Laura Thomas-Walters, an Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholar studying Biodiversity Management at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), has been awarded a Kent Graduate School Prize 2020 for her work on public engagement.
In the first year of her PhD, which explores how social marketing and behaviour change can lead to reduced demand in wildlife trade, Laura ran an event called Real World Research. This event gave postgraduate (PG) students the opportunity to showcase their work to the general public and win funding for a project that aimed to make a real difference to a current issue. Her aim was to bridge the gap between academia and the general public by demonstrating the relevance of academic research to local concerns.
Laura, continued to explore innovative and unique ways of engaging the public with academic research. Last year, she collaborated with the Canterbury Quilters Society on a research themed quilting project. Based on the success of this, she was invited to join the Kent Public Engagement with Research Network as a PG representative. She also experimented in combining textile arts and scientific research with a quilted poster, which won the People’s Choice Award at the latest Kent Researchers’ Showcase.
Laura Thomas-Walters said: ‘I am delighted to have been awarded a Graduate School Prize. The research being undertaken across the University can be complex and often the public can feel that it doesn’t effect them or they can’t make a difference on a local level, when they really can. This drove my aim to bridge the gap and engage the public into understanding their importance to our work.’
As a Graduate School Prize winner, Laura will receive £500 to further her research.