PhD candidate addresses SPARC conference

Rachel Russell, who is currently completing an EPSRC-sponsored PhD with SURFACE, has presented her work at the annual University of Salford SPARC conference.

The 12th event of its kind, SPARC brought together 170 postgraduate students from across a broad range of disciplines in the University and beyond to share progress, achievements and ideas for the future.

Representing the School of the Built Environment, in a session chaired by Dr Jason Underwood, Rachel spoke about ‘engaging older people’s participation in the design of the built environment through the use of Building Information Modelling and Pre-Occupancy Evaluation (Pre-OE) techniques’. As an Occupational Therapist, with 17 years of clinical experience, Rachel hopes through her PhD to explore the potential of virtual environments and Pre-OE to support older people’s independence and new models of health and social care delivery.

You can find out more about the SPARC 2012 conference here.