Heads down, funds up

So with assignments now well and truly out of the way, and my final couple of exams on the horizon, it’s really been the time, if ever there were, to get my head down in the books! As you can probably imagine, there’s not been too much on the agenda this week in terms of getting out and about in Southampton, as the final, final push towards four years of working on my Software Engineering degree takes place – and it’s a both intimidating yet incredibly exciting prospect!

With every page of my diary currently consumed by lists of topics to cover, from the mathematics of social network dynamics (unfortunately not an excuse to go on Facebook for revision, though I’ve tried to justify it!) to the operations of biometric sensors, there’s a lot of material for me to get through if I’m to be ready in time for next week’s exams.

Then there’s exam technique to practice, including making sure to figure out in advance as many question timings in possible, and hand-write as many summary notes sheets as physically possible. After a year of Computer Science, it’s almost a strange phenomenon using a pen at speed once again!
But having been in a similar situation so often before over the past seven-or-so examinable years, I feel more determined than ever to get through the usual tests and rigours of the summer exam period.

This is my last chance to potentially make the difference in terms of accumulating marks towards my degree, and indeed academic career as a whole, so it’s crucial that I do my best – particularly as I’ll have finished with the whole thing in the next seven days!

It’s never easy, particularly when, at this time of year, the weather decides to be at its best, almost as if it’s just to increase your resentment towards the whole situation! But I happily shut myself away from my housemates (most of whom have now finished for good!) safe in the knowledge that the few weeks afterwards are going to be terrific. Featuring Balls, meals, picnics, road trips, the annual 24 Hour Musical show (where an entire show is learned and performed in that time period for charity!) and much, much more, many memorable occasions are on the horizon and I can’t wait!

Every student needs a release of energy from time to time, however, and during exam period, mine has been preparing to direct one of the University’s entrants into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, the (hopefully spectacular!) musical Dogfight. As this is the first time I’ve been involved in directing and producing a show on tour, it’s been a great learning experience in many ways as I attend meetings, prepare marketing materials and publicity strategies, write press releases, and attempt to plan for all the logistics incurred by bringing a show on the road – and there are plenty!

As this is a significant responsibility, and one which requires being a team player to make sure all’s sorted, I’m delighted to be backed up by the Students’ Union and Performing Arts societies in my efforts. This is a great scheme common across most Student Groups, as I’ve been leant a brilliant opportunity in a form of large-scale project management. I am working alongside an incredibly efficient and imaginative team, while simultaneously receiving constant support and advice from the Union and elsewhere in case a safety net is required, allowing me to learn and pick up skills on the job without fear of adverse consequences. So far, so good!

One of the most crucial aspects of taking a show on tour is the fundraising element. We ask all our members to pay for large chunks of the expenses involved in performing on the world-renowned and incredibly exciting stage of the Edinburgh Fringe, but we still have venue, transport, accommodation and many more costs to consider when taking the show on tour. So we seek out as much funding before we go as we can - any donations we can get towards the cause are hugely appreciated!

This year, fundraising has manifested itself in many ways, with upcoming events including sports tournaments, radio challenge broadcasts (I’ve been promised the challenges will be very entertaining – for everyone not involved in the show, that is!), film screenings and one-off performances to mention but a few. However, the most prolific of our events so far have been our sales of refreshments at one another’s performances and out and about around the Students’ Union, including the classic cake sales – a great excuse for us to attempt (and usually fail) at baking as a temporary distraction from revision!

As part of our last cake sale, we held an entirely improvised online cake auction, which proved surprisingly popular!

So if you see one of us around the University's Highfield Campus Concourse in the next week or so, please do come across, have a chat and, if you’re hungry, buy a cake – your support would be hugely appreciated by many of us! Or, if you’d rather, feel free to tell me to get my head back down in the books as soon as possible. With only a few days left, it’s time to make things count!

Robin

Making memories

It’s always the night I look forward to most in the calendar: the annual Performing Arts Ball, this year to take place at the grand venue of the home of Southampton Football Club, St Mary’s Stadium – you couldn’t ask for somewhere more swanky!

