Fun, food and Fresher's Flu.

This week marked the return of the students to campus! 

A welcome hello to the old hands and a warm welcome to the newbies! 

As part of welcome week for new students in the vet school, their are numerous activities for the students, most of this passes the post-grad compliment by, by and large the only difference we notice to our routines are increased noise levels, ten times the normal number of people present in the labs and the queue for coffee is considerably longer. 

However their are two free lunches to attend, sandwich and cakes and then later in the week a hog roast (deliciously sumptuous, tender hog roast, stuffing and apple sauce NOM!). One of the activities i did get involved in was the treasure hunt, running around campus finding answers to a clue. But the whole point of this week is to familiarise the students with campus. 

In addition on the main campus their has been welcome week, this is where you find out that the University of Nottingham is a fantastic place to study! The student union offers countless sports and societies to get involved in, all of which had a stall at some point around campus. Of course I might be biased but the best club at the university to join is the Judo club! 

I love the hustle and bustle of the return students, I'm more than a bit jealous as well, I would give my right hand to have the opportunity to study at the undergraduate or masters level again, the novelty of different modules each term, the optional modules removed from your normal field and best of all FREE time to try NEW sports and activities!! 

Of course their is one downside to their suddenly being a new cohort of individuals running around nottingham, bugs. So many bugs, consequently my immune system is currently fighting a rather unpleasant cold, one that makes you feel sick and gives you headaches. Charming. 

On that note i'm returning to my sofa spot, with a mug of chocolate and some comforting food and a dose of paracetamol. So to new students everywhere, enjoy your studies and try something new!!! 

Coming of age, in PhD terms.

In the life of a PhD student, it is your duty to go to conferences, get your work and name out there, network and make new contacts. This is something I have steadfastly been avoiding for 2 years. Not being blessed with an abundance of confidence, or results (which as least provides an under-confident me something to meekly talk about) the thought of attending a conference, albeit a small one, was a terrifying, anxiety inducing idea. 

Frankly, when my supervisors suggested going, a blaring horn went off in my brain:

AVOID AVOID!!! 

*tries desperately to think of an excellent reason not to go* 

 

FAILED!

Whether I liked it or not, I was to go to Cambridge University and attend the DMDG conference and present a poster. Well I reasoned that a poster isn't too bad, in my opinion it is infinitely better than having to stand in front of a full audience and present for 25 minutes and then navigate a mine field of questions from experts. Other advantages, i had a free place. Then they tell me a I have to give a 5 minute poster blitz presentation to drum up interest. My worst nightmare has came true.

So I spent Wednesday driving to the University of Cambridge, UK, to attend my first conference. Surprisingly finding the venue wasn't too bad, in fact you've driven on to the campus before you even realise it. I booked in to the college, it was a relatively new college in the history of the university, it is a brick monstrosity. Put that aside, the food was good. 

Then we begin. The mind boggling subject of mass spec, sampling and PK presentations begin. I spend three hours listening (and yes being confused) on a variety of topics. Then it is my turn. My five minutes of hell. I reached the podium, immensely relieved that I didn't trip up the steps onto the stage. I begin. My legs shaking so much I could put a pro tap dancer to shame. A blessed relief it is that people can't see my legs and hear my shoes on the wooden stage. I spoke, I wasn't too fast and my voice was calm, 5 minutes later and I'm done. PHEW!

Well I must of got something right, for the 2.5 hours of poster presentation time I had a steady stream of visitors, those wanting to know why I'm doing this subject and what I'm enjoying. Simple answers, someone is paying me and they are paying me more than my last job. Okay, that wasn't my actual response though it was certainly tempting to say so after hearing the same question a dozen times. But on the whole the feedback on my brief presentation and the poster was positive, some people even went so far as to comment they look forward to my publications (they will be looking for a while, i have nothing in my immediate pipeline - but it WILL happen). I can safely say I went to bed exhausted that night, but feeling positive about what I had done that day and achieved. 

The remainder of the conference was filled with interesting talks, good food and better drinks. I met some interesting characters with fantastic sense of humours and some incredibly knowledgeable individuals. 

Yes, the occasion felt very much like I'd come of age. I am definitely a PhD student. 

For those whom are interested, here is my poster. All constructive feedback is welcome. :) 

Welcome!

Welcome to my Blog!

I'm here to bring you all in to my world a little. If you have ever wondered what it is like studying for a PhD (frustrating), want to know more about Judo (and how to get involved), are interested in healthy eating and working out (lord knows I am - Disclaimer - am not a personal trainer) and other random things, then this is the page for you. 

I am just trying to figure out my place on this crazy rock as much as the next person, enjoying (or not) the trials and tribulations that is life. 

So without further ado, follow in my footsteps and take a step with me down into the rabbit hole. Let us traverse the unknown together and see what the future holds. 

The PhD students rabbit hole