Categorie
English Lingua straniera Studio Università

Languages in science

Are you a scientists? Would you like to be part of the scientific world? English is the language used in science. Publications, conferences, application for grants founding require the usage of the English. What about the other languages? Languages in science: an interview to Dr. Timothy E.L. Douglas, researcher and polyglot.

English as “bridge” between people?

Science is based on collaboration between people from different cultures. Due that, it is really important that scientists can communicate trough a common language.

Today the usage of English as “lingua franca” seems to be obvious and not questionable. But was English always used a bridge between scientists? History teaches us that in science the usage of a language instead of another is strongly related to social-political events.

Before the 17th century Latin was the languages of the scientists, followed by German, French and English before the second world war. In 1903 the mathematician Giuseppe Peano created and promoted the usage of a language for international exchange: the “Latino sine Flexione” (a simplified version of latin). Although the idea of the Latino sine Flexione was welcomed along scientists, its usage followed the dead of his author.

After many decades of the exclusive use of English, scientists are now starting to promoting the concept of multilingualism.

We discuss today this amazing concept together with our guest Timothy E.L. Douglas, coordinator of the conference “Languages in science” (11.2021).

Get to know the guest of today!

Timothy E.L. Douglas studied Chemical Engineering at Imperial College, London, UK, and Biomedical Engineering at Technische Universität München, Germany. After his PhD at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, he was a postdoc at Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and Ghent University, Belgium, before coming to Lancaster University in 2017, where he conducts research into biomaterials for biomedical applications.

He is also the Study Abroad Advisor for the Engineering Department. He is a member of the International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA), a body representing the growing number of people conversant in 8 or more languages which fosters and encourages linguistic diversity.

Language in science: let’s talk about it!

We divided the interview in to two parts:

Part 1: Impact of language learning on research career

Part 2: How overcome difficulties during language learning. We decided to do this second part in several languages. Our idea behind is to inspire and encourage you: do not be afraid of mistakes! If we have done, you can do it as well! 🙂

Part 1

Part 2

Interested about the topic?

Check all the other talks done by Tim!

We hope you fund in this interview some useful information! 🙂

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel and Follow the blog on Facebook and Instagram to do not miss future interviews!

For any questions please write me on info@metodiestrategie.com

Ciao ciao

Maria

Categorie
English Lavoro Organizzazione Studio Uncategorized Università

Online learning

Digitalization is changing the learning process. Pandemic emergency highlight the possibility to acquire knowledge and learn new skills through online courses. But are those online courses good as the traditional one? Where to start? Here useful tips to start the right way!

Online learning: where to start?

In the last 30 years the world is changed as never before. Together with communication and daily tasks, digitalization strongly impacted on learning opportunities.

For people curious like me, online learning is simply amazing! Today resources are easily available and the exchange with other people can additional highlight knowledge acquired.

Thanks to the passion for the online learning I met Anja , fellow blogger with a strong expertises related to online learning. On her blog (HERE the link) Anja writes very interesting articles about alternative study possibilities available in internet and related self development topics.

Anja is not only very professional but also a very nice person. If you want know more about only learning, online courses you should definitely check her blog! In this interview Anja introduces her self and explain her journey towards online study. Be inspired by her experience! 🙂

Have you questions? You not hesitate to contact Anja: byproducteducation@gmail.com

Have you more questions? Consider to follow metodiestrategie on Facebook! (HERE) and the blog of Anja (HERE) so that you can find easily new tips related to this topic! 🙂

See you soon!

Maria

Categorie
Digitale English Lavoro Organizzazione Uncategorized

Smart Working ed esperienza americana

Lavorare e gestire un team da remoto ti sembra molto complicato? Hai bisogno di qualche consiglio? Vuoi trasferirti meglio Stati Uniti e sei in cerca di consigli? Se hai almeno una di queste domande, benvenuto! Sei nel posto giusto! Oggi parliamo parliamo di Smart Working e di esperienza americana, una puntata ricca di contenuti!

