Reflecting on my internship with hEDStogether

It’s a wrap! My 3 month internshipat hEDStogether has gone by in a flash, and I’m so sad it’s come to an end. You can already see some of my work live on the website. We’ve added Ben, Lauren, Helen, and Gordonas members of our team, and we’ve also shared Lauren’s and Helen’s projects hereand here. There is a lot more to come including an infomercial, so keep an eye out! Although you can’t see most of what I’ve done just yet, I think this is a great opportunity to share what I did and what I’ve learned.

The biggest skill I’ve developed is my management skills. I’ve had to coordinate a huge number of projects at the same time, and I’ve never received so many emails in my life! Keeping track of who said what, and who gave permission for what was almost overwhelming. I learned to put everything in folders and made sure to recheck everything on a regular basis. I honestly think this played a crucial role in getting the infomercial organised and filmed in light of all the changes that have happened over this year. Fortunately, because of my internship, I was able to dedicate the time and effort needed to organise its filming in socially distanced conditions! I’ve also liased with two of the EDS charities, Ehlers-Danlos Support UK (EDS UK) and Hypermobility Syndromes Association (HMSA) to raise further awareness of our research and its outputs to the public. I’ve developed so many skills, including communication, organisation and management skills, and these are going to be so valuable as I go forwards with my PhD and research career.

The most difficult aspect of this internship for me was using social media. I have never been an avid user, and doing so gives me a lot of anxiety. So when Gemma suggested I use it to develop my networking and research communication skills, I genuinely tried to come out of my shell, but it was something I found extremely uncomfortable. Every tweet would take up so much of my time, and it just didn’t feel sustainable to continue anymore. For someone who is a bit of a perfectionist, I think this internship has taught me that it’s OK to not be good at everything, and that knowing your weaknesses can also be a strength in itself.

Having said that, I do have my strengths. I always give complete and total dedication into the work that I do, and hEDStogether really needed someone like me at this time! The website is still in its relatively early stages, and mostly run on a voluntary basis. To get the platform up to speed, it really needed someone to put together and collate all the current and previous research done by the team, and I don’t think hEDStogether could have found anyone with more dedication and enthusiasm! I can honestly say that I gave it my all, and I’m super proud that most of the backlog of work that hEDStogether needed doing has been done, and I can’t wait for you to see it all.

I have also genuinely enjoyed this internship. The best thing was getting to use co-creative methods in practice (blogs about this coming soon!). Until now, all my academic work has been strictly independent, but during this internship, I was taking a more collaborative approach. I had the opportunity to listen and incorporate other people’s perspectives, and improve my work from the feedback given. It was such a pleasure to discover and collaborate with other inspiring people, and I’m really going to miss this part of my internship.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank my internship supervisor Dr Gemma Pearce, not just for this placement, but for everything she has done for me. Whilst studying for my Master’s degree, I did a small literature-based research project into hEDS/HSD completely independently. Though Gemma was from a different department and not officially assigned to this project, she read my work, saw that it was worth something, and then made sure it was seen by the right people. It was because of her (and also Dr Emma Reinhold) that my work is now being developed and planned for publication (details coming soon!). I was able to put this on my CV, demonstrate that I could synthesise and conduct impactful research, which helped secure my PhD position and funding for EDS research. This only happened because of Gemma’s actions, and I can honestly say that no academic has ever gone above and beyond for me in this way and to this extent, and also on a completely voluntary basis. So to have the opportunity to do my internship with her and have her supervise my PhD for 3 months was not just a genuine pleasure. It was a privilege, because no one else would have made sure this internship also benefitted me like she has done.

Gemma, I have really enjoyed working with you, and though our respective EDS research fields are quite different, I hope we have many more opportunities to work together. Though I am no longer your intern, you can always count on me to support both you and hEDStogether. Thank you for supporting my professional work, my personal development, and for also caring about my personal wellbeing. You are not just my academic supervisor, you are also my role model and my friend. Thank you for everything.

Sabeeha Malek

MIBTP 2019 Cohort - Warwick

Kerry Davies : 12 Nov 2020 18:27 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Recognising those who stand up for science in the face of adversity– The John Maddox Prize 2019

By Joanna Chustecki
MIBTP Birmingham - 2017 cohort

On the 12^th December 2019, Sense about Science and Nature hosted the John Maddox Prize, an award recognising scientists that stand up for evidence and scientific vigour in the face of adversity, misinformation and criticism. I attended the evening at the Wellcome Collection in London as a member of the Voice of Young Science (VoYS) network, a vocal and dynamic group of early career researchers who are committed to addressing public misconceptions of science by speaking to journalists, policy makers and the public to stand up for and provide evidence on key issues.

As an intern for Sense about Science during my first year of the MIBTP Doctoral Training Program, I was keen to stay in touch with the team, and to find out more about the John Maddox Prize. The prize commemorates Sir John Maddox, former editor of Nature, a founding trustee of Sense about Science, and a relentless communicator and defender of scientific process. In his memory, the award is given to those working on issues where the available science is the inconvenient truth.

