The 2023 Annual Student Conference kicked off with a huge success! For this conference theme, the committee chose the title ‘Architects of Change – Impact, Identity, Inclusion’. This opened the floor to a wide range of guest speakers, from publishing to podcasting and AI to education and social care, the conference had something for everyone while remaining within its sub-themes. The conference was held at Bailbrook House Hotel in Bath, a stunning location on the edge of Bath.
Our keynote speaker Dr Rob Wilks gave an amazing opening presentation, Dr Wilks’s knowledge of equality and anti-discrimination laws in the deaf community met beautifully with our sub-themes of impact, identity, and inclusion. Dr Wilks’ presentation was also delivered in British sign language, a new but exciting experience for the attendees. Dr Wilks received amazing engagement from the crowd and we at the SWDTP and committee thank him for his impactful presentation.
Another big hit for this years conference was the research Podcasts session. This allowed students the opportunity to discuss their research in podcast form. This is a great opportunity for students to get their research out there and dip their toes into research communication.
One interesting aspect of the conference was the poster board competition. This allowed students to present their research on full display for all attendees to view as they pleased. This sparked all kinds of conversation around research and methodologies, offering students a chance to discuss, compare and contrast their research/research methods with others. The SWDTP and the committee thanks all poster board participants for their engagement with the competition.