COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND VETERINARY MEDICINE
Postgraduate Offer-holders
On-campus Taught and Research Students’ eZine
In this issue Nwamaka Idigo Student, PhD Genetics and Molecular Medicine
“…getting involved with something entirely new to me is very exciting.” Page 1
MAY 2015 Simon Riley Programme Director, Reproductive Sciences
“Frequently, I come into work, and find myself doing something I wasn’t anticipating!”
Academic tips Edinburgh City 4 Tips to Make Your Stay in Edinburgh Totally Awesome
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND VETERINARY MEDICINE
Welcome
In this issue
Congratulations on your offer! We are excited that you will be coming to study with us at Edinburgh and that’s why we’ve devoted such a large part of this e-zine to the city.
Welcome .......................................................................2
Hello,
We sincerely hope that you will enjoy your stay – to make the most out of it, we suggest the 4 Tips to Make Your Stay in Edinburgh Totally Awesome article on page 6! If you’d like to meet one of our students, scroll to page 5 to read about Nwamaka Idigo’s experience. Study life may be tough, but she concludes that it is worth the rewards! Simon Riley, one of our Programme Directors, talks about the uniqueness of the MSc by Research Reproductive Sciences programme in the Academic Matters section, and our student bloggers are featured under the Social section – read about Chiara’s experience of seeing the solar eclipse or Rebekah’s visit to Edinburgh Castle! You will get to meet our students and Programme Directors in two more issues before starting your studies, so watch out for your emails!
See you soon, The Postgraduate Team
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Research news...............................................................3 News from around the University..................................4 Student perspective.......................................................5 4 Tips to Make Your Stay in Edinburgh Totally Awesome!......................................................................6 Academic matters Interview with Simon Riley, Programme Director of MSc by Research Reproductive Sciences....................7 Helping your academic development...........................8 Social Featured: Our Student Bloggers...................................9 Discover the University community...............................9 Edinburgh City...............................................................10
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Research News Autism genes and intelligence link found
Dwarfism gene found
Bacteria study helps gauge infection risk
Genes linked with a greater risk of developing autism may also be associated with higher intelligence, a study suggests. Researchers have found new evidence linking genetic factors associated with autism to better cognitive ability in people who do not have the condition.
A gene linked to a type of dwarfism has been identified, in a development that will help to provide better diagnoses for those families affected. Scientists have found that errors in a particular gene can cause profound growth defects that begin before birth.
Bacteria may be able to jump between species with greater ease than was previously thought, a study suggests. Researchers have found that a single genetic mutation in a strain of bacteria that infects humans enables it to also infect rabbits.
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News from Around the University Degree Show set to impress
The Advice Place’s guide to mobile phones & internet
Over 300 creative events took place during the Innovative Learning Week 2015
The University’s Advice Place - a professional advice team offering students free, impartial and confidential information has recently released a new guide to sorting out your mobile phone and internet. Have a look at their amazing guides and get free advice if you feel like you are struggling with anything else!
From TEDx and community architecture projects, to science ceilidhs and underwater archaeology - staff, students, alumni and members of the public all took the plunge! ILW is a chance for students, staff and alumni to develop skills, meet new people and celebrate innovation in our academic community.
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Illustration by Michael Havelin, BA Hons Illustration
The next generation of artists, film-makers, designers and architects will show their colourful, challenging and innovative work as part this year’s Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show. The strange death of a Japanese revolutionary, a device that helps deaf people engage with music, and a high society kidnapping from 18th century Edinburgh are among the inspirations for works at this year’s show. Read more
Official University of Edinburgh Student News Channels Although you have not arrived yet, you can be part of what’s going on at Edinburgh even now. Join here! Page 4
Student Perspective Nwamaka Idigo, our PhD student, tells us about her experience at the University of Edinburgh. Nwamaka Idigo, PhD in Genetics and Molecular Medicine.
Hi, my name is Nwamaka Idigo. I am from Nigeria and I am currently doing a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Nwamaka at Cramond Island
What were you doing immediately before you started studying? I went for a Master’s degree in Genetics of Human Disease at University College London (UCL). It was a one year taught Master’s programme. Why have you chosen to study at the University of Edinburgh? During the last term of my Master’s programme, I started searching for a PhD position. A friend of mine told me of my current supervisor. I went through her research profile and I was very much interested in her area of research. I went ahead to contact her and I was really impressed with her response and all the necessary assistance she offered to me when I started the admission application process into the University of Edinburgh. Page 5
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“I have lots of nice people both in my research group and the Institute that are ever ready to help in any way they can.” How demanding are your courses? How much time do you have to dedicate to studying in a week? I find the programme quite challenging especially because it involves lots of molecular techniques that I am not familiar with. I have to study both during the week and Saturday as I don’t have to be in the lab then. However, getting involved with something entirely new to me is very exciting and the excitement outweighs the challenges. Most importantly, I have lots of nice people both in my research group and the Institute that are ever ready to help in any way they can. Tell me one place that you recommend students visit in Edinburgh (or beyond)? I recommend on one of those very special sunny days to visit Cramond Village. You can have a walk on the beach and just might be able to cross to the Cramond Island if the tide is low. It is a very relaxing casual outing with nature all around you.
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4 Tips to Make Your Stay in Edinburgh Totally Awesome!