 It’s the one night where almost everyone you know 'dresses to impress', where a sumptuous three-course dinner makes a great break from the usual pasta dishes and beans on toast, and the one where you get to spend a night in euphoric and celebratory surroundings with great friends to see off a grand year of performing in style. As this was my final one (as a student here, at least!), I was naturally hugely excited and couldn’t sit still come Sunday morning in eager anticipation of the evening ahead. Little was I to know beforehand just how incredible this year’s would be.

It started, as usual, with a house trip to the huge shopping centre in the middle of Southampton, the ever-popular West Quay. The Ball is an occasion which almost everyone treats pretty seriously in terms of looking smart – when it’s once a year, you have to! – so we set about stocking up on supplies, grabbing formal bits and bobs and making sure we were set for the night ahead. From my perspective, I remembered just how amazing it is that your pair of cufflinks can somehow vanish when you’ve not worn them for a year – though I bet I’ll find my (now “old”) pair soon enough (typical)!

After successfully raiding shops galore, we returned home and spent a few hours attempting to be productive. Unfortunately, for almost all of us this just entailed a general pretence of working, while in reality we were actually just eagerly checking the time while hovering in anticipation!

Soon preparations began; suits and dresses were on, photos with one another taken, and people came round so we could all take taxis together to complete the glamorous experience. I was also sure to conform to what now seems to be tradition, getting a photo with my housemate of nearly four-years now, Robyn, just beforehand!

It’s been a brilliant four years!

We arrived at St Mary’s Stadium to a very salient reminder of just how flashy the venue was, with champagne reception, striking decorations and photo booth ready to go. Luckily, as we were one of the first groups to arrive, we were able to take full advantage of the lack of queues for the latter to begin with, getting in pictures while we still all looked relatively prepared for the evening! 

Me and my housemates for this year – the affectionately-nicknamed “Aviary”! Credit: SUSU Photographic Society

St Mary’s made for an incredible venue – thank you so much for having us!

Enjoying such an amazing reception and greeting what seemed like a fair number of the few hundred people who walked through the door, we were swiftly reminded of just how many people are involved in the Performing Arts. It was a great chance to see everyone looking their best, enjoying one another’s company and celebrating loads of achievements together.

It was then time for the three beautiful courses that always befit such an occasion. Sitting with a table of many of the Showstoppers (the musical theatre society) who I’d progressed through the University career alongside, we had a great time talking about the future, reminiscing about former shows – and cracking jokes at one another’s expense, particularly after an accidental drinks spill or two (if you’re reading this, sorry Josh)!

Following this, we had a boogie on the dance floor, during which I again kept up a personal tradition of losing to one of my friends at a pretty terrible standard of ‘dance-off’, before heading on to a nightclub to enjoy the rest of the evening.

We had great company at our table! Credit: SUSU Photographic Society

After three other Performing Arts balls, all incredibly well organised and put together, I knew the night would be a terrific one, and I was enjoying every moment of it. That was, however, until I became completely overwhelmed; I was chuffed to see many of my best friends achieve so highly in the annual Performing Arts awards, including Highly Commended for both Achievement and Commitment to the Performing Arts, but I could never have imagined I’d have the honour and privilege of receiving the overall award for Commitment to the Performing Arts, with an incredible glass trophy and card to boot. I couldn’t believe that I was amongst such incredibly talented hard workers and legends of the Performing Arts, and spent the rest of the evening in something of a fluster as you can see in the photo below!

A little bit overwhelmed towards the end of the evening – thank you so, so much, everyone!

Because my friends on Facebook have already had to endure a long (quite soppy!) status full of thanks to them, and because I can still only struggle to articulate what this meant to me, I won’t write too much here. It suffices to say: I will never forget that night!

And because I can’t resist: just another huge thank you to everyone who nominated me, although it left me in a state somewhere between disbelief and euphoria for the rest of the night (and hasn’t really worn off yet)!