Awarded to two individuals each year, one to a person at an early stage in their career; the prize highlights vital work going on around the world to face up to those who dismiss, reject or deliberately suppress evidence. Prof. Bambang Hero Saharjo of Indonesia was awarded the prize this year for fighting relentlessly through major court cases and harassment to deliver evidence on the initiation of peatland fires, often by palm oil companies, and the risks these pose to the Indonesian population and to greenhouse gas emissions. During his speech, Prof. Saharjo spoke of what the award meant to him and how the support of his ‘new friends in London’ will help him continue to fight for scientific evidence in the face of corporate lobbyists. Particularly pertinent in the age of climate denial and environmental destruction for profit, for me it was a hopeful moment, and a chance to be reassured that there are experts out there continually fighting to get evidence heard and used to inform policy decisions.

The Early Career award was given to Olivier Bernard, from Quebec, who spoke out against alternative health proponents lobbying the government about the supposed benefits of Vitamin C injections for cancer patients. When he described the current scientific evidence showing no basis for the claims, he faced huge backlash from these groups, with them revealing the pharmacy at which he worked, sending complaints to his employers as well as threatening him and his family.

Olivier’s story has stuck with me as a show of true courage- especially for someone early in their career. As young scientists, it can be particularly daunting to face such a challenge, without the years of experience, reputation, and solid networks older researchers may benefit from. Olivier also showed that sometimes it can be an isolating process to go through this experience, and spoke about times when he felt that his safety, and that of his wife, were at risk.

The prize visibly meant a lot to the winners, an acknowledgment from the scientific community of the bravery and persistence they have shown. As it should for all those who were nominated. Each year Sense about Science and Nature receive more and more nominations from further and further afield. This shows a continuing struggle for researchers internationally to be heard on key topics. It also demonstrates that the backlash and struggle they face to debunk and counter false claims, misconceptions and suppression of evidence continue to be a massive hurdle to evidence-backed policy and public thought.

I would recommend young researchers, no matter what your background, to get involved with organisations such as VoYS and Sense About Science. For me, the experiences offered to PhDs who are willing to extend their boundaries outside of their home institutions can be invaluable. Helping to meet and greet guests, and having the chance to network with some of the UKs top journalists, publishers, researchers and policy makers was a fantastic opportunity for a PhD student. It’s also chance to connect with other young researchers, glean career advice and see the many different avenues they have taken through both public-facing roles and academia. Oh, and there’s always a chance to decompress and catch up at the pub afterwards!

If you’re interested in joining the VoYS network and connecting with other young researchers who can can provide the kind of support, advice and new ideas on how to communicate you research, or help debunk false claims you may come across in your career, visit their website for more information. I’d like to thank the Sense about Science team for having me on board, and for the other VoYS volunteers for making this such a fun and informative evening!

Kerry Davies : 17 Jan 2020 11:41 |  Tags: About Mibtp PhD Prize Science Sense |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Interning with the education policy team at the RSB

Writing about web page https://blog.rsb.org.uk/interning-with-the-education-policy-team-at-the-rsb/

The recent wave of Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) schemes have paved new ground for the enrichment of doctoral learning through extended transferable skills programmes. Through this scheme, I was introduced to the Royal Society of Biology, to work alongside their education policy team.

As a BBSRC-funded PhD candidate, I am part of the Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP): a consortium of three research-focused universities.

As part of their focus on transferrable skills, MIBTP allocates time for students to undergo three months of non-laboratory work experience (known as Professional Internships for PhD students or ‘PIPS’). This helps prepare PhD doctorates to enter a career outside of the traditional academic route: a pathway doused with fierce competition.

The placement can be in any field, provided it is not scientific research, but as a microbiologist, a biology organisation was most appropriate for my interests. I had the exciting pleasure of spending my internship with the Royal Society of Biology in their education policy team.

Matt (far left) and the RSB team during one of the spring parliamentary events

The RSB, along with other learned societies, had commissioned research into the complexities of KS4 science timetabling. I was tasked with mining the data for interesting correlations, and drafting a report to support potential policy positions.

I utilised my analytical competencies to support the team and learnt more about the problems that currently face secondary science education. This was an important responsibility and I felt trusted and respected to undergo such a task.

Additionally, I attended a number of curriculum, policy and teaching meetings. Being introduced to all these established education experts was honouring, if not intimidating. However, my contribution and attendance were kindly praised. I was exposed to a number of enticing topics and discussions which furthered my understanding of national curriculum development.

I supported the policy team further through my engagement with the RSB curriculum committee as they build towards a framework for a 5-19 curriculum. I also liaised with the co-chairs of the Biological Education Research Group, to conglomerate education experts for an annual meeting to discuss education improvement in biology.

Perhaps the most enthralling aspect of my time at the RSB were the chances I had to visit the historic Palace of Westminster; assisting with the RSB accreditation awards evening and attending an inaugural science speech by Dame Nancy Rothwell at the Speaker’s House.

Additionally, I was given access to bespoke professional development training, including Unconscious Bias and Introduction to Patent Law, furthering my transferable skills portfolio. Lastly, I learnt to summarise policy documents, making accessible briefs for T levels, and Ofqual research reports amongst others.

