The final-year optometry student took the 2016 title during the National Student Summit held at the company’s European headquarters in Segensworth, Hampshire. Ambreen impressed a panel of experts with her presentation of her investigation into the effect of contact lens material on in-vitro wettability in adverse environmental conditions. She used a controlled environmental chamber facility at GCU, focusing, in particular, on silicone hydrogel versus hydrogel materials.
Ambreen receives a full delegate package to attend the 2017 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference and Exhibition, and will go on to represent the UK at Coopervision’s European Future Ocular Research Creativity Event (FORCE) in Budapest in 2017.
Ambreen said: “It has been an incredible experience conducting and presenting my own research. The Student Summit is a great opportunity to meet other optometry students and to explore a different career path within optometry. It has certainly helped prepare me for my final year project and I am delighted to have won.”
Assistant Head of the Department of Life Sciences at GCU Dr Ian Pearce said: “Congratulations to Ambreen for carrying out an excellent piece of research over the summer. Her supervisor Dr Louise Madden should also be congratulated for guiding Ambreen so well.
“The continued success of GCU students in this competition reflects the importance that we place on research in our undergraduate Optometry programme.”
Last year’s Coopervision Student of the Year title was awarded to GCU student Romana Khaliq, who went on to take third place in the FORCE Student of the Year awards earlier this year. Previous winners Michelle Snowball and Fiona Buckmaster both went on to be named FORCE Student of the Year at the European Student Summit in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
Links