Sunday, December 1, 2013

Oxford Magic

There's an immediate magic one can feel about Oxford. It's in the old stone walls, the meadows, and the church bells. Though this magic can be difficult to pinpoint, there's one place that it exists in an absolute, and definitive way; It's in our class of 2013 Canadian Scholars.
It's incredible to me that eleven people can find such common ground. Though we all come from different backgrounds, we are able to merge together in a seamless way. Throughout the week we go about our ways: from reading about lasers physics, to discussing population health, and starting-up feminist reading groups. We give quick waves to one another during morning outings on the Isis, and chance encounters from across the traffic of High Street. We fire one another messages through computers, mobile phones, and 'pidge'. We go about our wildly diverse routines, and then we find ourselves back together again. 
It's difficult to get eleven people together at once. Truthfully, it doesn't happen very often. We meet up throughout the week, in ephemeral, and dynamic groups. We convene in coffee shops, in impossibly tiny pubs, the corners of busy intersections, and outside college gates. Someone will bring a friend from college, from a sports team, or their lab. Another Canadian Scholar will drop by fleetingly on their way to a panel discussion. The group is never quite the same, and that is truly a beautiful thing.
The Rhodes community encourages us to expand and explore entirely new fields. It dares us to debate, discuss, and to challenge one another to think differently. We are here to acquire specific knowledge and skills that will give us the tools to 'fight the worlds fight' within our own fields. Arguably, diversifying our knowledge, and expanding our horizons is equally as important as the fantastic education we are getting from our respective academic departments. I feel we are all taking this to heart as we taste different and wonderful things across disciplines.

Though I am endlessly thankful for the entire Rhodes community, there is something special about our group of Canadians. Taking the time to discuss the latest Ottawa news, respective difficulties with our academic programs, and laughing together about stories from home is enormously therapeutic.
We've become like a family over the past nine weeks. A friend approached me last week, and asked how our group became close so quickly. I thought about it for a moment, but the only answer I could muster was: 'Everyone is thoughtful, intelligent, and incredibly kind. We are open and honest with one another. It is a group of truly good people, and I don't think there's anything more to it'.  
I can see the same level of connection in place with the upper year Canadian scholars. I could see the same understanding between alumnus at the Sailing Dinner. The same magic that hangs over Oxford is magnified within the Rhodes community. Once you've experienced the magic, it seems to stay with you forever.
It's comforting to know that there is a community of alumni waiting for us after this grand adventure comes to an end. While we've all experienced Oxford, it will be fascinating to share our diverse, and unique impressions of such a phenomenal time and place. It will allow the Oxford and Rhodes experience to live-on, and proliferate in our day-to-day lives. Now if that isn't magical, I don't know what is. 
**This piece was submitted for the Canadian Association of Rhodes Scholars Newsletter

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Little bit of sunshine, and a whole lot of happiness

If there is any prevailing theme on my first few weeks living and studying in the United Kingdom it would likely be happiness. To feel as adjusted as I do, in a completely unfamiliar setting is an odd but strangely comforting feeling. Finding my footing has never been something that I've struggled with, although this new adventure brings my comfort to a new level.

I've been trying to analyze what it is that's making this adjustment so positive. Being away from the people, culture, and landscape that I am so firmly attached to has been fare more natural than I ever could have anticipated. I've been trying to understand it; to pick away at the pieces, and try to decipher what exactly is keeping me on such a high.

Gardens at Rhodes House, Oxford, UK
To begin with, I think a significant part of my happiness is due solely to the physical attributes of this wonderful city. Oxford is without a doubt the most interesting place I have experienced. Tradition, culture, politics, and history are all whorled into a fantastic town that is full of adventure, mystery, and head-scratching-questions that leave you pining for answers. There is often little rhyme or reason, but then fantastically effective, and well orchestrated ideas that are beneficial to everyone. There are beautiful hidden gems of pubs on back roads. There are little gardens waiting to be discovered seven-feet-up on rock walls. There are knitting-installations, and wood ovens inside of lunch trucks. A pair of magpies live outside my room. I've practically given myself whiplash from backward glances at period fancy-dress (costumes), bell fuchsia, and grape-vines with a base comparable to a laundry basket. There are stories waiting to be discovered, and questions to be asked. It's confusing, and overwhelming, and pleasing. You've got to come visit. I'll have you for a pint.

