I was privileged to secure the EuniWell thesis prize in individual and social wellbeing, which
led to attending a science communication workshop in Nantes, France. I shared this experience with researchers from European countries including Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France engaging in incredible research on well-being. The theme of well-being was broad and meant I had the opportunity to learn about well-being from many different disciplinary perspectives very different to my own, including but not limited to chemistry, linguistics, and computer science.
The workshop consisted of two days learning about science communication and how to make our research understandable and reach wider audiences, and two days where we took turns to go to the media studio and film a professional video of our research. The timing of the workshop was particularly valuable and interesting for me, going from our PGR research day on the Friday where my research was communicated in a scientific/academic format, to the workshop the following week where I learnt how to communicate my research in a way that could be accessible for a broader audience.
My PhD research focuses on student-athlete mental health (including mental illness and wellbeing) and exploring risk and protective factors for their mental health, such as emotion regulation. The workshop was an opportunity to really step out of my comfort zone and apply the emotion regulation skills I research to my own life. For example, the nerves I felt stood in front of the camera could be reappraised (or reframed) as energy and excitement for the experience instead of pressure.
I am very grateful to the EuniWell network for this opportunity to develop new skills and meet other researchers interested in well-being. Thank you also to Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP (warwick.ac.uk) for funding my research. I’m looking forward to seeing the final product!
This blog post was written by Georgia Bird, a 3rd year PhD candidate supervised by Dr Mary Quinton and Professor Jennifer Cumming at University of Birmingham, UK.