Monthly Archives: September 2019

Me, Human: ‘The Big Discussion’

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Dr Gillian Forrester presented ‘Me, Human: The Big Discussion’ at London’s Science Museum, where an expert panel reflected on questions of developmental psychology.

The event was held in the Hans Rousing Lecture Theatre and began with an introduction to the Me, Human project, a set of live experiments currently being held at Live Science at the museum. Dr Forrester demonstrated evolution through a set of handmade puppets that are on display in the Me, Human gallery and then went on to introduce her esteemed panel which included Professor Uta Frith, a developmental psychologist, Professor Ben Garrod, an evolutionary biologist, primatologist and broadcaster, and Tony King, an independent researcher with the Aspinall Foundation.

 

In her introduction, Dr Forrester noted both the number and the diversity and of attendees, the Science Museum had welcomed over the course of the project, which will yield a rich source of data to be released in the coming months. The Me, Human experiments include a number of stations which investigate how different sides of our brains are involved in various functions in our day-to-day lives. Earlier that day attendees of the discussion were invited to attend the Me, Human gallery and take part in these experiments in order to understand whether they are dominant in their left or right brain.

The Me, Human team and evolution puppets

The conversation was informal with comments and questions welcomed throughout the discussion. Dr Forrester started the discussion with a question on developmental psychology, which was followed up with a question from a member of the audience who asked simply, “What’s next for us in terms of evolution?” – something the panel said was hard to predict! The panel highlighted the importance of experiments like the Me, Human project and the need for human and animal behavioural psychology to be researched in tandem as Professor Garrod exclaimed: “We are animals!”  Other questions posed to the panel included; what’s next for humans? How does social media impact our need to be social in a time where we are increasingly connecting to others through technology?

Later in the panel, Dr Forrester questioned Professor Frith on her theory of ‘slow science’ – her belief that academics should only publish once a year to ensure a quality over quantity approach to research in order to sustain the practice.

It is clear that the Me, Human project has garnered invaluable results and it was positive to see a mix of academics and the general public in the audience. During the conversation, Professor Garrod asked how many of the audience are researchers and not, and highlighted the need for the non-researchers in the continuation of the field of psychology.

The Me, Human project be at the Science Museum London until 30 September 2019.

 

Raising your professional profile alongside developing your work

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This article was contributed by Bryony Merritt, Communications Manager and Astrea member.

Speakers Hester Gartrell and Camilla Mount

On Tuesday 27 August, Dr Camilla Mount (Head of Access) and Hester Gartrell (Senior Access Officer) from Birkbeck’s (relatively) new Access and Engagement Directorate delivered an insightful and thought-provoking session to Astrea members on how to raise your professional profile alongside developing your work.

The group were first asked to have a go at defining profile-raising, with everyone in agreement that it is – or should be: “Promoting your knowledge, expertise and experience to better serve how you would like to be perceived and to enable your professional ambitions.” The second part of this – ‘enabling your professional ambitions’ is a part that I had probably overlooked in my own thoughts around profile-raising and it was useful to consider how part of the process should be about setting boundaries with colleagues so that you don’t inadvertently end up becoming a ‘yes woman’ and over-stretching yourself, leaving no time for your own development.

Both presenters spoke of the challenges they’d faced in developing and raising their own profile. In Milly’s case this was returning from a year’s maternity leave to a brand new role in a brand new team and the steps she took to ensure that she was able to quickly re-establish the relationships she had built before going on leave, ensure people understood her new role, raise her own confidence in her expertise, as well as ensuring that the ‘working parent’ facet of her identity was incorporated into how she presented herself professionally.

Hester spoke about the practical challenges of working at the Stratford campus, where she is physically distant from many colleagues, as well as the political challenges that are involved with raising the profile of her work in Stratford across the Bloomsbury campus. She spoke of how she was able to identify elements of her own identity which helped her to build connections at a local level in Stratford. These included family connections to the area which she foregrounded in describing her local links, to build a profile that went beyond her identity as a Birkbeck staff member. Another element both presenters highlighted was that profile-raising needs to be considered as an internal aim, as well as externally. Hester described how she was aware that some people within the College had negative perceptions about the Stratford campus and that to counter this her attitude would be one of ‘relentless enthusiasm’, both internally and externally. Having worked with Hester on some of her projects I can say this approach seems to have paid off, and that I have noticed a real ‘buzz’ around Stratford work again since she took up post. Tools for internal profile-raising that have proved useful for Milly and Hester include social media, networking events and staff networks (like Astrea!) and informational interviews (taking someone for a coffee to gain a better understanding of what they do and ensuring they understand how you could work together to the benefit of both parties).