A conversation between a hard-looking pair - Magdalen College, Oxford, UK

Besides the excitement and beauty of the city, it seems that it's the people that have truly made this transition so natural. No matter where I am, or what I'm doing - at Oxford, I'm surrounded interesting, intelligent and kind individuals. I've taken a quick moment to divide these peoples into different communities.

My lab group is extraordinary. I am sharing a lab group with some of the most knowledgeable entomologists I have ever met. Their intelligence starts with knowledge of insects, and continues into statistics, and natural history. It then moves into law, policy making, history, and culture. I have moments where I feel absolutely naive, bumbling, and frantic. Despite this, I can feel myself being pulled up to a whole new standard of thinking, debating and asking questions. It's an appreciated opportunity to interact with such wonderful people on a daily basis. Many of the people within my group are close to finishing, or defending their D.Phil theses - a perfect example to the wonderful things I could be capable of accomplishing with significant hard-work and dedication in these next few years.

Along with my lab group, my college community has also been fantastic. I've been fortunate to become friends with both undergraduate, and graduate students across a wide variety of disciplines. Sitting and enjoying a beer, can quickly turn into an ethical discussion, a crash-course in British history, or a lesson in classical literature. The Middle Common Room (MCR) is a social hub for the graduate students within the college. They provide fantastic opportunity for meeting new people within the graduate student community. The events are fun, frequent, and casual including weekly brunches, 'liquid lounges', and exchanges with other college MCR groups. As I continue to find my footing, I'm looking forward to becoming more involved in this dynamic group of people, and move into a role where I too can contribute to improving student life within Magdalen College.


The Rhodes community has been another fantastic backbone, crucial to my happiness and success here at Oxford. Since arriving, I've been involved with a few different parts of the Rhodes community. I've been taking a weekly mindfulness course, which is something new to me. The course was developed by an Oxford fellow, and teaches methods to become increasingly aware of your daily life. It involves daily meditation, paired with weekly exercises. Personally, I've experienced a deep feeling of responsibility, and pressure associated with accepting the Rhodes scholarship. The sessions are helping me relax, and become increasingly more mindful of myself, and my actions. The second group I've become involved with is a discussion group that tackles the issues and ethical dilemmas that come along with accepting a scholarship, funded by exploitative practices. The sentiment that comes along with the Rhodes Scholarship can sometimes feel more like an overwhelming pressure than opportunity. This group of scholars, is helping me work through how I will define, and approach "Fighting the Worlds fight", both as a scientist, and as a leader.

Autumn foliage near one of my favourite fair-weather reading spots. Rhodes House, Oxford, UK

Finally, I have been falling in love with a new sport. I've functionally set my badminton racket in the corner, and have put my running shoes under the bed. I've started rowing with the Magdalen College Boat Club. Being tall, and in reasonably good physical condition - I've found the transition to be quite natural. The early mornings on the Thames, evening sessions 'erging' in the college gym never fail to put a mile-wide smile on my face. We have a regatta coming later in the term, I can't wait to see how our group stacks up against other novice teams. The exercise is absolutely phenomenal. The amount of teamwork required to allow eight guys to pull a boat through the water smoothly, is more than I ever could have expected. The social interaction at the boathouse, at the gym, and walking through Christchurch meadows in the morning has provided wonderful opportunity for conversation, and discussion. I feel so lucky to be included in yet another tight-knit community here at Oxford.

Two rowing buddies walking back through Christ Church Meadow after a morning river session

If you were to ask me how I'm doing, I would tell you that I'm thriving. I'd tell you that I am overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and by all of the information that I have at my fingertips. I'd tell you that I'm missing my friends, colleagues, family, and girlfriend. I'd tell you that I have a new-found appreciation for people who managed to write their dissertation on a typewriter, and draw their figures by hand.  It's been an incredible journey so far, and it's really only just begun. Thank-you for following along, and sharing this adventure with me.

PM

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Pointless babble? The importance of Twitter to one Canadian entomologist

Recently the Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada (ESC) published a short editorial on the Society's use of Twitter. The author didn't find Twitter to be of particular importance or interest, as can be gleaned from this short excerpt:

"
Out of curiosity, I then turned to the [Canadian Entomological] Society’s Twitter link to see how the posts for this year fitted into the categories used by Pear Analytics. First, the good news! Of about 100 posts since 1 January, only a handful fall into the pointless babble category. However, a very large number of the remaining posts (even excluding those that are retweets) simply present information that is already available elsewhere. In short, I see very few tweets that can be considered ‘useful …. to our Society’. 


