PhD students from Denmark and abroad got their fingers dirty in a good way at a PhD course that they showered with praise.
Professor Ty Ferre from the University of Arizona teaching soil physics in the computer laboratory. Photo: Lis Wollesen de Jonge
They came from Japan, they came from the United States, they came from Europe – and they buried themselves in soil up to their necks.
- It was a great experience, says the leader of the graduate school programme STAiR Lis Wollesen de Jonge from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, about the successful PhD course, which was recently held at the faculty.
- We saw 27 incredibly committed young people who worked intensively for up to 10 hours per day every day for seven days, she describes.
The course was called "Merging measurements and modelling in soil physics" and was all about soil physics. The course, which was a combination of theory and hands-on exercises, was organised by the graduate programme STAiR at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with the graduate programme in water resources at the University of Copenhagen, FIVA.
Intensive learning
The teachers came from far and near. Two teachers from the University of Arizona in the USA, professor Per Møldrup from Aalborg University and scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences shared their knowledge and experience with the eager students.
The 27 PhD students from Japan, Germany, Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark had seven intensive days. Learning took place in the classroom, which was fitted as a computer laboratory, in the field and in laboratories.
However, the programme did not end there. There was a lot of rewarding social togetherness and networking until the wee hours. On the seventh and last day the students were given the word in a so-called "Young Scientist Forum", in which they were each given time to talk about their PhD studies.
- It was really good. There were a lot of good questions and they learned from each other’s experience, so the groundwork is there for a strong scientific network, which is so important for their future research, says Lis Wollesen de Jonge.
Continued contact
The students set up a group on Facebook so they can continue to maintain contact with each other and with the teachers. The course also has a website that is updated regularly with relevant literature. The students were also given a book containing the wealth of informative overheads from the course.
Despite a tough programme, the students’ enthusiasm did not flag. On the contrary, they were full of praise for the course. Here are some of their comments:
"It was one of the best courses I have ever attended", says Anurudda Karunarathna from Saitama University in Japan.
"It was a course like no other. Everyone – teachers, organisers, technicians, students – they were all fantastic. I learned a lot and made a lot of good, new friends," says James Mutegi from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.
"I would just like to thank all the teachers, organisers and students! I had a fantastic time and agree with the others that we really learned really a lot," says Hanne Modin from Lund University n Sweden.
The course will be repeated in 2011 and PhD students are already now eager to register for the course.
STAiR (International Education Research Programme for Soil Technology and Interdisciplinary Research in Soil and Environmental Sciences) is a graduate programme that is a collaboration between seven universities and faculties in Denmark as well as eight universities and faculties abroad, all with leading expertise in soil and environmental sciences. Read more about STAiR at www.stair.agrproject.dk .
