Test Labs UK - Biomedical Sciences
Partner sector: Professional Scientific and Technical Activities
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Partner sector: Professional Scientific and Technical Activities
Live Brief case study: Test Labs UK and ARU Biomedical Sciences students
ARU students on our BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences course in Peterborough participated in a Live Brief with specialist medical device company Test Labs UK.
The brief: Evaluating antimicrobial innovations for medical devices
Test Labs tasked students with evaluating the suitability, sustainability, and safety of various antimicrobial materials for specific types of medical equipment such as ward beds, surgical instruments, and infusion pumps.
Students collaborated in small groups, each focusing on a specific category of medical devices or equipment to research and analyse materials like metals, enzymatic coatings, and hydrogels.
They assessed the performance and limitations of these materials, their compatibility with existing hospital cleaning practices, their effectiveness in reducing contamination and adherence to regulatory standards.
The students delivered their findings in the form of poster presentations on the advancements in antimicrobial innovations, recording detailed evaluations and practical recommendations ensuring suitable solutions for medical devices and services within health care.
See the posters produced by the students and read the Test Labs UK blog about this Live Brief
ARU students presenting their work to Test Labs UK:
How the brief benefited Test Labs UK
Working with ARU students allowed Test Labs UK to access the results of time-consuming research tasks and fresh views on antimicrobial technologies from students who are not yet ingrained in industry norms.
That has helped their busy staff to stay updated on antimicrobial technologies, and provided useful information on cost-benefit analyses to help Test Labs UK make decisions about which technologies are most viable for development.
In turn, the Live Brief collaboration has the potential to support the NHS, where hospital-acquired infections exceed 650,000 cases annually and there is an urgent need to strengthen infection prevention and control measures to mitigate the spread of infections in healthcare settings.
Tautvydas Karitonas, Managing Director of Test Labs UK, delivered the launch session to the students at the start of the Live Brief. He said:
“Today's session with the ARU students for their 2024 Live Brief was great. This year's topic, "Advancements in Antimicrobial Innovations: Ensuring Suitable Solutions for Medical Devices and Surfaces Within Healthcare" sparked some excellent questions about their research. I can't wait to see their final posters.”
Read Tautvydas Karitonas’ LinkedIn post about this Live Brief
Holly Scott, Executive Assistant at Test Labs UK, attended the students’ presentations of their work to Test Labs UK at the end of the Live Brief. She said:
“It was a remarkable privilege to participate in ARU’s Life Brief assessment this year, Observing the students exhibit their expertise and enthusiasm in devising solutions for real-world industry challenges was truly amazing. The proficiency and presentation abilities displayed by the students was nothing short of inspiring.”
Read Holly Scott’s LinkedIn post about this Live Brief
How the Live Brief benefited ARU students
Students gained the invaluable opportunity to interact directly with experts in the biomedical science industry.
They received detailed professional feedback on their initial research and draft posters from Test Labs UK Managing Director Tautvydas Karitonas, which helped them learn how to adjust their research and written summaries as the project developed.
They developed their teamwork and networking skills, and gained valuable practice in presenting themselves professionally and responding to questions about their posters from industry experts.
ARU Biomedical Sciences student Aaliyah Aziz said:
“From this presentation I have improved skills in communication and building up confidence in public speaking. I was part of the group researching ‘antimicrobial coatings for non-invasive patient care equipment.’ We selected medical carts. Together as a team we compiled our findings and research to create our poster.
“This was a great opportunity for our class to improve on skills outside of studying. Thank you to all the staff and to Test Labs UK for making this happen.”
Read ARU student Aaliyah Aziz’s LinkedIn post about this Live Brief
ARU Biomedical Sciences student Princelah Opoku said:
“I am so proud of our ARU Peterborough Biomedical Science groups after this week's 2024 Live Brief session!
“Diving into "Advancements in Antimicrobial Innovations: Ensuring Suitable Solutions for Medical Devices and Surfaces Within Healthcare" was eye-opening. I'm happy to hear that our questions were on fire, and I'm stoked to hear that we are heading in the right direction. I cannot wait to showcase the awesome posters we'll create!”
