Fri, 11 Jun 2010
University research into everything from how computer games could help radiotherapy to studies into bone disease, biodiversity, clean energy, and the importance of family meal times will be on display this week.
Around 40 PhD students have been chosen to present their work at a Showcase of Postgraduate Research in the Forum on June 17.
The aim of the event is to raise awareness about the range and quality of research being carried out at the university through poster displays, presentations and science cafés.
The event has been organised as part of the first ever Universities Week, which runs from June 14-20. The national pilot initiative aims to highlight the essential role of universities in the UK and their impact on the economy, culture, society, the environment and more.
Nine students will be giving presentations about their work at lunchtime between 1-2pm and from 4.30-5.30pm.
Science cafés in Marzano, organised by the university’s community engagement project CUE East, will also give people the chance to find out more about the research, ask questions and take part in informal debate over a cup of coffee.
Prof Peter Brimblecombe, associate dean of Postgraduate Research, said: “This showcase comes after the success of a similar event in 2008. We hope to raise awareness among employers and the general public about the range and quality of research being carried out here at UEA by our PhD students.
“The emphasis on engagement means the students will stay at their posters and be able to discuss their work with visitors,” he added.
The event will be followed by a reception in Fusion where the Vice Chancellor Prof Edward Acton will present awards for the best projects.
Categories of Best Oral Presentation, Best Overall Poster, the Public’s Favourite Poster, Most Creative/Original Poster, Most Informative Poster, a Public Engagement Award and Best Café will be judged by a panel drawn from media, business, education and health and local government bodies.
The Lord Mayor of Norwich will also be joining the Universities Week celebrations by welcoming academic representatives from UEA, the Norwich Research Park, City College, Easton Collage, and NUCA at a Mayor’s Parlour from 7pm. Local dignitaries, MPs, employers and business leaders are also invited to the civic event.
The volcanic island of Tristan da Cunha is home to the most remote population in the world. Anna Hicks will talk about her experiences working with the islanders, highlighting their tremendous resilience to natural hazards, despite their isolation.
Pathogens and proteins – How PerR helps Campylobacter survive (1pm)
Rebecca Handley will talk about her research investigating the protein PerR, found in the food-borne bacteria Campylobacter, which survives food preparation and infects humans with symptoms including diarrhea, cramps, and fever.
Biofuelling Development – Are biofuels good or bad for developing countries? (1.15pm)
Jennifer Hodbod will talk about the important factors that control whether biofuels are a sensible choice for a developing country, including current land use, food security, car ownership rates and the type of household fuel used.
Is this your life? Updating life story work for use with a technologically proficient generation (1.30pm)
Simon Hammond will talk about his research into helping vulnerable teenagers express themselves using new technologies such as camera phones, the internet and web cams.
Greenland’s stormy seas (1.45pm)
Benjamin Harden will talk about the winds around Greenland which produce some of the stormiest seas on the planet.
Home insulation – How far should you go? (4.30pm)
From installing a new boiler, to triple glazing windows and rebuilding the roof to make room for more loft insulation, Ray Galvin investigates the pros and cons of the lengths we could go to, to insulate our homes.
Going For Gold – Cancer Therapy using Lectins, Gold and Red Light (4.45pm)
Girgis Obaid will talk about his research into how nanoparticles of gold – 15,000 times smaller than a grain of sand - can help anti-cancer drugs target cancer cells.
The Impact of Climate Change on Historic Collection (5pm)
Paul Lankester will talk about how changes in future climate may put collections in historic properties at risk of increased damage including splitting wood and mould.
Can computers really motivate learners? (5.15pm)
Olutayo Popoola will investigate the relationship between e-learning and motivation and talk about his research into what really motivates students to learn.
Waste to Fuel - transforming rubbish to resource (10-11am)
We all throw away heaps of rubbish every day, but what if we could think of this as useful and a resource, rather than waste and a problem?
Adam Elliston will talk about his research into how much of this waste, which would normally go to landfill, could be used to create biofuels for use in our cars or converted into clean power, relieving both the cost of fuel at the pump and the problem of expanding landfill sites.
The Value of the Family Meal (2.45-3.45pm)
Family life is changing and how families interact and spend time with each other is of interest. Kamena Henshaw will talk about her research into the family meal in today's society and its importance for young people's development.
Simon Hammond has been helping vulnerable teenagers express themselves by 'Podwalking' - filming places that are important to them and talking about their experiences to create their own life stories.
His research has seen him help teenagers living in residential care use familiar technology such as camera phones, the internet and web cams, to create a sense of who they are and look more positively to the future.
After filming the Podwalks, the youngsters have been encouraged to upload them to a secure private website.