Alongside supporting education policy, I provided photography support for the Natural Capital Initiative’s 2019 summit, and the Heads of University Biosciences annual conference at the Wellcome Genome Campus.

I am exceedingly grateful for my time with the RSB. The organisation presented me with an exciting, friendly and professional introduction to education policy, opening countless doors of opportunity.

I will certainly return to my PhD with a revitalised view of how to maintain and prosper my professional network and my future career aspirations: potentially one outside of the laboratory.

By Matt Harwood - MIBTP 2018 Warwick student

Kerry Davies : 03 Oct 2019 15:29 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

3 months in Morocco, a PIPS with a difference

For my PIPS, I spent 3 months in the Moroccan capital of Rabat working with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). I arrived into Marrakech airport after a Christmas at home in the west of Ireland, thrilled to escape the rain and to experience the life of an expat in North Africa. Starting after the new year allowed me to jump straight into meetings between senior members of staff outlining their plans for the coming seasons. After an extensive tour of the facility, I was given a lot of freedom to choose who I wanted to work with, allowing me to gain experience within areas of the organisation that interested me the most. I decided to work mainly with agronomists and breeders involved with wheat and barley to see how scientific research was being translated to improve the livelihood of smallholder famers. The Mediterranean diet of fruits, vegetables and dry land cereals in Morocco puts these two staple crops at the centre of daily life.

The first order of business was to design trials to test various cereal lines. We sourced and mixed the soil on site for tolerance to the adverse conditions such as drought, salinity and even freezing that can occur in macro environments within dry areas around the globe. Since I was a recent convert to the world of plant genetics this was an excellent experience to see not only how trials are conducted in breeding programs, but how they’re carried out within a non-profit organisation like ICARDA.

Following this, regular visits were conducted to Marchouch, one of ICARDA’s major field research sites where they leverage the diverse soil and climatic conditions available in Morocco to test a multitude of crops and varieties. During these visits we spoke to the local smallholder farmers who were assisting on site or nearby about implementing modern agronomic practices for improved yields such as the use of fertilisers and choosing varieties appropriate to their field conditions in our own unique blend of French, Arabic and English.

ICARDA is 1 of 15 organisations in the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). An annual meeting of all of the directors of the CGIAR took place in January. Representatives from each centre gathered to present developments and research they were conducting in their host countries. I felt this was a really rare opportunity to get an idea of how scientific research translated to progress in developing countries. I was lucky enough to engage with some of the directors personally to get an idea of the professional opportunities available to plant scientist’s in international agriculture.

After this I began to work with Adil El-Baouchel in the quality lab of ICARDA to see how high yielding lines were assessed for nutritional content, dough quality and even baking! This involved a lot of co-ordination and organisation due to the high throughput of samples in the facility. Beyond this, analysing data that we generated to train machine learning algorithm really hammered home the growing importance of programming in science, especially in not for profit organisations like ICARDA, where predictive algorithms can save valuable time and resources.

The breeders at ICARDA encouraged me to engage with some of the local Moroccan student, helping me run workshops in epigenetics and chromatin biology for them with presentations and lessons. It was great to contribute to the student’s education in molecular biology and to put my academic studies to good use as the capacity building mission statement of ICARDA was to build the next generation of breeders and agronomists. Having previously taught in India, I found myself once again enjoying the experience of teaching and bonding with others over a shared love learning, a crucial trait shared by all scientists all over the world.

My experience was more than just work though. Trips across the diverse culture and landscape of Morocco were organised regularly with staff and others I’d met in Morocco. This made my time there all the more enriching journeying from the humble rural farms of the atlas plateau to the bustling medinas of Marrakech, and from the Rif mountains to the eternal Sahara Desert.

By far I felt the biggest advantage of being at one the CGIAR’s main centres was engaging with other plant scientists who knew what prospects were out there for adventurous young scientists. The insights they gave me into the industry and real-world application of new agricultural technologies was absolutely invaluable. Building these connections and learning the lay of the land this early in my PhD will allow me to tailor my research and skill development to pursue a fulfilling career in food security.

I would like to give a big thanks to the MIBTP directors and administrators for supporting me to undertake this personal and professional journey. I know this formative experience will stick with me throughout my career and appreciate how rare an opportunity a paid internship abroad like this is.

Cathal Meehan, MIBTP 2017, Warwick
Picture 1: Hassan II tower Rabat
Picture 2: Marchouch field trials
Picture 3: Adil El-Baouche giving a tour of the quality lab to the CGIAR directors
Picture 4: The eternal Sahara Desert

Kerry Davies : 19 Apr 2018 09:41 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Parliamentary Links day and my time at the Royal Society

I had the privilege as part of the Public Affairs team to attend the Annual Links day (27^thJune 2017) event in Parliament. As a three moth Intern within the team, this chance was a wonderful opportunity to see the collaborations and discussions between the learned societies and government centred on science. This filled me with hopes for the future as I am currently a PhD student studying Cancer sciences at the University of Birmingham, funded by the BBSRC.

