On Friday, 6 June 2025, the School of Applied Sciences proudly hosted the annual End of Year Showcase at The Space & The Works, at the Frenchay Campus. This event celebrates the innovation, dedication, and scientific achievements of its undergraduate students. The event was designed as a platform not just to display academic work, but to reflect on personal and collective journeys through the world of applied science.
A Celebration of Community and Achievement
The event was not only for academics and industry professionals – families, friends, and staff also came together to support and celebrate the students. Seeing parents and loved ones engage with the students’ work added a heart warming and personal touch to the day.

Kicking Off the Celebration
The day began with a warm and inspiring welcome address by Dr. James Lee, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Health, Science and Society (UWE Bristol). Dr. Lee acknowledged the hard work of students and staff throughout the year and emphasized the value of applied science in the real world. His speech set a reflective and celebratory tone for what would be a memorable and engaging day.
Following Dr. Lee’s address, eight students from SOAS delivered 10-minute presentations, followed by Q&A sessions with the audience.
The presentations were delivered by the following speakers:
- Dylan Beckham – Ghosts of the Forest: Remote sensing as a tool to understand human-wildlife conflict in a cryptic elephant species.
- Syed Ayaan Reza – Hand Dryers as a Potential Transmitter of Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens.
- Megan Pound – Should you drink cranberry juice for a UTI? An investigation into cranberry compounds against common uropathogens.
- Molly Crow – A Comparison of Clinicopathological Features, Survival and Gene Expression between Pre- and Post-Menopausal Women with Breast Cancer.
- Nicola Lena – Plasmid-encoded resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from UK soldiers in Iraq
- Emily Langridge – Analysis of Drugs in Urine by Solvent Extraction and Liquid-Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
- Saliha Sadaf – A comparative evaluation of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of Carmustine and Vincristine on TK-6 lymphoblast cells.
- Yasmin Vernon – Is the Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Trauma in Mammals a Scientific Hypothesis or a Proven Phenomenon?

After the talks, attendees had the opportunity to network over lunch, engaging with staff and students to explore ideas and topics raised during the presentations.
Science in Action
At the heart of the showcase was a diverse array of student-led poster presentations, spanning topics across biomedical science, forensic science, environmental health, public health, and beyond. Each student brought their project to life through one-on-one discussions, sharing their research journey, methodologies, and key findings.
This format offered students a valuable opportunity to strengthen their science communication skills and gain experience presenting in a professional, conference-style environment. The talks showcased not only academic rigour, but also confidence, passion, and the ability to relate complex concepts to broader societal challenges. These student presentations offered a unique and inspiring perspective, leaving attendees inspired by the impressive depth of research taking place at the undergraduate level.
Closing Remarks
The event concluded with closing remarks and a thank-you message from Dr. Lyn Newton, Dean of SOAS, who expressed appreciation to all attendees for their presence and engagement throughout the day. This was followed by the award for Best Presentation.
Professor Emmanuel Adukwu, Deputy Head of SOAS, brought the day to a close by announcing the poster prize winners and extending heartfelt thanks to the organising committee: Julie Molloy, Helen Quasnichka, Ben de Lacy Costello, Kevin Honeychurch, and Chelsey Jordan.
We would like to acknowledge the prize sponsors for the 2025 End of Year Showcase; Biochemical Society and the Institute of Biomedical Science.
Written by Manar Amasha and Syed Ayaan Reza.