Simon, who is studying for a PhD in Psychology in the university's School of Social Work and Psychology, said: "I worked as a residential worker in a care home in Sheffield and saw that the young people there really needed something to help them create a sense of who they are.
"Traditional methods, such as writing things down or making a scrap book seemed out of touch. My study explores the use of modern technology as a form of communication to help young people articulate what is important to them in their life stories.
"My findings suggest that young people who use new technology to create a sense of who they are, have an increased ability to reflect on and understand recent events."
Simon will be giving a presentation on his research, entitled 'Is this your life? Updating life story work for use with a technologically proficient generation' at 1.30pm in The Curve as part of the Postgraduate Research Showcase.
Luke Davis is developing new computer software which will monitor how children's bones are developing.
The new program will use hand radiographs to make accurate assessments of a patient's bone age and will help with the management and diagnosis of growth and puberty disorders.
It will be used to check that a child's bone rate is developing correctly and monitor whether treatment is affecting their skeletal development.
Currently bone age assessment involves a clinician either comparing the patient's x-rays to American examples from the 1930s, or rating individual bones and making a calculation to determine bone age, which is more accurate but time-consuming.
Luke, who is eight months into the three-year project, said: "One of the main reasons this research appealed to me is because I could see how it would help people in their everyday lives.
"The software will create more accurate bone age assessments more efficiently so that the correct treatment can be administered more rapidly."
He is currently working with sample hand x-rays from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles.
"The first major part of the project is to be able to locate the bones in the x-rays so that features can be extracted such as height and width. We have created new methods to find the tips and webs of fingers, and from this we are able to locate the fingers and therefore the bones.
"By the third year of the project we will have made a prototype system available for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. Hand x-rays are also used to locate arthritis, so methods we use for locating the bones in bone age assessment could also be used for this in the future," he added.
PhD student and mother-of-two Kamena Henshaw is researching the importance of family mealtimes.
By identifying the significance of families eating together, she hopes to increase our understanding of family functioning.
She said: “I'm interested in how we bring up children and what is best for their development. Family life seems to be getting busier, and I am I am interested in how families negotiate competing needs such as work and after school clubs.
“Family mealtimes have been linked with healthier outcomes for children including healthier diets, better social skills, better literacy skills, higher academic achievement, and less likelihood of taking part in high-risk behaviours such as underage sex, smoking, drinking, and drug use.
“My research is exploring what happens during the family meal, by looking at the underlying family processes that may occur during the mealtime routine. I also want to understand the perceptions of the mother, the father and the adolescent as research to date tends to focus on one family member, rather than explore the issue from a multi-person perspective.
“I'm married with a son aged 13 and a daughter aged 10. We eat together as much as we can – usually about five times a week - but our lives are very busy with things like the children's sports clubs, so we don't manage to sit down together every day.
“I think time is one of the most important things you can give your children, so I always try to have time with them individually to chat about the day, whether that is in the car on the way to athletics, or at the end of the day as they're getting ready for bed,” she added.
Kamena will be talking about her research with members of the public as part of a Science Café in Marzanos in the Forum at 2.45pm.
Penny Sorensen has been researching the thoughts, feelings and lives of older men living alone in Norfolk.
Through interviews, and giving her volunteers cameras to document their lives, Penny has researched topics including their view of relationships, the loss of loved ones, loneliness, and isolation, as well as the social relationships older men value and the activities they enjoy.
She said: "This area is really under-researched. The gender gap in life expectancy is closing and there has been a significant rise in one-person male households so it will be very important for the future to understand what is important to them.
"It's an area which is often thought to be difficult to research because men don't tend to open up as much as women. That's why I decided on the visual angle - encouraging them to take photos of their lives and what is important to them.
"Social opportunities for older people are often geared towards women but 'knit and natter' doesn't really appeal to the men.
"Most were also keen to interact with younger people," she added.
Girgis Obaid is researching how tiny particles of gold - 15,000 times smaller than a grain of sand - can help anti-cancer drugs target cancer cells.
His work sees him coat nanoparticles of gold with sugar-binding proteins found in plants called Lectins to help them bind to the surface of cancer cells.
Anti-cancer drugs which are activated by red light are then attached to the lectin-gold nanoparticles, which are then used to target and 'stick to' cancer cells. A red light can then activate the nanoparticles to treat the cancer cells.
Girgis said: "Ever since I was at college, I was fascinated by a poster of a micro-robot injecting a single red blood cell with medicine.
"The concept of targeted and selective therapy became more and more intriguing to me as I went into greater depth into the world of biology and chemistry. "I was immediately attracted to this project when I was looking for a final year project, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to continue my research at PhD level.
"Nanomedicine is becoming increasingly appealing, as the demand for less invasive therapies is growing. I believe that nanoplatforms for drug delivery are the future in selective therapy," he added.
