The Research Mentorship Programme, or RMP for short, has been a highlight of Connect.ed since the society’s launch, being able to ‘connect’ approximately 40 eager arm-chair experts in academic research with equally eager, more experienced mentors, for the first time! Being a mentee myself this year, I can say that it is an experience worth trying at least once while at UCL! The RMP Symposium brought in a large number of mentees and mentors, proving that there is hope and interest in the undergraduate research field; this year’s symposium was a fusion of knowledge fueled by topics ranging from Neuroscience and Genetics to Law to WWI Toy History to Smart Cities, Common Affairs and more! But for those who missed the sessions, here is a quick chronological sum-up of everything that happened: (with a slideshow below of some of the visual posters that went along with the presentations) 1st Session: How to Prevent an Escape of the Inescapable… Reading Neuroscience Papers by Nicole Vissers, Ria Badiani, Matthew Bazley, Sermila Ispartaligil, Lelia Jeilani, Jaimie Leung, Advaita Srinivasan & Parth Tagdiwala The team met up weekly to discuss academic papers on Neuroscience, choosing for the Symposium to focus on the topic of Depression: a clinical syndrome recognized for over 2,000 years. The researchers mentioned the long lasting effects of depression while tackling various solutions to depression by analyzing the structure of the limbic system, the theory of Monoamines and therapy with hallucinogens. Inhaling Genes: A Non-invasive Route to Deliver Therapeutics to the Body by Savvas Dimiou & Szeching Fung The aim of their project is to create inhalation of gene aerosol formulation (lipid-based vectors) in order to:
The team mentioned the challenges that they might face such as:
Gene Hunting in Patients with Rare Inflammatory Disease by Alice Burleigh & Francesca Montesi The team discussed the rare and complex Behcet’s disease (BD) and its traits. They also mentioned how the disease is affected not only by multiple genes but also by the environment which it develops in. Moreover, although it is often triggered by an infection, this is not the case in all patients. Given that BD spreads systemically in the body and it leads to chronic and relapsing tissue inflammation, monogenic rare inflammatory diseases may present such BD-like symptoms, leading to misdiagnosis. Research in this field is needed since there’s no diagnostic test for the disease, rather only some criteria available to aid the diagnosis and some BD treatments could actually be harmful. This mentorship investigated one patient in particular who was diagnosed with BD but has shown two significant reasons which point at potential misdiagnosis. Designing a Socio-emotional Cognition Task in a Sleep Paradigm for Neurodegenerative Diseases by Jade Lucas The team worked on a study concerning sleep, especially frontotemporal dementia. They tested online (due to COVID-19), purely based on audio, patients before and after sleep. They conducted a study linked to how people perceive sarcasm in the tonality of other people to test the socio-emotional cognition of patients. 2nd Session: Role of Ion Channels and Mitochondria in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy by Matthew Bazley, Varenya Jalan, Neha Khawaja, Cyril Lemerle, Molly Martin & Kseniia Panteleeva The team discussed the importance and use of Ion Channels and Mitochondria in Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Chemotherapy. They have analyzed multiple studies on the topic and then presented them in detail in their presentation. Understanding the Relationship Between Participation in City Planning and Urban Governance by Aleksandra Milentijevic, Justine Bandegas, Elena Colonna & Dale Connellan They explained the importance of global collaboration & implementation in city planning and urban governance while analyzing different worldwide cases on the topic. Unboxing Recipe Boxes: Using Social Media for Generating Insights into Recipe Box and Food Subscription Services by Sonja Tilly, Anirudh Lakra & Hiru Ranasinghe The team discussed how they conducted their market research for Recipe Subscription Boxes on social media. They converted tweets from Twitter into vectors for an AI machine to read them and searched the most common # in foods such as: chicken, soup, rice. Based on how common # were it was easier to see