The topic of this year’s Links day was: UK Science and Global Opportunities. The location, the Attlee Suite Portcullis House, a wonderful building within the parliamentary complex at Westminster. After the formalities of coffee, the cohort of attendees was ushered into a very packed room with people lining the side walls and back area around the seating. This is to the credit of the hard work of Stephan Metcalfe MP and Stephan Benn of the Royal Society of Biology for bringing together such a wealth of knowledge and people.

I settled down from the initial buzz of seeing the speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP and Jo Johnson MP to listen to their commitments to science and it placed reassurances to everyone in the room. John shared that he in fact did not take any science O-levels and that his knowledge was limited, but since becoming speaker, was a great advocate of science. John also spoke of his absolute fondness for the late Tony Benn and thanked the Benn family for their dedication and hard work to the field of science. In the welcome talks, Sir John Kingman FRS, the chair designate of UKRI, made it clear that the political class is recognising that science is the future. He also stated that the ability to navigate Brexit is crucial, with the attempt to remain in the Horizon 2020 and to maintain overall European funding. Jo Johnson MP importantly revealed that the UK will continue collaboration with Joint European Torus (JET), a fusion energy centred in the UK. This was much to the delight of Institute of Physics I’m sure. Jo also eluded to the government’s pledge to reach the OECD average on R&D spending within the next decade, a statement I have repeated many times since the manifesto reveal, with the hope that one day it might actually be carried out!

At this point my feet got very tired from the prolonged standing so I decided to take a seat on the floor for the panel discussions. Within these, the multiple academics, MPs and scientists focused on the current topical issue of Brexit, one year on from the historic vote. Each person raised concerns on EU nationals, immigration, funding and programme participation. Chris Hale, from Universities UK, and the president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh called to remove students from immigration numbers as a special consideration to their circumstances. Representatives from both the Embassy of Spain and Italy presented worrying and quite frankly shocking statistics. A study conducted with 2,000 Italian academics said that 82% have thought about leaving or are planning to leave the UK. Overall, the consensus was that there is a lack of knowledge on the framework of the government’s stance on immigration. It’s obvious that more clarity is needed over the coming months. Chi Onwurah MP, stated a need for a free flow of ideas and people and Dr Sarah Main, the director of CaSE insisted the community has to come together. It was incredibly warming to see such a unified voice on science and the priorities of science in Brexit. This positive and optimistic outlook on the role of science in the future should please the audience although it’s clear to notice that continued pressure and collaboration is essential.

Professor Alex Halliday, Vice president of the Royal Society was given the great honour of providing at keynote address during a very lavish dinner in the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords. Within the speech, Alex was able to provide the audience with three main stances the Royal Society have on Brexit. The first is to provide certainty for EEA citizens currently residing in the UK. He then followed with a new priority for the Royal Society, to remove international students from the immigration figures as they provide £25bn to the economy, as well as the diversity of ideas and people. The final point stated that the country should participate in Horizon 2020 until the end of the programme, as part of any phased exit from the EU.

During this five-course lunch, I got to sit on the table of The Council for the Mathematical sciences and I spoke about gender inequalities in STEM subjects with Sir Adrian Smith FRS, University of London’s vice-chancellor and about the surging youth support for Labour with Stephen Timms MP. Professor Chris Linton, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University discussed in detail about the new London-based campus for the university which I previously was unaware of.

Getting the chance to rub shoulders with such an esteemed group of people was a nice break from my work on the Royal Society’s annual Summer Science Exhibition. This event marks the last week of my time at the institution and has been the main focus of my work in the Public Affairs team. I was tasked by Becky and Joe to invite MPs to the event that within their constituency, holds one of the institutions taking part in the 22 exhibits. In doing so I have communicated with the lead researchers of the exhibits, mailed and maintained contact with around 30 MPs, created a press release for the attending MP’s, organised the photography and created briefings on both the researchers and MPs. With the general election being called so close to the event and the change in MP’s, this became a challenging and tall order on a very tight schedule. I hold the Summer Science Exhibition close to my heart and I am very proud of the important role I have played. Overall, I have loved the fast paced environment and the office life, but most of all I am hugely grateful to the Public Affairs team for having me, what a great bunch of excitable, but professional people they are! It’s been an honour and pleasure and I hope to return in the future.

Picture 1: Meeting Brian Cox at the Summer Science Exhibition. Picture 2: Thangam Debbonaire MP for Bristol West at the Cycling Glory stand.Picture 3: The Public Affairs team at the Royal Society Picture 4: Parliamentary LINKS day (27^thJune 2017) with Jo Johnson MP, Stephan Metcalfe MP, Stephan Benn and the Rt Hon John Bercow MP

Curtis Oliver-Smith - MIBTP 2016
June 2017

Kerry Davies : 26 Jul 2017 14:04 |  Tags: Day Links Parliamentary Pips Placement Royal Society |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

MIBTP Teambuilding in Coniston

As part of the MIBTP doctoral training programme we are fortunate to have access to the University of Birmingham’s activity centre in the Lake District; the Raymond Priestly Centre. It is perfectly located on the western shore of Coniston Water surrounded by stunning views of the lake and mountains which look beautiful, even in the rain!

