Natural History Museum Nature Live
On Sunday I presented my new citizen science project Earthworm Watch at two Nature Live events at the Natural History Museum. (more…)
Victoria Burton
Introducing Earthworm Watch
As part of my research into human effects on soil biodiversity I have been developing a citizen science project in partnership with the Earthwatch Institute and the Natural History Museum and in association with the Earthworm Society of Britain. (more…)
The Natural History Museum Student Conference
Every year the Natural History Museum Student Association organises a conference held for Museum-based students to present their research. This year I am on the Student Association Committee so was involved in helping with the conference, and also presented a poster and a talk.
Organising a conference is hard work! There are sponsors to find, speakers to invite, programmes to produce, catering to arrange, and things you might not even consider such as booking porters for the tables and ensuring Museum security procedures are kept to. Organisation began before Christmas but the last few weeks leading up to the event were the busiest, and thankfully it all went well.
Our keynote speakers were Ross Piper, Zoologist, Entomologist, Author and Presenter and Iain Stewart, BBC Natural History Unit and Plymouth University. Over the two days 14 students gave oral presentations on their research at the Museum and we also had a presentation by Dr Mary Henes on the Brilliant Club – a charity which widens access to universities. There were also poster presentations by students and stands from some of our sponsors.
Check out my Storify for more.
Earthworm innards at the Wohl Reach Out Lab
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by fellow Soil Biodiversity Group member (and termite fan) Fez to help with earthworm dissections at the Wohl Reach Out Lab where she works. (more…)
Spineless valentines
Sunday was Valentine’s Day, and this year I managed to visit home to spend some time with my boyfriend, Andrew. We had an earthworm hunt! and then the more classic takeaway and movie.
I also enjoyed some of the entomological Valentine posts on Twitter, which I gathered into a Storify:
Check out the hashtag #academicvalentines too for pithy academic humour.
Throwback Thursday – Earthworms by numbers (May 2014)
A day late for #wormwednesday this post looks back on the earthworms I identifying during my volunteer work on the Natural History Museum Soil Biodiversity Group BESS Earthworm Project.
A very busy January
Three weeks into 2016 and I am only just writing my first post – tsh! My excuse is that I rather rashly booked two training courses back-to-back, and have only just got back to my desk(s) at the Natural History Museum this week. The first week of the year I was in Bristol on a Software Carpentry course, followed by a course on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Newcastle the week after. I am planning to blog both of these courses next week but this week I have been frantically catching up with work (PhD and personal) so have not managed to do so.
Hope everyone’s New Years have started well, and maybe with a bit less stress than mine has!
Throwback Thursday – Interviews, PhDs and other scary things… (February 2014)
Appropriate at this time of looking backwards to the previous year and forwards to the next, this #ThrowbackThursday covers my interview which lead me to be a PhD student in the first place!
Another year over!?
Hat wearing PhD supervisors & other Christmas hijinks
Thankfully I managed to avoid being dragged to see the Oxford Street Christmas lights this year but as my Christmas-loving boyfriend was visiting it would be rude to not show him any and he was happy with seeing some of the Regent Street lights during a day out in London.
As I described in an earlier blog post, work last week consisted of mostly Christmas parties! Starting off with the the Natural History Museum Student Association Christmas Party and moving on to the Soil Biodiversity Group Christmas gathering where my supervisor Paul Eggleton tried on my Christmas hat! Sadly I was unable to join the group Christmas meal afterwards but it was great catching up with volunteers, students and staff.
The next day it was the Purvis Lab Christmas party, including a ‘double-blind’ Secret Santa when you don’t know whom you are buying for or what you will get. We had a lovely lunch in a local pub which included crackers, party poppers and Christmas hats! Cue more hat wearing supervisor shenanigans!
After tea, chocolate and bakewell tarts it was off to the Natural History Museum Life Sciences Christmas Party, this year’s theme was ‘Stars in Your Eyes’ and featured several Amy Winehouse, Slash, Britney Spears, Freddie Mercury and others I didn’t recognise. There was also some karaoke and a performance from the Village People! Not to mention lots of excellent food and drink.
This week it was time for some more sedate Christmas celebrations with the Museum choir group performing in the Victoria and Albert and Natural History Museums. Today I went along to watch the choir performing on the steps of Hinzte Hall at the Natural History Museum, which was well attended by staff and visitors. Fellow Purvis Lab member Isabel (bottom far right in photo) sang a solo part, shortly before her PhD viva!