Ultimately, successful profile-raising will not just bring you or your team recognition. It will also help you to get buy-in for your projects from senior management or external partners, enable you to tap into other people’s expertise and to build up your own. Approached strategically and with a clear objective, profile-raising will help you to get where you want to be in your career.

Thanks to Hester and Milly for such an inspiring and motivating session!

Find out more about Astrea, Birkbeck’s network for women working in professional service roles.

Follow Milly on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Follow Hester on Twitter or LinkedIn.

BBK x SWUFE SUMMER SCHOOL 2019

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BBK SWUFE Summer School

On the 29th of July, Birkbeck welcomed twenty students to London from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) of Chengdu, China. These students were the first to arrive and experience Birkbeck’s student lifestyle as part of the joint bachelor’s degree programme between Birkbeck and SWUFE.

“From their cultural ‘English Insights’ classes to punting on the river Cam, the SWUFE students were exposed to everything British, everything Birkbeck and more.”

On a sunny Monday afternoon, Andrea Williams, William Richards and Xiaohong Chen greeted the arriving students at Heathrow airport; jet-lagged and bleary-eyed from their twelve-hour flight. With a quick stop-off at the student halls and a welcoming tour of Bloomsbury, the Summer School swung into action from day one.

For two weeks, the visiting SWUFE students experienced the beauty of Bloomsbury, the inclusive Birkbeck student lifestyle and the wider wonders of London. From their cultural ‘English Insights’ classes to punting on the river Cam, the SWUFE students were exposed to everything British, everything Birkbeck and more.

During their first full day in London, the SWUFE students received a ceremonial welcoming from Professors Philip Powell and Kevin Ibeh. Shortly after the formalities however, a red 1960s Routemaster bus gave the SWUFE students a whirlwind tour of London’s sights.

A red 1960s Routemaster bus gave the SWUFE students a whirlwind tour of London’s sights

“A red 1960s Routemaster bus gave the SWUFE students a whirlwind tour of London’s sights.”

As part of the two-week programme, Ms Narelle Hassell presented a series of guest lectures surrounding British culture and ‘English Insights’. SWUFE students were exposed to cockney rhyming slang, Punch & Judy, Sherlock Holmes and even the British obsession with pubs. As a point of order, the students were then treated to an evening at The Marquis Cornwallis where they sampled British ‘pub grub’ and a pint besides Russel Square. Fish and chips certainly proved popular!

To compliment Narelle’s fascinating lecture series, the students were guided in exploring several iconic sites in England; the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, the grounds of the Tower of London, the Greenwich observatory at sunset and a day exploring the enchanting streets and waterways of Cambridge. A spectacular ride on the London Eye topped-off the outings with the students having their own BBK x SWUFE capsule.

Birkbeck’s academics and alumni equally played a key role in shaping the SWUFE experience during the Summer School. Guest lectures from Dr Geoff Walters, Ms Andrea Picazo and the Birkbeck Students’ Union gave the SWUFE students an insight into academic seminars, student support services, and extra-curricular activities on campus. Practicalities were covered too; London’s employability and the range of student housing options were presented by Ms Catherine Charpentier and Ms Lucy Crittenden.

Whilst the two-week programme allowed the SWUFE students to explore London and enjoy a taste of the Birkbeck student experience, their real adventure begins in the Autumn of 2020 for a full year of studies with Birkbeck. In wishing farewell, each of the students were presented with a certificate and a unique Birkbeck gift at this year’s closing ceremony in the Keynes Library. A fabulous high tea at the British Museum then saw them through to the end of this year’s summer school.

"The real adventure begins in the autumn of 2020 for a full year of studies with Birkbeck."

“The real adventure begins in the autumn of 2020 for a full year of studies with Birkbeck.”

The BBK x SWUFE Summer School has proved to be an instant hit as Birkbeck and SWUFE develop their special partnership. Andrea Williams and the School of Business, Economics and Informatics would like to thank all students and staff who helped in making this a summer school to remember.

As for 2020, the bar has been set high…

Further Information:

Birkbeck in Venice for Study Trip 2019

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Three students from the Department of History of Art reflect on their recent trip to Italy where they explored the architecture of various cities.