For many people, the idea of “team building activities” during a PhD may seem a waste of time. I have to admit that the thought of taking 5 days out of my research schedule to play in a canoe or climb some ropes did not fill me with joy as we set off up the M6 in the middle of June. However, I could not have enjoyed my time at the Raymond Priestly Centre more!

Everyone in my group seemed a little sceptical at first, being instructed to build a bridge over a marshy pit or canoeing across a lake weren’t tasks we thought we would need to do while completing a PhD! However, we dived into the tasks in good spirits laying planks of wood, shuffling across platforms, lifting each other through small space between strings, building rafts. Little did we know that so much learning could be obtained from such fun activities. We started each task with little planning initially and consequently little success! However, with guidance from the delightful team leaders from the Centre, we realised the importance of collaborating our ideas and deciding upon the best way to complete the activity.

Throughout the week at the centre there were reflective discussion about how we had completed the tasks (if indeed we had managed to!) and on the groups teamwork each day. Again, if I’m honest, I was sighing at the words “reflective activity” written into the timetable for each day at the centre, however it is a lot more beneficial than you would first expect. Looking back at how you tackled each task at the end of an activity, with the leaders instigating a thought process on what could be improved and what went well, provided useful feedback to enhance our team-working skills each day. Eventually we established roles for each of our group members based upon each other’s strengths. It was clear to see how we all developed over the week when you compare our epic failures of plunging into marsh pits and capsizing canoes initially, due to rushing into activities without proper planning at the start of the week, to our team navigating across the lake and mountains of Coniston on the last day successfully collecting many points for Project X. The way our group transitioned from many individuals, each with good ideas and skills to offer, into a prosperous team was as a result of our group reflection and feedback session.

Teamwork, feedback and reflection are all skills that are important in the lab setting and throughout a PhD. With each experiment conducted, a plan needs to be established from start to finish and often made in collaboration with supervisors or other lab members. Utilising people’s skills and strengths and working together with your lab group is important to help you learn and develop into a successful researcher. Being able to work well in a team during your PhD is incredibly beneficial, although, if your experimental results don’t turn out exactly as planned at least you don’t end up in a cold lake or covered in mud!

My time at Coniston gave me the opportunity to get to know my MIBTP colleagues more and have a great time in the Lake District. But more than simply this, it offered me the chance to reflect on my PhD and myself as a researcher. I had never really stopped to consider what I was doing well or what I needed to work on and plan how to tackle any issues I identified. While at the Raymond Priestly Centre I learnt a lot about myself, but also had an incredible time in an amazing setting. I was completely converted from a cynic of teambuilding events to wishing I could go again next year! I hope you can enjoy your time in Coniston as much as I did!

Sophie Martucci - 2015 cohort
June 2017

Kerry Davies : 26 Jul 2017 09:24 |  Tags: Cohort Coniston District Lake Mibtp Reflection Science Skills Teambuilding |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

LiveGene

Fourth year MIBTP students Laura Flavell and Nathaniel Davies work in the Tauber lab at the University of Leicester, a lab specialising in insect genetics. For their PIPS projects, they set up an outreach programme called LiveGene, a programme which aims to bring genetics education to life by bringing live fruit flies into GCSE and A-level classrooms. By performing real life experiments with Drosophila, students can learn about genetics principles by testing them first-hand rather than relying on textbooks.

The project is a collaboration with LEBC (Leicestershire Education Business Company), a company with links to schools across Leicestershire. With the help of LEBC, Nathaniel and Laura began the project by meeting with teachers to talk about how the aims of the project could be realised. The idea was to make sure the practicals on offer would target the right parts of the curriculum, that schools would already have the equipment necessary to perform the experiments, and that the teachers would have access to the necessary training to work with fruit flies.

These meetings led to the structure of LiveGene as it is today.

“The idea of LiveGene is that a teacher interested in working with fruit flies can contact us and join one of our training sessions. Within the space of a few hours, we show the teachers how to work with fruit flies. Our sessions cover mutant identification, sexing, stock maintenance, general handling procedures, and food preparation. At first we only had one or two teachers in Leicester attending these sessions, but now we have hosted sessions for teachers from over 22 schools across the UK, helping to set up fruit-fly practicals across the country.” – Laura Flavell

In addition to providing these free training sessions, LiveGene also provides schools with free fruit flies and starter equipment.

“Once the teachers are ready to start working with flies, we send starter packs out to schools – free of charge. The packs usually contain an assortment of wild-type and mutant flies for schools to run classes with. So far we’ve helped 12 schools in the UK get stocks of fruit flies, and have even sent flies to a school in Brunei!” - Nathaniel

An important part of LiveGene is the delivery of the lessons, so Nathaniel and Laura (and other members of the Tauber lab) have visited several schools to provide training to teachers and to help out with lessons. LiveGene has been featured in local newspapers, and the number of children who have been able to work with fruit flies thanks to LiveGene is now easily in the tens of hundreds; not a bad start for what was originally a three-month placement!

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Genetics-lessons-brought-life-using-live-fruit/story-19608955-detail/story.html

: 02 Nov 2015 23:57 |  Tags: Outreach Pips |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

UniGreenScheme needs your help!