I will admit that I didn't find this editorial to be particularly fair, but the author invited a response. This is mine:

Twitter connects researchers, allows them share knowledge and promotes collaboration. Updates are concise, and instantaneous. The software is user-friendly and free. As Marshall McLuhan famously said "The medium is the message". I fail to see what is flawed with a medium that is accessible, social, succinct, and informative.

To illustrate the point, I will share some of the ways that Twitter has been useful to me as a Canadian entomologist. Likely, others would have similar experiences using Twitter as a tool in their day-to-day lives. 


a. Creating connections with entomologists across Canada and the world

Twitter is a place for collaboration among different people from Canada, and all over the globe. To put things in perspective to the Entomological Society of Canada - through Twitter, I am in fairly regular contact with three recent recipients of the C. Gordon Hewitt Award. This prize is awarded to an individual under the age of forty, who has made outstanding contributions to entomology in Canada. @CMBuddle, @docdez and @KirkHillier have all been recipients within the last ten years. These three people, spread geographically across Canada, are incredibly successful researchers whom I look up to. I doubt that I would have any sort of regular interaction with them, if it weren't for Twitter. 

b. Learning insect identification from enthusiasts across Canada and the worldI learn something new about insects every day via Twitter. I have had expert help on identifying butterflies from @AndyBugGuy - a lepidopterist from Florida. I have also had help identifying a variety of flies from @BioInFocus, a very helpful PhD student from the University of Guelph. I was even able to connect with a future Oxford lab-mate @RichardComont who has a wealth of knowledge about seemingly any living thing (particularly ladybirds). These interactions would not have been possible without the use of Twitter. 


c. Provision of opportunities to collaborate, and communicate
Twitter has encouraged me to practice my communication skills. Writing is a skill that many students (myself included) can find challenging. Twitter has given me opportunity to blog about my research with the ESC Blog, and even collaborate with an extremely effective, and innovative scientific communicator - @CMBuddle. You can read our two-part collaboration here, and here. 


d. Sharing the beauty, and magic of studying entomology
Any given day, there are magnitudes of beautiful insect images being shared on Twitter. Consider the work by Canadians @GeekInQuestion, @NashTurley, or our Southern neighbour @Myrmecos. It's a refresher to have daily reminders of why I have chosen to become an entomologist. Insects are beautiful, diverse interesting, and significant. You can never know it all. Could there be a better way to remind yourself of this than Twitter? 

An ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) taken August, 2013 - P.Manning

e. Learning about new opportunities 
Currently, I am a D.Phil student at the University of Oxford. This was only possible through a scholarship that I was fortunate enough to receive. I began to consider applying when a CBC article flashed across my Twitter feed in November of 2011.

About a year later, I had something similar appear on my Twitter feed. 

Upon reading the first tweet from @CBCNS, a seed was planted that allowed for me to put my name out to achieve something I had never even considered, or thought possible. After I post this entry, I will be heading to the Radcliffe Science Library to read a past thesis on dung beetle ecology.

If you want to harness the power of Twitter, it is imperative that it is used as an effective tool. Follow people or organizations that interest, excite, or inspire you. Post and share information that you find useful, fascinating, or even funny. Effective sharing and discussion of relevant, and interesting content is exactly what science communication is about. For these reasons, I passionately believe that Twitter can play a useful role for the Entomological Society of Canada. 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

First Impressions

Things are off to a flying start here in Oxford. I still can't believe that this institution is actually a university. Sometimes, I need to take a step back and tell myself that this is not a JK Rowling Novel, and that I should be reading and not staring mouth-agape at stone walls and secret gardens. There is so much beauty spread throughout the campus, that it can truthfully be a bit distracting from the entire purpose of why I am reading at this institution.

Morning view from my desk at college accommodations (Magdalen Tower)
Radcliffe Camera - Part of Oxford's Library System
College Grounds

The university is unique, in that it is broken down into a college system. This is associated closely with Oxford and Cambridge and is known as the Oxbridge System. It means that each student is associated with both a department and a college. Traditionally, the student lives in accomodations provided by their college, and takes classes outside of the college. If you're an undergraduate student, you take tutorials at the College you attend - small tailored group sessions that allow you to interact with experts in the field. Graduate students taking the research route, do not generally do this - but instead complete their research independently from their college and interact mainly with one supervisor affiliated with their department. This is similar to the model that we use back in Canada, although there seems to be less interaction between students and their supervisors in the UK.