“Guided by our lecturer, Ian Tennant, we had the chance to ask questions about the assigned projects and look into their career and the organisation's goals.
“It was a very eye-opening visit, and for that, I'd like to thank Test Labs for kindly addressing all our questions and taking the time to accommodate us and give us a tour, enriching our knowledge of the work environment of a laboratory as well as enlightening us on the importance of sustaining and sterilising medical devices to ensure long-term reusability issues at the forefront of the healthcare system, especially the NHS.”
Read ARU student Princelah Opoku’s LinkedIn post about this Live Brief
Live Brief case study: Neurogether and ARU Business students
ARU Business undergraduate students taking the second-year module The Entrepreneurial Journey participated in a Live Brief with early-stage start-up company Neurogether, a new global social networking platform that aims to bring together people interested in neuroscience and related fields.
The brief: A strategy for sustainable growth
Neurogether asked the students to develop a strategy supporting Neurogether's planned transition from the pre-revenue to the revenue stage of business, rethinking and reinforcing the business model and marketing strategies to support quick, sustainable, and scalable growth of the company.
In response to the Live Brief, students devised and pitched a range of strategies for achieving various lead generation and brand awareness targets set by Neurogether.
The targets included specific increases in the numbers of users of Neurogether’s digital channels (website, app and social media) and in-person attendees at Neurogether’s annual conference, and acquisition of specific new user profile types.
Neurogether founder and CEO, Utkarsh Gupta, describes his Live Brief experience:
“The Live Brief was an amazing experience from my perspective as an entrepreneur leading an early-stage start-up, because I got to brainstorm ideas with students who were so capable that for me, the experience was more like working with fellow entrepreneurs."
“It was a very valuable session, from which I’ve learned and gained so much that I can implement."
“I think Live Briefs are an absolutely amazing opportunity for other organisations to come on board and have this experience of brainstorming brilliant ideas with the students here at ARU.”
Live Brief case study: Active Essex and ARU Public Health students
ARU students on our BSc Public Health course participated in a Live Brief with Chelmsford-based activity and sport partnership organisation Active Essex.
The brief: Innovative ways to increase activity levels across Essex
Courtenay Mosley (Active Essex Relationship Manager, Health and Social Care) asked students to help analyse issues underlying five of Active Essex’s key strategic priorities, and recommend innovative ways to achieve better health outcomes in each priority area:
Students worked in groups to develop a detailed response to each of the priorities, which they then presented back to Courtenay. The students recommended considering a range of approaches, such as:
How the brief benefited Active Essex and ARU students
Courtenay said:
“Live Briefs give Active Essex and other similar organisations a really good opportunity to share with students the things that we’re focused on as important priorities right now.
”Live Briefs also give students a valuable chance to do some research into the evidence and current topics in public health that are out there at the moment and bring some conclusions from their own perspective.
“Having the opportunity to present their recommendations really builds students’ employment skills, and helps them prepare for working life.”
BSc Public Health student Tina Cooper said:
“Having Courtenay explain Active Essex’s priorities and her role to us has given us a great insight into our potential future roles as Public Health practitioners, and what we could become involved in after we finish our degree.”
Partner sector: Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security
Live Brief case study: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and ARU Graphic Design Students
ARU students on our BA Graphic Design course in Cambridge participated in a Live Brief with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The brief: Designing a new brand for the OPCC
The OPCC asked ARU students to design a new brand for the organisation, covering all its traditional and digital suite of materials. The existing brand was too similar to the Constabulary logo, causing public confusion. The aim was to create a distinct brand representing the OPCC's independent role from the police.
The brief was led by Catherine Kimberley, Head of Engagement at OPCC, on behalf of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston.
The students conducted research, engaged in design iterations, and received feedback from the OPCC. They then delivered a range of innovative branding solutions in May 2024 that provided the OPCC with diverse options for rebranding.
