Economics Undergraduate presents research at the International Conference for Undergraduate Research (ICUR)

Third year Economics Undergraduate, Cassandra Ignat, was asked to present at the International Conference for Undergraduate Research (ICUR). A conference aimed at bringing together hundreds of students across five continents to showcase the best in undergraduate research.

The conference is led by the University of Warwick and Monash University and is funded by the Warwick-Monash alliance. Established in 2013, it is an annual two-day conference featuring contributions from across the world, which aims to allow participants to present their work from their home universities to an international and interdisciplinary audience, and to provide a supportive yet critical environment for talented young scholars.

Cassandra took a chance and submitted the second assignment from the Econometrics 1 module, having been proud of the end results and the effort that had gone into it. She had also previously attended an academic conference during her role as a Research Assistant for the Department in the Summer of 2015, and felt that participating as a presenter would be a rewarding experience. Cassandra presented her research project alongside two colleagues, whom she'd worked with during the research project.  

Cassandra's main highlight from the conference was a talk presented by Professor Andrew Coats, a researcher in Cardiology, whose pioneering research left her feeling inspired, encouraging her to challenge existing knowledge and to take a different perspective to better research progress, irrelevant of its field.

As a recent undergraduate presenter at the conference, she encourages other students to apply to the conference. Namely because listening to peers from a wide range of subjects and backgrounds is a unique experience, and one that will contribute to both her personal and academic development whilst also encouraging her to reflect more critically on her own work.