The aim of the event is to raise awareness about the range and quality of research being carried out at the university through poster displays, presentations and science cafés.
The event has been organised as part of the first ever Universities Week, which runs from June 14-20. The national pilot initiative aims to highlight the essential role of universities in the UK and their impact on the economy, culture, society, the environment and more.
Nine students will be giving presentations about their work at lunchtime between 1-2pm and from 4.30-5.30pm.
Science cafés in Marzano, organised by the university’s community engagement project CUE East, will also give people the chance to find out more about the research, ask questions and take part in informal debate over a cup of coffee.
Prof Peter Brimblecombe, associate dean of Postgraduate Research, said: “This showcase comes after the success of a similar event in 2008. We hope to raise awareness among employers and the general public about the range and quality of research being carried out here at UEA by our PhD students.
“The emphasis on engagement means the students will stay at their posters and be able to discuss their work with visitors,” he added.
The event will be followed by a reception in Fusion where the Vice Chancellor Prof Edward Acton will present awards for the best projects.
Categories of Best Oral Presentation, Best Overall Poster, the Public’s Favourite Poster, Most Creative/Original Poster, Most Informative Poster, a Public Engagement Award and Best Café will be judged by a panel drawn from media, business, education and health and local government bodies.
The Lord Mayor of Norwich will also be joining the Universities Week celebrations by welcoming academic representatives from UEA, the Norwich Research Park, City College, Easton Collage, and NUCA at a Mayor’s Parlour from 7pm. Local dignitaries, MPs, employers and business leaders are also invited to the civic event.
Presentations taking place in the Curve
Focusing on Resilience - Natural Hazards on Tristan da Cunha (12.45pm)
The volcanic island of Tristan da Cunha is home to the most remote population in the world. Anna Hicks will talk about her experiences working with the islanders, highlighting their tremendous resilience to natural hazards, despite their isolation.
Pathogens and proteins – How PerR helps Campylobacter survive (1pm)
Rebecca Handley will talk about her research investigating the protein PerR, found in the food-borne bacteria Campylobacter, which survives food preparation and infects humans with symptoms including diarrhea, cramps, and fever.
Biofuelling Development – Are biofuels good or bad for developing countries? (1.15pm)
Jennifer Hodbod will talk about the important factors that control whether biofuels are a sensible choice for a developing country, including current land use, food security, car ownership rates and the type of household fuel used.
Is this your life? Updating life story work for use with a technologically proficient generation (1.30pm)
Simon Hammond will talk about his research into helping vulnerable teenagers express themselves using new technologies such as camera phones, the internet and web cams.
Greenland’s stormy seas (1.45pm)
Benjamin Harden will talk about the winds around Greenland which produce some of the stormiest seas on the planet.
Home insulation – How far should you go? (4.30pm)
From installing a new boiler, to triple glazing windows and rebuilding the roof to make room for more loft insulation, Ray Galvin investigates the pros and cons of the lengths we could go to, to insulate our homes.
Going For Gold – Cancer Therapy using Lectins, Gold and Red Light (4.45pm)
Girgis Obaid will talk about his research into how nanoparticles of gold – 15,000 times smaller than a grain of sand - can help anti-cancer drugs target cancer cells.
The Impact of Climate Change on Historic Collection (5pm)
Paul Lankester will talk about how changes in future climate may put collections in historic properties at risk of increased damage including splitting wood and mould.
Can computers really motivate learners? (5.15pm)
Olutayo Popoola will investigate the relationship between e-learning and motivation and talk about his research into what really motivates students to learn.
Science cafés at Marzarno
Waste to Fuel - transforming rubbish to resource (10-11am)
We all throw away heaps of rubbish every day, but what if we could think of this as useful and a resource, rather than waste and a problem?
Adam Elliston will talk about his research into how much of this waste, which would normally go to landfill, could be used to create biofuels for use in our cars or converted into clean power, relieving both the cost of fuel at the pump and the problem of expanding landfill sites.
The Value of the Family Meal (2.45-3.45pm)
Family life is changing and how families interact and spend time with each other is of interest. Kamena Henshaw will talk about her research into the family meal in today's society and its importance for young people's development.
Student case studies
Simon Hammond has been helping vulnerable teenagers express themselves by 'Podwalking' - filming places that are important to them and talking about their experiences to create their own life stories.His research has seen him help teenagers living in residential care use familiar technology such as camera phones, the internet and web cams, to create a sense of who they are and look more positively to the future.
After filming the Podwalks, the youngsters have been encouraged to upload them to a secure private website.
Simon, who is studying for a PhD in Psychology in the university's School of Social Work and Psychology, said: "I worked as a residential worker in a care home in Sheffield and saw that the young people there really needed something to help them create a sense of who they are.
