FACULTY OF BRAIN SCIENCES
Showcasing the Research from Masters Students
using a Video Competition
Dr Jennifer Rodd and Dr Alex Standen
j.rodd@ucl.ac.uk, a.standen@ucl.ac.uk
AIMS
•  To showcase the high quality research being conducted by
Masters students
WINNING ENTRIES
1ST PLACE: TARA BRAH
MSc Biology of Vision
How do we make the third eye?
•  To provide an opportunity for students to develop the
necessary skills to make their research accessible to the
public
APPROACH
•  All Faculty of Brain Sciences Masters students were invited
to submit a two-minute video that summarised their research
•  Students were instructed to answer the following:
I.  What is your research question?
II.  What have you found in relation to your question?
III.  Why is it important?
2ND PLACE: GIULIA BORGHINI
MSc Cognitive Neuroscience
Alpha stimulation effects on working memory and inhibitory abilities in
elderly
•  Video format allowed students from across the Faculty to
participate, regardless of their teaching schedule
•  Flexible approach to deadline to increase participation
TRAINING
•  Two months prior to the submission deadline
HIGHLY COMMENDED: NATHAN HAYES
MSc Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology
The Impact of Maternal Substance Use on Neural Processing of Social
and Non-social Feedback
•  Delivered by staff from Publications and Marketing Services,
and academic staff from within the Faculty
•  Brief introduction to the technical aspects of making a video
•  More in depth discussion of how to make complex research
accessible to the general public
HIGHLY COMMENDED: SERAY IBRAHIM
JUDGING
•  Entries judged by senior staff from across the Faculty on
ability to communicate research clearly
MRes Speech, Language and Cognition
Involving child communication aid users in the development of
communication aids
•  Four students from different parts of the faculty were
awarded prizes (funded by Faculty of Brain Sciences)
OUTCOMES
•  The winning entries have proven to be an excellent
showcase for Masters Students’ research:
I.  Faculty website (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/
student-news/video-comp)
II.  Incoming students during Faculty induction event.
III.  Websites of individual departments/programmes to aid
recruitment
•  Competition was part of wider programme to build a sense of
community in a large and geographically diverse faculty.
FUTURE PLANS
•  The scheme will continue in 2014-15
•  Minor changes to the scheduling of the training to increase
student participation
•  Extend training to include discussion of 2013-14 entries
•  More extensive evaluation of impact for individual students