One design, created by ARU student Faria Akhtar, was selected by the OPCC to become the new brand, which will be used across all their communications. It was unveiled at ARU’s Graduate Showcase on 23 May 2024. and will be applied across all OPCC’s traditional and digital platforms, including their online presence, social media, letterheads, reports, and email signatures.
How the brief benefited the OPCC
Faria’s winning design concept
Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston said:
“Both myself and my team were blown away by the designs – each one of the students has worked incredibly hard on the brief and produced some amazing and innovative work.
“In the build-up to the local PCC Elections, I spoke to a lot of residents about my role, and while people are starting to understand the service I and my team deliver, a new brand will help make our work more accessible to all.
“Faria’s design perfectly encapsulates what PCCs do – holding the Chief Constable to account for an effective police service, working with partners to reduce crime, delivering early intervention and prevention initiatives which support people from getting involved in crime in the first place, and providing funding which improves support services for victims.”
The project also attracted attention from other Police and Crime Commissions across England, showcasing the high-profile nature of this collaboration.
Read OPCC’s press release about the Live Brief.
How the brief benefited ARU students
Students gained the invaluable opportunity to work with a high-profile client on a real-world project, producing a design that required approval at the highest level from the English parliament and Home Office.
Professor Catherine Lee MBE, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences at ARU, said:
“The fact that students get the opportunity to take part in professionally relevant tasks, with real outcomes, is incredibly rewarding for them. Faria has done a fantastic job, and we can’t wait to see this new logo for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s Police and Crime Commissioner being rolled out across the county in the coming months.”
Module Leader Ian Bennett observed:
"This Live Brief was a demanding yet highly beneficial project for our students. It provided them with invaluable experience in handling a real-world client brief and developing solutions that meet professional standards.
“The nature of this project required research, experimentation and evolutionary practice. The experience of this was a very worthwhile exercise indeed and a great confidence boost for our junior graphic designers.”
Some of the other design options produced by ARU Graphic Design students
Partner sector: Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
The Mixed Museum and ARU History students
ARU students on our BA History course in Cambridge participated in a Live Brief with The Mixed Museum, a digital museum and archive organisation dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of racial mixing in Britain for future generations.
Mixed Museum Director and co-founder Chamion Caballero led the collaboration, and the students were supported by their lecturer Lucy Bland, ARU Professor of Social and Cultural History.
The brief: Research new material on Britain’s mixed-race history
Chamion asked ARU students to use digital and local archives to help research six of the Mixed Museum’s live projects.
Students had to apply their historical research skills to uncover material related to various aspect of Britain’s mixed-race history, using digital databases such as the British Newspaper Archive.
Chamion also tasked the students with visiting local and digital archive collections to gather material under the six project themes, which were:
Chamion (centre) with the students
How the brief benefited The Mixed Museum
ARU students unearthed some fascinating first-hand material that was entirely new to The Mixed Museum, including new stories, hidden voices, and fresh perspectives that Chamion and her team hope to incorporate into The Mixed Museum's collection over the coming year.
The content uncovered by the students included a 1961 novel centring on reactions to an Afghan-English mixed relationship, and an extract from the Evening Star newspaper from the 1980s containing residents’ memories of Black GIs in Ipswich.
Chamion said:
“The ARU Live Briefs programme is a fantastic initiative and we thoroughly enjoyed being part of it. It was amazing to see the extent of the new material that the students turned up, which we are gradually weaving into our collection and displays or using as starting points for further research.
“I was delighted to hear the teams present in person and offer feedback. The students did an incredible job – it was hard to believe that for many of them, it was their first time speaking in front of a large audience. So impressed by them, their efforts and the Live Briefs scheme as a whole.
“Thank you Lucy and ARU for facilitating our Live Briefs partnership, a really beneficial collaboration.”
Read The Mixed Museum’s blog about this Live Brief
Partner sector: Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
Live Brief case study: Friends of Jesus Green Lido and ARU Illustration students
ARU students on our BA Illustration course participated in a Live Brief with the Friends of Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge, Cambridge City Council and Better, who jointly manage the Jesus Green Lido.
