NoRMMA (Network of Research: Movies, Magazines, Audiences) invites you to attend an interdisciplinary conference on non-traditional approaches to star studies research.

The one-day event will be held at the University of Kent on May 29th, 2015. The event will focus on ways to explore film studies research through non-traditional approaches. Examples include: performance, video essays, creative fiction/non-fiction, and various multimedia projects. Through this symposium, we would like to explore the connections between scholarship and fandom, research and creativity, the benefits and disadvantages of exploring an (audio)visual art through (audio)visual means, and the development of the innovative and ever-emerging field of practice as research.

Confirmed keynotes: Dr Catherine Grant, University of Sussex and Dr Kieran Fenby-Hulse, Coventry University

Preliminary schedule can be found here: http://www.normmanetwork.com/?p=153

If interested, you are welcome to register for free by Saturday, 9th of May by emailing normma.network@gmail.com   Supported by CISFMI and KIASH

For the attention of (FAO):  2nd and 3rd year PhD students

8^th Cumberland Lodge Doctoral Students Conference, 15^th– 18^th August 2015

The Graduate School is pleased to be able to offer one funded place at the above conference for a second or third year doctoral student.  Please see further details here: www.cumberlandlodge.ac.uk/PhD

The conference is open to students of all disciplines at any stage in their doctorate, and is designed to help both those embarking on doctorates and those considering what they will do in the longer term. During the conference, students will:

• explore common concerns
• have opportunities to present their research to those in different disciplines and institutions
• engage with those with doctorates with careers within and outside the academic world.
• receive training in communication and successful application writing

Students will also have the unique experience of staying at Cumberland Lodge, a charitable foundation with over sixty years’ experience of working with students from across the world, and which each year hosts approximately 180 academic visits from universities across Britain.

The Graduate School is offering one funded place, to a second or third year PhD student, in shared accommodation which includes all meals and refreshments.  We will also refund reasonable travelling expenses to and from the Lodge i.e. rail or mileage from Kent or the South East.

If you are interested in attending this event please email Carla Doolan, Postgraduate Development Coordinator at skills@kent.ac.uk by 5pm, Friday 15th May, explaining briefly what you would hope to gain from the experience.  Applications will then be considered by the Dean of the Graduate School.

The Centre for Health Services Studies will be hosting a health policy debate prior to the 2015 General Election in May.

All the main local parties have been invited to send a Kent Parliamentary candidate to sit on a panel to take public questions and inform the audience what their policy plans could mean for the future of our health and social care.

This event is free and open to all – no booking necessary.

For further information, please contact Helen Wooldridge, h.l.wooldridge@kent.ac.uk

The latest GradPost spring edition is available for download here!

The GradPost is a quarterly newsletter created by postgraduates for postgraduates.  If you would like to contribute/be part of the editorial team, please contact gradpost@kent.ac.uk

On Monday 23rd March 2015, seven postgraduate students gave a short presentation about their culture as part of the Global Skills Award programme. Thank you to the following students who presented and made the evening a great success:

Tomorrow morning is your last chance to submit your business plans for consideration in our Bright Idea? competition.  If you have an idea for a commercial business or social enterprise, you could have the chance to win £1,000 but you need to submit by 9am.  Application forms are available on the Graduate School website http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/brightideas.html

1^st and 2^nd year doctoral students from the University of Kent have been invited to apply to become Cumberland Lodge Scholars.

Launched in 2014, the Cumberland Lodge Scholarship scheme provides 1^st or 2^nd year doctoral students with the opportunity to take part in a conference programme over a two year period, receiving training and gaining experience in communication, public engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and networking.

Further details and an application form can be found at www.cumberlandlodge.ac.uk/scholarships.

All welcome | Saturday May 16^th 2015

BFWG holds a Research Presentations Day each year at which women postgraduate students are invited to give short presentations of their research work to a general audience.  A prize of £100 is offered for the presentation judged ‘best’ in terms of quality of presentation and ability to communicate the subject to an educated but general audience.  Those interested in making a presentation should go to www.bfwg.org.uk to download an abstract submission form.  Abstracts should be submitted to awards@bfwg.org.uk.

Closing date for abstracts is Friday March 20th 2015

It may be necessary to make a selection from abstracts submitted if there are too many entries for the time available.  Please note: BFWG is not able to pay travel or other expenses.

All undergraduates, postgraduates, members of BFWG and others who are interested will be very welcome to attend the RPD even if they do not wish to submit a paper.  There is no charge for bona fide students, whether or not they are presenting a paper, but there is a charge of £10 on the door for others.  (A sandwich lunch is provided).  The Research Presentations Day is usually a good opportunity to meet other postgraduate women students and to look objectively at the presentation styles of others.  It can be a useful learning experience and an opportunity for networking.

If you wish to attend the day please contact: Dr Elizabeth Poskitt: awards@bfwg.org.uk if possible before May 9^th 2015 .

Venue: BFWG HQ, 4 Mandeville Courtyard, 142 Battersea Park Road, London SW11 4NB

Come along and be inspired! | Tomorrow, Wednesday 11^th February

The postgraduate research café provides an opportunity for you to showcase your research in an informal setting and network with researchers from a variety of disciplines.

The Graduate School runs the café on the second Wednesday of each month. Each themed café will feature two 20 minute talks from postgraduate researchers from different disciplines, with a chance for questions, debate and networking over tea and coffee.

This relaxed event aims to bring postgraduates together, foster cross-disciplinary networks, and provide a supportive context for research discussion. To contribute, or for more information contact Dr Tracey Crowther, Postgraduate Development Advisor.

Next Café: Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 11 February between 1-3 in the Peter Brown room (The Missing Link, behind Darwin College) on the Canterbury campus with talks on ‘Water Gels for Cell Culture and Drug Delivery’ and ‘Can Film do Philosophy?’

Deadline for Applications| Extended to 7^th February 2015

Upcoming training programmes funded through CHASE Doctoral Training Partnership that all Arts and Humanities postgraduates are welcome to apply for.

Arts & Humanities in the Digital Age

Opening Conference at the Open University, Camden – Friday 20 February

Deadline for applications – extended to 7^th February

Find out more and apply here

Kent’s Dr Benjamin Vis will be convening two 2-day workshops on Spatial Humanities in Canterbury within this programme on Digital Humanities. CHASE are also working to open registration for separate workshops ahead of the plenary day conference in London on the 20^th of February. It is thus not obligatory to register for the entire Digital Humanities programme as a whole.