Students compete in lightning presentation event

Winner of the Two-Minute Project Presentation event, Eduards Berzins (third from left) is presented with prize by PhD student Evangelos Kafantaris, alongside runners-up, Courtney Blain (second from left) and Doga Satir (second from right) and other judging panel members, Professor Tim Stratford and Naomi Imms
Winner of the Two-Minute Project Presentation event, Eduards Berzins (third from left) is presented with prize by PhD student Evangelos Kafantaris, alongside runners-up, Courtney Blain (second from left) and Doga Satir (second from right) and other judging panel members, Professor Tim Stratford and Naomi Imms

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Fri, 12/07/2019 - 15:43
On Wednesday 10 July, students from across the School of Engineering, the School of Informatics and other universities outside of the UK gathered to take part in a lightning presentation event.

The Two-Minute Project Presentation event was initiated last year by Industrial Engagement Manager Dr Katherine Cameron and marks the mid-point of the School’s annual summer internship programme. It provides an opportunity for students to showcase the projects they have been working on, at the same time as practising their presentation skills.

Participants were given just two minutes to explain their work experience projects – spanning a number of engineering research and Professional Services areas – to the gathered audience of students, academics and staff.

Winning presentations

Three top presentations were selected by the judging panel on criteria ranging from presentation style to engagement with the audience, and the ability to communicate complex information to a non-specialist audience.

  • Winner: Eduards Berzins, third year Electronics & Electrical Engineering: "Audio-visual sensor calibration for IDCOM audio lab"
  • Runner-up: Doga Satir, third year Chemical Engineering with Management: "New approaches to methane emission control"
  • Runner-up: Courtney Blain, third year Chemical Engineering: "Characterisation of aquaeous-organic electrolytes for separate by molecular simulation"

The winning presentation came from third year EEE student, Eduards Berzins, who presented his project within the Institute for Digital Communications to reduce error in audio-visual sensing, a technology which is used in everything from lip-syncing in films, to assisted living, search and rescue operations and voice recognition assistants like Amazon Alexa.

Reacting to his win, Eduards said: "Good public speaking and presentation skills are an absolute must for anyone pursuing a career in engineering or academia.

“The Two-Minute Project Presentation event was an excellent chance to practice these skills in a relevant environment with a relevant topic. I am truly grateful for winning the prize and wish the best of luck to all those participating in the event next year!"

Thank you to the judging panel, Director of Learning and Teaching, Professor Tim Stratford, PhD student Evangelos Kafantaris, and Communications Officer Naomi Imms, and to all students who took part.

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