My beautiful morning walk to Zoology

I'll admit that the College that I applied to and was admitted to was chosen quite haphazardly. I had heard fantastic things about every College at Oxford. I chose Magdalen because it guaranteed three years of College Accomodations, and because they had a deer park that inspired CS Lewis (a former fellow of Magdalen) to write his well-celebrated books about the fictional land of Narnia. I couldn't be more delighted with the choice that I made.

'New Building' - Magdalen College
The college is beautiful in every single way. We have a fantastically active Middle Common Room (MCR) which is the equivalent of a student society for graduate students. The MCR has a beautiful common room, with a tin of chocolate biscuits available for a cup of tea, tonnes of board games for those nights when you need a break from studying. They also have a beautiful bar which is well celebrated around the university as being one of the more lovely, and affordable places to indulge in a pint or two.

My department is interesting in that it shares a building with Psychology. People in the department have been fantastically welcoming, in particular my supervisor who is incredibly kind and very renowned in the field of ecology. It's going to be an absolute delight to work with him. I'm incredibly excited.

The Rhodes Community has been fantastic, and far more cohesive than I anticipated. It's refreshing and wonderful to have access to such a fantastic group of people! Everyone is whip-smart, motivated and so welcoming. It's like having a little family away from home. We've been meeting up for different events throughout the first week, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how close we have become over a short period of time. The Canadian group immediately hit it off! It feels as if they are an old group of friends from home. They've been instrumental in making this transition so natural.

Hanging on top of Magdalen Tower w/ a few dozen Rhodies of 2013

The weather has been moderately nice throughout my time here. We haven't had much in the way of beautiful weather, save one day - but most days are a bit cloudy, often with a little bit of drizzle. The last few days have involved a significant amount of rain, but it's not much different from Eastern Canada.

I've been doing plenty of reading, walking around, and getting my bearings around town. It's been an adjustment to move to a city, in particular, the direction of the traffic makes it quite confusing to move about from one place to another. I'm starting to get a better handle on things, and will be purchasing a bike when I get slightly more comfortable with the way of the road.

I'm off now for a little bit of Brunch with the middle common room group. It should be lovely! Wishing everyone back home a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Sailing Weekend

On Friday the 27th of September, I headed to Ottawa, Ontario to start the adventure of a lifetime. In Ottawa, special events were being commemorated - being the weekends where previous Rhodes Scholars would set sail across the Atlantic Ocean, to England. The journey would last four nights, and acted as a fantastic way to become very closely acquainted with the other Canadian recipients. Fortunately/unfortunately, Canadian scholars have been traveling via airplane since the late 1970's.

Two former Rhodes Scholars - Mark Schaan (President of the Canadian Association of Rhodes Scholars) and Katie Sheehan (Editor of the Newsletter) had a fantastic weekend lined up for us! We started by a round table discussion with Graham Flack. Graham is the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations and Intergovernmental Affairs). We had a a conversation on policy making within the government of Canada. While this was a topic that was a little different than my usual interests, I enjoyed the discussion, and was thoroughly impressed by the intelligence, and passion that many of the others showed for policy work.

The following morning, we had an opportunity to visit the National Gallery of Canada. Charles Hill, the Curator of the Canadian Collections generously offered to give our group a tour of the Canadian collections. The gallery was set up in such a way, that you walked chronologically through history of Canadian Art. Starting from aboriginal art upon stone, and moving our way up through the ages. My personal favourite was "Jack Pine" by Tom Thompson. Truly, a stunning piece that has captured the imagination of people all across the world. To see it in exact detail was simply breathtaking.

(Photo sourced from Wikipedia page  'The Jack Pine')

We were also fortunate enough to have a look at the famous, (and controversially expensive piece) Maman, by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois. This 30-foot beauty welcomes each and every greeter to the National Gallery. Bourgeois created this in memory of her mother, who died when Bourgeois was just 21. If you look closely, you can see a clutch of marble eggs held within her abdomen.
Maman alongside her big, and beautiful shadow

Later that day we met with Marcil Lauziere, who is the CEO of Imagine Canada. This was a fantastic conversation about the importance of non-profits and charities to the Canadian economy. Did you know there are more than 160,000 registered charities and non-for-profits in Canada?  If you're ever looking for any sort of information regarding non-for-profits, or charities within Canada - Imagine Canada is a wonderful resource to start with.

