We have been busy in the newly formed MacLeod lab - getting ready for first semester teaching, and experiments planned for the winter ahead! Kirsty made a trip down to beautiful Boscombe on the south coast of England to collect our first batch of wall lizards (Podarcis muralis), which we will be using this winter to test the effects of mild hibernating conditions on UK reptiles. Ably assisted by Nick Moulton from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, she managed to collect ~40 lizards that are now happily housed at Bangor University. Great to dust off the lizard-catching gear and lassoing skills once again! We're also delighted to welcome new Envision DTP student, Miary Raselimanana, who arrived from Madagascar in October. Miary has already made a fantastic start on getting to grips with the lizard system and experimental protocols, as well as making a home-from-home here in North Wales. She writes about her experiences in the first weeks in the UK below. Welcome, Miary! MIARY: My first month in North Wales as an international PhD student On the 3rd October 2022, I left my home country, Madagascar, to fly to the UK and pursue my dream PhD in the MacLeod Lab, Bangor University. After 18 long hours, I finally arrived in Manchester. To join Bangor from there, I needed to take two different trains. However, my incredible supervisor, Dr Kirsty MacLeod, kindly drove me to the place that will be my “new home” for the next four years (Kirsty is amazing, right?). What was my first impression of Bangor? I was wondering how a place could inspire so much tranquillity and peace. Seeing the ancient and castle-like houses, I felt like in a fantasy town where a dragon or princess could appear at any moment (giggling). Unfortunately, the euphoria that gripped me upon my arrival quickly faded. The first week was harsh as I started to realize that I was left alone in a country that was not mine. Between missing my family, rushing to fill out admin and paperwork, and experiencing the devilish Welsh weather for the first time, I was a little down. Nevertheless, thanks to my caring entourage, the good mood came back in the following weeks although the weather still would not cooperate. How was my life in my new home? Life in Wales is so different from what I experienced in Madagascar. For example, the system is cashless at the University, an umbrella and a coat are the new must-have in my bag, and to my great pleasure I always find all the stuffs I forgot in exactly the same location. My weekends are usually calm. Sometimes, or rather when the weather is clement, my friends and I hang out to explore North Wales. Once, with my other supervisor, Dr Wolfgang Wüster, and other people in the lab, we went out to capture a common adder. I also met at this occasion my first (and very cute) newt. Anything else to share? As a NERC Envision DTP-funded student, I attended the Envision Welcome Event in Lancaster. It was an unforgettable and joyful two-day experience where I bonded ties with my Envision peers. We had funny team building activities that included building a catapult, re-assembling a maze, and an intense and stressful tower building session (wink to my team). One of my favourite group activity was to record a one-minute video resuming our research project to a non-specialist audience (Check out the video below). Let us finish this sharing with a few anecdotes of my hilarious moments in the UK:
0 Comments
Welcome to the new blog, where we will be posting updates about our research projects and life at Bangor University (views our own and do not represent the views of our employer). You can find my old blog here if you are interested in past research.
|
ArchivesCategories |