Third year MIBTP student’s business UniGreenScheme has reached the final of the Shell Smarter Future competition and needs your help to win £5k cash! The winner is now decided on number of votes so please go to [2] on the pineapple picture on this link and vote for UniGreenScheme… http://www.shell-livewire.org/awards/smarter-future-programme/ Voting closes 31^st October. See below to hear a little more about UniGreenScheme.

UniGreenScheme is a service built to solve a problem that troubles universities across the UK: The accumulation of unwanted equipment in laboratories.

The Problem:

Universities are always buying new equipment but don’t have an effective system for selling the enormous supply of unwanted equipment they accumulate. As such, functional and valuable equipment can be found unused but taking up valuable space, depreciating in value until ultimately being disposed of.

“Academic and infrastructure staff across the UK tell me the same thing: They have no storage space. Yet walk into any laboratory and you will find unwanted equipment on windowsills, shelving and benchtops as well as filling up corridors and store rooms. At some point, this becomes such a problem, it all has to go.” – Michael McLeod, Founder.

The UniGreenScheme Solution:

UniGreenScheme, is the easy way for universities to generate revenue and prevent waste. They collect, store and sell unwanted equipment from universities to their network of specialist business customers. They then share profits with the university.

“The best bit about our service is that we work directly with the PIs as well as technical and facilities managers – and share profits with them. Our approach gets unused laboratory equipment off the workbench and back into re-use because staff get something back for using us rather than just green points - making the use of their valuable time worthwhile.“ – Michael McLeod.

How this helps the environment:

Every item they get and item out of storage into re-use it displaces the carbon-cost of manufacturing a new product. This is particularly important with scientific equipment often manufactured using rare and hazardous materials. “I believe our service will make the entire scientific industry more sustainable through better use and re-use of its available resources” – Michael McLeod.

Their 3-year goals are to prevent 200,000kg of useable equipment going to waste. This will save 758,000kg of CO2e: That’s equivalent to a days carbon emissions of the entire district of West Somerset, or 37,000 people.

Some recent examples:

In 2003 an engineering school spent £16,000 on 30 boxes of Anechoic Foam. Only two boxes were used before the PI left the institution. The remainder were in their original boxes, sealed, and were moved from corridor to corridor until in 2015 a refurbishment meant they had to be spent for disposal. UniGreenScheme removed these boxes and are anticipating a return for the University of £7,000.

A university wide refurbishment required the removal of 300 high-value Italian designer chairs. The university was quoted £5,090 + VAT for disposal. UniGreenScheme collected all chairs in one day and are anticipating a sales return of over £3,000 for the University. They prevented four tonnes of plastic waste and 13 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

A commercial pass-through dishwasher that was sat in a corridor for several years unused was removed by UniGreencheme and they anticipate a return of £1,000 for the University.

“The best thing about running this business, is hearing where the items will go. Last week I was sent a picture of a workshop that was built using our second-hand Trespa that was otherwise being thrown into a skip. This week I heard some of our 1950’s classroom stools were being used in a social enterprise for children in Reading. This stuff that would be waste is being used for good and helping people and organisations save money. – Michael McLeod

Recent achievements:

UniGreenScheme only formed 10 months ago but has gone from strength to strength. They now have a 900 sq ft warehouse, and over 500 unwanted items in stock.

• 16 Universities now interested in their service with several in Wales, England and Scotland.
• Awarded £250 cash prize and were the business selected to Represent UoB at the national level in the Santander Entrepreneurship Competition.
• They recently won competitive EU LIFE+ funded support in a competitive five-year project with just 30 other companies. Other companies include Sky, Panasonic, Samsung, DHL, Argos and many more.

The next 12 months will be very exciting for UniGreenScheme as they go from pilot phase into scale-up across the UK.

If your interested in hearing more about UniGreenScheme or want to use UniGreenScheme in your laboratory, just contact Michael on Michael.mcleod@unigreenscheme.co.uk Follow them on @unigreenscheme.

: 25 Oct 2015 10:56 |  Tags: Entrepreneurship |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Volunteering, community outreach and teaching in Tanzania with Raleigh ICS

Volunteering, community outreach and teaching in Tanzania with Raleigh ICS

http://www.volunteerics.org/raleigh-ics

As far as the limits for planning your PIPs are concerned, I would say anything is possible. I spent three months in Magaga; a small village in Tanzania, which had a total population of just 2,000 people. I found out about the programme through International Citizen Service (ICS), a government-run organisation by the department for international development (DFID) that enables young people from the UK to travel to developing countries and make a real difference in the fight against poverty. One of the key aspects of ICS is that the UK volunteers were able to work side-by-side with local volunteers, providing a unique and educational once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Raleigh International

Raleigh International is a sustainable development charity that focuses on implementing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practice in developing countries. In Tanzania alone, over 10,000 children under the age of 5 are killed every year as a result of diarrhoea; a disease that is preventable, treatable, and even trivial in our country. The repercussions of poor sanitation and unclean water in Tanzania on education are frightening; with a huge impact on children, especially girls, whose dropout rates coincide with entering puberty. In a country where achieving gender equality is of paramount importance, these setbacks to education not only affect individuals, but the progression of the entire country as a whole.

