Emily Blakesley was awarded the prize for Best Business Engagement poster at the 2013 Postgraduate Research Showcase held in The Forum in Norwich on 6^th June.

The showcase was one of the events taking place as part of UEA’s 50^th anniversary celebrations.  The event highlighted the diversity of pioneering research being undertaken by some of the 1,500 Postgraduate students across the Norwich Research Park.

As well as a poster exhibition, students held short ‘Pecha Kucha’ style presentations – 20 slides in 20 seconds – and informal Café Conversations to share and discuss their exciting research with a wide public audience.

“I wanted to use an interactive poster to describe my research on the gut barrier by asking the question ”What is your gut?” to the public,” said Emily. The poster, titled ‘OPERATION: the gut barrier…a game of keeping the outside out and the inside in’ included images from the ‘Pillcam’ swallowed by Professor Simon Carding last year as part of the IFR Open Day and was accompanied by video footage following the route taken by food through the body narrated by Dr. Jo Brooks from the Gastroenterology team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The Norfolk Network were involved in judging the student posters and presented the new “Business Engagement” prize to Emily for her poster

As part of the showcase, the Norfolk Network also co-hosted a business breakfast and students had the opportunity to share their innovative ideas over a tasty breakfast on the bridge at the Forum. “I really enjoyed the exclusive opportunity to network with high-flying business men and women in the Norfolk area,” said Emily.