Smart Working: lavorare

Lo smart working si è prepotentemente affermato nel nella nostra vita. Nell´arco di pochi mesi scuole, università e aziende si sono attrezzate per permettere lo svolgimento delle attività anche da remoto.

Questa modalità di lavoro, ancora per molti nuova, piena di ostacoli e incertezze, è già da anni applicata oltre oceano. Oggi ne parliamo con Mario Di Dio, giovane ingegnere che nel suo periodo di dottorato ha lavorato interamente da remoto per una Start Up americana.

Mario è stato già ospite in una precedente intervista qui su metodi e strategie. Abbiamo parlato della sua esperienza come dottorando e delle principali differenze fra la mentalità italiana e quella americana (QUI per approfondire)

In questa nuova puntata oltre allo smart working, Mario ha dato dei consigli molto pratici per tutti coloro che vogliono trasmessi negli Stati unti e abbiamo parlato di come vengono organizzati i colloqui di lavoro nelle aziende americane. Ho diviso la puntata in 2 parti, affinché tu possa trovare con più facilità le infomazioni di cui hai bisogno

Parte 1: Quali documenti occorrono per trasferirsi negli Stati Uniti

Documenti, visti, permessi di soggiorno e green card. In questa prima parte abbiamo voluto condividere consigli pratici, sfatando alcune delle leggende metropolitane che ruotano attorno a questa tematica.

Buona visione!

Vuoi provare anche tu a vincere la green card? Ecco QUI il link che ci ha lasciato Mario!

Parte 2: colloqui di lavoro e smart working

Come vengono svolti i colloqui di lavoro nelle aziende americane? Quanto tempo durano? Quali sono i pro e i contro del lavoro da remoto e quali sono le strategie giuste per mantenere lo spirito di gruppo e la produttività anche a distanza?

Parlando di produttività: i consigli pratici per seguire un team e lavorare da remoto, partono circa dal min 16 🙂

Bene, anche per questa puntata è tutto! Grazie ancora a Mario per i suoi preziosi consigli!

Io intanto ti invito a seguirmi sulla mia pagina Facebook per rimanere aggiornato sulle nuove interviste.

Hai domande? Scrivimi pure a info@metodiestrategie.com

A presto!

Maria

Categorie
English Lavoro Life Style Podcast Studio Uncategorized Università

International PhD

Be a researcher means love science and love to travel. What does really mean do an international PhD? Pro and cons of a nice adventure! 🙂

Science: the behind the scene

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Metodi&Strategie podcast show! One of the main purposes of the podcast is to share with all of you the experiences of young Ph.D. students and researchers.

Do a PhD means, first of all, be flexible and be able to adapt to new working environments. In some of international PhD Programm, as the Marie Curie Fellows, work in different laboratories and in different countries is a MUST.

Full of enthusiasm, a lot of students embrace this duty without be really aware of the difficulties that the could meet.

We discuss this aspect and other interesting points with Raquel Sofia C. Cordeiro, a young professional that performed her research project in 3 different countries!

Raquel share with us challenges, difficulties but also SOLUTIONS! Important advice for all the students that are looking forward to start a similar experience of life.

Here the main topic discussed during the interview:

  • Ph.D. in 3 countries: challenges and difficulties
  • Ph.D. and work in Germany
  • Social life outside research
  • Research vs Business

…and more!

What you are waiting for? If what to do an international PhD or if you do not know if research life is for you….

Listen to the interview! 🙂

Have you questions? Get in touch with me through the Facebook page or just write me an email: info@metodiestrategie.com.

Ciaooo!

Maria

Categorie
English Lavoro Life Style Podcast Studio Università

Career transition

Career transition is a topic that more and more people look into, and it is a difficult and maybe even emotional topic. After years of learning and struggling, it can be really hard to accept that the path chosen is not turning out as hoped.

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Methods&Strategies Podcast! As mentioned, today we speak about career transition with the Guest of our episode: Jelena Jordanovic-Lewis.