And so another Performing Arts Ball has been and gone and, as a heavy batch of coursework assignments finds its way onto my metaphorical plate, I feel hugely invigorated by an evening, and resulting set of memories, that I will truly never forget. Thank you so much to everyone who helped organise the ball (especially the brilliant Caitlin and Anna), and thank you to everyone who was there! What a night.

Robin

Conservation work at Chilworth

Last Sunday I joined the University of Southampton’s Conservation Volunteering Society to carry out various tasks in the nearby Chilworth Conservation Area, which I recently learned was established by the University of Southampton. I finally had a Sunday a free and am very happy to have been able to do some hands-on work outside in the fresh air. The various tasks we worked on included clearing bramble, digging and planting trees, removing invasive species and moving logs with the help of a pair of Alaskan Malamute working dogs. The society provides all the tools and gloves used during the day, so all we needed to bring was a pair of sturdy shoes and lunch!

Despite a bit of rain in the afternoon, it felt great to be outside, and the conservation area is really lovely. The work was good exercise, especially guiding the dogs who were pulling the logs for us. They were very strong and at times I wondered who was leading who but they were also extremely friendly and enthusiastic workers! Whenever I have a Sunday free I hope to continue taking part in tasks with the Conservation Volunteering Society. It’s also a great way to see different local areas as they carry out work in not only the Chilworth Conservation Area but also in Southampton Common, Portswood Recreation Ground, the New Forest and several more.

Entering the Chilworth Conservation Area. 

It was difficult to capture in a photo but in the midst of those large trees is where we set up the base for the day, to keep the spare tools and peoples’ belongings safe and dry as we worked. We were able to take a couple breaks during the day for some warm tea and for lunch and these trees provided good shelter from the rain.

One of the Alaskan Malamute working dogs. Running around with those guys was a great way to keep warm! 

I am lucky enough to have a housemate with similar interests as me, who also studies Biology with a focus on plant sciences and ecology. We were both keen to get more involved with the Conservation Volunteering society. However, even if you don’t have a friend to go with, it shouldn’t prevent you from joining. During the day we got to know a lot of really nice people from a range of different courses from Archaeology to postgraduate PhD students. In addition, my housemate and I weren’t the only ones joining for the first time this year, so there were actually a number of new people giving conservation work a go.

Lastly, I thought I’d give a quick update on the progress of my third year project. I’m happy to say that I’ve now completed all of my lab work and have all of the raw data I need. The whole processes took longer than expected and I had to repeat a couple of the steps along the way but I think through doing so I have gained a much better understanding of the protocol and techniques I was conducting in the labs and feel much more confident in the skills that I’ve learned.

Now I’m beginning to tackle the values I’ve obtained from my lab work and will soon begin the somewhat daunting task of the all important stats for my project. Wish me luck!

Kristin

Into Industry: the Software Engineering Group Design Project

Phew! Just days after the (thankfully pretty successful!) conclusion of the performances of Romeo & Juliet by the Students’ Union’s Theatre Group in the Nuffield Theatre last week, I find myself thrown back into the directing chair for the next project, the Spring season show for the musical theatre society, Showstoppers. Called The Drowsy Chaperone, it opens in two and a half weeks, leading me to ask:

“Where on earth is the time going - and how is it nearly the end of February?!”

I know it’s a cliché, but I’ve found that time really does fly when you’re at university, particularly when there’re so many interesting things to be absorbed by along with so many ways to fill every day. Be they shows, projects, trips away or coursework assignments, it always seems that one day you’ll find yourself agreeing to take something on . Weeks of planning, meetings and effort later, you’ll be finishing it off, eventually leaving you wondering what actually filled all that flash of a time in between!

This was recently the case for me and my group with our Group Design Project, the Electronics and Computer Science equivalent of a Masters’ dissertation. As I wrote last time around, last week saw the conclusion of everybody’s projects with final presentations and Q&A sessions. Afterwards, we all headed to the Turner Sims Concert Hall on campus for a poster display and buffet event, where we got to chat to other groups about their achievements as teams since the start of the year.