The brief: A series of outdoor banners to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lido
The idea for the project came from The Friends of Jesus Green Lido and it was project-managed by their committee member Caroline Lewis.
The students’ brief was to come up with eye-catching designs that celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Cambridge’s Jesus Green Lido (the longest outdoor pool in Britain) with 30 unique lamp post banners which pay tribute to the iconic pool’s history, as well as reflecting the Lido’s values – community, voice and legacy.
How the brief benefited the Jesus Green Lido
Caroline Lewis, Friends of Jesus Green Lido, explained:
“We had a series of meetings with the students, telling them about the Lido’s history and sharing old photos of the pool. They then visited the Lido to experience its amazing atmosphere and wonderful community for themselves.
“We are delighted with the quality and diversity of the designs from the students - the flags are a brilliant addition to Jesus Green and the Lido.
“The students’ response to the brief has been fresh and exciting. We are lucky to have such talented students to work on the project.”
Cllr Mairéad Healy, Cambridge City Council’s Executive Councillor for Communities, said:
“These banners are fantastic – I’m so impressed with the quality of each piece of artwork and grateful to all the students for their creativity. Each banner tells a visual story of the Lido’s vibrant history, its role as a community hub, and the joy it has brought to generations of Cambridge’s residents and visitors alike.
“They are a fitting tribute to the Lido in its hundredth year. If you’ve not visited the Lido before, perhaps this centenary year is the perfect time to do so!”
Daryl Emes, Partnership Manager for Better, a social enterprise which runs the Lido in partnership with Cambridge City Council, said:
"From the first time we met with staff and students, to the installation of the artwork in the Lido and across Jesus Green, we have been blown away by their creativity, skill level and professionalism.
“We are thrilled to have these artworks in place, and we encourage everyone to come down and see them when they visit. The positive feedback we have had has been overwhelming and we especially love how each student has captured a unique aspect of the Lido, including its history as well as its place now in the community."
How the brief benefited ARU students
Allan Drummond, Senior Lecturer: BA (Hons) Illustration, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“Opportunities to work with Live Briefs are essential to students. It is the illustrator’s job to collaborate with clients, and the Lido centenary project was fantastic because it enabled our students to meet real clients, to develop and discuss visual ideas with them and to deliver final artwork that solved a real life problem - how to promote the existence of the Lido, its history and the joy of swimming outside. The brief encompassed more than 30 flags and so enabled every student’s design to be considered.”
Frances Ives, Associate Lecturer: BA (Hons) Illustration, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, said:
“I am so proud to see the flags flying in such a wonderful position across Jesus Green. To be able to see all the students’ hard work come together to celebrate the centenary is in itself a celebration of the communities across Cambridge as well as the facility. The range of illustration styles, people and seasons make for a vibrant, joyful cycle through the park - now I just need to brave the pool..."
Read Cambridge City Council’s news feature about the Live Brief
Read the Friends of Jesus Green Lido’s news feature about the Live Brief
ARU students on our BA Illustration course participated in a Live Brief with Cambridge-based social and behaviour change agency Social Change.
The brief: A campaign to end violence against women and girls
Social Change challenged ARU students to develop a creative concept, designs and artwork for a county-wide campaign led by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Know Violence Against Women, to help end violence against women and girls in the region.
How the brief benefited Social Change
Students produced a range of impactful images and designs for use at the campaign’s launch event and exhibition in the Grand Arcade centre in Cambridge, attended by the regional media and Det Supt Tim Nasta, head of protecting vulnerable people at Cambridge Constabulary.
Read the BBC news item about the students’ work.
Have a look at some of the students’ work:
Live Brief case-study: Tech Balance and ARU Psychology students
ARU students on our BSc Psychology courses in Cambridge participated in a Live Brief with Tech Balance, a small start-up enterprise that is developing Balance, a wellbeing app focused on helping students achieve a healthy tech-life balance.
Balance is a personalized well-being app that checks in with students, helps them set goals, and track progress while offering tailored resources and crisis support through university signposting.
Tech Balance Founder and CEO Ryan Bell led the collaboration.