"Traditional methods, such as writing things down or making a scrap book seemed out of touch. My study explores the use of modern technology as a form of communication to help young people articulate what is important to them in their life stories.
"My findings suggest that young people who use new technology to create a sense of who they are, have an increased ability to reflect on and understand recent events."
Simon will be giving a presentation on his research, entitled 'Is this your life? Updating life story work for use with a technologically proficient generation' at 1.30pm in The Curve as part of the Postgraduate Research Showcase.
Luke Davis is developing new computer software which will monitor how children's bones are developing.The new program will use hand radiographs to make accurate assessments of a patient's bone age and will help with the management and diagnosis of growth and puberty disorders.
It will be used to check that a child's bone rate is developing correctly and monitor whether treatment is affecting their skeletal development.
Currently bone age assessment involves a clinician either comparing the patient's x-rays to American examples from the 1930s, or rating individual bones and making a calculation to determine bone age, which is more accurate but time-consuming.
Luke, who is eight months into the three-year project, said: "One of the main reasons this research appealed to me is because I could see how it would help people in their everyday lives.
"The software will create more accurate bone age assessments more efficiently so that the correct treatment can be administered more rapidly."
He is currently working with sample hand x-rays from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles.
"The first major part of the project is to be able to locate the bones in the x-rays so that features can be extracted such as height and width. We have created new methods to find the tips and webs of fingers, and from this we are able to locate the fingers and therefore the bones.
"By the third year of the project we will have made a prototype system available for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. Hand x-rays are also used to locate arthritis, so methods we use for locating the bones in bone age assessment could also be used for this in the future," he added.
PhD student and mother-of-two Kamena Henshaw is researching the importance of family mealtimes.By identifying the significance of families eating together, she hopes to increase our understanding of family functioning.
She said: “I'm interested in how we bring up children and what is best for their development. Family life seems to be getting busier, and I am I am interested in how families negotiate competing needs such as work and after school clubs.
“Family mealtimes have been linked with healthier outcomes for children including healthier diets, better social skills, better literacy skills, higher academic achievement, and less likelihood of taking part in high-risk behaviours such as underage sex, smoking, drinking, and drug use.
“My research is exploring what happens during the family meal, by looking at the underlying family processes that may occur during the mealtime routine. I also want to understand the perceptions of the mother, the father and the adolescent as research to date tends to focus on one family member, rather than explore the issue from a multi-person perspective.
“I'm married with a son aged 13 and a daughter aged 10. We eat together as much as we can – usually about five times a week - but our lives are very busy with things like the children's sports clubs, so we don't manage to sit down together every day.
“I think time is one of the most important things you can give your children, so I always try to have time with them individually to chat about the day, whether that is in the car on the way to athletics, or at the end of the day as they're getting ready for bed,” she added.
Kamena will be talking about her research with members of the public as part of a Science Café in Marzanos in the Forum at 2.45pm.
Penny Sorensen has been researching the thoughts, feelings and lives of older men living alone in Norfolk.Through interviews, and giving her volunteers cameras to document their lives, Penny has researched topics including their view of relationships, the loss of loved ones, loneliness, and isolation, as well as the social relationships older men value and the activities they enjoy.
She said: "This area is really under-researched. The gender gap in life expectancy is closing and there has been a significant rise in one-person male households so it will be very important for the future to understand what is important to them.
"It's an area which is often thought to be difficult to research because men don't tend to open up as much as women. That's why I decided on the visual angle - encouraging them to take photos of their lives and what is important to them.
"Social opportunities for older people are often geared towards women but 'knit and natter' doesn't really appeal to the men.
"Most were also keen to interact with younger people," she added.
Girgis Obaid is researching how tiny particles of gold - 15,000 times smaller than a grain of sand - can help anti-cancer drugs target cancer cells.His work sees him coat nanoparticles of gold with sugar-binding proteins found in plants called Lectins to help them bind to the surface of cancer cells.
Anti-cancer drugs which are activated by red light are then attached to the lectin-gold nanoparticles, which are then used to target and 'stick to' cancer cells. A red light can then activate the nanoparticles to treat the cancer cells.
Girgis said: "Ever since I was at college, I was fascinated by a poster of a micro-robot injecting a single red blood cell with medicine.
"The concept of targeted and selective therapy became more and more intriguing to me as I went into greater depth into the world of biology and chemistry. "I was immediately attracted to this project when I was looking for a final year project, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to continue my research at PhD level.
"Nanomedicine is becoming increasingly appealing, as the demand for less invasive therapies is growing. I believe that nanoplatforms for drug delivery are the future in selective therapy," he added.
