Final-year Project Poster Conference and Awards

The final event of our degrees is a poster conference, which takes place immediately after the exams finish. All final-year students present posters summarising the work they did. The event was a great success, showcasing the tremendous talent of the students as well as the wide range of research project themes. There was a slight tension in the air as the staff made their way round the posters, questioning the students about their work, and awarding the last mark of the entire degree programme, but afterwards everyone's attention turned to wine and nibbles.


There were three themed poster sessions, and a prize was awarded to the best poster in each one, chosen by popular vote by the students.

The research project poster award winners of 2015: left to right, Nicola Steer (BSc Hons Conservation Biology), Sophie Snowden (BSc Hons Biological Sciences) and Katie Gear (BSc Hons Animal Behaviour and Welfare).

It is a nice way to finish, with everyone together (staff and students) one last time. Inevitably, it turns into a social evening once the formalities of the conference are completed.

All the lecturers, technicians and office staff would like to thank all the students for their efforts and wish them success in the future!

An Amphibian Adventure in Costa Rica

Group at the Santa Rosa Field Station.
(Photo: Robert Puschendorf)

By Alice Pawlik

In summer 2014 a group of students and lecturers from Plymouth University visited Costa Rica - an amazing country which supports wildlife ranging from frogs to fungi and everything in between!

The country's high diversity is due to Costa Rica's climate and geographic position. It is part of a land bridge which formed between North and South America around three million years ago, leading to a species interchange which caused the rich diversity seen today. Costa Rica now holds around 4% of all species in the world!