The Graduate School

What a fantastic afternoon we had at the Graduate School as we opened the doors to students, friends and family for our Postgraduate Picnic!

With the chilly Summer we're having we decided to move indoors, but that didn't put a dampener on our day. We ate sandwiches and cakes, played the Wii and saw some very tense games of Jenga.

Thank you to all who attended, we look forward to seeing you again!

We're looking back on after a month of events, workshops and community gatherings which aligned to the work and development needs of today's researchers.

We're starting with last months Poetry, Prose and Pizza event, where students were invited to step away from their research for an informal Creative Writing workshop.

In this interactive session, students learned about different forms of creative writing, discussed some of the basic skills and techniques involved, and completed a few fun writing exercises.

Let us know in the comments if you'd like to see more events like this in the future.

Graduation season is under way at Queen's.

Earlier this month, Xuan Li, who graduated last year, rented a gown so he could celebrate his success with friends who were visiting him.

If you're celebrating this week, feel free to call in to the Graduate School for a picture, and don't forget to tag us when you post it online.

The Graduate School is hiring two new Student Assistants.

As regular attendees to the Graduate School will know, our student assistants are often the first point of call, a fountain of knowledge, and a valuable asset for all postgraduate students.

If you've ever thought this is a role that would be suitbale for you, now is your chance to apply.

We're looking for two Postgraduate students to work within the Graduate School. This is casual work that is expected to take place from 29th July 2024 to 27th June 2025 and will be reviewed ongoing.

The successful candidate will be required to work one to two shifts each week on a flexible basis. Occasional early or late starts will be required, as well as evening and weekend work to support with Graduate School activities. This work will take place on campus.

Find out more here: https://ow.ly/lqfQ50SfnOM

We're well and truly underway with Research Culture 2024 here at the Graduate School.

Neil Whiteside delivered 'Creative Problem Solving: Six Thinking Hats' this morning, which invited students to learn how to manage meetings more effectively, develop their creativity skills and expand their ability to innovate using De Bono's Six Thinking Hats methodology.

Discover more about what Research Culture 2024 has to offer you by visiting: https://ow.ly/Nvuq50S9Kcr

The Graduate School has been a hub of activity this academic year! We want you to help us make sure its even better in the future.

We’re hosting two focus group sessions with the hope of gaining valuable feedback on your experiences at the Graduate School.

If you’ve attended any of our workshops or events and are willing to participate, register your interest through the link:
https://ow.ly/aWsa50S20ZJ

There's still a chance to get your ticket to the annual International Irish Studies lecture on June 4th.

This year's lecture, 'Policing and the Construction of Irish Culture: The Case of Captain O'Neill', explores the significance of an Irish immigrant who rose to become Chief of Chicago Police while defining and collecting Irish folk music.

Register now.

https://ow.ly/sV5A50RY6hF

The latest Graduate School Blog is from our very own Dr Abbie Edgar, as she looks at the benefits of the One to One Consultations we offer.

"The postgraduate journey can be both exciting and overwhelming, and at the Thomas J. Moran Graduate School, we understand the importance of tailored support to ensure the holistic development of all our postgraduate students.

Central to the support we offer students is our offer of one to one consultations, designed to address individual needs and empower our postgraduate students to fulfil their academic potential.

The hallmark of our one to one consultations lies in their personalised nature. Each session is crafted to suit the specific requirements of the student, ensuring that they receive targeted assistance where they need it the most.

Whether you're grappling with academic writing, struggling with time management, honing presentation skills, mastering poster creation, or preparing for significant milestones like differentiation, APR, or the viva, our consultations are here to guide you every step of the way."

To keep reading about the key benefits of engaging in one to one consultations at the Graduate School, visit our blog: https://ow.ly/ujo550RTOwG

Also, check out the images below of students who have already benefited from working with Abbie and Dr Fabiana Fausto Mccracken.

If you ever need proof of how diverse the research carried out at QUB is, look no further than last year's 3-Minute Thesis final.

Mind wandering in children, Snapchat, hip replacements, antimicrobial resistance breakers, animals playing together - that's just a handful of the topics discussed by the PhD students who competed to confidently discuss their research topic within three minutes to a panel of judges.

We're already excited to see what we can learn at the 2024 Final, which will be part of the Research Culture Celebration in June. Keep an eye on our socials for other event announcements in the coming days.

