When I finished my time at POST, I told myself I would write a blog post reflecting on my time there. Now I have been back in Birmingham for a few weeks, and my POSTnote is now online, I feel like I have sufficiently gathered my thoughts enough to write something that makes sense!
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I thank the EPSRC for the opportunity. I hadn't realised at the start just how much I needed a break from the bubble of research that I was in whilst working towards my PhD. Getting the chance to continue research, but in a different field and in a different environment acted as a perfect interlude.
There were a number of things that I was surprised at. To write the note, I carried out a lot of interviews. When I first started I had no idea just how useful these would be, as all previous literature reviews (which is essentially what a POSTnote is) had just involved reading. However, so much is gained from speaking to an expert that I wonder whether this should be carried through into the academic world, with researchers encouraged to go to conferences just to hear from and speak to other researchers when they are just beginning their PhD. Currently, the norm is for a PhD student to wait until they have something to present before attending a conference. I guess that the budget is the limiting factor, as conferences can be expensive.
The importance of every word in every sentence was a bit of a shock: as the published note becomes "the voice of POST", you have to make sure you don't say anything at all that you cannot back up with supporting information. Going over every word to ensure you can provide evidence for what you are saying was a way of writing that I was new to, but quickly got used to!
I also discovered just how bad my grammar was... I learnt a lot from Lydia (Harriss) and Chris (Tyler) but was still needing correction at the end!
My favourite thing about the fellowship was the people. Not only the permanent staff, but the other fellows, the cyclists from the Kingston Wheelers and Twickenham CC, the regular early morning swimmers at the Queen Mother Leisure Centre and all the friends I realised I had in London. They ensured I had an excellent time during my stay!
Although I don't miss the commute, living in London was a great experience. Now I'm back, I realise just how refreshing it was to work with adults after 7 years at university. Another benefit for me was that, as most of the other fellows were nearing the end of their PhDs, most of our discussions were about "What next?". This was great, as it has prompted me to start thinking about life post-PhD when I still have 18 months left, rather than waiting until hand-in day to contemplate my options.
I have come back with renewed motivation to finish my PhD - I have spent a lot of the last 2 weeks in the lab and have taken a different approach to getting things done. I am hoping this will give me a strong advantage when it comes to finishing next year.
My time at POST not only gave me an insight into how science is communicated in parliament, but also improved my writing, communication and confidence. A massive thank-you to POST, the EPSRC for the fellowship, and to the University of Birmingham for welcoming me back.
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I thank the EPSRC for the opportunity. I hadn't realised at the start just how much I needed a break from the bubble of research that I was in whilst working towards my PhD. Getting the chance to continue research, but in a different field and in a different environment acted as a perfect interlude.
There were a number of things that I was surprised at. To write the note, I carried out a lot of interviews. When I first started I had no idea just how useful these would be, as all previous literature reviews (which is essentially what a POSTnote is) had just involved reading. However, so much is gained from speaking to an expert that I wonder whether this should be carried through into the academic world, with researchers encouraged to go to conferences just to hear from and speak to other researchers when they are just beginning their PhD. Currently, the norm is for a PhD student to wait until they have something to present before attending a conference. I guess that the budget is the limiting factor, as conferences can be expensive.
The importance of every word in every sentence was a bit of a shock: as the published note becomes "the voice of POST", you have to make sure you don't say anything at all that you cannot back up with supporting information. Going over every word to ensure you can provide evidence for what you are saying was a way of writing that I was new to, but quickly got used to!
I also discovered just how bad my grammar was... I learnt a lot from Lydia (Harriss) and Chris (Tyler) but was still needing correction at the end!
My favourite thing about the fellowship was the people. Not only the permanent staff, but the other fellows, the cyclists from the Kingston Wheelers and Twickenham CC, the regular early morning swimmers at the Queen Mother Leisure Centre and all the friends I realised I had in London. They ensured I had an excellent time during my stay!
Although I don't miss the commute, living in London was a great experience. Now I'm back, I realise just how refreshing it was to work with adults after 7 years at university. Another benefit for me was that, as most of the other fellows were nearing the end of their PhDs, most of our discussions were about "What next?". This was great, as it has prompted me to start thinking about life post-PhD when I still have 18 months left, rather than waiting until hand-in day to contemplate my options.
I have come back with renewed motivation to finish my PhD - I have spent a lot of the last 2 weeks in the lab and have taken a different approach to getting things done. I am hoping this will give me a strong advantage when it comes to finishing next year.
My time at POST not only gave me an insight into how science is communicated in parliament, but also improved my writing, communication and confidence. A massive thank-you to POST, the EPSRC for the fellowship, and to the University of Birmingham for welcoming me back.
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| Photo courtesy of James Courtney |
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