Welcome to the new-look Making Connections! I’ve had a break from blogging for a few months as other things took priority, and to be entirely honest, as I struggled to maintain motivation towards my research for multiple reasons. I had also fallen out of love with my blog. I wanted greater control over the appearance... Continue Reading →
Bright Sparks Science Festival
The ChaT Lab attended the fantastic Bright Sparks Science Festival in Brighton this year and ran an exhibition about using technology to support the learning of linguistics. For those who live locally, this is a really great event to go to with your children. It is all run by volunteers, and they have so many... Continue Reading →
The Toy Fair 2018
As a new researcher, I have to say I have had a somewhat rose tinted beginning to my PhD. I've had a few hurdles and set backs, yes, but I definitely believe the bulk of the hard stuff is still to come. Instead, during the early part of this year, I have been lucky enough... Continue Reading →
Snack Writing: Benefits and Barriers
Welcome to 2018 and Happy New Year! Some of you may be back into the full swing of work, if so, good effort. Some of you may be slowly returning or battling through days with minimum motivation. I am certainly the latter. It's a difficult time of year to remain engaged and motivated, particularly in... Continue Reading →
First Month: PhDebrief
It’s been a couple of months since I started my PhD at the University of Sussex and, as expected, it has been a busy and exciting start. It’s been productive and unproductive, exciting and anxiety provoking, busy and quiet, fun and overwhelming, you get the idea. It’s been a month of two halves. There have... Continue Reading →
Autism Labels pt. 3 – Implications for Research
Thank you for bearing with me for the long awaited (!) part 3 of autism labels. Blogging had been momentarily put on hold whilst I got up and running with my PhD and settled into my new role. I am now back with lots more posts up my sleeve and eager to share my early... Continue Reading →
Your Help Needed!
I would really appreciate your vote for my entry to this competition that FindAPhD are running to help with funds towards my studies. My submission is a photo of my friend's little boy to demonstrate how children and young people have inspired me over the years along with my caption below: The children and young... Continue Reading →
Preparing for a PhD
So, you have written a winning research proposal, prepared and got through your interview and have been offered a place to start your PhD in September. Excellent! Congratulations. At this point, we think, 'great, I have 6 months to prepare', 'imagine all of the reading I can have done in 6 months'. This is until... Continue Reading →
Welcome to my PhD journey!
Why are you here? Not as much of a philosophical question as it sounds; however, I am expecting to be asked a variation of this question over and over again for the next few months as I embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Also known in academia as a PhD. I have started this blog... Continue Reading →