DigitalGradEX20, which officially launches today, is being hosted completely online and student projects will be seen by more industry experts, recruiters and hirers than ever before.
The online exhibition features more than 450 students from Computing, Digital Technologies, Engineering, Policing and Science courses. Students who would usually take part in the annual Art and Design exhibition are also showcasing their work.
BSc (Hons) Forensic Investigation student Jade Wheeler’s final year project reveals that we might unknowingly consume tiny pieces of plastic every time we eat a tuna sandwich.
She explained: “Due to the high amount of plastic production and waste each year, microplastics are becoming a bigger concern. More species are ingesting them meaning microplastics may be present in different foods that we consume.”
The 28-year-old from Newcastle-Under-Lyme analysed four brands of tinned tuna in brine. Through her initial findings, she identified that all contained microplastics, of differing amounts.
Jade, who now hopes to complete an MSc in Digital Forensics, said: “Continuing to reduce the use of single-use plastics will help to minimise the amount of microplastics entering the marine environment. Manufacturers of sea food products could further help by sourcing biodegradable materials for capturing fish and any plastic equipment used within the manufacturing process.”
Meanwhile Cyber Security student Will Carnall, 23 from Stone, has developed a system to help tackle online bullying. He investigated different machine learning approaches to detect abusive and cyberbullying text on social media platforms, resulting in a 90% successful identification rate.
He said: “With 99% of 12-15 year olds spending an average of 20.5 hours a week online there a real risk of exposure to abusive content. I have come up with a prototype which platform and application developers can use to automatically detect content sent by bullies before it has the chance to reach and impact the victim.
“The hope is to see the project being used to help prevent abuse and make the online world a safer and more enjoyable experience for everyone. It is great to get some exposure through GradEX – hopefully employers will find it interesting.”
Musician Aimee Walters, studying Mechanical Engineering, has come up with a solution to protect fellow drummers from a painful condition known as vibration white finger.
The 25-year-old from Stafford developed a testing rig which could be attached to a drummer’s arm while playing to measure the level of vibrations. She used this to trial two small 3D printed sleeves designed to easily slide onto a drumstick and help absorb vibrations.
She said: “Both designs reduced the damaging vibration significantly. The first reduced average vibrations by 25.8% and the second reduced them by 38.3%. The concepts could be useful and transferrable for other vibration reduction means such as hand tools and machinery.”
The improved GradEX Portal will be shared with 7,000 employer contacts and remain accessible to prospective employers and the public throughout the summer.
Discover more and browse all student projects at https://gradex.staffs.ac.uk/