Around 30 Birkbeck students – postgraduate and undergraduate – congregated in Venice in April 2019 for the annual week-long study trip, led by the indefatigable and super knowledgeable Dr Sarah Ferrari and Dr Zuleika Murat from Padua (Padova) University.  Three of the group, Sue Joshua, Angela Parry, and Steve Cragg, share some of their memories and experiences….

Angela, an MA Museum and Cultures student:

If you think you know a city – think again!  These study-tours are not just about ticking off the top ten tourist attractions, but exploring off the beaten track, and taking time to really look at stuff!  We arrived on a slightly damp and chilly day, successfully negotiated the Vaporetto and found our hotel in Arsenale – a great location with lots of friendly local restaurants and cafés.  Then it was full-on. Taking in the unique beauty of Venice, walking, chatting with everyone and catching up with people from the 2018 Berlin trip (it’s easy to get hooked and keep coming back on these tours!).  My favourite off-tour location was the Greenhouse café at Sera dei Giardini in Castello, built in 1894 to create a “tepidarium made of glass and iron” and now a great place to just relax with coffee and a good book.  Top Tips; get the Blue Guide is great for extra information, comfortable shoes and an umbrella are essential, rest your eyes with some contrasting art. Sue, Steve and I took an hour out for a welcome blast at the Guggenheim Collection – and then it was back to those amazing frescoes!

Sue, an MA History of Art student:

Speaking of frescoes…. Mid-week we visited Padua, about half an hour from Venice by train but a world away in terms of architecture, open space and general tempo. The city is renowned for its fourteenth-century fresco cycles, many of them well preserved and easily accessible. Some of these testify to the ability of powerful and wealthy individuals to possess and transform prestigious urban spaces. Enrico Scrovegi was a wealthy merchant from a family with a dubious history of moneylending or usury. On land originally used as a Roman arena, he built a palace with its own private oratory, known as the Scrovegni (or Arena) Chapel. Visitors must sit in an air-conditioned waiting room for 15 minutes to allow their body humidity to cool. Time in the Chapel itself is limited to 15 minutes for a maximum of 25 people. Every surface of the walls and the barrel-vaulted ceiling is painted. There is a sense of being sheltered under a blue sky, pierced by stars, the colour an extraordinarily bright and deep ‘Giotto blue’. Nothing had prepared me for the visual and conceptual world created by Giotto in 1305. The central themes are the life of the Virgin and the life and ministry of Jesus, beginning with the story of Mary’s miraculous birth to her elderly parents Joachim and Anne. The narrative is presented chronologically, starting from the top tier and working around the Chapel and down in a kind of spiral, each scene pointing to what will follow. There are closed buildings and open spaces, contrasts of light and shade, bright and beautiful colours and above all humanity, wit and recognisable emotion in Giotto’s depiction of his characters.

 

Steve, a BA History of Art student:

San Zaccaria Altarpiece by Giovanni Bellini

Back in Venice, I’m concentrating on one work that stays with me from the trip.  We gathered in the rain early one morning in an eerily quiet square a stone’s throw from St Mark’s, and in front of the Convent and Church of San Zaccaria. Containing many stunning works, the five-metre high altarpiece (also known as Madonna enthroned with Child and Saints) by Giovanni Bellini from 1505 stands out (and the photograph I took is still my screen-saver).

It is an outdoor view of the Virgin and infant Christ in a rich architectural setting.  The main figures are flanked by meditative saints; whose demeanour and posing encourage a similarly thoughtful attitude in the viewer (especially this one suffering a little from too much Valpolicella the previous evening).    St Peter on the left earnestly clutches his keys in contemplation, and on the right St Jerome is immersed in an enormous Bible.  The inner figures of St Catherine and St Lucy bend attentively towards the Virgin. A single angel plays a stringed instrument at the foot of the Virgin’s pedestal.  Spending time in front of this work provides the perfect retreat from tourist-besieged Venice.  Although fighting to get a glimpse of the golden mosaics in St Mark’s was worth it too.

Next year’s trip has not been announced yet.  But do think of going – travel and accommodation are up to students to arrange, but the study programme itself (after entry fees etc.) is totally free. The trip is made possible by the generous support of the Murray Bequest and was set up in honour of the department’s founder Professor Peter Murray. The Bequest also offers a number of bursaries every year to students who would otherwise be unable to attend. Details on how to apply are circulated to students when information on the trip is released – usually in December or January. You can read blog posts about past trips here.

Further information: