This blog post is part of a series of monthly posts detailing the activities of the DR President’s Team (President: Leah Henrickson; Vice-President: Hugh Tawell).

Note: This post refers to PhD/EngD Students as Doctoral Researchers (DR) and Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs). This is because the University uses the former language, and the Union uses the latter.

What the heck is going on with this July weather, amirite?

When we weren’t either freezing our tails off or melting into piles of sweat, we were running around to ensure that doctoral researchers are still represented during these quieter months.

Here’s what we did:

The PhD Awards

After months of planning, on 5^th July we finally held our PhD Awards ceremony! This year’s awards were independent, following the Union’s repeal of funding for its annual Postgraduate Awards. The LSU Postgraduate Executive Officer, Kamal, was there to assist, though, and our teamwork really did make the dream work for this one. More than 70 people attended this incredible event to celebrate the achievements of the Loughborough doctoral community. Photos from the ceremony are available at https://tinyurl.com/phd-awards-photos – just use your Loughborough credentials to log in. The photo accompanying this post shows us and Kamal having a grand ol’ time during a break.

After the Awards, our friends from the PhD Social & Support Network hosted a pub night/after-party at The Phantom, which more than 50 people attended. A merry time was had by all.

Doctoral College Induction

On 9^th July, Leah welcomed the summer intake of new doctoral researchers to Loughborough. It’s always fun to meet the newbies and hear about what they’re going to be getting up to. This group included an especially high number of international students, showing just how wide-reaching the University’s influence is becoming.

Doctoral College Café Academique

On 10^th July, both Leah and Hugh attended the Doctoral College’s Café Academique: Leah as a presenter, and Hugh as an audience member. At this event, we learned about super storage solutions, quality control processes, and computer-generated texts from doctoral researchers based in different Schools. It was a great opportunity to network with other doctoral researchers and learn some cool new things.

Doctoral College International Induction

On 12^th July, Leah welcomed fellow international students to Loughborough. She and Kamal answered frequently asked questions about life in Loughborough and the UK, and got to chat to a bunch of interesting folks. More than ten countries were represented!

Postgraduate BBQ

Also on 12^th July, we helped Kamal host the first of what will hopefully be a series of summer postgraduate BBQs. Lots of doctoral researchers were in attendance, and there was tons of free food available – including vegetarian and vegan options, of course. Keep reading the biweekly Doctoral College bulletin to find out when and where the next BBQ will be held.

‘Exploring Careers in Higher Education’ Panel

On 24^th July, we co-hosted an ‘Exploring Careers in Higher Education’ with Careers Consultant Eve. The panel comprised Dr Bianca Howard, Dr Jenna Townend, and Dr Gemma Witcomb, and was mediated by doctoral researcher Nathan Ritchie. This event stemmed from Rep feedback that we needed (1) an event about careers in higher education and (2) a summer Careers event. Approximately 30 people attended, and we got some very positive feedback.

And there you have it! A busy, but productive – and most importantly, fun – month. Keep enjoying your summers, y’all!

To keep up-to-date with our activity, join the ‘Doctoral Researchers of Loughborough University’ Facebook group and follow us on Twitter. If you’re a London student, join the ‘Loughborough Students’ Union London 2018-2019’ Facebook group.

Leah and Hugh.