On Saturday 20 April 2024, we were delighted to host the second Masters Development Day, along with our much anticipated partnership event with the Royal Institution.
The Martingale Development Programme is designed to provide training and opportunities beyond what is usually on offer to a postgraduate student, along with cohort-building activities. The programme is tailored to each stage of the Scholars postgraduate journey, providing skills and learnings to support them throughout.
The day began with a training session covering social media for science communication, facilitated by Communications Manager, Chloe Slevin. Chloe has a background in science communication and shared “I was delighted to facilitate this training for the Scholars. Social media can be a fantastic tool to share academic research, new developments, and scientific discourse. Engaging with social media platforms effectively is a key skill and asset for academic and professional development. I can’t wait to see the Scholars put this training to use.”
The Scholars then had a session on project planning and time management for academic projects. Cassie Hugill facilitated an engaging activity using the Disney method of idea generation. Mary Henes then covered practical tips for managing your time during a research project. One Scholar shared “the project management session gave us practical and actionable advice which let us practice what was being taught”.
The last session of the day was academic networking, delivered by Dr. Hannah Thompson, a start-up founder and mentor. Hannah’s session demystified the process of networking in an approachable and friendly way and was thoroughly enjoyed by Scholars. One Scholar shared “I’ve always found networking challenging and this session really helped”.
The Development Day was followed by a reception where Scholars could put their academic networking skills immediately to use. We were delighted to be joined by colleagues from academia, industry and the policy sector. Scholars also had the chance to meet Prof. Emma McCoy ahead of her lecture.
During the reception, Cassandra Hugill launched Solve for X, Martingale’s newest addition to the suite of development opportunities for Scholars. Solve for X is a multi-year programme that offers a holistic approach to skill-building and career progression, with Scholars participating in a residential retreat featuring group work, training sessions, and culminating in pitch presentations to an expert panel. We are delighted to be partnering with Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Newton Gateway to Mathematics to bring this programme to life. The team can’t wait for the first session, taking place this June, kindly hosted by St John’s College, Cambridge.
The evening culminated with our partnership event with The Royal Institution, where Professor Emma McCoy gave an insightful and engaging lecture titled, ‘Do data deceive or inform?‘. She covered how statistics can be used to shed light on everything from epidemiology to figuring out the safest cycle route into work. The lecture was followed with a fantastic discussion and Q&A from the audience.
We were thrilled to work with The Ri and Prof McCoy to deliver this event. Many thanks to all who attended and made the day possible.