How everything started

When I started my PhD in immunology I was really happy, I loved it and I still love immunology. The problem? Working for so many hours alone and in a laboratory was exhausting. I love to spend my time with people socialize as well…work in a laboratory for me felt like isolation and was unhealthy. Making the decision to change my career was really hard, but I did it also thanks to a positive exchange with other people.

Jelena has a similar experience as mine. After many years working as a research, she asked herself whether the professional she chose was really the right one. A question that Jelena faced with courage and honesty, as she wrote in her biography:

Typically, I was asked to find funding for my own job for the second time. I realized I didn’t actually care at all about the outcome and so I started to think about the type of job that I would feel more passionate about. This was slightly difficult and a pretty exhausting task

You can listen to the interview below or on Spotify! 🙂

The interview

In our interview, Jelena shares with us the steps that she faced before becoming a professional artist and illustrator for children’s books. A dynamic discussion, in which we discussed several points like:

  • Pro vs cons of being a researcher
  • How to finish a project
  • Research and the “shadow” of the scientific papers
  • Change profession
  • Researcher vs professional illustrator

Are you thinking about or are in a career transition? Are you in the research field and you are not sure if this is the right career for you?? Take yourself a nice coffee, or a tea, get comfy and tune in with us!

Listen to the interview with Jelena!

And here is where you can find Jelena and get in touch: here her Facebook, Instagram, Web pages.

She posts her illustrations and artwork, and she is happy to answer any more questions you have about her experience.

What about you? Would you like to share your experience with us? Have you or are you working as a researcher and struggling to find a new path for you? Would you like to share with us your experience? Send me an email to info@metodiestrategie.com

Ciaooo

Maria

Categorie
English Lavoro Podcast Studio Università

Marie Curie Individual Fellowship

Have you heard about Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF)? Would you like to know more about it? Well, you are in the right place! Listen to the interview done to our guest Judit Chamorro Servent, MSCA-IF researcher en Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Barcelona.

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Methods&Strategies Podcast, the show that shares with you the “behind the scene” of the scientific research. After interviews done to enthusiastic Ph.D. students and experienced researchers, is time to speak about the Marie Curie Individual fellowship.

Marie Curie Individual Fellowship is one of the further steps in the research career after the Ph.D.; as for all the other Marie Curie Fellowships, also the Marie Curie Individual fellowship is financed by the European Union and it is open to researchers moving within Europe.

In this spontaneous interview, Judit shares with us her experience as a researcher. Before coming back to Europe that to the Marie Curie Individual fellowship, our guest had already several years of work experience in France and New Zeland.

What does it really mean to work in different countries? Which are the pro and cons of this lifestyle? How to adapt to leave in another country?

Find the answers directly from her voice!:-)

Listen to the interview!

How to write and a project for an individual fellowship?

Write a project for an individual fellowship can be really difficult. Here some very useful tips if you want to apply to a MSCA-IF.

Have you questions? Do not hesitate! Just write me an email to info@metodiestrategie.com or contact us through the Facebook group methods&strategies and start to connect with other researchers! 🙂

Keep in touch!

Maria

Categorie
English Lavoro Podcast

How to become a researcher?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of Methods&Strategies podcast, the show that will give you the suggestion that you need to succeed at university and at work! If you also want to become a researcher, listen to the interview to a young researcher: Giancarlo Abis, Postdoctoral Researcher at University College London.

How to become a researcher

As briefly described in the introduction, Giancarlo shares with us his experiences along the way to become a researcher. After the PhD, be a postdoc is the following step in order to become a researcher.

In the previous episodes if Methods&Strategies podcast, we spoke about the PhD under Marie Curie Training and with Layla Filiciotto we wanted to understand why it is worth to have a PhD to work for a company

In this new episode we discover the role of the postdoc in academia. First of all, Giancarlo explains what is a postdoc and the differences in the research environment between Italy and England.

A spontaneous and genuine interview in which Giancarlo gives interesting advice for all the young students that are willing to stay in academia!

Listen to the interview!

