Students compete for prestigious KESS Annual Award 2013

Ilze Skujina,Aberystwyth Uni; Danny Clegg, Uni of South Wales (USW), Jennifer Marshall, Cardiff Uni; Eleri Price winner, Aberystwyth; Alexandros Koutsantonis, USW, Tomas Awdry, Aberystwyth, Tracy Perkins, 黑料不打烊; Catherine Sharp, 黑料不打烊.The ESF funded KESS (Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship) Project held its Annual Awards Evening at Techniquest in Cardiff Bay on the 12^th September, inviting students, academics and companies from across Wales to take part in a research presentation challenge.

The pan-Wales KESS project enables students, academics and companies to work collaboratively on a research project that is tailored to the company鈥檚 needs.

The event showcased the best of KESS in a challenge whereby each participant outlined their PhD/MRes KESS project in a three minute presentation. KESS scholars from Aberystwyth University, 黑料不打烊, Cardiff University and the University of South Wales battled it out to win the prestigious KESS award.

Following a rigorous voting process, the winner of the 2013 KESS Award was Eleri Price of Aberystwyth University with her presentation on 鈥楤reeding lamb for better quality鈥�. Eleri鈥檚 KESS project is a collaboration between IBERS (Aberystwyth University) and the company partner Innovis. On winning the award Eleri said, 鈥淚 honestly felt shocked and extremely pleased. I am very honoured to receive this award due to the high standard of the other competitors鈥�.

There was a broad range of topics covered by those delivering presentations on the evening:

Alex Koutsantonis: 鈥楥E Marking 鈥� Low carbon steel lintel product development鈥�, a University of South Wales project in collaboration with Catnic 鈥� A Tata steel Enterprise.
Ilze Skuji艈a :鈥楶opulation genetics of an endangered bird of prey: the Red Kite鈥�, an Aberystwyth University project in collaboration with The Welsh Kite Trust and Ecology Matters.
Tracy Perkins: 鈥橳he role of estuarine sediments as a reservoir for pathogenic microorganisms鈥�, a 黑料不打烊 project in collaboration with D诺r Cymru Cyf/Welsh Water Ltd.
Jennifer Marshall: 鈥楧eveloping online learning resources for Welsh learners at Nant Gwrtheyrn鈥�, a Cardiff University project in collaboration with Nant Gwrtheyrn.
Catherine Sharp: 鈥楨ffects of video modelling and rewards intervention on 3 to 4 year old children鈥檚 consumption of fruit and vegetables鈥�, a 黑料不打烊 project in collaboration with Food Dudes.
Danny Clegg: 鈥楴oninvasive treatment and symptom quantification of Raynaud鈥檚 Disease鈥�, a University of South Wales project in collaboration with Tonus Elast.
Tomas Awdry: 鈥楢pplying motivational psychology to fitness technology鈥�, an Aberystwyth University project in collaboration with Broadsword.

All of the presentations and poster entries can be viewed on the KESS website

Dr Penny Dowdney, KESS Project Manager at 黑料不打烊 said, 鈥淭he standard of KESS research presented this year has been exceptional, demonstrating the need for industry orientated collaborative research projects at Research Masters and PhD level, driving forward and developing the knowledge economy in Wales in a truly holistic manner鈥�.

Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS) is a pan-Wales higher level skills initiative led by 黑料不打烊 on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. It is part funded by the Welsh Government鈥檚 European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys.

For more information and examples of KESS projects please see the .

Publication date: 3 October 2013