On the 17th of May 2019, students were given the opportunity to both organise and participate in the 4th Annual NRIPS (Natural Resources Institute Postgraduate Society) Symposium.
The NRIPS Symposium aims to equip participants with vital transferable skills which are used to aid future career development. NRI Deputy Director, Professor Ben Bennett opened the session and Professor John Morton gave the keynote address on how research can make an impact on people’s lives which included fascinating examples from history and from his own research career, and invited the students to consider how their own research could make an impact.
Then it was time for the students to present their research. Presentations were divided into three categories: early stage and late stage researchers who gave oral presentations, and intermediate stage researchers who presented their work via a poster.
Oral and poster presentations gave the students the chance to discuss their objectives, celebrate reached milestones and gain experience in both speaking and answering questions in front of an audience.
Multiple third-year students also described the Annual Symposium as a great way to see the progression of their work. A panel of four judges awarded prizes to the student who best presented their project, in each of the three stages.
The day closed with the presentation of the prizes. The winners were:
Early stage researcher: Manuela Carnaghi
Intermediate stage researcher: Fiona Teltscher
Late stage researcher: Ros Fisher
Special thanks to Ben Bennett, Andrew Westby and the judging panel Julia de Bruyn, Steven Harte, Claudia Carvalho and Moritz Bömer.