Stay in shape without lightening your wallet! Edinburgh is one of the best natural city playgrounds on earth with the dramatic volcanic peak of Arthurs Seat only minutes from the bottom of the Royal Mile. By exploring here, Holyrood Park and Blackford Hill you can burn off the calories without ever needing to pay gym membership fees! Find out more
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Join the culture club
Bag a Bargain
The List is an excellent guide to everything cultural in Scotland’s capital city. With detailed listings and reviews of an incredible mix of events it’s a great place to find something new to do if you are short on ideas!
Located just minutes from the Central University area of George Square, Nicholson Street has an incredible range of second hand goods in its many thrift stores. So whether you are on the hunt for a vintage jacket, or a cheap JK Rowling paperback, you’ll probably find it in Newington!
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Get involved and make new friends Edinburgh has over 240 student societies covering an incredible range of topics. From Baking to Buddhism, Engineering to Estonia, societies are a great way to meet like-minded people or compare experiences with other students from your homeland! Find out more
Academic Matters
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Simon Riley, Programme Director of MSc by Research in Reproductive Sciences, gives us a snapshot into life as the leader of an MSc by Research programme. Simon Riley, Programme Director of MSc by Research in Reproductive Sciences. Tell me a little about yourself. My name is Simon Riley. I gained both my Pharmacology Honours degree, and then my PhD working on hormones in the uterus, from Edinburgh. For the next 6 years, I worked my way around the world, with two post-doctoral fellowships. It was never in my plan to come back to Edinburgh, but a junior academic job came up which I applied for, and got. Over the last 10 years, I have become increasingly interested in education, and particularly developing effective learning environments at the research-teaching interface. This includes the MSc by Research in Reproductive Sciences, for which I am the Director. I was very involved in setting up our Honours programme in Reproductive Biology, and I am also Director of Student Selected Components, the choice element in the undergraduate Medicine curriculum. What is your average day like? Busy – but you wouldn’t expect me to say any different! I work a great deal at this research-teaching interface, to make projects work for both student and supervisor. Some of my work is strategic, setting up effective learning environments. Page 7
Some of it is solving problems, for instance it is important to solve any issues quickly for a student on a short project, so they can move forward – the clock will be ticking and time running out for them. In Reproductive Sciences, I have several ongoing research collaborations, and a PhD student to supervise. Frequently, I come into work, and find myself doing something I wasn’t anticipating! What is unique about the MSc by Research Reproductive Sciences programme? I think we are the only one world-wide that offers this specific field of study, by research. Students do two 20 week research projects in different laboratories over the year, and gain real insight into the field and into working in this academic biomedicine environment. They gain cutting edge technical skills in the laboratory, and most importantly they develop their science communication skills, particularly their academic writing. You can do a brilliant experiment that produces really important findings, but it isn’t any use if you can’t inform the world about it! These projects are usually embedded within a research group, so their work is frequently published with the student as a co-author, which is a great help to their early careers.
“You can do a brilliant experiment that produces really important findings, but it isn’t any use if you can’t inform the world about it.”
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Academic Matters (continued)
Helping your Academic Development
What do you hope your students will get out of the programme to help them in their future career path?
EUSA’s Peer Proofreaders read 236 assignments this year
Most students are using the MSc for career exploration – whether they want to work in an academic laboratory-based research environment, often to work out if they want to do a PhD, or perhaps technical support. Over the year of the MSc, they gain that insight. Students frequently find that the actual laboratory work is not the really difficult element. The biggest challenge is often gaining a critical view of the scientific research literature in the field, and then incorporating this into their academic writing. When they graduate, I think students have started to really establish these skills, gained insight into this working environment, which they are able to clearly demonstrate when they attend that interview to move them to their next career step.
Our Peer Proofreaders read 236 assignments this year! That’s 594,102 words; more than Lord Of The Rings! Save this link to find out more about Peer Proofreading, which may help you get better marks in assignments.
What kinds of careers are open to students of your programme and what roles have your recent graduates gone on to? As I’ve indicated, most of our students have gone into PhDs, and we have a very good success rate in achieving this. Others have gone into laboratory technical work, science communication, or returned with some research experience to medicine or veterinary medicine. We have had a couple of recent students who were junior academic staff from Africa, who were receiving some support from their home institutions. I am sure that the MSc will really help their career development. Recently, I was delighted that one of our students, from the previous academic year, who showed real determination and resilience, was accepted onto a PhD programme, about 6 months after finishing the programme. Page 8
Postgraduate dissertation tips It’s never too early to start thinking about your dissertation. The Institute for Academic Development is here with courses, tips, and training to help you minimize stress and sail into your research with confidence. Get the tips now! Not a native English speaker? Language support for non-native speakers is offered from a range of University support departments, from English Language Teaching Centre, the Institute for Academic Development and from student volunteers. You can find out about various external sources as well as exciting events such as the Tandem café at this website!
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Discover the University community through films, blogs and social media. Click on the icons below: A community where we encourage offer-holders speak to each other online. Click here if you are on a taught programme and here if you are on a research programme! Keep up to date with the latest news from the Postgraduate Office.
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We have our own channel and are adding student experience films all the time. Take a sneak peak at postgraduate life through our students. View our e-zines featuring interviews and key information for applicants.
Edinburgh city We thought that you would like to get a glimpse of what Edinburgh is like - there’s more to the city than you can probably imagine before experiencing it on your own! • Edinburgh was recently voted the 4th most beautiful city in the world • Spoiler: 53 Reasons Why Edinburgh Ruins You For Life!
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