“You are able to do it!” These have been the phrases a bunch of graduate college students I had gone mountaineering with someplace close to Loch Lomond had mentioned to me. Why, you marvel? Properly, I had joined them on a 90-minute hike across the Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Pure Atmosphere (SCENE), and people hills should not for the faint-hearted! Okay, properly, to be honest, I ought to have heeded the warning of a shorter and simpler stroll!
This submit isn’t about mountaineering or my lack of means to maintain up. You might name it a global scholar’s memoir of the Infectious Illness Ecology (IDE) analysis theme Away Day. An “Away Day” is a devoted day for a particular group of individuals (on this case, IDE theme members) to get away from their laptops and analysis, join with fellow researchers, and unwind! In the event you weren’t there and are inquisitive about what went down, I’m about to spill the tea.
I moved to Glasgow from Nigeria in August 2024 and haven’t performed a lot sightseeing since arriving right here in Scotland. This journey was my first time visiting SCENE. The 79-year-old centre is the College of Glasgow’s instructing and analysis facility centered on understanding nature and human interactions. Breath-taking appears an excellent phrase to explain the centre – the power sits on the banks of Loch Lomond, the most important loch (lake) in Scotland, and is surrounded by woodland, pasture and hills! Not forgetting the good kitchen/reception space, with a setup prettier than what we’ve got at Graham Kerr Constructing (oops, sorry pricey previous GKB 😅).
Dr. Taya Forde – the IDE theme lead – was such a beautiful coordinator and she or he anchored the day with such ease and sophistication. The day began with a spherical of introductions; this time, every particular person needed to introduce themselves to their neighbours and their neighbours in flip launched them to the broader group. I used to be so happy to be in a room filled with veterinarians, mathematical modellers, statisticians, ecologists, engineers (I used to be stunned by that one!), political scientists, social scientists, epidemiologists, parasitologists, vector biologists and plenty of ‘omics researchers. Present me a extra various group of researchers 😉.
We had two talks from Dr. Chris Syme and Prof. Heather Ferguson. Dr. Syme spoke about ‘Supporting Translational Analysis on the MVLS’, throughout which he emphasised the function the Translational Analysis Initiative (TRI) performs in serving to MVLS (School of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences) researchers with the translational influence of their work and funding for such. In the event you need assistance figuring out and realising how your analysis can drive influence and engagement with related stakeholders or need to know extra about what they do, you might contact mvls-innovation@glasgow.ac.uk for extra info.
Prof. Ferguson’s discuss was centred round how the WHO Advisory Committee on Uncared for Tropical Illnesses (NTDs) works. Apparently, the day was additionally World NTDs Day. Good coincidence, in the event you’d ask me. Everyone knows that the WHO supplies the authority on world well being issues, however many people don’t understand how insurance policies are actually formulated. We learnt that the WHO makes insurance policies primarily based on the suggestions of the consultants within the varied Strategic and Technical Advisory Teams (STAGs). Her discuss was actually illuminating, particularly within the areas of coverage formation, the onerous work the committees/advisory teams put into each assembly, and the alternatives that may be explored as an early profession researcher (ECR). We additionally learnt a few new gangrenous (inflicting the decay of affected physique tissues) an infection referred to as Noma that has simply been added to the checklist of NTDs. You’ll be able to study extra about Noma right here. My key takeaway from her discuss (other than the alternatives to discover) was that in the event you’re a member of the STAG, you had higher be able to put within the work!
After the talks got here the chance to soak up the great thing about nature. Many took walks – lengthy and quick, some stayed again, however total, the vibe at SCENE was giving! If I’m being sincere, I felt extra relaxed. It felt good to not open my laptop computer within the morning, certainly get away, and simply join with people. The SCENEry was so good, and I didn’t need to go away.
Written by Reward Adeyemo, a first-year PhD scholar (Infectious Illnesses) on the Lamberton lab, researching how insurance policies affect the implementation of schistosomiasis interventions in Uganda.
Banner photograph courtesy of Dr Sandeep Kasaragod.