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Here some of the topic discussed during the interview:

  • How find a PhD position abroad
  • The importance of the role of a postdoc inside academia
  • Supervision of PhD students
  • Collaboration of companies from academia point of views
  • Brexit: consequence on research field?

..and much more!!!

Did you liked the discussion with Giancarlo? You want to have other suggestion on how to become a researcher?Stay in contact with us through the Methods&Strategie Facebook group!

Ciao Ciao

Maria

Categorie
English Lavoro Podcast Studio Università

Work in a company: why it is worth to have a PhD degree

Hello friends of Methods&Strategies podcast! New episode, new interview in collaboration with the Marie Curie Alumni Association! 🙂 

Guest of today is Layla Filiciotto, Marie Curie researcher. Layla is a young and brilliant scientist that has an industrial chemistry background aiming to work in related company. Despite that, she decided to do a PhD after the Master Thesis. Why? It makes sense to have a PhD degree to find work in a company? 

Layla answers to those questions and shares with enthusiasm her experience as a PhD student under Marie Curie Training.

Listen to the episode!

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Following a short written version of the interview:

Could you please describe us the topic of your research?

If I have to say it “my easy way” would be by-products application development of bio-based processes, but that doesn’t mean anything, does it?! In reality, nowadays us chemists are trying to make the processes more sustainable not only for energy but also for everyday products like plastics….

You studied industrial chemistry, which is an applied science. Instead to look for a job in industry after your master,  you decided to do a PhD: why?

Even though I had studied industrial chemistry, I still didn’t have any real industrial experience which may make a company a bit more reluctant in hiring you there, especially if then you need to relocate from a tiny town in Sicily and you’re looking for jobs outside Italy..I realised I needed to bridge the gap and when I was offered a PhD with the industrial experience I thought it was a dream! 

You are part of Marie Curie training, could you explain to the listener what Marie Curie training is offering to the PhD student?

With my project, the partners were obliged to give industrial training to all PhD students by literally making them spend at least 50% of their time in a company, in our case Avantium in the Netherlands – a chemical technology development company, and every 6 months we would have meetings combined with training schools organised by each of the partners in their field of expertise, in our case polymers, safety, catalysis, but also intellectual property, entrepreneurial and techno economic assessment, evaluation of innovation and much more! The beauty of a Marie Curie project is also that we have quite a budget to attend conferences, which train you in presentation, networking and many scientific skills, but I also had the chance to participate to courses on the peer review system and speaking to the public but also to policymakers, so that the new world policies are made based on scientific evidence and true facts, because unfortunately we face a lot of misinformation with the advent of social media and overall the internet.

Which are the main skills that you acquired during your PhD? Why are they important in a industrial working environment?

I could start listing an incredible range of skills, including of course research, communication both oral and written, but also marketing, organisational, collaborative, mentoring and safety in and out of the setting that I was in, being academic of industrial. In the end, being in an industrial working environment means taking care of your task or project, but without forgetting the well-being of your colleagues as you are part of a community working towards the goals and strategies that the company has set. Yes, you are an individual but your success is a company success, and your colleague’s the same. So, the more you learn and grow in a wide range of skills the more you can contribute to what is the company goal. And in the end, every company wants an individual that can represent them properly and breathes the values that they want to portray.

You have study and working experience abroad. At young age you leaved for 1 year in USA. How was this experience? Could you tell us something more?

Oh, it was nervewracking! It was such a beautiful rollercoaster of emotions that I will never forget. When I had to leave, I was saying goodbye to my friends and family but with the promise of seeing them again in one year, without the realisation of how things change in one year and how much such an experience changes YOU. But I was so excited to see a new place, although I tried to get to New York, but the host family that had chosen me was from Indiana, a state in the midwest which I feared I would live in the middle of hamish farms with no contacts with the outside world. I was in the middle of hamish farms, but in a city and in a great host family which I deeply love to this date as they truly became my family for my time there. It was a bit difficult at the beginning, I had studied English…..

Was this experience useful for your career? Why?