The brief: Evidence-based resources for a student wellbeing app
Ryan invited ARU students to produce content for Balance in graphical or written format, focusing on 3-4 key points, tips or strategies for students seeking to improve their wellbeing, plus supporting evidence.
Ryan asked students to think carefully about what they or their fellow students would value when accessing support themselves, focusing on easily understandable and actionable takeaways.
ARU students chose from three topics set by Ryan:
How the brief benefited Tech Balance
ARU students produced a range of draft content for the Balance app, giving Tech Balance access to various options that would not otherwise be available.
Ryan said:
“Through the Live Brief Project, I was fortunate to collaborate with ARU, where 250 psychology undergraduates contributed to the creation of evidence-based well-being resources and provided invaluable feedback for our app."
"The Live Brief Project helped Tech Balance build on our understanding of well-being from the students' perspective through their involvement in developing resources and their active engagement in co-designing the Balance app."
How the brief benefited ARU students
The experience was authentic and engaging for our students, and Ryan’s enthusiastic talks provided them with personalised and constructive feedback.
Ryan’s interest and commitment to working with students was of real value in supporting our students to develop their learning and employability skills.
The Live Brief helped students gain a deeper understanding of how their studies could be applied to the real-life work scenario of contributing to development of an app.
Partner sector: Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security
Live Brief case study: Cambridgeshire County Council and ARU Ecology, Biodiversity, Conservation and Zoology students
ARU Cambridge students on our BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation and BSc (Hons) Zoology courses participated in a Live Brief with Cambridgeshire County Council’s (CCC) Biodiversity and Green Spaces team.
Deborah Ahmad, CCC Ecology Officer and Philip Clark, CCC Green Spaces Manager led the collaboration.
The brief: A management plan for the Giants Hill national heritage site
Deborah and Philip asked ARU students to devise a 5-year management plan, with a focus on the biodiversity sampling protocol, for land owned by Cambridgeshire County Council at Giant’s Hill, Rampton - a listed National Heritage site that includes the earthwork remains of a motte castle, medieval settlement and associated field system.
CCC needed the plan to consider monitoring of the site’s biodiversity through time, archaeological interest and public access, as well as land being farmed on the site.
How the brief benefited Cambridgeshire County Council
ARU students worked in groups first on site at Giant’s Hill and then on campus to analyse their findings and produce their plans, which they presented to Deborah and Philip.
The students' plans included a range of practical suggestions that CCC can consider implementing to protect the site’s biodiversity, archaeology and recreational interests.
The students’ proposals included:
Deborah said:
“The Live Brief with ARU students has been really engaging, and we hope to take forward their suggestions to deliver the management of our nature reserve.”
How the brief benefited ARU students
ARU students gained invaluable experience of applying their academic learning as they would do in a professional environment, practising key skills such as group work, formulating and presenting detailed plans, and responding to questions from the client.
The feedback from Philip and Deborah gave students very helpful insights into how their proposals would be evaluated and discussed in a professional working scenario, and how they might need to modify their proposals in light of the feedback.
ARU students on our BSc (Hons) Crime and Investigative Studies course participated in a Live Brief with Forensic Analytics, a company providing innovative software solutions to improve the efficiency of forensic analysis in combatting crime.
The brief – preventing and detecting crime against women and girls
The issue of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is becoming increasingly important for UK police forces. Forensic Analytics asked ARU students to analyse a large data set about crimes of stalking and harassment of women, and to suggest ways in which police forces could prevent, detect and tackle these crimes more effectively.
How the brief benefited Forensic Analytics
Students worked in groups to:
The students then presented their findings and recommendations to Scott Fitzmaurice, Strategic Development Director at Forensic Analytics.
Examples of the students’ proposals included:
Scott said:
“I think it’s really refreshing how the students have undertaken the challenge, and some hard-hitting figures have come out of their work.
“For example, their analysis identified that 70% of those who initially commit harassment online go on to commit physical violence.
“The students also did a very good job of taking a victim-oriented approach. They really grasped the importance of identifying ways to proactively prevent crime, rather than only dealing with it after it has happened.”