The sun is shining on our Beautiful Building! Whether you're taking a break and enjoying the weather, or pushing on with your studies, have a wonderful weekend from everyone at the Graduate School.

Tianpeng Yao is a PhD candidate in Film Studies and he recently founded the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival, which runs on Wednesday and Thursday this week at the Queen's Film Theatre.

He tells us all about it in our latest Graduate School Blog...

"I've always had a strong interest in film practice and over the last few years I’ve completed a few exciting projects. My short film Bicycle was awarded the Official Selection for the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival and the 22nd Independent Days International Film Festival in Germany. My documentary The Road to Kung Fu has also received the Best Long Video Award at the 2023 United Nations Chinese Language Day & The Third Chinese Language Video Festival.

Now, I have founded the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival with the support of my PhD supervisor, Frank Delaney and Dr. Derek Johnston.

The reason I wanted to host a film festival at Queen's stems from my experience attending the 22nd Independent Days Film Festival in April last year. In April 2023, I received funding from the Queen’s AHSS Jetset Award, which allowed me to travel to Karlsruhe, Germany, to attend the screening of Bicycle. At the screening, I met many talented filmmakers, exchanged ideas, and received a lot of inspiration. I also had an in-depth conversation with Festival Director Dr. Oliver Langewitz, who encouraged me to organize my own film festival in Belfast and provided me with a lot of advice and support."

Read the full blog and find out more about the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival by following the link in our bio.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the latest Big Graduate School Quiz!

A fantastic evening of fun, pizza, a few drinks, and a test of trivia.

If you know the name of the first animal to have ever been cloned, what the smallest country in the world is, and the title of Taylor Swift's first single, then you should have been there!

Keep an eye on our social channels and the Graduate School website to be the first to hear about the next Big Graduate School Quiz.

Join us for the next Graduate School Quiz, where we'll have pizzas and drinks as well as prizes for our winners and the best team name.

🗓️ Thursday 25th April
🏫 Graduate School Social Space
⏰ 5.30pm

💻 Check out these pictures from previous Quizzes, then book your place: https://ow.ly/Ybrn50RljP5

GraduateSchoolCommunity

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Eid celebration earlier this week.

This event was curated by postgraduate student Gulnahar Begum, who had the goal of bringing the postgraduate community together to share in and learn about the food, dance, music and culture which makes Eid such a celebrated event for so many people around the world.

If you'd like to host an event that brings your postgraduate community together, click the link in our bio and learn about Postgraduate-Led Initiatives.

This week at the Graduate School... 📸😃

We took our hats off to the latest cohort of postgraduates who made steps toward future success by completing the Introduction to Teaching. We can’t wait to see how they take what they’ve learned to make an impact on the students of tomorrow 👨‍🏫

Students that wanted to smash their writing goals before the Easter break took part in two Writing Retreats. If you missed out and like the idea of hitting that word count with your fellow students, keep an eye out for more retreats at the end of this semester ✍️

And despite all this, Graduate School staff found the time to forage some foliage to embrace the spirit of spring and make their own beautiful wreaths.

Our team gathered twigs, blossoms, leaves and flowers and transformed them into sustainable and festive decorative wreaths. Feedback was brilliant, so don’t be surprised if we offer this for the postgraduate community in summer ☀️

Swipe across to see more from the last few days!

We were lucky to have a couple of former students visit the Graduate School today. Having graduated in 1978, they called in to see just how much had changed since they were studying in here, back when it was the Lynn Library. We took the opportunity to chat, dust off our collection of old photos and appreciate just how much has changed in our building over the years...

2018 saw the 150th anniversary of the Lynn Library opening and since then our building has evolved into a vibrant hub for the postgraduate community at Queen’s.

Originally funded by a government grant of just £4,600, the Lynn Library has undergone significant changes over the years to make space for students new and old, but take a closer look and you can still see plenty of those original features, like the vaulted ceilings, ornamental tracery, and gargoyles.

In 2009, the old Library closed its doors and, after extensive renovation and restoration, reopened as The Graduate School in April 2015. A place designed for the postgraduate community to study, train and get to know their fellow students.

Thanks to those visitors for encouraging us to take a trip down memory lane and for reminding us of the incredible journey our building has taken. Check out the images below that give just a small sense of that journey, and share your own memories or experiences of our building in the comments.

Congratulations to the students who completed our Master Your Leadership programme today.

Master Your Leadership is a programme that allows students to Develop their skills in leadership, innovation and employability, while building their confidence, communication and teamworking skills to become a dynamic leader.