Life in Magaga

My team and I were placed in a village that had no plumbing system, where residents would collect unclean water from a water pump that was shared with neighbouring villages. The alternative was a microbe-infested river that often ran dry, even in rainy season. For ten weeks, I lived in a homestay with one of the primary school teachers, who welcomed my roommate and I into her home and told us about the challenges that the village faced. There was a 60% known prevalence of HIV within the community, largely propagated through alcoholism and idleness as a result of a lack of farming work due to failing crops. Furthermore, when we arrived, the primary school, which was our main focus of development work, had incredibly poor sanitation facilities, consisting of only three latrines to be shared by the entire school of approximately 400 children.

Our role was to work alongside the community, including the church, women’s groups and primary and secondary schools, in order to encourage the treatment of water and good sanitation practise. Following some research, which involved going door-to-door in the community and completing questionnaires for the school children, we found that the majority of households did not treat water at all, and used dirty water from the pump or river for washing themselves and preparing food. Also, many people did not wash their hands at key times or know about the consequences this could have on the health of their families. We ran WASH workshops with a number of groups within the village to create awareness of techniques such as boiling water and ‘three bowls’ to wash plates and cutlery using soap and bleach, and to stress the importance of sanitation and the effect upon health and disease. I believe we made a significant impact on the practises of the village and by the time we left, many more people had taken our advice and were passing the knowledge on to others.

Alongside our community outreach, we also worked with SEMA, a local charity based in Singida, Tanzania, to build three new sanitation blocks at the primary school. We assisted with building the blocks themselves, as well as promoting their use through painting murals on the side to encourage hand washing. The infrastructure was an invaluable addition to the village and I hope it will improve the attendance and quality of learning at the primary school in the future.

International Women’s Day

One of my main highlights was holding a WASH event for international women’s day. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that form the basis of outreach programmes like Raleigh were created in 2000 with an aim to reduce poverty by 2015. While considerable progress has been made, not all of the MDGs have been achieved and promoting gender equality and empowering women remains a struggle: to close the gap in the numbers of girls in primary, secondary and university education compared to boys. Worldwide, the disparity is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa, and was painfully evident in our village of Magaga, where girls were given the option of marriage or to work as house-girls from as young as 7 years old, while boys aimed for scholarships to study in Dodoma, the closest town, which was three hours away.

Therefore, in order to encourage women and girls in the village, we held an event at the primary school with music, performances and speeches from the school children and significant members of the community. We expected a modest turn out, as our only form of advertising was word of mouth and DIY leaflets created by the volunteers. However, it seemed that most of the village was in attendance and it was a huge success! There were even plans to make it an annual event after we left.

WASH lessons and teaching

For me, the most enjoyable part of the placement and what I though was most effective was teaching primary and secondary school children. While adults might be set in their ways and less pliable to change, it’s children who decide the behaviour of future generations and are instrumental in creating a positive difference. We taught general WASH lessons two or three times a week about water treatment, times of hand washing and the importance of soap, with varying levels of complexity depending on the age group. This was particularly useful to me, as it allowed me to learn how to communicate with people of different ages, once the language barrier was overcome! Also, I was able to teach my own biology lesson to students aged 16-18 about preventable disease and the spread of bacteria through dirty water. While it was a nerve-wracking experience, being my first teaching experience ever, let alone in a foreign, non-English speaking country, it was incredibly rewarding, with many of the students (and volunteers!) telling me how much they learned and that they enjoyed the lesson.

Challenges faced and skills learned

The biggest challenge was the immediate culture shock and being thrown out of my comfort zone from the moment I arrived in Tanzania. After getting accustomed to that, it took time to overcome language barriers and cultural differences in order to work within a team of UK and Tz volunteers. When we first arrived, there was a general feeling of ‘how much of a difference can we really make?’ I struggled to see what personal aid I could provide towards an issue so large. However, over time, we realised that the fight against poverty is slow, but progressive. Although we didn’t see the immediate effects of our being in the village, I knew that we had contributed to positive change.

Personally, I gained so much from the experience. I realised I could be a leader within my peers as well as being able to deal with conflict and stressful situations. Although it was tough, I would recommend ICS as a PIP to anyone who wants to use this time to discover how much you are capable of, while experiencing international development at its forefront.

Priya Joshi, MIBTP 2014

: 12 Oct 2015 22:09 |  Tags: Pips |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Community and Education Team Internship, The Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand

This PIPS story is probably one that will be echoed time and time again with outreach and community projects, but I believe that it only emphasises the many advantages these placements provide for personal development, and illustrates how rewarding community education and science communication is. Having wanted to be a scientist since the age of 10 it is almost impossible to imagine a desk based job and, as such, is probably my worst nightmare. However over recent years I have become increasingly interested in outreach activities and the importance of communicating science to the general public; I therefore jumped at the opportunity to conduct a project with the Community and Education Team at The Cawthron Institute in Nelson, New Zealand. I arrived knowing very little about what was expected of me and, having worked in Sales, Customer Service, Administration, Telephony and Research I thought that this placement would be of little benefit to me – but I was wrong! There was indeed a plethora of amazing opportunities awaiting me and I was able to gain and refine a considerable number of skills, particularly surrounding my personal development.

