The Materials Research Exchange & Investor Showcase (MRE2018) was held at the Business Design Centre in London on 12-13 March. In supporting this two-day event, IOM3 provided prizes for the student posters generated for the event.
On display at the event was a poster competition entered by graduate research students from universities across the UK, sponsored by IOM3. Presenting the awards, IOM3 Chief Executive Bernie Rickinson reminded delegates of the value of the poster for knowledge transfer. ‘In a logical and step by step way, a poster should capture your interest, tell a story and with an effective design, provide impact to carry interest forward.’
The first prize was awarded to Alexandra Groves at University College London, with runners up from Loughborough University and University of Surrey. The Institute also combined with other partners in the Materials and Design Exchange (MaDE) to develop a novel working group interaction of product design and materials students from Royal College of Art, Brunel University, and Queen Mary University. This activity provided a designer’s viewpoint of some of the highlighted materials technologies available at the show, which could ultimately see value for public use and wealth creation. Working with both design and materials mentors, three groups presented their findings in a Dragon’s Den atmosphere to the delegates at MRE2018. The final verdict confirmed the Health Team as the winners, who suggested the use of a hygrophobic biocompatible compression bandage incorporating a shape memory, layered structure.