Social Lives
Author: Jack Hilliard, undergraduate, B.A. Psychology student at Maynooth University, working as an Intern under Dr Tadhg MacIntyre and Ph.D. researcher Cassandra Murphy as part of the SPUR (Summer Undergraduate Experimental Research) Programme.
The Go Green Routes Summer School Malta was an exciting three-day showcase of the consortium’s recent successes, which further integrated the transdisciplinary researchers from across Europe towards the common goal of nature connectedness through 360-health. This broadly aligns with the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute’s goals of developing appropriate technologies, person-centred systems and evidence-based policies which will empower people towards a greener future. Situated in the historic capital, it was hoped the setting would act as a microcosm for future nature-based solutions (NBS) across the Mediterranean as referred to by the Irish President, Michael D. Higgins.
As part of Maynooth University’s SPUR (Summer Undergraduate Experimental Research) Programme, myself, Marcus Broughill, and D’Andra Andrews were brought in as interns by Dr Tadhg MacIntyre as well as Ph.D. researcher Cassandra Murphy and assisted them in their work in the Dept. of Psychology. It was a unique opportunity to be able to learn from Europe’s leading eco-researchers. We worked with early career researchers with diverse skillsets ranging from environmental scientists, architects, psychologists, and engineers amongst many others to achieve one of the aims of the summer school, designing NBS for the redevelopment of one of the most famous thoroughfares in Malta, St. Anne’s Street, Floriana. .
Day 1, Big Ideas, Small Steps
The opening day was marked by addresses by the former President of the Republic of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Maltese Minister of Public Works and Planning, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Doctor & Maltese MP Katya De Giovanni, and Conrad Borg Manché Mayor of Gzira our partner city in GoGreenRoutes, who were introduced by Dr Mario Balzan of the Ecostack Innovations and scientific co-ordinator of now finished H2020 project ReNature. It was inspiring to see so much political will backing such a vital project. The primary challenge was to turn individuals into compatriots, from what felt very much like the first day of school. To accomplish this, we were given a Team Building Task for early career researchers, with team leaders selecting candidates based on how they described themselves. More talks on the project followed this by Dr’s Balzan and MacIntrye before Dr Frankie Boyd, the founder of research consultancy Blooming Research spoke to us about how to communicate science to different audiences. Dr Boyd asked us to think beyond writing for a scientific audience and to look at the bigger picture, at how we could impact regular people and policy makers.
Food, social scientist, and Ph.D. Researcher Alan Scarry from the University of Limerick then brought us back into our teams with an engaging activity, ‘TaskMaster: Sustainability in Action’, which added friendly competition to the learning environment. This was an interactive approach using fun tasks such as designing NBS via the building of a mini-model of an environment. The day was punctuated by lunch breaks within the Mediterranean Conference Centre , a former Napoleonic military hospital. We eagerly awaited the next day’s activities centred around a field trip to St. Anne’s, Floriana.
Day 2, Progress, Practicality, Virtual Reality
On a blistering hot morning we each made our own journeys towards St. Anne’s, congregating at the Lion Fountain, where the first stone was laid in the Renaissance city. It was striking to be surrounded by such beauty and unfortunately, pollution. Our teams set about measuring the air quality of the street to figure out which areas where most impacted. We also studied the space in order to come up with ideas for NBS for the redevelopment of St. Anne’s which is currently being proposed by Major Borg with the concept being an underground tunnel removing traffic, enabling the street’s pedestrianisation. Each team would present their ideas on the final day, called “Dragon’s Den”.
We embarked on more TaskMaster activities before viewing a presentation on Virtual Nature Scenarios by Prof. Giovanna Calogiuri from the University of South-Eastern Norway. This was an exploration into how computer technology using the Oculus VR headset or low-cost cardboard smartphone versions can be used to create virtual natural environments which can help address the lack of accessibility to green spaces for some populations in the EU, e.g., those with physical disabilities.
A double-header talk on Policy Context and Brief’s was then articulated by Terri Morrissey, the former President of the Psychology Society of Ireland and founder of the This is consultancy organisation, complimented by Conor Kretsch, the founder and director at Cohab Initiative and a Sustainability Lead at ESS Global Ecology. It focused on recent successes such as the field of psychology getting a seat at the table at COP 26 UN Climate Conference at Glasgow. The day was rounded-off with a fun activity by Frankie, where a fairy-tale had to be written as a scientific abstract to demonstrate how simple concepts can be unnecessarily overcomplicated.
Day 3, “Il-mistoqsija oħt il-għerf” (The question is the sister of wisdom) Maltese Proverb,
The final day was the real test of our ability to put our recently learned skills together. The last TaskMaster activities ended as Terri Morrisey spoke to us about her recent book “Making Uncertainty Work for You”. In the current era, where so much is changing so fast and an abundance of knowledge is readily available, the real valuable skills, Terri argues, is being comfortable with the uncomfortable, to be able to learn and relearn as needed.
Dr Boyd then took us through a crash-course on social media and science, focusing on how researchers can promote themselves in the present day ‘influencer’ centric landscape as the days of publishers being gatekeepers are mostly gone. We then had an inspirational practise run on our presentation skills which involved singing and dancing, to get the scientific juices flowing before Dragon’s Den.
Each team went before the ‘Dragons’ who included some of the local council representatives as well as our former teachers to present their vision for St. Annes. Some of the ideas presented were incredible, such as the creation of wind corridors through reflectors or an ambitious infrastructure proposal to install a tramline circling Valetta which would remove cars from the city. We learnt from each other and from the experts who pointed out the holes in our plans, which allowed us to adopt insights that, individually would be impossible to see. This steep-learning curve will help to temper our developing presentation skills.
Closing Remarks,
To conclude, the Summer School was a fantastic experience and opening into the world of research which tapped into the nexus of European scientific development, while also drawing on people from all corners of the globe, such as India, Brazil, Canada, and the USA, which fostered a collaborative mindset to solving a problem which transcends all of our petty struggles combined. It is clear to see that the European Old World still very much has something left to offer in powering a new, vibrant, and brighter future, safeguarding our environment for generations to come.