the trends for the boxes ex. People start searching more for calories, then it made sense that boxes with lower calories would sell more. Courts and Stability in Consociational Systems of Power-Sharing: The Case of Northern Ireland by Haocheng Fang, Alexandre Gliott, Anthi Sotiropoulou-Nassika & Matilde Placci The team discussed the stability of Northern Ireland courts in consociational systems of power-sharing. Session 3: The Various Intentions of the Multilingual Book: Reception, Handling, Uses by Daria Chernysheva, Sermila Ispartaligil & Maria Stoica The team discussed the materiality of books as objects how hierarchies are imposed through bilingual text and what problems these rise:
The impact of Public Diplomacy on Foreign Policy and A Reflection on the study of Cultural Diplomacy by Firdevs Bulut, Henriette Tabbert (wasn’t present) & Alex (Zi) Won Mentees had the opportunity to be immersed in 21st century British and German Cultural Diplomacy and how these are taking policies and translating them into culture projects. The mentees came up with their own topic related to cultural diplomacy and they came up with topics ranging from cultural diplomacy between the Trump administration and Germany to UN vs Asean governmental blocks. Interpreting Cultural Artifacts: British and German Toys and Games from the Age of Empire by Les Newsom, Stephanie Cunningham & Matilde Masetti-Placci The team compared cultural artifacts such as toys, games, books from the Age of Empire to analyze what effects these had on children. The children who played with these toys (before the WWI) would go on to participate in WWI and maybe even lead in WWII and participate in the post conflict world. They analyzed how a German company making toys for Britain could have marketed racist toys; how red indians were sold with fantastical/familiar figures in order to perpetuate stereotypes and how the toy industry was very aware of what they were selling. The Puzzle of High-Risk Participation: How do Peace Movements Emerge in the Midst of War? by Vaania Achuthan, Lia Goldman, Nathalia Gonzalez Gutierrez, Richard Kresina, Maria Patouna, Annita Petrides, Aaditya Subramanian & Bianca Voican Peace communities are outliers and thus it’s important to analyze how people mobilise across different contexts. Different sources might result in different outcomes. Lots of members of different communities are in danger because people are detained by the police and some are arrested and kept in prisons without access to any family contacts or lawyers. Session 4: Investigating the Association of the Oral Microbiome and Parkinson's Disease by Eva Lymberopoulos & Alessandra Quigley The team discussed the studies they conducted on the connection between Oral Microbiome and Parkinson’s Disease while presenting other relevant academic papers on the same topic. Literature Review and Data Analysis of Literature on Self-Healing Infrastructure Systems by Michael Chan, Noella Kalasa & Ainiah Masood The team discussed the importance of self-healing systems in Infrastructure from the lenses of transport, energy and green energy such as Water Energy-Nexus! Project-Based Research Development - Smart City Development by Shade Adepeju-Joseph, Renee Etokakpan, Kirtana Krishnakumar, Alexia Mihaila & Tori Simpson The team which went by the name Project White Swans managed to analyze how important privacy and security are when implementing smart cities projects by analyzing different case studies such as the failed Waterfront Toronto Project or by carrying and composing worldwide online surveys to gauge the public’s trust with smart city technologies. All in all, the Symposium was an absolute success and displayed the importance of research in expanding the horizons of undergraduates with the help of other graduate UCL students. We can’t wait to see what the next year’s RMP has to offer!
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It’s the middle of March, spring is finally here. Now that the weather is getting warmer and the second term is coming to an end, it is finally possible to go out for a walk without the need of covering ourselves in countless layers of sweaters and coats. But while doing all this, it might be worth to stop for a second and think about our relationship with nature and start to feel the life that surrounds us in all the trees and grass. And its fragility. And also our own.