I never really realised how useful this career was for my career as it was just a separate “brackets” during my high school career, then it was the university, then the masters, then the PhD, and it felt like I never stopped and really appreciate the experience itself, but rather have immense gratitude for the host family there in the US. But what I recently started realising, it’s that it was an experience that taught me how to accept change and how to adapt to a new and different experience, deal with a new culture…like I will never forget the first times that I was crossing with people in the hallway and they would say “Hey how are you?” and I would start replying “Yeah,I’m fine, what about you?” realising later that they really don’t care about the answer but it was just a cultural thing…so that it taught me how to recognise different social clues from cultures I don’t know (I also quickly stopped gesticulating a lot like Italians typically do!!) 

Would you like to stay in research? Why?

Three years of PhD and I realised that, yes I love research, but I would rather support it rather than being the one carrying it out. I always heard in these years that I was selling more than being focused on the details, which I realised I don’t have patience for! I like trends, differences, but especially in the context of a bigger picture, of why we need to do something in a world context. For doing good research you need to specialise in one field and I feel you have only a scientific impact, whereas I want to have an impact on the society and environment we live in, and in a society based on money, it’s the business side that controls how we do things!

Scientist and public engagement: in one of your blog post in the Marie Curie platform you wrote “ Science is there to help. Now it’s time for scientists to learn how to let everybody know” According to you, why science and public look far from each other?

We do speak different languages. When you study in a scientific field, you learn certain terms that you use normally to describe certain scientific things, and especially when you do a PhD, you start using those words in your everyday life!! Maybe at times we want to sound smarter so that we use certain terms, and there’s always been that conception from the public that scientists are obscure nerds in an inaccessible world. Shows like Big Bang Theory actually helped to break that wall and now we have to make that extra effort to fully make understand the world that science is there to benefit all, to help, to evolve, to improve the life conditions. Some may argue that a phone may have ruined people (if you look at the millenials nowadays…), but how many times a simple phone call to the emergency has saved a life? And many more examples like this

Projects for the future? Are you going back to Italy? New adventures to another country?

Ah, Italy is a dream for retirement maybe, I don’t see myself going back there even with the 70% tax relief they are planning for those that escaped years ago. I am looking at staying within Europe, not only because it’s easier for visa requirements, but also because especially in centre-northern Europe, there is an incredible advancement in innovative and sustainable chemical practices which I am very excited about. I loved living in the Netherlands for both culture and style of living, but I am not excluding some other countries as I more driven by the type of opportunity rather than the country itself. Especially, I want a country where I can learn a new language, so that Spain, UK and Italy are a bit excluded, but then in life you’ll never know!

Did you liked the discussion with Layla?Are you looking for suggestions or ideas coming directly from scientists? Stay in contact with us through the Methods&Strategie Facebook group


Categorie
English Lavoro Podcast Studio Università

Marie Curie Alumni Association and the European Joint Doctorate Programme

Research is one of the main topics of this digital platform and one of the goals of Metodi&Strategie podcast is to enhance the communication between scientists and the public. With this episode it officially starts the collaboration between Methods&Strategies and Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA).  We will meet scientists and PhD student that decided to share their professional and personal experiences!

Guest of this episode is Ruben Riosa, a Marie Curie PhD student actively involved also in the proofreading and writing of articles and posts both for the blog and the newsletter of the Marie Curie Alumni Association. 

The interview is divided in two parts:

1_ What is the (MCAA) Marie Curie Alumni Association: goals, structure and training programs (0-19 min)

2_ Experience of Ruben Riosa as a Marie Curie PhD student and the MANNA project (19 min to the end)

Here a brief summary of the topics discussed during the interview:

Part 1:

  • What is the Marie Curie Alumni Association

The Marie Curie Alumni Association is an organization that connects present and past researchers who are working or worked for a Marie Curie Action funded? Project. The Marie Curie Actions are fellowship financed by the European Commission aiming for the promotion of scientific exchange between European countries. 

