I haven't blogged in a while and this year I want to get back into it. I blogged a little during my undergraduate years at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. I used this as a platform to discuss about life at the university as well as about scientific issues. At the time, I hadn't heard of "scicomm" or Science Communication, but today it's hard not to notice the effort put in by scientists in effectively communicating their research to the masses! This has been made easier through the use of platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I want to use this blog to talk about my research as well as to talk about my journey as an international PhD student.
Two weeks ago I arrived in Australia to begin my PhD at the Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC) at the University of New South Wales. Although I had lived on my own for a year in Bristol while doing my master's in climate change science and policy, I was anxious about leaving home. Don't get me wrong, I was super excited to have been made an offer to pursue a fully funded PhD at a leading university on a topic that I'm very passionate about, but all I could think about was being away from home for 3.5 years. But thanks to technology I can speak to my family and friends whenever I want and I am also blessed to have family in Sydney, which has made my move here very smooth and hassle free. It has only been two weeks but the CCRC has made me feel quite at home! As the Post Grad Reviews were held during my first week at CCRC, I got the opportunity to see what the other PhD students were working on and also got to celebrate with them over pizza and drinks at the end of the week. During the long weekend I travelled to Bella Vista to spend time with family and it felt really good to be around them. This whole week I have been down with a cold and cough and have relied on Samahan (Sri Lankan herbal drink), Benadryl, hot soup and lozenges to feel better. I did manage to attend two courses on Linux and Python, despite having a few coughing fits, and I am glad I did! I think it's really important to make use of all the resources that are made available to you. It is equally important to take care of one's health. So this weekend I will get some rest. Have I settled in completely? Almost! It will take a while but I'll get there :) Among other things, I still need to figure out a routine and also explore more places in and around campus. That's all for now. Time to head out to do some grocery shopping :)
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AuthorBudding climate scientist from Sri Lanka, currently pursuing a PhD on heatwaves, at the Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC) at UNSW, Sydney. Believes in using effective science communication to bridge the gap between science and society :) Archives
June 2021
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