Of course, this is the part where normally the author of an article like this would start to speak about climate change, the need for sustainability and preserving nature, all topics that are extremely important and popular nowadays, especially among younger audiences. We are all aware of the severity of such problems, so I won’t list the specific predictions and statistics about global warming, the ongoing mass extinction of species or the rising sea levels – you can hear about that in all the speeches of Greta Thunberg or thankfully, almost everywhere by now, thanks to challenges like Veganuary of Plastic Free July, the work of newspapers or organisations like the XR demonstrating effectively. However, both Veganuary and Plastic Free July focus on the decisions of the individual within society, similarly to what we can hear in awareness campaigns about turning the lights off, boycotting fast fashion or recycling our plastic waste. Of course, all of these initiatives are great, and the world is better off with them than without since they all focus on important aspects of a more sustainable future. But unfortunately, acknowledging such ideas doesn’t change the fact that they are essentially insufficient – even if the hip young professionals could be all convinced to not eat meat anymore on the basis of how much water is needed to produce it (or any other moral or environmental reason), we simply don’t have the time to persuade everyone. Even though it is easy to think that ‘everyone’ is vegan or at least vegetarian - if we spend all our time in a comfortably small and woke bubble -, it is important to remember that the majority of the world is located outside of this very limited personal perspective. And, of course, there are also reasons for that, partially awareness, but mostly the lack of easy-to-afford alternatives, the necessary knowledge about how to break with traditions while maintaining identity, and simply, in the case of older generations, habit and familiarity. In reality, above all the campaigning for awareness, it is crucial to keep in mind that most of these problems stem from the fact that the well-meaning individual is forced to live in a socio-economic system that is designed to assist the wants of the elites and those in power instead of focusing on what would be best for the many. This is what allows nature conservation aspects to be swept away by the needs of agriculture and this is what creates useful loopholes for big industries whenever possible – for example, with Brexit just three months ago. Another recent example is the February winter storm in Texas - since private power companies only focus on maximising their profit, they haven’t spent a dime on winterising their power plants, even though they knew the risks from history. They simply weren’t legally enforced to make changes, so at least 57 people died in hypothermia. These are only two examples, but there are countless others that all point in the same direction. Persuasion, taxes or offsets are not enough: the only way forward is with clear and strict bans. But those only come if there is political will; if the societal pressure is strong enough to make it impossible for leading politicians to get away with secret deals and empty promises instead of taking action, and if we elect parties and politicians who are willing to stand up against corporate forces and lobbying powers. So here is the most important takeaway of this short article I wrote on a Wednesday morning: if you want to have the chance to enjoy spring (or even to just _have_ spring and not only winter and summer) in the future as well, if you want to grow old, if you want to go on walks and be able to take a deep breath from the clean air, if you really want to have Earth as a shared home in the future as well, then we must push for constant change and innovative actions. Ban fossil fuels, try to eat less animal products, be mindful of your presence in this world – unlike the generations before us, we just cannot afford to turn a blind eye to these threats any longer. More than any other time before, the COVID-19 global pandemic proved to us that life is full of uncertainties and it’s fine to be unable to predict the future, as long as you make the present count. That one fight humans were waging against climate change, has turned into a full on duel between Global Warming and Global Pandemics in 2020, therefore it is worth mentioning how this battle turned out. Although climate change doesn’t directly lead to a rise in pandemics, there is evidence showing that the dynamics behind climate change influence the spreading of novel or known viruses, as well as, the relationship between how animals and humans respond to these viruses. Hence humans’ reactions are tightly bound to their environment, one could easily notice the importance of climate change during pandemics. Thus, if polar bear extinction and wildfire burning entire forests was not terrifying enough, then maybe the faster spread of Corona might have installed some shock in non-environmentalists. The duel is not necessarily carried between the two of the issues I mentioned previously; if this was a war, in fact, the COVID-19 pandemic could have been the Switzerland to our Mother Nature, giving her a helping hand. It is mostly a war between us, inhabitants of Earth, wagering with our own actions that affect the environment we live in. Data does show that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the biggest drop in CO2 in history[1], however, that is only a result of the governmental lockdown policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which reduced travel, industrial production, and energy generation. [2] The UN, hence, warns that the positive impact of improved air quality is only temporary and if we are not able to maintain the changes, we will quickly get back on track to a steady disintegration of our environment. In India, for example, the main motto behind imposing nationwide lockdown was to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, since studies showed that the virus spreads through the air, droplets, touch and hence social distancing should be maintained. After the lockdown, the air quality in cities like Delhi was significantly improved in terms of PM2.5 (fine particulate), NO2 and CO levels. [3] The improvement in air quality is a very short-term effect that does not mean that climate change has been curbed, given the great amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, emitted due to human activity since the Industrial Revolution. [1] For example, in April 2020, daily global CO2 emissions were 17% below the mean level in 2019, although levels rose again once restrictions were released, [2] proving that we are the main reason why Earth is slowly shutting down. NO2 map over California from TROPOMI
