We recently held a showcase and celebration event for all of our students who took part in the SALC Undergraduate Scholars programme this academic year. 12 students undertook an extracurricular, interdisciplinary, non-credit bearing programme of research during semester 2 on the following topics:

The Impact of #TimesUp and#MeToo in SALC (Project leader: Dr Hannah Cobb)

Isidora Gazitua, Li Wanze, Ke Yang, Asia Braithwaite (Hannah Cobb centre)

Working with Holocaust-Related Sources (Project leader: Professor Cathy Gelbin)

Lucia Qureshi, Harriet Fleming, Urussa Malik, Cathy Gelbin

Editing a Georgian Archive (Project leader: Professor David Denison) 

David Denison, Seren Morgan-Roberts, Paula-Jo Gaskill, Daniel Speight, Chenming Gao, Mariana Sancho Moncasi

Each group presented their research findings on the day. We also took the opportunity to ask them a few questions about their experience of the programme, see their responses below:  

Q1: What did you enjoy most about taking part in the Undergraduate Scholars programme?

“I enjoyed being able to do work that could have a meaningful impact that could potentially make a difference”

“It was nice to work with people who were passionate about the subject and to meet new people”

” The interdisciplinary collaboration” 

“The freedom to approach the topic in any way I chose with no restrictions!” 

“The opportunity to explore topics that aren’t available on the standard curriculum”

“Working with my supervisor and her help!”

Q2: What advice would you give to another student who was considering taking part in the programme next year?

“Schedule regular meet ups with your group”

“Make the most of it!”

“Manage your time wisely” 

“Don’t get stressed, you have a lot more time than you think and this project should be a fun escape from uni work!”

“Go for it”

“Do it, enjoy it, don’t worry about what people are expecting of you, just do what you want to do but make it interesting!”

Q3: Do you think what you learnt on the programme impacted how you approached the rest of your degree?

“It showed me how to plan for my long essay”

“Yes, I’ve developed team work and presentation skills whilst developing independent research skills” 

“It’s showed me what it is really like to take part in independent research”

“It has opened my eyes to the different ways of gathering information”

“It has helped me to facilitate my confidence in problem solving” 

“It has helped me manage my time, which has helped me with meeting deadlines”

Q4: How do you think the experience will help you in your future career? 

“The experience has taught me how to handle pressure!”

“The group work experience will help in the work place”

“It’s a valuable addition to my academic records”

“It has helped me how to use my own initiative and to work in a team”

“It will help me in my masters”

“The skills I have learnt will help me with future archive edits”

The programme will run again in semester 2 of the coming academic year 2019/20 and will be open to students of all levels. It will combine training in general and project specific research skills with an instructor supported, but independent, and interdisciplinary research project, to be undertaken in groups comprised of undergraduates from all years and degree programmes in SALC. More details to follow soon, including how to submit your application! 

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