Undergraduate student presents at chemistry webinar series Congratulations to chemistry undergraduate student Mohamed Katish for recently presenting his final year research work at the Tiger in STEMM Chemistry Webinar Series 2021! Mohamed’s talk, titled “Minority Making Major Contribution in Renewable Energy” was very well received and he did a fantastic job of representing the School. Tiger in STEMM is a group of STEMM professionals and students who are committed to achieving equity and improving diversity, inclusion and accessibility within STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) research. Mohamed is finishing up his final year project at Sunamp, a world leading company in thermal technologies, and it is the research he conducted at Sunamp that he presented at the Tiger in STEMM Chemistry Webinar on June 2nd 2021. As part of their work, Tiger in STEMM and the RSC hosted a range of Chemistry Webinars from May to July 2021 that each featured a talk from an academic on their research or work on equity in chemistry alongside two undergraduate/Masters students who presented their research. All undergraduate and Masters students were eligible to apply to speak at the Chemistry Webinar Series, with encouragement for students within under-represented groups in Chemistry. This includes students with disabilities, those that identify within LGBTQ+ and students from an ethnic minority background. The Chemistry Webinar Series is a rare opportunity for undergraduate/Masters students to gain experience of presenting at a conference style event and grow in confidence in presenting their research in the future. Having the opportunity to speak at such an event had a positive effect on Mohamed’s confidence. Participating in this webinar did have a strong impact on me as it boosted my confidence in presenting research/talking about science to an audience. Mohamed Katish Undergraduate students chosen to speak at the Webinar Series were given a Public Speaking Workshop from Tiger in STEMM to prepare them, of which Mohamed noted: “The public speaking workshop given by Tiger in STEMM has been tremendously helpful in boosting my presentation skills to a professional level.” Reflecting on his experience as a student speaker at the Tiger in STEMM webinar, Mohamed encourages other undergraduate and Masters students in STEMM to seek out such opportunities. The Tiger in STEMM Chemistry Webinar Series 2021 was recorded and the event that Mohamed spoke at can be viewed online. I would highly recommend my fellow STEMM students at the University of Edinburgh to speak at a Tiger in STEMM webinar as it will bring them many benefits such as expanding their social network in STEMM and developing their interpersonal skills. Mohamed Katish This article was published on 2024-03-19