One other form of pollution is water-related. Restrictions on the sailing of ships and boats cleaned water resources with such purity which previously has been impossible by human efforts even for developed countries. Fishes are easily visible and come out of water in many cities of the world, proving that nature can solve the problems we caused her as long as we let her alone, to do her own healing. Sound pollution, such as vehicles sound, transportation, etc, affected too our life quality and mental and physical health. Noise pollution is, in fact, associated with health conditions, including cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances etc. After lockdown due to the minimized road-traffic, factories not functioning, social functions and large gatherings being banned, sound pollution has also been reduced to a considerable level. [3] As we are slowly fighting the virus through vaccines and lockdowns, we should fear going back ‘to normal’ since that normal is leading us to a future to fear. Nevertheless, there is plenty of hope for the future with regard to climate change if we switch steadily to “green” innovations and use of green technology as part of economic recovery. So while the duel is far from over yet, the COVID-19 pandemic can be viewed as “a natural experiment”, showing that social change is possible with rapid cohesive international action, priority setting, and mobilisation of financial resources. [2] References [1] Juan Rafael Ruiz & Patricia Stupariu (2021) A green new deal and debt sustainability for the post COVID-19 world, International Review of Applied Economics, 35:2, 288-307, DOI: 10.1080/02692171.2021.1879742 [2] Nilsson, M. et al; Covid-19—a rehearsal to build a greener and healthier society; THE ROAD TO EQUITY AND SOLIDARITY; BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.n127 on 28 January 2021. Downloaded from http://www.bmj.com/%20BMJ:%20first%20published%20as%2010.1136/bmj.n127%20on%2028%20January%202021 [3] Ghungrud, Deepali; Sharma, Ranjana; Tembhare, Vaishali; Gujar, Samruddhi; The Unseen Positive Effects of Lockdown Due to Covid-19 Pandemic: Air pollution, Sound Pollution, Water Pollution, Sanitation and Hygiene, Behavioral Change, Global Warming, Road Traffic Accidents; Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology . Jan-Mar2021, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p382-390. 9p. I love to fantasize about having a nice life and getting old and all, but it seems like the future is cancelled both on a personal and on a social level. Inequalities are on the rise, buying your own property is almost unimaginable, let alone finding a stable and intellectually rewarding job without a STEM degree. It seems dubious that all the catastrophic effects of climate change can be ignored for another 50 years. In fact, I think we are already living in a dystopia, many people just don’t notice it since it is - unfortunately - way less cool than the one in Blade Runner, for example.
This is a feeling I share with others in my generation: according to the results of the 2021 Prince’s Trust Youth Index, 56% of young people aged 15-26 feel “always” or “often” anxious – the highest proportion since the start of their annual reports. Even before the pandemic, in 2019, 73% said their generation “is less certain about future employment than their parents”. Surveys show they were right feeling so: with the pandemic, a third of them have been furloughed, while only the sixth of prime-age adults. So here we are, worried and unable to imagine futures that are radically different than the present we already have. Western culture has spent the second half of the twentieth century in awe of possibilities on the way: as mankind made its first steps on the Moon and first satellites started orbiting around the planet, pop culture was invaded by spaceships, computers and cyber technology. But then, our relationship with the future changed. For some while now, it has almost felt like we’re seeing nothing radically new; most of the music sounds as if it was created before the turn of the century, and the biggest Hollywood productions are mainly just reusing content that was created over 40 years ago. Even fashion is undeniably cyclical. According to the late Mark Fisher, cultural innovation has stalled and contemporary culture is haunted by “lost futures”. While back in the sixties and the seventies social institutions were stronger and social needs thus better satisfied, now artists lack the necessary resources and safety to create freely. Back then, people had more security and more room to be creative. Working-class youth could go to art schools and there was enough social security not to worry too much even if one didn’t have a finance or IT job. Then the boring old days which produced the likes of Pink Floyd disappeared; and with Thatcher social democracy turned into the frightening world of neoliberalism, tuition fees and increasing rent prices. But culture is just one aspect. There are other problems as well. Last November, The Atlantic published an interesting article saying that although 2020 was for many an apocalyptic year, for an academic at the University of Connecticut called Peter Turchin, it was an indicator that his models predicting an “age of discord” around 2020 were working. Turchin based the hypothesis on social data from the last 10,000 years and argued that at the core of the unrest lies the fact that there is a periodic overproduction of elites – e.g., the number of suitable jobs for highly educated people lags behind the number of highly skilled