Really interesting piece by Integrate student Rasha Shraim describing how an in-person conference made her feel curious and inspired and gave her a newfound excitement for her research.
Rasha recently attended an in-person conference which helped draw her out of covid 19 related isolation, allowing her to interact with other researchers. For the first time since she started her Ph.D., she had the opportunity to talk at length with other students about research, careers, and other shared experiences as they wandered around campus and went out for meals. She could feel my enthusiasm for science returning and has now instituted a series of changes including moving her entire work set up to her desk on campus. She now interacts with other students regularly while working in our shared office, crossing paths in the hallways, or eating lunch. She considers that these little interactions are not only good for her mental health and well-being, but they are also helping her move her research forward more rapidly and think about what she wants to do after she graduates. Well worth a read for all PhD students and especially those who started their PhD in the midst of a pandemic!
See Rasha’s article in SCIENCE careers HERE