Whilst the dull administration tasks such as data entry, filing and letter writing seemed plentiful initially, before long I was thrown head first into event planning and execution. The first challenge – a radio interview! I was required for a 15 minute interview, where I was given the opportunity to explore what I hoped to achieve whilst on placement, the skills I would like to gain, discuss my PhD and research in the UK, as well as share my ambitions and desire to become involved in science in the community. Whilst I was thoroughly terrified it was a fantastic opportunity to improve my public speaking and increase my awareness of how I communicate to different groups of people using different media. The radio show was broadcast across Nelson-Tasman districts and required me to convey important aspects of my research, making it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.

My second challenge, two large public events in one week, and only a few weeks to plan and execute it all. It was madness and truly chaotic, the pressure was on to perform, and perform to the highest standard. Showcasing The Cawthron Institute to the general public needed to be done professionally and executed without error. The challenge was to advertise, organise and execute a Careers Day for schools in the local area and an Open Day with laboratory tours for the general public. Some of my tasks included making telephone calls, answering emails, and preparing documents for the events, I was also responsible for managing bookings and coordinating laboratory tours. I designed and assembled information packs for each student attending the Careers Day as well as Feedback Questionnaires for students, teachers and the general public. Only in New Zealand do you find yourself running around town delivering letters and putting up posters in the middle of Winter, enjoying the sun, as part of your job – I found some pretty creative post boxes on my rounds too! On the Open Day I was participated in organising and guiding laboratory tours which was a brilliant opportunity to engage with some of the most enthusiastic members of the public.

Prior to MIBTP I had no previous knowledge of computer programming and intensely disliked all the programming modules in Term 1 – I never envisaged finding a use for this skill but I am proud to say I am now a complete convert and have discovered the addictive nature of computer programming. When I heard the team telling me that they spend a few weeks trying to allocate judges to student projects for The Science and Technology Fair, I found myself saying “I should be able to write a programme to do that automatically”. They immediately agreed to me conducting this ‘mini-project’, and suddenly I realised I was way out of my depth with no way of turning back. I looked at my options and R-Studio and MATLAB were not really suitable for the type of thing the team required. After identifying the most suitable language I set out to learn visual basic, for Excel spreadsheets, from scratch, I did this and designed and wrote the initial programme in a little over a week. As the team began to see the benefits of this programme the requirements for it started to increase and, as expected, so did the complexity of the code. Another three weeks were spent refining and optimising the code, creating suitable input and output spreadsheets and a ‘user interface’, then finally, just in time for the deadline, the programme was ready. We all sat with baited breath as my co-worker pressed the button for the first time – it worked perfectly! Learning to programme by struggling through the creation of a programme with real benefit was, for me, a turning point. I now look forward to incorporating programming into my PhD to improve the quality and speed of my data analysis by automation.

On my penultimate day I was given the opportunity to give a ‘TOM talk’ to the staff at Cawthron about my research to date – this was yet another opportunity for my personal development, to improve my public speaking and ability to convey my research to a non-specialist audience. I had great fun writing my presentation ‘The Antibiotic Apocalypse’ and it went down really well with some great questions at the end. TOM talks are typically videoed and so I was able to watch myself present, which was incredibly useful for identifying aspects for improvement.

The Kiwi’s have a very laid back lifestyle which extends to their work lives, I joined CawthRun and spent an hour or so at lunchtime running some of the most scenic routes you can imagine. Through my work, I also had the opportunity to engage in some Maori Traditions and represented The Cawthron institute by singing their Waiata at a Powhiri – a traditional Welcome Ceremony. I was privileged to see a talented Kapa Haka and Poi performance group which was a great cultural experience.

Along with this type of laidback life comes the Kiwi’s sense of humour which is fantastic and apparent in so many areas of life. A coffee shop situated among vineyards, close to where I was living is aptly named ‘The Grape Escape” and I found a café with the following public notice on the wall “Unsupervised children upstairs will be given a double shot espresso and a cockatoo”. At the weekends I took advantage of all the adventure activities available in New Zealand and went paragliding, swimming with dolphins, whale watching, visited Ngarua Caves, visited one of the sites where The Lord Of The Rings was filmed, bathed in Hanmer hot springs, and spent the evening checking out the night sky at the Mt John’s observatory to name but a few.

I would like to thank all the people that supported me on this three month adventure and helped me to get through the tough times, enabling me to not only survive but make the most of this opportunity. I now look back with pride, knowing that this was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I have met some wonderful people and made some friends for life in New Zealand and will be sure to visit again, and hope to stay in touch with The Cawthron Institute and the Community Education Team. I return home, having gained a good insight into community education, acquired and improved my skill set and have obtained inspiration and ideas for outreach and science communication in the UK.

I can’t recommend this enough, keep dreaming big, push yourself to the limit, get out of your comfort zone, do something new and you may just surprise yourself with what you can achieve – Anna York

: 15 Sep 2015 21:20 |  Tags: Outreach Pips |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem