The 2020 Mid-term conference will be held at University of Glasgow, on April 30th and May 1st. To give you a flavour of what you might expect, here, Adora Udechukwu, a delegate at the 2019 Mid-term conference in Manchester, shares some reflections on her experience.
About Me
My name is Adora and I am a doctoral candidate at the School of Environment and Technology (SET), University of Brighton. My research interests are in people, spaces and places and I am affiliated with the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics (SECP) at the university.
Reflections on Workshops
I found the workshops particularly insightful. As I sat listening to the speaker during the workshop on publication, I began to imagine what a research publication could look like. During the workshop, the speaker provided useful tips such as how to decide on where and what to publish of your thesis. This has been helpful for developing a publication strategy by reviewing the findings from my fieldwork and strategically deciding on what aspects of my research can be published – such as my research ethics process, my methods, the thematic findings etc. I also took part in the workshop on walking as a research method because this was a method I am considering for my fieldwork. We explored the campus, observing key details using our sense of smell and perception. I found that these activities allowed me to develop how I perceive the physical environment.
What I gained from the conference
The conference was a good way to see what current research themes in geography were been undertaken within and beyond the United Kingdom. It was also an opportunity to network and to learn about new research methods. I received constructive feedback on my poster presentation which has allowed me to further develop my research ideas. I was very happy to explore the green and beautiful campus of Manchester Metropolitan University as the design of campus spaces is a relevant theme in my current research project titled ‘The role of campus spaces as healthy settings: Students’ experiences in a multi-site university’.
General information
It was encouraging to see a number of 1st-year doctoral students participating in the oral presentations and this was something that I wished I could have done in my first year. I would strongly encourage other postgraduate research students to take this opportunity and showcase their work whether it is still at the developing stage or not. The presentation sessions provided opportunities for constructive criticism and valuable information that will help the student rethink their project. Additionally, the poster sessions which I participated in and won the second prize was very insightful. I had meaningful conversations with other students sharing similar interests as well as those who offered new perspectives on my research theme. For instance, I am researching on people, spaces and places and what I got from these presentations is information on other perspectives of “space” such as the body as a space and feminist ideologies of spaces which I found very interesting, I am now exploring the impact of campus spaces on student’s health and wellbeing.