don t forget to re enrol online! - university of plymouth · literature & ultural history at...
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Welcome to the Doctoral College’s newsletter for postgraduate researchers (MPhil/PhD, PhD, ResM, MS, MD and professional doctorates) and postdoctoral early career researchers on fixed term contracts at the University of Plymouth. We aim to produce one every 6 to 8 weeks. We would love to know what type of information you would like to read in it! If you have any ideas or feedback, please email [email protected] with the subject line ‘newsletter’.
Issue No 4
September/October 2018
Don’t Forget to Re-enrol Online! All postgraduate research (PGR) students are required to enrol online for the 2018/19 academic year, includ-ing those who started in January or April 2018 and those who are awaiting their vivas. You are expected to complete this process by the 1st of October 2018 (or by 1st of September 2018 if you are an international student). If you haven’t done so yet, please prioritise this as a matter of urgency. Make sure you follow the correct instructions or link for enrolment as a returning student.
New PGR Examinations Outcomes: recorded webinar available
A recording of the New PGR Examina-tions Outcomes webinar held on 17 September 2018 is now available on our Moodle page in the ‘New PGR Examinations Outcomes’ folder, to-gether with the supporting materials from the presentation.
To access all of these resources you can self-enrol using your University email address or else send an email to [email protected].
Our Moodle page is continually devel-oped. If you have feedback or ideas for resources, please let us know at [email protected]
Full time UK-based international students, please note that you will not be able to online enrol until you have had your passport/visa documents scanned by ISA (further information here). If you encounter any problems please refer to these Frequently Asked Questions in the first instance. An-swers to most queries can be found here! Information on how to make a fee payment is availa-ble here. If you require further help, please do not hesitate to contact the Doctoral College by emailing [email protected] or visiting us at 8-9 Kirkby Place during office hours.
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Social Media for Researchers Workshop
Monday 8 October 2018, 09.00 – 13.00
Facilitator: Dr Nadine Muller
Bookings email: [email protected]
Across disciplines, research staff and students are encouraged to use social media as a means of disseminating their work, achieving impact, engaging with the public, expanding professional networks, and modernising their teaching. Yet, comparatively little training is being provided on how to use social media professionally within the realm of academia.
This interactive training workshop is designed for researchers who want to explore the possibilities social media can hold for professional development, from teaching to research, as well as networking and job hunting.
The session addresses the following areas:
Developing a professional social media presence and strategy
Let’s Shut Up and Write Together!
Wednesday 10 October 2018, 09.30 – 11.00
Smeaton Building Room 102b
Hosts: Dr Tina Joshi (Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology) & Prof Roberta Mock (Professor of Performance
Studies and Director of the Doctoral College)
Shut Up and Write is a movement that started in San Francisco in 2007. It is for writers who want to carve out dedicated time for writing in a way that is both structured and that turns it from a solitary to social experience.
During this session we will write in silence together for 2 twenty-five minute timed periods. In between, we’ll have a 5 minute break.
You can write anything you want – from a journal article to a thesis chapter to a blog! You don’t have to tell anybody what you are writing, what you hope to achieve or what you do achieve during the session. During the break and after the two timed periods, you can talk about how you felt about writing – or not! We can just socialise a bit and spur each other on by being together.
This session is open to ALL staff members (including postdoc ECRs and Associate Lecturers) and PGR students at the University of Plymouth. It is free of charge.
You need to bring whatever you need to write – whether that’s a laptop or pen and paper.
Please register in advance by emailing: [email protected]. Let us know whether you would prefer cake or fruit for the writing break.
The benefits and challenges of disseminating your research online
Integrating social media into your teaching and assessment
Improving your professional profile Choosing the right social media platforms for you Why and how to start your own blog
This workshop is co-organised by the Doctoral College and the Arts Institute, and is open to all staff and PGR students at the University of Plymouth (on a first come-first served basis).
Dr Nadine Muller is Senior Lecturer in English Literature & Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University, an AHRC Leadership Fellow, a British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award holder, and a BBC New Generation Thinker. She gained her PhD in English Literature from the University of Hull (2012), and took up her first permanent post within six months of being awarded her doctorate. Nadine runs The New Academic, a blog for doctoral researchers and early-career academics, with contributors ranging from postgraduates to senior scholars.
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Images of Research competition 2019
Can you capture the essence of your research in an eye-catching photographic image?
Do you welcome the opportunity to promote and express your work to a wide variety of people?
The Doctoral College invites University of Plymouth postgraduate research students and research staff* to enter our 2019 Images of Research competition.
The event will take place during the University Research Festival, the theme of which is ‘Having an impact from local to global’.
Images of Research is a great opportunity to communi-cate research to non-subject specialists and members of the public in an impactful and accessible way. It also highlights the wide range of excellent research that is taking place at the University.
Competition and event dates The Images of Research competition and public vote
will be held on 21-22 January 2019. Your images will remain as an exhibition throughout
the University Research Festival: 21-25 January 2019. Prizes will be awarded on 22 January 2019.
Prizes The following prizes will be awarded by public vote:
Postgraduate Research Student category Best photographic image: £150 research travel
funding
Research Staff category Best photographic image: £150 research travel
funding
Both categories Best description of image: £100 research travel
funding
Above images by Helen Bowstead, Frazer Underwood and Victoria Buswell (all submitted to the University of Plymouth 2018 Images of Research competition).
