Autumn in the Hive

The first couple of weeks of term has seen a number of researchers using the Hive for the first time. Many of these are new doctoral researchers. Welcome to Sussex and to the Library Research Hive!

In the evaluation of the first year of activity, people commented on the energising effect of being in a location where other people were engaged in study and learning, and how this enabled their own focus. Another feature of the past year were a number of events organised by the Scholars, including opportunities to explore the experience of thesis writing and a discussion around being an Associate Tutor. Do follow this blog to learn of some of the ideas and activities that are being considered for the coming year.

As well as activities in the Hive, other events happen in other spaces within the Library. Coming up shortly is International Open Access Week, and there are two events happening of particular interest and relevance to the university research community. Both take place in the new Open Learning Space on the ground floor of the Library.

An introduction to Open Access publishing

Tuesday 25^th October, 11.00 – 12.30 in the Open Learning Space

Martin Eve, a doctoral researcher at Sussex and founding editor of the Open Access journals Excursions and Orbit, will provide an introduction to Open Access publishing from both a researcher and a publisher perspective. At a time when 'publish or perish' has become something of a watchword in the research community, this is an important topic on which there is much mythology and misinformation. Martin's presentation will provide us with the information we need to appraise the field and make informed choices when publishing our research.

To book to attend this seminar, go to www.sussex.ac.uk/library/openaccessweek

Practical tips for publishing Open Access

Wednesday 26^th October, 12.00 – 13.30 in the Open Learning Space

Lucy Robinson and David Ross, both journals publishers with SAGE, the sponsor of the Hive, will unpack more of the mysteries of Open Access publishing. SAGE Open was launched in the Spring, offering a new platform to support open access publishing in the social and behavioural sciences and the humanities. This seminar provides an opportunity to learn more of what Open Access means for the traditional academic publisher.

To book to attend this seminar, go to www.sussex.ac.uk/library/openaccessweek

More information about all Open Access Week events is available here 

A new year - three new Hive Scholars

This is our first post on this blog - and our first opportunity to introduce ourselves to you as the Hive Scholars for the coming year. The SAGE Sussex Research Hive has been established as part of the library refurbishment and was opened at the end of October 2010 to provide a central space for the Sussex researcher community to engage in communication and collaboration. During the past year, Craig Haslop, Jill Kirby and Chris Kempshall have worked with library staff and the Doctoral School to develop the Hive and facilitate a range of activities using the space. Sindi Gordon, Liz Thackray and Lefteris Zenerian now have the responsibility of picking up the baton and providing further opportunities for the research community to develop its use of the space the Hive offers.

We would like to introduce ourselves to you.

Sindi Gordon

I am a third year doctoral student from the school of Centre of Community Engagement, My research is a creative and critical investigation into the dialogic relationship between memory and imagination and its potential for personal freedom. My background is in documentary filmmaking and developing projects that encourage people to tell their own stories. I previously studied for my Masters at Sussex University in Creative Writing and Personal Development. During my time here I have gained an understanding and appreciation of the daily challenges, concerns and aspirations of researchers. I am now working as one of the Library’s Research Hive Scholars and I am looking forward to developing activities that encourage and support doctoral researchers to work collaboratively and individually. I will be working in the Research Hive each week, feel free to say hello and share any ideas that you have about the space.

 

Liz Thackray

I'm a fourth year doctoral researcher based in Sociology. My research focuses on the meanings of the metaphor of struggle and fight in the special needs system from the perspective of those who work with and those who live with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome. You may notice the grey hairs in my photo; I sometimes say, only half in jest, that my doctoral research is retirement preparation. For me one of the most exciting things about being a doctoral researcher is meeting and learning from colleagues from different backgrounds and with varied research interests. As a Research Hive Scholar, I look forward to participating in an interdisciplinary, collaborative community, working with and getting to know other doctoral researchers and learning together as we progress on our doctoral and life journeys. During the coming year, together with Lefteris and Sindi, I will be spending time in the Research Hive and assisting in developing activities that offer opportunities for collaboration, learning and fun. Do say hello when you see me in the Hive or around campus and share any ideas you have about using the space the Hive offers us as researchers.

 

Lefteris Zenerian

My name is Lefteris Zenerian. I am a doctoral researcher in the Sociology department. My research is concerned with the social relations that form among people working in similar industries in geographical proximity. My fieldwork takes place in Brighton, which has a very high presence of digital media economic activities, and my methodology is qualitative. My role as a Research Hive Scholar entails communication with Doctoral researchers and the planning of activities aimed at the fostering of the research community in Sussex. You can reach me through the Hive email and, of course, in the Research Hive. I will be spending Monday mornings and afternoons working at the Hive, but I will be dropping in at other times, so do not hesitate to approach me if you have any queries.

We are all looking forward to the coming year and in our next posting, we will share some of our ideas about activities that could happen in the Hive. Most importantly though, we want to hear your thoughts and ideas and how we can enable the activities you would like to see.

Email us at researchhive@sussex.ac.uk

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