The first Durham University Student’s Conference (DUSC) announced for this summer

Eight students, alumni and professors have come together this year to create the Durham University’s Student’s Conference, or the DUSC. This project will take place on Friday 19^th June in the Mill Hill Lane Building and will allow working-class and first-generation students to gain greater access to all the benefits of participating in an academic conference – an opportunity that is often otherwise unattainable for these groups.

What is the Durham University Students’ Conference (DUSC)?

DUSC is an academic conference for all domestic undergraduate students at Durham who identify as working-class or first-generation students (first in your family to access higher education).

Academic conferences are events where researchers gather to exchange ideas, network, get peer feedback and learn about the emerging literature in their field. These events are useful for students’ careers. They provide public speaking opportunities, develop academic skills, increase confidence, and foster belonging towards students’ academic department.

DUSC aims to offer prizes such as £100 or £50 gift cards and other prizes for top presenters in each faculty. There will be free merchandise, lunch and certificates provided for all participants.

Photo taken at Wolfson Research Institute’s Annual Early Career Researcher Conference 2025

Motivations behind the conference

This event was made possible by Sharon Berhane and her team. Sharon is a Durham alumna and Global Undergraduate Award winner who felt inspired to create the DUSC after attending the Global Undergraduate Award’s Annual Global Summit. Sharon described the experience of taking part in a conference as a kind of “role-reversal” of student and academic. Presenting to enlightened students, judges and staff made her “more confident and more proud of (her) work”.

Initially, she had doubts she could attend given the significant cost of registration, tickets, transport and accommodation in Dublin. However, the Durham alumna was deeply touched by how 30 members of Durham Uni staff and the Wolfson Research Institute came together to crowd-fund her trip. Hence, she created DUSC to pay this enormous kindness forward and allow for other disadvantaged Durham students in a similar position to access the same incredible opportunity.

Who is the Durham Student’s Conference for?

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Sharon won the bronze Global Undergraduate Award for her dissertation on black students’ sense of belonging at ‘elite’ UK universities. Her findings (and her own personal experience) drove her to create something that might make the racial and class divisions narrower in our student community. DUSC therefore is primarily catered towards working-class students, first-generation students and students that fit Durham University’s Access and Participation Plan (APP).

Students who fit the APP criteria may include:

• Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds; students eligible for Free School Meals, or the Durham Undergraduate Bursary.
• Students of Black-heritage or Asian-heritage
• Students with disabilities, including mental health challenges and a lack of sense of belonging at Durham.
• Mature students
• Students entering higher education through non-standard routes, for example, foundation year students.

Applicants must also be domestic students.

Photo taken at SGIA Graduation party 2025

How to take part

To take part in the conference, students must write a 150–250 word abstract of their research area. This could be related to a university summative or formative or something entirely independent. Every faculty will be represented and a panel of judges will review submissions.  If successful, applicants will be notified by mid-May this year. Applicants will then make a poster/oral presentation – a process designed to prepare students for future conferences. DUSC will also provide support to participants on how to properly craft their presentations through their Instagram: @du.studentsconference.

Submit your application here.
For any queries email [email protected] or contact their Instagram.

The DUSC team would like to thank the SU’s Belonging Fund for sponsoring the event.

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