I’ve survived my first month! Well done me. And crucially I am still in my honeymoon period, having smashed the honeymoon period of my previous job by some margin. That one lasted a mere 13 days. Not my fault, I might add.
It’s always a bit overwhelming when you start a new job in a new university. You need to learn who everyone is and wade through all the policies and procedures, as well as all the unwritten stuff that everybody knows simply by having worked there longer than you. I’ve not been in this situation for a long time, and it’s made me realise just how much of my previous job I could do without thinking (arguably could have done with some more thinking at times, but it’s too late now). But it’s exciting and the new context is refreshing and energising. But then, I’ve always found doing new things exciting. Especially when I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to do it. One of the earliest lessons I took away from being Associate Dean back in the day, was recognising that not everyone is as excited about doing new things as I am, especially when you’re not entirely sure how to do it. Thankfully I am not blind to the looks of horror on peoples’ faces. Same with change. Change is great and I tend to be naturally positive about the possibilities it brings, but I do know that there’s a difference between change that you do and change that is done to you. Here, it’s the former, and I’m loving it.
I’ve been throwing myself into a variety of events so I can meet as many of my new colleagues as quickly as possible. And everyone has been lovely and welcoming. We’ve had the MU Student Experience awards, the MU Teaching & Learning Showcase, the Higher Education Authority DELTA awards (this was in Cork, so a great excuse to check out that city – it was repeatedly emphasised to me that Cork is a city. Repeatedly), a welcome evening for the DigiFled team from Ukraine, and presentations to both our Academic Council (on AI) and our Governing Authority (on our Students & Learning strategic plan). They’ve been a lot of fun, and it’s been great to hear more about the wonderful work going on at Maynooth.
Quite a few people have asked me whether I took a job in Ireland because I have some connection here. Well, not really, is the truth. My wife’s grandfather is Irish, and so we’ll be hunting down any extended family members there soon enough. But for me, you have to go back to the 1700s to find my ancestral connection. Thanks to my mild obsession with ancestry.co.uk, I know that my third great-grandparents and beyond lived in County Clare and County Kerry before moving to London. This eventually led to my family living in the East End and which in turn led to me supporting West Ham. So I guess now that I type it out and think about it, my Irish ancestors have indirectly led to my work in the MLS. Huh.
And talking of research, one thing I’ve found since stepping away from being Dean in Jan is that I have a little more time to do my own research. One area that I’ve been desperate to work on has been considering what the impact of climate change may be on forensic practice. This is something that I had been thinking about for a year or so, and really came to a head last summer when I was over in Trento (Italy) to support the work of colleagues examining deceased soldiers from WW1 whose bodies were being revealed as glaciers melted in the mountains. While there, I was able to bounce some ideas off the MSc in Forensic Arch and Anth students we were working with and then mull it all over while drinking coffee in the piazza. This latter approach to research clearly works for me and so I will need to fund future trips to gelateria. You know, for the greater good. Anyway this time allowed me to write the paper, and work through the edits, to the point that it came out recently – my first Maynooth publication!
The impact of climate change and sustainability initiatives on forensic practice [Forensic Science International: Synergy 8: 100475]
The climate change crisis affects all aspects of our lives, and this includes national and global scientific endeavours. The forensic sciences are no different but are yet to engage meaningfully with this agenda or to consider what it means for future practice. This paper explores and discusses a range of impacts on forensic and crime scene practice derived from climate change and proposes the potential implications. The paper concludes by laying out a way forward and a programme of activity to support the forensic sciences to manage the implications of climate change and related sustainability initiatives on the criminal and medico-legal investigative community.
And talking of wonderful new places, one thing I really love is exploring said wonderful new places. I really like knowing the history and development of the places that I live. So I’ve been spending the weekends that I’ve been here heading into Dublin to see what’s what. So far, I’ve hit Dublinia, the National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology, Maynooth Castle, the National Museum of Ireland: Decorative Arts & History, EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, The Famine Memorial, the Jeanie Johnston ship and the Lego Bricktionary (which was less about discovering the origins of Ireland and more about discovering massive Lego structures). I’ve also been wandering around Dublin and Maynooth trying to get a feel for the places. All ready for the influx of guests who are now super-interested in visiting me in Ireland in a way they very much were not when I was working in Middlesbrough.
My next task is to learn a little Irish. But disappointingly just downloading Duolingo doesn’t seem to have done the job yet.