About the author

This Blog is written by a 22 year old EngD student in Mirco- and Nanomaterials Engineering.
The Blog initially will be following the schedule set by 23 Things course as part of the University of Surrey Researcher Development Programme. 23 Things is a self-directed course, that aims to expose the participant to a range of digital tools that could help in their personal and professional development as a researcher.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

RDP Thing 9, 10 and 11: Wikipedia, Online Images, Presentations and Podcasts

Feel free to talk about all of this week’s Things in one post, as they lend themselves to comparison and discussion. How do you foresee yourself using (any, or) all of this week’s Things as a researcher? Are some of the Things more relevant than others? Relevant to what? Perhaps it was a Wikipedia page, a podcast, or a MOOC. If you already use these tools or similar ones, let us know how they work for you.
As we’ve talked about CC licenses, we’d like you to find an appropriately licensed image from Flickr (or another media site) that you can include in your post. Make sure it allows sharing! 

I don't think that there is much I can say about Wikipedia that hasn't already been said. I use Wikipedia to research engineering physics concepts and laws far more than I would like to admit, but it has always served me well. Normally because the articles on the subject of physics are written by scholars who are experts in the field and are also incredibly well sourced (just look at this article on Ion Source with 83 references).  I would definitely like to contribute to some articles in the future, especially as my field quantum technologies grows and there will be more new subjects, concepts and devices to create articles about. Right now though I do not feel confident enough in my knowledge to contribute just yet.
Now onto podcasts, of which I am a massive fan. I listen daily to all genres including comedy, science, drama, history and others (I will include a list of my favourites at the bottom). I have been listening to scientific podcasts such as Jim Al-Khalili's 'Life Scientific', 'Discovery' from the BBC's World Service, and certain episodes of Melvyn Bragg's 'In our time' for many years. I admit they definitely have had an influence on me wanting to continue my academic career into research. 'Life Scientific' especially does a fantastic job of giving researchers a platform to discuss their research without dumbing it down to levels where it's no longer interesting. It's a dream of mine to be brought onto any of these shows as an expert guest, maybe one day discussing quantum technologies. I wouldn't necessarily say that podcasts have ever helped me learn a subject to the level I require, but they have definitely peaked an interest in many areas for me.

My Top 5 Podcasts:
'In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg' - BBC Radio 4.
Fascinating discussions with academics in subjects of history, science and philosophy. A recent episode on the life of Johannes Kepler was very interesting, revealing how the man whose work provided some of the foundations Newton's theory of universal gravitation, had to also suffer his own mother being accused of witchcraft.

'Life Scientific with Jim Al-Khalili' - BBC Radio 4
Half an hour dedicated to the biography and work of one living scientist. Jim is an attentive interviewer, interested not only in peoples work, but also how and why they got into science

'Planet Money' - NPR
This show tackles subjects economics, but relates concepts easily to news stories and everyday phenomena. Recently there was a fantastic 5 part series where they buy crude oil from an oil field in the USA and go through the complete refining process all the way to the petrol pump, a must listen series to understand the way in which the modern economy functions.

'No Such Thing as a Fish' - QI Elves
A comedy fact presenting podcast hosted by four of the researchers for the BBC show 'QI'. Amazing facts, jokes and discussion from a well read and hilarious panel. There is even an episode which features Corey Taylor the vocalist of Slipknot as a guest! He is actually a seemingly big fan of UK radio and is an adept amateur historian.

'The Infinite Monkey Cage' BBC Radio 4
Presented by Brian Cox and Robin Ince, this podcast is a much more scientific and comedy focused version of 'In Our Time'. It tackles various scientific concepts from the Origins of Life to Cosmology, but also adds some philosophical concepts such as 'What is reality' and 'Irrationality'. All this is tackled with great knowledge and wit by Robin, Brian and a mixed panel of academics and comedians.

No comments:

Post a Comment