SustainNET provides a platform for community partners and organisations to work collaboratively with students and their academic supervisors to answer questions that are important to the region
Food
Healthy food access in Skelmersdale -In collaboration with The Larder Lancashire, Vivian Ochiagha, an international student completed a dissertation project as part of the MSc in Public Health Nutrition. The project involved conducting several focus groups with local residents to explore:
- barriers to accessing affordable, healthy, nutritious foods
- the acceptability of food-co-ops in addressing key challenges to food access.
The findings are being used by The Larder Lancashire (and partners) to secure funding to improve food access in the local area.
Quote (Vivian Ochiagha)
Greenhouse environmental conditions and plant stress – In collaboration with FlavourFresh Salads, undergraduate plant science student, Sarah, researched the impact of light levels on plant health. Read more here
Hearts, Minds and Stories
Data-Driven Futures
Timeline: Civic engagement projects are typically completed by students as part of their dissertation. This is in the final year for undergraduate students or at the end of the academic calendar for postgraduate students. Below is a guide to the timelines associated with the dissertation, however dats may vary by department
| Task | Undergraduate | Taught masters |
| Propose project: identify suitable academic and student, based on subject specialism. | Year 2, semester 2 (usually January) | Start of the academic year (usually September) |
| Research proposal: Student develops the research question and methods in collaboration with the partner/organisation | Year 2, semester 2 (February- April) | Semester 2 (February- April) |
| Ethics application: Student completes the relevant paperwork for approval | Year 3, semester 1 (October-December) | Semester 3 (May) |
| Data collection and report: subject to ethical approval and academic requirements, the student will conduct the research and share the findings with the partner/organisation | Year 3, semester 2 (January-April)* | Semester 3 (June- September)* |
*Students can apply for extensions or defer submission to a later date due to personal circumstances, which may delay the sharing of research findings