Three first year undergraduate students in the School of Environmental Sciences recently had the opportunity to take part in a fieldwork programme in the city of Chennai.
Erica Mcdermott (BSc Environmental Science), Joe Lewis-Braddock, and Sam Netherwood (both BSc Geography) travelled to Chennai to take part in the Schools Beyond Books project. This project, a collaboration between Dr Andy Davies and Dr Shreyashi Dasgupta (both Department of Geography & Planning) and Vidhya Mohankumar (Urban Design Collective) in Chennai, is currently funded through the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account and in the past by the Research England ODA International Science Partnerships Fund. The project installs a range of green infrastructure in government schools in the Greater Chennai region, and delivers an educational programme which allows the school students and staff to take custodianship of the equipment. This allows for the equipment’s long-term use by the school community in reducing waste and encouraging sustainable behaviours.
The students received funding from the Royal Geographical Society’s Fieldwork Apprenticeship scheme. This programme aims to give first year undergraduate students the opportunity during the summer to work as a Fieldwork Apprentice on a research project either in the UK or overseas, led by an academic member of staff at their university.
Dr Davies, who led the fieldwork experience with the students, said "The RGS funding provides a fantastic opportunity for UK-based students to experience and learn about the realities of living and working in a rapidly urbanising megacity like Chennai, as well as developing their own global citizenship awareness and skills. It was a real pleasure to spend time with Erica, Joe and Sam and introduce them to the kind of opportunities and experiences an academic research career can provide." Erica said "The RGS funding and support from staff in Liverpool allowed me to take part in an opportunity I never would have been able to on my own. As an environmentalist it was interesting to be able compare how different the weather, ecology and geography was to the UK and develop my cultural knowledge for my future studies.2
In Chennai, the students took part in a range of fieldwork activities to get an idea of how to conduct research in a non-UK context. These included site visits to the 2 schools which are involved in the Schools Beyond Books project, where they got to see the completed installation, see how sites were evaluated and prepared, and, hear from staff and students about the project. They also had a meeting with Government Officials in Greater Chennai Corporation, and contributed to a research seminar at Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS). The students also had the chance to meet students at MIDS, learn about heritage conservation in Chennai and Pondicherry, and got the chance to visit the ancient monuments at the nearby UNESCO World Heritage site of Mahabalipuram.
Reflecting on their experiences, Sam said "I've gained a completely new perspective on how the people of Chennai live. I cannot stress enough the extent to which I've enjoyed the Schools Beyond Books project and I would encourage anyone who is intrigued by once in a lifetime projects like these, to just go for it!" Similarly, Joe said "My time in Chennai was a fantastic learning opportunity, I felt privileged to speak to the incredible people at MIDS, both students and academics alike. Furthermore, becoming immersed in the local culture from exploring the area, as well as our work in local schools was incredibly enjoyable."