As ever, the lure of a free buffet also helped bring people along to the session!

One common theme subject amongst these talks was just how quickly the overall timescale had seemed to shoot by. Given how we were assigned our project briefs at the end of September, all derived from problems in various scientific or commercial industries with real-world clients providing professional specifications, you’d think three or four months is plenty of time to put together a product.

However, if there’s one thing the project taught us, it’s that it’s seemingly impossible to account for just how much else goes on in that time, both in terms of academic activities, other commitments, and unexpected delays, and just how quickly time passes when all you need is for it to slow down!

Therefore it was incredible to see just how much people had achieved, with many a display of excellent work on show at the event. From interactive advertisement performance monitoring systems - which were positively stuffed with features - to electronic implementations of safety inspection forms which had already been put to practical use around buildings and worked to splendid effect, as well as others like systems for improving communications within airports (on an incredible scale!), the variety of work at the event was huge and made for many an intriguing conversation, particularly as, three months into beginning developing, we were all talking in terms relevant to our new found industries and thus had a lot to explain to one another!

On the whole, it was inspiring to see, with teams showcasing commendable levels of creativity, diligence and professionalism in delivering some outstanding systems in such a short space of time. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that the majority of projects will end up going forwards commercially, which is a testament to just how well many groups performed, and just how close to industry the experience of the Group Design Project really is.

A huge number of brilliant projects were on display at the Turner Sims Concert Hall on posters abound!

As for our group, we were ultimately very pleased with the end result and had a brilliant experience in putting it together. With a few tweaks here and there, we believe we've provided a firm basis for future work in the development of a remote hearing test phone application. This was done through liaison with the on-campus Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) Centre, and hopefully will go on to have huge benefits for clients’ quality of life in the future – fingers crossed!

So as I head now firmly into job application season, and potentially thence into industry, it’s been a great experience having a taste of what a professional development life is like, providing another string to my metaphorical employability bow and another project to place in the portfolio. Thanks to all involved with the Group Design Project’s organisation and that of the wrap-up event itself – and congratulations to everybody on its completion!

Now, back to directing those Chaperone rehearsals…!

Robin

Green Action and student campaigns

Last Tuesday Green Action held the first official event of the year. It was great to see a lot of new people with an interest in the welfare of the planet and the health of our environment as well as a willingness to get more involved in taking action towards making meaningful green changes. The aim of our first event was to remind and inform people of the importance of the campaigns we are running and to leave people feeling motivated to participate in the first Global Divestment Day event (which was held last Friday).

During the meeting on Tuesday I gave a brief introduction to the campaign for those who weren’t familiar with it, followed by a film showing of a documentary about the power and aims of the movement. The film covered the importance of taking action, and talked about the role we all can play in helping to make change happen. We also organised materials so that members of the society could contribute some art to the stalls we planned to set up at the day event. We made a large banner to hang on our stalls to help grab people’s attention during the day.

I was involved in the planning of the Global Divestment Day event, but due to lab work commitments I was busy for the majority of the day. However, I heard from my committee that it was a lot of fun and that they were able to gain a lot of signatures! The Marine Conservation Society, who have joined us in the campaign, also did a great job, collecting signatures and helping to raise further awareness by reaching out to more students.

It feels great to have taken part in the first ever annual Global Divestment Day and running our own independent campaign.

While at times controversial, it feels good to be able to work towards making positive change for something you believe in and to be able to work with other students who are also passionate about a greener future for our planet.

Social media has also been really useful in raising awareness and my committee were taking loads of photos during the day.

The Marine Conservation Society put together their interpretation of what an oil spill could look like.

It’s great to have another society to work with on campaigns so we can raise awareness from different perspectives.

Through being involved in this campaign I have been gaining a lot of experience in organising different events and coordinating different groups.

If you’re passionate about campaigning, or the environment, there are plenty of chances to get involved at Southampton as a student, and there are so many ways to help with causes which you feel strongly about!

