AOUG Research Award Ceremonies

Every year the AOUG’s charity, AOUG Foundation for Education, offers a number of Awards to students who are in their final year of their PHd with The Open University. These students have to have previously gained a lower level Open University degree prior to their research study and be nominated by a member of their research department for one of our Awards.

The Awards Ceremonies take place annually on the first Friday each October and are held on The Open University campus starting at 12 noon. The candidates are invited to bring friends or family to attend their presentation and their Supervisors and other members of OU staff from various departments are also present. AOUG members are invited to purchase tickets and this event is also advertised through other areas of The Open University. Following a brief welcome from the AOUG Chairman, the Ceremony is led by the AOUG Publicity Officer who introduces the recipients and their Supervisors. A supervisor for each recipient says a few words as to why they nominated their student and then the relevant presentation is made to the recipient by the AOUG Chairman.

Currently nine Research Awards covering different subject areas are available and candidates can be nominated from any Faculty or Research Centre for any of these Awards if their research covers aspects of that area of study. Unfortunately it is not always possible for OU staff to be able to find suitable nominations to enable AOUG to present all our Awards each year.

Prior to each Award Ceremony, recipients are requested to supply information suitable for a small display about themselves and their work and this is then formatted and displayed by the AOUG Publicity Officer. Attendees at the event are then able to study these displays either before the Ceremony or after the Ceremony during a period when a buffet lunch is provided. At some Ceremonies there may also be Research Showcases from individual Faculties or Research Centres, or on other aspects of AOUG activities.

In recent years it has become the custom to also hold the AOUG Foundation Lecture on the afternoon of the same day as the Research Awards Ceremony and so tickets sold to visitors include the opportunity to attend the full day’s activities.