Apology: In the last Doctoral College newsletter, in the item featuring Duncan Cameron’s ‘Image of Research’, we incorrectly presented his first name. Big apologies to Duncan; this error has been corrected in the version of the newsletter uploaded to the University website
*Eligibility All University of Plymouth current postgraduate re-
search students including ResM, MPhil/PhD and Pro-fessional Doctorates are eligible to enter.
All University of Plymouth Research Staff currently on fixed-term contracts are eligible to enter.
Entry details Each entry must include a photographic image and
description of the image/your research. Multiple entries can be submitted. Photographic images must be your own original work
and not previously published. Your photographic images should show, represent or
convey the essence of your research. Your photographic images will be printed and dis-
played on poster boards together with the descrip-tion of your image. These will be produced by the Doctoral College (free of charge).
The description of your image must include up to 150 words written for a public audience and will be dis-played on the poster board next to your image. Your photographic images and descriptions will be re-viewed by the Doctoral College to confirm suitability and entry into the competition.
Winning photographic images and descriptions will be published on the University of Plymouth website.
All photographic images will appear on the University of Plymouth webpages.
Entry submissions and deadline Submissions must include: your photographic image;
your 150 word description of your image; your name, School/Department and, confirmation of whether you are submitting for the postgraduate research student category or research staff category.
Please email your submissions to
[email protected] by 14 December 2018.
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When you need to read something that isn’t in the library If you are unable to find a publication you require at the University library, the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service enables you to request and access these items. Your request will initially be sent to the British Library; if they cannot fulfil your request, then other ILL lending libraries are contacted.
Secure Electronic Delivery documents (SEDs) should arrive within 4 days, and physical items within a week.
Please make sure that any ILL requests you make are for books or articles essential to your research, and please also check that the library does not already hold the item, and that it is not available freely online, before placing an ILL.
ILL requests are paid for by the University and are free of charge for PGR students and research staff (although you will be personally liable for fees for renewal, loss or if you do not pick up your loan when it arrives).
For further information, please visit the Library Self Help pages or email [email protected]
Cumberland Lodge: Beyond the PhD Conference
Each year, the University calls for first and second year doctoral candidates to apply to the prestigious Cumberland Lodge Scholarship scheme – and then chooses up to two Plymouth students to mentor to application stage.
In 2018, the University supported applications by Emily Churchill (School of Biological and Marine Sciences) and Sarah Hendry (School of Psychology). Although neither were successful in the scholarship competition, the Doctoral College sponsored both to attend the Cumberland Lodge Conference, “Life Beyond the PhD 2018” in August 2018, located within Windsor Great Park.
Emily and Sarah write:
The first two days were jam-packed with talks (leadership, presenting and writing skills) and speakers were on hand to offer personalised advice, including tips for CV writing. We were then given an opportunity to practice these skills, by presenting our research to an interdisciplinary audience. All presentations were fascinating, and discussions continued throughout the lunch break in a friendly and supportive environment.
The fourth day was the most challenging; we were tasked with designing an interdisciplinary group research proposal, to tackle social division. Although at first we struggled with the task, we came to value interdisciplinary approaches. We pitched a computer modelling project with the aim to identify which factors best united individuals.
We left the lodge with renewed enthusiasm for our own projects and a can-do attitude toward tackling the ever-imposing challenges of PhD. Thank you to the Doctoral College for enabling us to take advantage of this training opportunity.
The Doctoral College will announce the process to apply for a 2019 Cumberland Lodge Scholarship (which opens in March 2019) as soon as details are available. We encourage all post-transfer doctoral candidates in their second year (or equivalent part time) to consider applying for this opportunity.
Photo: Emily Churchill and Sarah Hendry at the Cumberland
Lodge Life Beyond the PhD Conference 2018.
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Free tickets to films, music, talks and performances
Through the Student Participation in Arts scheme (SPiA) scheme, all University of Plymouth PGR stu-dents are entitled to £100 credit to spend on films, music, talks, and dance and theatre performances at The Arts Institute (£150 if you are based in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities). This scheme was previously run by Peninsula Arts, which merged with the University’s Arts Institute in September 2018.
Look out for the SPiA logo on selected Arts Institute events, either in the season guide or online on The Arts Institute events listings, then book your tickets online and simply bring your student card along with you. It is also possible to use this offer at the event itself but there is no guarantee that it will not sell out in advance. Only one ticket per student, per event is allowed.
Doctoral College Location and Opening Times The Doctoral College is located at
8-9 Kirkby Place, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
Our opening hours are:
09.00 - 16.30 Monday to Thursday, and 09.00 - 16.00 on Fridays
If you want to see a specific person, it is best to email or ring first to make sure they will be available, or to make
different arrangements:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +44 1752 587640
The Women’s Mentoring Scheme
The aim of the University’s Women’s Mentoring Scheme is to enable women to realise their potential here at the University of Plymouth and beyond.
To be eligible to be mentored, you need to identify as a woman (although mentors can be of any gender).
Normally individuals participating in this scheme will be permanent members of staff who have successfully completed their probation period, or else staff (including research assistants and fellows) on a fixed term contract that runs for longer than 6 months.
There is a light touch matching process so if you are interested in being a mentee you need to complete a mentee details form and return it to [email protected] to start the matching process.
It is highly recommended that both Mentors and Mentees attend the associated training which you can book onto via Employee Self Service
For further information about the scheme you can access this PowerPoint presentation: Women's Mentoring Scheme.
If you have any queries, please contact Laura Beahan, the scheme coordinator, by email at [email protected]