intellectuals with degrees acquainted from top universities. These people are convinced from their early childhood that the key to a good life is the very degree they agree to go into debt for – only that there is such a large number of them that this does not happen. The desired good life fades away for many and they simply end up stuck in debt – hence the increasing fight for skilled jobs and the dissatisfaction with the current social order. Turchin has received a wide range of criticism. Many believe that human history is too complex to apply such crude methods to it in order to predict the future, while others do not even go such a length and just say that he is merely some charlatan, a 21st-century Nostradamus. Putting aside debates on whether the future is or is not mathematically predictable in a way Asimov put it in his Foundation series, it is still interesting to read predictions about the future, the inner workings of our current society and how it came about, or even to just scroll poll results for fun facts. Even if we are not convinced by Turchin, elite overproduction seems real, and it is unlikely that there is anything about it that could make people happy and strengthen social order. We also have to keep in mind that staying purely on a theoretical level when discussing society does not help either. In the end, it will not matter at all how good you understood Turchin or Fisher or even if you think you are not part of that anxious 56%. To create a better future, we all have to let go of childish hopes of electric cars or veganism or even Silicon Valley tech bros being able to change things substantially. We have to understand that not only does humanity’s current track lead towards greater suffering and an inhabitable planet but also that the future can be made better only by actively engaging in politics and fighting for what matters to us. There is hope, though. The same Prince’s Trust study I mentioned above says that 59 per cent of 16-25-year-olds pay more attention to the news than they did a year ago and 66% thinks that “the political events” of 2020 “have made them want to fight for a better future”. Let’s hope that this fight does not stop at being woke on social media — then we can indeed hope for things changing for the better and start to believe that we are going to have a future after all. Written by: Conor Courtney (UCL LLM International Commercial Law 2019–20)I just finished my Masters in UCL, and since the Connect.ed society was a huge part of my experience, I thought I would share some benefits of getting involved with mentoring, especially in these strange new times!
1. Advice and Guidance One of the main benefits to getting a mentor is pretty obvious, you get a contact who will be there to help provide you with advice and guidance. Although UCL offers great resources for studying and essay writing, it is sometimes nice to be able to contact a student or professional who has experienced some of the same issues and concerns that you might be going through. Coming to university, especially if you have moved area or country, can be daunting, and having the chance to discuss some of your concerns with someone who has already lived through it is an amazing opportunity. Beyond career and study advice, mentoring, whether as a mentor or mentee, can help you hone skills, such as communication and time-management, which is always a great addition to any CV. 2. Meeting New People While discussing advice, it is important to recognise that mentoring also offers a great opportunity to meet other people with similar interests, or in similar fields of study. An older student, recent graduate, or professional can be a great contact at university, and might become a colleague or contact in a few years. Whether you’re attending your term online or on campus, it is nice to start the year knowing at least one new person. 3. Useful Experience & Skills Not only does mentoring offer the chance to develop your study skills, but both mentors and mentees can develop skills that can be useful for any future employment opportunities. This includes your communication skills, teamwork and leadership skills, and time management. Getting involved in mentoring and research projects also highlights to future employers that you have a genuine passion for your field of study. On top of this, many sectors, such as law for example, rely on mentoring opportunities during graduate schemes. Having experienced mentoring, whether as a mentor or mentee, can show to employers that you are a suitable candidate for such graduate schemes. In the LLM at UCL, we actually got the chance to work with PhD students during our dissertation/IRE, so mentoring experience can also be helpful if you are looking to pursue a career in academia. On top of this, if you have any interest in volunteering or charity work, then all of the skills that you hone and your experiences with mentoring will be applicable to a volunteering position with a charity or pro bono clinic. 4. Mental Health Finally, mentoring is such a common practice in universities across the world because it can be so beneficial to your mental health. Transitioning into a new university or into a new year of study can be daunting and stressful, and it can be easy for students to overlook the harmful effects this has on their mental health. By taking part in mentoring, whether as a mentee or mentor, you get the chance to take a break from focusing on your coursework and deadlines, and have the opportunity to talk to another person. Taking a break from academic pressures can be a great way to reset, regain some positivity, and refocus. This is especially important during lockdown. At UCL Connect.ed, they hope that their members will ‘Learn something new outside of the lecture halls’, which is important now more than ever, when so many of us are stuck indoors and where a virtual programme might limit our experiences outside of lectures. Why not bring this approach into your own life, and if you were looking for a reason to get involved with mentoring this year, you now have four! |
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March 2021
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