The University of Westminster hosted its first ever nutrition conference to provide students a place to share their research, collaborate and network with other students, leading researchers, academics, and industry.
The international conference was presented by Westminster’s Centre for Nutraceuticals and the School of Life Sciences and attracted 194 attendees from around the world.
It featured 25 presenters with five keynote presentations from University of Westminster, Newman University, Birmingham City University, Kenyatta and Simon Fraser University and representation from countries such as Canada, Australia, India, and Kenya.
It was opened by Professor Brendon Noble, Head of the School of Life Sciences, with the first keynote from Westminster’s Professor Mohammed Gulrez Zariwala which was about novel strategies to enhance nutrients and bioactives.
Other keynotes discussed looking at the subjective decisions in quantitative research; applying global positioning systems and heart rate monitors to measure physical activity; the effects of high fat diet-induced obesity and aging on cardiac function and diseases; and weight gain and breastfeeding rates amongst preterm infants managed with kangaroo mother care in a neonatal unit in Kenya.
During the day two students won a £150 prize each for their work with £100 for a runner up from the sponsor of the event Gencor Lifestage Solutions. They were judged on criteria including originality and novelty of work, robustness of research, research impact, organisation, presentation and delivery.
Speaking about the conference, Dr Ayaz Safi, Lecturer and Co-Course Leader for the Sport and Exercise Nutrition MSc, who hosted the conference, said: “Overall the conference went beyond our expectations in terms of success, engagement and presenters. The conference provided the platform for students, researchers and industries to network and collaborate nationally and internationally. Thanks to the huge team effort from students and colleagues. This conference will be taking place annually as ongoing and next year it will be face to face if COVID 19 circumstances allow.”
Professor Mayel Gharanei from Simon Fraser University and a keynote speaker at the conference, added: “The University of Westminster Nutrition coreference was a very informative event packed with great talks by experts from academia and the industry. It was an excellent opportunity to connect with attendees and presenters and discuss various topics related to diet and nutrients and their effects on health, diseases, and treatments. I wholeheartedly recommend this event to students, researchers and would love to attend and present again in the future if the opportunity is presented.”
Marta Gamez-Fernandez, a student attendee, said: “The conference was very wide-ranging in scope, and it was really interesting to listen to other students and researchers present their revealing work. I realised I am surrounded by resourceful and skilled colleagues who develop cutting-edge research with great potential for collaboration.
“Concerning my personal experience, it was my first academic conference as a PhD researcher in the English language and, despite having extensive presenting experience, this situation was completely new and challenged my self-confidence. I consider this experience has been an incredibly good training for my presentation skills, it has boosted my confidence and improved my attitude towards future conferences.”
Find out more about the conference and watch back the first session, second session and third session.
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