a different layout. The rule for less clutter applied to powerpoint presentation is valid here as well – the poster’s role is to visually support the researcher’s argument NOT to overshadow it by competing for the audience’s attention. The University of Leicester poster page provides good and sound advice with regards to how a poster can be organized.
I am still hoping to see the day when a poster presentation event would enable better and more innovative integration of new technologies and by that I do not mean allowing presenters to bring a laptop or projecting their poster instead of printing it but rather using augmented reality applications to the give the presentations a new dimension, allowing for live video and audio contact with a second researcher that is not in the room or integrating live voting (using twitter or text messages) for the posters presented.
To conclude, a poster presentation event is a networking opportunity and a chance to practice and polish presentation skills. The poster is there a visual aid but a winning presentation resides from what the researcher says and does than from what the researcher had printed.
Ana ADI
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