Thanks to our fantastic participating industry partner Elaine Canning who joined students today to share her invaluable advice and insight.

To participate in future programmes, keep an eye on our social media channels and the Graduate School Events page.

Looks like we've had some mischievous visitors in the Graduate School... ☘️☘️☘️

If you find one of these lucky green coins in the building tomorrow (Friday 15th September), that means you've won a special prize to celebrate St. Patrick's Day 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

Best of luck and we hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend!

🌍 Start for Future 🌍

Applications are open to Queen's postgraduates for the first phase of Start for Future.

Students chosen will have the chance to elevate their business ideas while collaborating with over 30 global universities to tackle real-world problems.

Learn more and apply before 4th April here: https://ow.ly/X60950QRZji

We were delighted to host 'Fighting Talk' with MMA star and N.I. native Leah McCourt on Friday.

Leah led an insightful and inspirational discussion about her journey to become one of the biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts - a perfect way for us to celebrate International Women's Day.

Attendees got to hear about Leah's fighting success, the challenges of being a woman in MMA, and how she's battled to rise to the top of her field.

🏫 Upcoming Graduate School closures🏫

This week at the Graduate School!

On Monday, participants in the 'Making Belfast Playful' social innovation challenge enjoyed a site visit as part of the project which will see them partnering with Belfast City Council and the Housing Executive to co-design creative solutions for a space in Belfast.

On Thursday, the latest Introduction to Teaching course got under way with a new cohort of students who will explore a range of methodologies and learning experiences over the next week.

More information on these programmes and all the opportunities we have to offer can be found here: https://www.qub.ac.uk/graduate-school/training-events/

Fighting Talk with Leah McCourt

In Celebration of International Women’s Day, MMA star and Northern Ireland native Leah Mc Court will be sharing insights into her inspirational journey with the Graduate School.

A shining star in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, Leah was the first female to headline an MMA bout in Europe. Her success has also been instrumental in bringing the world's second largest MMA organisation to Belfast in March 2024, where she will likely fight for a World title.

Leah's experience in the historically male dominated sport of MMA was showcased in thee BBC documentary 'Leah McCourt: Mother, Daughter, Fighter'.

Find out more and book your place on eventbrite: https://ow.ly/fgKP50QJSIu

Calling anyone under age 25!

The Seed2030 project will give 10 young people, aged 14 – 25, living in Northern Ireland, the opportunity to apply for £1,000 to develop or test their community project idea or start up business that aims to advance on one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Alongside the funding, the 10 young people will gain the opportunity to take part in a 2 day, 1 night immersive leadership bootcamp in Belfast helping them to progress their own leadership skills and the progress of their project, campaign or venture.

For more information and to apply, visit here by 9am on Wednesday 6 March: https://unloc.online/seed2030

Fast Track to Chartered Status: Information Session, Tuesday 5th March.

We're hosting an information session on Tuesday 5th March at 18:30 at the Graduate School to review the Chartered Manager fast track assessment process.

The session will be delivered by Trish O’Lynn, CMI Consultant at the Graduate School and Tom Doran, CMI Moderator for NI and Chartered Manager Assessor. This session will cover various aspects of the application process, requirements, benefits, and tips for success. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and seek clarification on any aspect of the application process.

If you are interested in joining us for this session, please let us know by Thursday 29th February by registering your details here: https://ow.ly/hczB50QIM0k

Discover the Consult Programme at the Graduate School, where you'll receive comprehensive training from seasoned professionals, equipping you with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in the consultancy arena.

This course teaches you what it truly means to be a consultant and uncovers the secrets to building a sustainable and prosperous business from the ground up.

From mastering the art of effective communication to navigating the intricacies of self-employment, every aspect of consultancy will be explored, empowering you to overcome challenges and seize success.

The programme also provides access to invaluable industry connections, paving the way for you to secure your first client and kickstart your consultancy journey with confidence.

If you would like to be part of this exciting new programme, please fill in this form: https://ow.ly/KOl650QIiTm

"The workshops on offer by the Graduate School are incredible, I start every week by looking on their events page to see what's coming up..."

Check out this video to hear about some of the opportunities current PhD students have had while studying 🎓

Opportunities available to postgraduate research students | Queen’s University Belfast As a PhD student, you will have many opportunities to attend conferences and events to network with like-minded people in your field. Hear about some of the ...

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