  • Goals of the Marie Curie Alumni Association

Spread science to the public is one of the goals of the association. Thanks to events like the European Researchers’ Nights, scientists have the chance to explain the impact of research on our life. 

  • Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher (ESR)

Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher is a definition of the European Commission and refers to people that are in the first 4 years of their research career (PhD students). Thanks to the Marie Curie funding, scientists receive special training and are working in close collaboration with companies and public institutions.

Would you like to know more about the (MCAA) Marie Curie Alumni Association? Listen to the first 19 minutes of the interview!!!

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

 

Would you like to know more about the (MCAA) Marie Curie Alumni Association? Listen to the first 19 minutes of the interview!!!

Part 2:

In the second part of the interview, Ruben shares with us his experience as an ESR researcher and explains us the aims of the MANNA project. 

Here a brief summary of the topics discussed during the interview:

  • What is the MANNA project

The Marie Curie Funded Project “MANNA” stands for European Joint Doctorate in Molecular Animal Nutrition. The mission of the project is to provide a double doctorate training programme. The research is focussed on innovative technologies applied to animal science and nutrition. 

The 11 PhD students (ESRs) involved in the project are aiming to study and improve the livestock health using different approaches based on in vivo and/or in vitro studies. The project comprises 18 leading groups spread in 8 different European countries, among them: 6 universities, 3 public research institutes and 9 companies.

  • The training of the ESR

With big enthusiasm, Ruben shares with us the experience and the training he’s having within the MANNA project. Each of the 11 PhD students have 3 supervisors (2 from academia and 1 from a company) that are supporting the young researchers along with their work. Moreover, they will receive a double PhD degree as 2 years are spent in the primary host university and 1 year in the second one. 

  • Found a Marie Curie Project

If you are a young student looking for an ESR training project you may wandering: how can I find such a great opportunity? Here are some of the suggestions coming out from the interview: 

  1. Ruben discovers MANNA project while doing his master’s degree at the University of Milan as this university is one of the partners involved in the programme. The experience of Ruben teaches that great opportunities could be around you! So, first of all, have a look at your university, be proactive and get in direct touch with professors to discover new opportunities!
  2. Visit the official website of the European Union, EURAXESS, to find all the financed projects. 

Would you like to have more information about the MANNA project? Would you like to hear all the suggestions that Ruben gave in the interview? Listen to the rest of the interview! 

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Would you like to stay in contact with us? Just be part of the Methods&Strategie Facebook group

 





Categorie
English Lavoro Podcast Studio Università

The internal driving force on doing research

Would you like to do research? What does it means publish a research in a scientific journal? What are the most important skills to acquire in order to be successful in research? If you would like to find answer to these questions, you are to the right place!

In this episode of MetodieStrategie (Methods&Strategies) podcast all these questions will find an answer thanks to the interview performed to Dr. Chamini Mendis.

The beauty of working in three different countries

Dr. Chamini Mendis, reader in metallurgy by the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST). Dr. Mendis is an experienced researcher and in this nice interview she is sharing with us her experienced that leads her to her current position.

If  you also would like to be a researcher or you would  like to know about this field, well
you should listen to the interview of Chamini 🙂

Chamini obtained her current position thanks to the acquisition of specific knowledge gained working in different countries (Australia, Japan, Germany) and publishing her research in relevant scientific journals. She started her career in Australia at Monash University; she explains us the difference between the system organization in Australia compared to Europe and the “Internal driving force on doing research” (using her words) that bring her to move to Japan.

Our guest share with us her work experience in Japan and the love for research that brings her to work losing the sense of time, an encouragement to find a passion more than a work.

During the interview, clarification concerning the “art of communication” in science and the role of the woman in a male dominated field like engineering material. Are you curious?

                                   Listen to the interview!!!

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Are you interested on Chamini’s research field and would you like to check for suitable phd or postdoc position? 

Following this link https://careers.brunel.ac.uk/vacancy/research-fellowship-in-electron-microscopy-and-phase-transformation-13045-394134.html you can find opened position at Brunel University London.


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