Kristin

Teaming up and grouping together

Although it’s never something to be encouraged, the last-minute assignment rush, where time seems to speed up tenfold and everything becomes a bit of a blur, certainly never grows boring! Last week, as the hours ticked down until the Group Design Project report deadline (with a suitably ominous countdown clock displayed on the computer lab’s front screen!), it seemed plenty of other project teams, scattered throughout the labs, agreed with me and my team!

It wasn’t that we weren’t ready to hand the report in or weren’t happy with it at the time, but rather we were trying to make every minute before the deadline count, as can often be the case in real-world projects! After all, when the time is there, and after days of meeting up to write, edit and format, you never know which extra diagram, paragraph or newly-found mistake (there can be a few typos in 25,000 words!) will get you that additional mark or two which might make the difference. There’s always a temptation to have that one last proof-read or check up on the references and appendices, even if it risks running it close to the line overall.

When it finally went in though, after many days (and, admittedly, nights!) of work, worries and meetings, there were the typical sighs of relief all round from me and my teammates – followed by the usual sudden curious onset of not really knowing what to do!

It’s always a strange feeling after a large assignment has gone in as, up to that point, it’s very often the only think you’ve really thought of for a while! Moments after the automatic electronic hand-in receipt had made its way to our email inboxes, though, we decided to go on a celebratory trip to the Students’ Union pub, The Stag's, for a well-earned pint and couple of hours of rest and relaxation!

 The traditional dissertation hand-in ‘selfie’ with my group – this time, a little more exhausted!

I’ve written about the concept of the Group Design Project – working on a project typically stemming from an industry-based problem (for example, ours was developing a telemedicine approach to cochlear implant monitoring - so it has the potential to hopefully make a big difference to people’s lives!) over the course of three months, before writing up a large report of your findings – but somehow, even in the final week and a half, it managed to surprise me.

Although I’ve worked in a few groups over the course of my degree programme here, as it’s a great skill to develop, this time round felt a little different. Despite the amount of ground we managed to cover in a very short time, we strangely found that we were all having a great time as a team despite the pressure of the impending deadline, which was a testament to the solid understanding and camaraderie we’d formed as a working unit over the previous fortnight or so.

Likewise, the Performing Arts is a fantastic place in which you learn the value of teamwork, not least when you’re organising shows as a Director or Producer! Quite a lot goes into putting them on, from actually learning, rehearsing, teaching, devising and designing their on-stage presence to getting tickets sold, publicity materials distributed, and all other manner of tasks to get them in the theatre in the first place. It’s a fantastic challenge to tackle with friends, and one which truly tests your organisational, creative and personal abilities.

So it’s with that I’m delighted to say, following the latest round of pitches (where society members compete for the right to put on shows) of the musical theatre society, Showstoppers, I’ll be attempting both Directing and Producing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time this year, having gone as a performer previously in 2013 and 2014. This will be a huge challenge, but a potentially incredible and invaluable experience which will make for an unforgettable summer once again!

The team of The Craft of the Cooper, coming to an Edinburgh Fringe 2015 near you!

 
Last but certainly not least, I’m currently writing in the middle of intensive rehearsal period for the latest production I’ve been lucky enough to have a part in, the Students’ Union Theatre Group’s rendition of Shakespeare’s timeless tale Romeo & Juliet. Taking place in the magnificent venue of the Nuffield Theatre on Highfield Campus from February 11th – 14th, it’s yet another show that has been a pleasure to be involved with, and it’s been great to meet, get to know and act alongside yet another hilarious, friendly and talented set of people; a great mixture of old faces and new.

No rest for the wicked – Romeo & Juliet is in the Nuffield Theatre between February 11th-14th, and we’d love to see you there if you get the chance!

Teamwork is a huge part of University life. I work with many groups of different sizes, all of which are brilliant to be a part of, both within my degree and in my spare time. I can’t wait to see what they all come up with – and some, given deadlines, sooner than others!

Robin