Solent University students shine at Posters in Parliament

Posters in Parliament is a fantastic event that provides an opportunity for over 50 undergraduate students, representing universities from across the UK, to exhibit their research in Westminster, taking place in Portcullis House, House of Commons.

Among those presenting were two students from Solent University. Bethany Frame, Health and Social Care – Nursing Associate, looked at ‘Improving the Student Nurse Pathway Within a Children’s Hospice Setting’, and Anneli Stickler, BSc (Hons) Psychology, explored ‘A solution to the mental health crisis: Nature Connection and Self-Compassion’.

The exhibition is an opportunity for students to share research and ideas with those from other universities across the UK. The modern world faces big challenges in a huge range of areas such as energy, health and sustainability and Posters in Parliament demonstrates a new generation of emerging researchers able to meet those challenges.

Bethany designed, implemented and evaluated an intervention in her workplace (a local children's hospice) and, in doing so, demonstrated that low-cost and small-scale changes can have a positive impact in healthcare settings.

Anneli’s poster explored how a person’s awareness of their relationship with nature and the natural world can help increase self-compassion (showing kindness to oneself) and psychological wellbeing.

Dr Lisa Arai, Module lead for Solent University's Service Improvement Project module, said: “Bethany’s poster attracted a high grade and she ably defended her project in a live examination at which external clinical colleagues were present. I am overjoyed that her poster has been selected for this prestigious event and am certain she will continue to be a service improvement champion throughout her career”.

Lara Webber, Lecturer in Psychology also commented; “I am delighted that Anneli was selected to present her preliminary findings from her final-year project. All our psychology students engage with research throughout their degree and are encouraged to apply their knowledge to real-world issues. Self-compassion plays an important role in mental health and Anneli has taken an innovative approach linking this to our connection with nature. I am hoping taking part in such an event has inspired Anneli to continue developing her research ideas with us.”

About Posters in Parliament

Posters in Parliament is inspired by the US Posters on the Hill event, where students are sent by their universities to present their work to the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Posters in Parliament event gives the opportunity for legislators and policy makers to see first-hand some of the innovative research taking place around the country.

The event is part of the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR), an open coalition of universities dedicated to encouraging a national culture of undergraduate research. BCUR grows every year, giving more undergraduate students the opportunity to experience real research at the cutting edge of their field. Many of them go on to publish their work in highly-rated journals and then develop their research even further as postgraduate research students.

Find out more about Apprenticeship Nursing Associate (NMC 2018) Apprenticeship here.

Learn more about studying psychology at Solent here.