A life on the ocean wave!

hmmm... Back after a few days holiday bobbing about in the Norfolk Broads.  I know it's probably raining there now but it still seems kind of appealing.

It's freshers week here, which means the streets of Coventry are vibrant/crawling with bright young things (depending on your point of view).

I am feeling ever so slightly smug as my sabbatical has started, meaning I am somewhat remote from the frenetic activities that herald a new academic year. 

I had a very fruitful meeting with PhD student today to discuss her plans for research on assistance dogs.  We are thinking about possible publications already.

Photo credits: Rope by Richardsons of Stalham, cardigan and trousers (just seen) knitted by the late Mrs Nimmons, Blackrock Road, Randalstown; hat - model's own.

Being helped - and feeling guilty?

"As a new user to the service..."Oh no I'm not!!!!!

You know how I'd almost finished my presentation for the Endocrine Nurse Update... 

Just needed to do the reference list.  About to do it this morning when disaster* struck. 

I've got in excess of 20,000 references in my RefWorks database - going back to student days in mid 1990's.  When I used EndNote, I always had a back up copy of the database, but now the University has ceased to support EndNote and switched to RefWorks, I don't have that facility.  On logging in this morning I was greeted as a new user (with no references) and invited to CREATE my database.  Horror...

I have been assured that RefWorks know about the problem, which appears to be affecting all Coventry University users.  I just hope they get it sorted out soon.

On a less frustrating note: did a telephone interview with a journalist today, about the work Glenn Furnell and I presented about the experience of Midlanders whose homes were flash flooded.  Have also seen three very interesting papers that have been published in the interim:

Carroll et al 2009 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996730

Carroll et al 2010 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20618385

Mason et al 2010 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a918846798~db=all~jumptype=rss


*I realise of course that the meaning of this word is somewhat context-specific ;-)

Sunshine on a rainy day...

wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunshine_fractal.png

Submitted our grant application today - now need to wait twelve weeks or so to hear if we get through to the next stage of the competition...

Also booked a few more dates for our motivational interviewing training.

And the sun has come out - finally.

Your psychology project handbook

Dr Anna Weighall, Sheffield Hallam University:

"an essential guide to the process of undertaking psychological research. It provides comprehensive step-by-step advice about each stage of a research project from the initial conception of a research idea, right through to writing it up. It will be an invaluable resource for all psychology project students. I will certainly be recommending it to my own students!"

Coventry psych students do real world/applied research

Marked some interesting student work today:

A literature review paper by one of our MSc Health Psychology students - on aspects of self management in adolescents with diabetes (can't be more specific as she hopes to submit it to a journal for publication and I don't want to steal her thunder...!)

Reflective reports from second year undergraduates who have been on work placements:

One who has been working as a researcher in public health, looking at how breastfeeding interventions might be adapted for her home country of Botswana.

Another who has been on placement in a prison, running focus groups and working on racial and ethnic diversity issues.

A third who has been working as a research assistant to a colleague here at Coventry.

And two who have worked as junior school teaching assistants in preparation for intended careers in educational or clinical psychology.

Our students do real world/applied research, and should be well equipped to apply their knowledge and skills in the jobs market.

Apropos to nothing: Off now to buy some Gutermann thread in shade 282 on the way home...