1/4 of a year: a prize and a grant
At the start of my PhD in October 2017, I was expecting an intense time (they don't just give out PhDs for nothing, you know?!) but I wasn't expecting the first quarter of the year to be such a whirlwind. I've already learnt a lot, had a bunch of training, and been awarded a grant and a prize.
THE PRIZE:
Over the summer prior to starting the project I entered the FindAPhD scholarship competition. The entry requirement was to submit a photo of what inspires you to study, and then to receive enough public votes to be shortlisted.
The requirement was to produce a photo of "what inspires you to study" and then to receive enough public votes to be shortlisted.
By the time I got myself organised and out to hunt for bee orchids it was already late into their flowering season, and it was a tall order to find any at all. Ophrys apifera, the more common and widespread of the genus, flowers at the latest towards the end of June - beginning of July. I managed to find a few blooms remaining at Wren's Nest quarry, Dudley, UK, and although these were already 'going over' (when the pollinia droop over to enable self-pollination), they still made good photo-subjects! In fact, it was the first bee orchid I ever found in person that made it to the final cut as the competition entry:
It was September before I found out that I had been shortlisted (yay!) and I was enjoying a pre-PhD break in Copenhagen when I received the news. Shortlisted candidates were tasked with producing a video that covered their research interests, and how FindAPhD helped them along the way. Although I felt confident explaining the part FindAPhD had played in my PhD journey, I was less confident about producing a video about my research that I hadn't started yet or about producing a video at all (which I'd never done before!)
After much deliberation about the kind of video to make, I hand-drew each picture, put the frames together and narrated the following:
I am very happy to say I won the Highly Commended prize in the FindAPhD 2017 scholarship competition!
THE GRANT:
I am lucky to have found a great PhD project at The Open University that comes with a full stipend and a research grant from NERC CENTA, however, research can be a very expensive endeavour, especially when there is laboratory work with expensive equipment, or international field work.
For the bee orchid project, I am very keen to be able to conduct extensive field work, encompassing orchids from the UK and from Europe, in particular, France. Ophrys apifera has no known pollinator in the UK, but does have pollinators in Europe, so the populations in these areas provide a unique opportunity to investigate the implications of pollinator-loss and release from selective pressures for these flowers.
I am very grateful to receive a £300 grant from the Wild Flower Society towards the costs of this field work!
