The Doctoral Academy’s first Images of Research competition received 25 eligible submissions for consideration by our expert panel. PGRs were asked to portray their research in a single image along with a 50 word description, providing a great way to showcase public engagement abilities, increase research profiles and get creative all at the same time.
Each entrant was asked to choose a research theme category that they feel matches their submission most closely. This year’s categories were based on our four interdisciplinary research themes:
Understanding and improving health and wellbeing
Life-enhancing creativity and design
Innovating technological solutions to tomorrow’s problems
Promoting social change to enhance diversity, justice and socio-economic prosperity
The Doctoral Academy has thoroughly enjoyed exploring the fantastic research being done by their PGRs through the images and short descriptions submitted, and the judges were very impressed with the quality of the entries and the variety of topics. In this blogpost, you’ll find all the entries submitted under the first theme of ‘Understanding and improving health and wellbeing’.
Hearing Aid Futures – Katie Brown, School of Art & Design
Description: What if we designed hearing aids in the same way we design the every day objects that fit comfortably into our lives? Not trying to hide, disguise or assimilate ‘disability,’ but somewhat radically, positioning ‘disability’ as being part of the fabric of everyday life. What hearing aids would you choose?
Transmission of Joy and Peace at the Muslim Pilgrimage of the Hajj – Enes Yalcin, School of Social Sciences
Description” The crowd at the Muslim pilgrimage includes 3 million people gathered in the oppressive heat but it does not cause claustrophobia for the pilgrims. Rather, through collective experience of common values and faith, this event becomes a platform to show unity against hardships, transmitting joy and peace to each other.
Midwife-led care in low- and middle-income countries – Michaela Michel-Schuldt, School of Health Science
Description: The majority of all maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths occur in low and lower middle-income countries. This picture was taken in a skills-lab of a midwifery school in Liberia. It symbolises that investment in competent midwives can save the lives of women and newborns.
Simulation of red blood cell passing through narrow vessel – Lingyue Shen, School of Science and Engineering
Description: A model of the red blood cell is established and simulation is applied. Different stiffness is applied and the motion of the cell passing through a narrow channel is recorded. The results fits the experiment perfectly. This could help us study deeper into the blood flow inside body.
The Highly Sensitive Superpower – Merrily Hall, School of Art & Design
Description: There are a large number of highly sensitive people in the arts and I believe there is a strong correlation between creative practice and high sensitivity. By defining the space between sensitivity and creative practice, I hope to shine a light on high sensitivity and the possible superpower within.
Commuter – Joanna Foster, School of Art & Design
Description: A sketch can seem ‘unfinished’ but it carries a gesture and trace of movement of the activity that took place, even in contemplation. This sketch was made of a commuter on a train and the lines entwine and follow his dreaming allowing our imagination to fill in the gaps.
Now, which tooth is hurting? Does acupressure make the identification of the painful tooth easier? – Nuha Ashaibi, School of Dentistry
Description: Commonly dental patients have difficulty in localising early-stage toothache. This could be very challenging for the dentist to determine the tooth requires treatment. Experimentally, the identification ability improved with acupressure on LI4 acupoint on hand.
Improving Infant wellbeing through ‘Art at the Start’ – Vicky Armstrong, School of Social Sciences
Description: What happens when babies make art with their grown-up? They build emotional connections through shared, creative experience. They develop motor skills as they hold and manipulate tools. They learn new sensations and colours. They develop their sense of self as they see their marks have an impact on the world.
Interactive Textiles for Wellbeing – Lucy Robertson, School of Art & Design
Description: This PhD research brings together making, interaction, technology, and textiles to enable social connections, celebrate creativity and foster new relationships and experiences for those living with dementia and their communities. Using research through design and a person-centred approach this research explores the making and use of interactive textiles for wellbeing.
Kangaroo care – Amal Almutairi, School of Health Sciences
Description: “This image captured my spouse & son during kangaroo care. Kangaroo care is direct skin-to-skin-contact between an infant & parents. It helps to promote many areas of newborn development.My PhD research aims to explore the parents’ and healthcare providers’ perceptions, experiences, knowledge of, and attitudes to kangaroo care of preterm babies”
