After relocating from across the globe to Hobart to start my PhD, I also became a CMS member. Joining this network of talented and friendly individuals soon became one of the most important pieces of my life as a PhD student.
PhD life is a rollercoaster, it is filled of ups and downs. Being a part of a lab and/or community is key to making your PhD a fulfilling and enriching experience, helping you to feel included and encouraging the development of your skills by promoting a wide range of opportunities.
I used to feel like I was in a constant battle with myself trying to learn and to do as much as possible alone. Asking others for help felt like a sign of weakness to me. But it is impossible to know everything and it is important to share our scientific knowledge and skills with other collaborators and colleagues. CMS played (and plays) an important role in making me not only feel included, but also to show that interdisciplinary work is the key to succeed as a researcher. Two heads are always better than one.
Below I list some of the experiences that I was able to be a part of as a CMS member.
Opportunities & Developing skills
Future Seas Project. I was lucky to be a part of Future Seas, an interdisciplinary collaboration between CMS and 100 researchers from multiple backgrounds and from different career stages (e.g., psychologists, public health and education experts, philosophers, ecologists, oceanographers, climate modelers, economists, social scientists, engineers, information and communications technology researchers, and social scientists, as well as governance, law and policy experts).Working with people from different backgrounds was an extremely enriching experience personally and professionally.
CMS summer school for Interdisciplinary skills for equitable climate adaptation. This short course was one of the most insightful summer schools that I attended as an early research career. I was presented with new and crucial concepts, such as adaptive capacity. Consider climate change adaptation and impacts under the scope of equity, trade-offs and conflicts. It was also an amazing opportunity to meet, discuss and learn about different interdisciplinary challenges and methods.
CMS Twitter co-administrator. This role allows me to improve my communicating skills, keeps me updated of new research and most importantly allows me to empower others researchers. One of the outcomes of this role was the successful organization of the Twitter CMS Conference.
The community & people
Inclusivity and Diversity. It is crucial to be able to work in an open-minded community. Workplaces that also advocates for inclusivity and diversity increase the staff productivity and well-being. As a CMS member I was able to be a part of an Intersectionality Workshop “Walking in the Shoes of Others” and was able to attend the "Core Cultural Competency Program course from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies".
Success and Failures. To be able to be around scientists that can can freely discuss their science, not only accomplishments but also failures. Learning from mistakes is crucial to become a better scientist. If you haven't failed yet in academia, it is because you haven't pushed yourself enough. Not everything is full of roses, but if we support each other, we will reach our goals.
Regular students and staff meet-ups. As a PhD student it is important to feel included. And CMS is the scientific community I needed to grow as a PhD student.
In summary, joining CMS showed me that asking for help wasn’t a weakness, and that it is in reality a strength that not only makes you a better researcher, but also helps you to thrive in your PhD experience. I highly recommend joining our community.
More information about the CMS Summer School Interdisciplinary skills for equitable climate adaptation:
More information about the Future Seas Project:
More information about the CMS:
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