That evening, we had a sailing dinner at the National Arts Centre. Named after the traditional method of traveling to England, this was the formal dinner where we had the opportunity to meet previous scholars. Dinner was delicious, discussion was lively, and there was a brilliant key-note address by former scholar Lori Ormrod. The address held the attention of all in the room. Oxford was described as being magical, whimsical, like nowhere else in the world. Just several days into my stay here, I can honestly say I'm picking up on that already.

The following day, we were able to have a fantastic tour of the Canadian Supreme Court, by a former Rhodes Scholar - Steve Aylward. We had a lovely tour, and discussion. Architecture was discussed along the main part of the building, and we were given a fantastic insight as to what happens behind the scenes at the Supreme Court of Canada. The main lobby is without a doubt, the grandest room I have ever seen in Canada.

Exquisite lighting at The Supreme Court of Canada

After we finished our delightful tour, we had the afternoon to explore Ottawa. Some of my newly acquainted friends and I headed to the Byward Market. We met up with two good friends: Adrienne (mentioned earlier), and Julie - a good friend from my undergrad institution who is studying Medicine at University of Ottawa. We enjoyed a delicious market lunch, then took a long walk along the Rideau Canal. Indeed, a fantastic way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Spending time with two lovely people!

After saying 'Good-bye' to my Ottawa friends, re-packing our suitcases, and taking in one last coffee at Tim Horton's our group was off to Oxford via London to meet up with the other Canadian Scholars, and start the adventure of a life-time.

I'll keep you posted!

PM

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

I'm moving to the UK

On November 24th, 2012 my life was changed by receiving a single phone call. Walking in a Christmas parade, wearing a rapidly disintegrating cardboard plane - I was told that I had been selected as a Rhodes Scholar Elect for Maritime Canada. Unbelievably, I had won one of the worlds most widely recognized merit scholarships. My first instinct was disbelief, followed by a rather unsuspected flood of tears. I quickly called my girlfriend, parents and siblings. Dancing along the dotted line of Queen Street in Truro, Nova Scotia - My adventure had really just begun.

Celebrating in the middle of a downpour
The next few weeks were busy. Trying to juggle end-of-term assignments, and tests was difficult with lovely distraction of friends congratulatory wishes, along with interviews with different media groups. Soon the excitement began to die down a little, and I started the quite confusing application process for Oxford. Below is a quick list of how it all went down.

a. Wrote request, and received written permission from Dean of Agriculture to apply for Rhodes Scholarship
b. Submitted statement of intent & CV to Dalhousie Research Office
c. Given a preliminary interview with Dalhousie AVP Academic
d. Had six reference letters submitted by coaches, professors, mentors.
e. Had a second interview with a team from Dalhousie University
f. Was given support by Dalhousie, application  moved forward to Maritime Rhodes Committee.
g. Received notice of interview in late November
h. Carried out an interview w/ the Regional committee. Met the 8 other finalists.
i. Selected as 1 of 2 recipients by the Regional committee.
j. Celebrated
k. Application to Oxford submitted (Research proposal, reference letters, final transcripts)
l. Granted interview with Oxford Department of Zoology
m. Prepared a formal presentation for head of department, and proposed supervisor via Skype.
n. Accepted to Department of Zoology
o. Accepted as a member of Magdalen College
p. Applied for and received a Confirmation of Academic Studies #
q. Applied for and received an International Student Visa

On September 27th, I'll be heading to Ottawa to meet this years group of Canadian Rhodes Scholars. We will leave together on September 29th for Oxford. As our weekend in Ottawa is referred to as 'Sailing Weekend", I selected fish as my menu option. Thought it was fitting.


How germane

My research at Oxford will be focused on food webs within agriculture ecosystems. It will have particular emphasis on host-parasitoid interaction and the roles of non-arable land upon ecosystem function (but more about that later).

I've been spending my last few weeks of 'funemployment' reading, and getting things together for the big haul. I'm building a wealth of knowledge on conservation biological control, herbivore induced plant volatiles, and hedgerows. There's a lot to learn. There are a lot of pay-walls. I've even started along with my very first MOOC.

Between reading, and messing about with R - I've been spending time with my favourite people, exploring the Maritime provinces, and taking time to think, exercise, and create.

I am excited, and nervous, and ready to face the opportunities, and challenges that grad school will indelibly bring. I'm feeling energetic, and creative. Life is good. I think I might just be ready for this. Wish me luck.