Welcome to the Genomics Forum blog


Based at The University of Edinburgh, the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum is part of the ESRC Genomics Network and pioneers new ways to promote and communicate social research on the contemporary life sciences.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Bright ideas, pandemics, social media, and the odd monster...


Blog by Marina Levina: Genomics Forum Bright Ideas Fellow

As my three weeks as a Bright Ideas Fellow at the Genomics Forum end I can’t help but wonder at the whirlwind adventure that this has been.  First, I would like to thank everyone at the Forum for being absolutely lovely and making me feel welcome.  The accommodation and the office were great.   And I really like Edinburgh – what a peaceful and beautiful city it is.  I am looking forward to coming back to it many times over. 

I used my time at the Forum to do a bit of travelling around the Genomics Network.  I presented my work on pandemics and digital technologies at the Cesagen/Department of Sociology event at the University of Lancaster and at Egenis’ Health, Technology and Society research group at the University of Exeter.  These were invaluable experiences.  They allowed me, for the first time, to talk about my book project (on pandemics in the media) and, as a result, I have a much clearer idea of what the book needs to look like.   Being able to visualize the project is important to me as a writer and I am very grateful for these invitations and for hospitality and generosity of my fellow academics at these institutions.  Plus, I believe that I have made connections that will lead to fruitful collaborations in the future. 

I have also travelled to the 4S/EASST conference in Copenhagen, which was a good opportunity to connect with several of my colleagues. 

Finally, I presented my work at a CafĂ©Scientifique here in Edinburgh.  This was a bit scary as it required making my work accessible to the general public and also speaking without assistance of slides or media clips.  As a media studies person, I love my clips and images so I was frightened!  But it went over well, and I applaud those who braved rain and fog to come out for the event.  I did reenact a film scene or two – but I guess you can see the video for those embracing moments.  It was liberating to just talk to folks about my work.  I want to thank Steph Wright for organizing the event, for shuttling me to and fro, and for introducing me to Simon’s Cat. 

It was a busy and rewarding time here at the Forum.  Thank you everyone for making it possible! 

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