From delegate to conference volunteer for ⌗BCUR14: Grace Lowe has seen it all…

I first heard about the British Conference of Undergraduate Research when I was in the second year of my degree through a web advertisement on our University Portal. I had just finished a summer research project working on solar cells and had loved every minute of it. The BCUR looked like an incredible opportunity to share what I had learnt, so I applied and I was over the moon when my abstract was accepted. So a little over two years ago, I was on my way to the BCUR in Warwick to give my first every public presentation about research just like many of you are today. I completely empathise with the mixture of nerves and excitement you are probably feeling now. Concentrate on the excitement because you have a wonderful few days ahead!
My experiences at the BCUR in Warwick inspired me in a number of ways and one of them was to get involved with BCUR 2014 here at Nottingham. Having the opportunity to present the research I had done and listening to the inspirational talks that other undergraduates gave has made me realise how important and wonderful sharing research and ideas can be. It is your opportunity to change someone else’s perception of the world and their opportunity to expand yours. The beauty of this conference is the breadth of topics covered and variety of backgrounds of the delegates. You are presented with a unique challenge to communicate your passion about your subject and your findings to an audience who are completely outside of your field of research. This can generate fantastic questions and conversations, as people with very different viewpoints look at something new to them. The audience was always fantastic and supportive so just enjoy sharing your hard work.
Navigating the BCUR conference can be tricky as there are such a variety of talks. The key is planning. I have downloaded the guidebook app on my phone and typed in the BCUR2014 code to access the schedule. It was immediately apparent that there are a lot more talks this year than there were previously. That means that there are more of you getting involved and getting this incredible opportunity! I would definitely plan in advance which talks you want to see, but be flexible. You don’t know who you are going to meet and you may well decide that you want to attend the presentations of people who have caught your imagination in conversation. Outside the talks there are lots opportunities to meet people, tonight there is a quiz and tomorrow there is more entertainment planned. My advice would be to pick at least one session that is as unrelated to your field as possible. I still remember the presentation I saw in Warwick about the end of life care for patients given by student nurse Lucy Ryan. It was a heart-felt piece about a sensitive subject and some incredibly important research.
The poster sessions are an excellent opportunity to go and have some really interesting conversations and top up on much needed caffeine. We are going to keep you busy so take any opportunities of food and tea breaks while you can. The sessions have been designed so that people have to be next their posters during a specific session but also get the opportunity to explore everyone else’s as well.
Over the next few days you are going to make a lot of friends. A year later I ended up going to another undergraduate conference with James Adams, another chemist I met through the BCUR conference at Warwick. You are also going to learn a lot and have fun doing it. I got involved with BCUR 2014 because my previous experience inspired me not only in my research, future career decisions and how I communicate about chemistry, but also because it broadened my perspective of research. I believe that it is paramount that we share what we research, and that we start doing it as undergraduates. I also think that opportunities like the BCUR are one of the best ways to go about this. I am thrilled this year that the conference is getting bigger, because that means more delegates are getting the opportunity to be here. I am over-joyed to be working with a dedicated, energetic and creative group of staff and students who are making this possible. One of the things we are really excited about is to see your BCUR experiences through social media. We want to you to make a noise about this through twitter and facebook and Instagram, because we want more people to know about BCUR, the research that undergraduates like you do and the discussions events like this can catalyse.
So please tweet using the hashtag #bcur14 and I look forwards to meeting you all and hearing all about your research!
All the best
Grace (a fourth year University of Nottingham chemistry undergraduate @glo_we)