Mid-term assessment of the MEDEA Research School activities : MEDEA Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 641789
(2017)- Abstract
- A wide range of research school activities of the MEDEA ESR training programme were monitored through observations and repeated structured individual interviews with participating Early Stage Researchers (ESRs; i.e. doctoral students). In the early stage of the project, instructional video presentations of participating laboratories and key scientific principles turned out helpful for the early start-up of ESRs. An intertwined chain of monthly e-based Webinars led by senior scientists and web-based Journal Clubs led by ESRs constitute the longitudinal backbone of ESR training and interaction. I herein report on start-up pitfalls, successful structuring and adjustments of foci for these activities. The scientific ... (More)
- A wide range of research school activities of the MEDEA ESR training programme were monitored through observations and repeated structured individual interviews with participating Early Stage Researchers (ESRs; i.e. doctoral students). In the early stage of the project, instructional video presentations of participating laboratories and key scientific principles turned out helpful for the early start-up of ESRs. An intertwined chain of monthly e-based Webinars led by senior scientists and web-based Journal Clubs led by ESRs constitute the longitudinal backbone of ESR training and interaction. I herein report on start-up pitfalls, successful structuring and adjustments of foci for these activities. The scientific competence of the ESRs was further supported by a highly appreciated Summer School in 2016. There, MEDEA members and selected experts interacted and supported the ESRs in their new research missions. The early stage of the project included adequate outreach training with specific training in instructing school teachers and pupils in scientific discovery with the Photonics Explorer Kit®. Several ESRs successfully performed such outreach, whereas others still struggle without finding target schools. It is suggested that the supervisors (not the doctoral candidates) address such administrative obstacles.Substantial secondments in partner laboratories constitute key promotion of ESR networking and future employability. For some ESRs this is already largelyachieved, but for others it is a pressing challenge to align secondments with individual research in the home laboratory within the MEDEA 3 year timeframe. This report suggests that secondment host co-supervisors need to be involved as early as possiblein the supervision and planning of each ESRs work. Overall, the assessed research school programme comes across as very ambitious, and very well organized. There is a tendency of curriculum overload that may interfere with individual research project management and home institute obligations. The investigated research school programme indeed covers most aspects of high quality research and outreach training. However, it is suggested that early training in scientific writing (including peer feedback) could be prioritized in the coming year. Notably, the scientific outcomes of the ESRs may to some degree be presented in non-Englishmonographs with a limited readership within and beyond the MEDEA research group. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/04195c86-d577-4436-ab23-953c770e4062
- author
- Ahlberg, Anders LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2017-02-10
- type
- Book/Report
- publication status
- published
- subject
- categories
- Higher Education
- pages
- 10 pages
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 04195c86-d577-4436-ab23-953c770e4062
- alternative location
- http://www.medea-horizon2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Anders-Ahlberg-Mid-term-assessment-of-the-MEDEA.pdf
- date added to LUP
- 2019-03-19 16:29:55
- date last changed
- 2019-04-11 12:23:50
@techreport{04195c86-d577-4436-ab23-953c770e4062,
abstract = {{A wide range of research school activities of the MEDEA ESR training programme were monitored through observations and repeated structured individual interviews with participating Early Stage Researchers (ESRs; i.e. doctoral students). In the early stage of the project, instructional video presentations of participating laboratories and key scientific principles turned out helpful for the early start-up of ESRs. An intertwined chain of monthly e-based Webinars led by senior scientists and web-based Journal Clubs led by ESRs constitute the longitudinal backbone of ESR training and interaction. I herein report on start-up pitfalls, successful structuring and adjustments of foci for these activities. The scientific competence of the ESRs was further supported by a highly appreciated Summer School in 2016. There, MEDEA members and selected experts interacted and supported the ESRs in their new research missions. The early stage of the project included adequate outreach training with specific training in instructing school teachers and pupils in scientific discovery with the Photonics Explorer Kit®. Several ESRs successfully performed such outreach, whereas others still struggle without finding target schools. It is suggested that the supervisors (not the doctoral candidates) address such administrative obstacles.Substantial secondments in partner laboratories constitute key promotion of ESR networking and future employability. For some ESRs this is already largelyachieved, but for others it is a pressing challenge to align secondments with individual research in the home laboratory within the MEDEA 3 year timeframe. This report suggests that secondment host co-supervisors need to be involved as early as possiblein the supervision and planning of each ESRs work. Overall, the assessed research school programme comes across as very ambitious, and very well organized. There is a tendency of curriculum overload that may interfere with individual research project management and home institute obligations. The investigated research school programme indeed covers most aspects of high quality research and outreach training. However, it is suggested that early training in scientific writing (including peer feedback) could be prioritized in the coming year. Notably, the scientific outcomes of the ESRs may to some degree be presented in non-Englishmonographs with a limited readership within and beyond the MEDEA research group.}},
author = {{Ahlberg, Anders}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
title = {{Mid-term assessment of the MEDEA Research School activities : MEDEA Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 641789}},
url = {{http://www.medea-horizon2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Anders-Ahlberg-Mid-term-assessment-of-the-MEDEA.pdf}},
year = {{2017}},
}