BCUR 2025: A Round up!

Much like a lot of things, attending BCUR 2025 felt like a blur! I have never been to Newcastle nor have I attended an academic conference before

so, everything was new and exciting. However, my (literal) journey there was not as straightforward as I hoped. Not only did we get to the train station late but, we also missed our train (Lumo service from St Pancras to Newcastle) by a few minutes and the next one was not until 11AM, and if we took that one, I would definitely miss my presentation scheduled for 1PM (PANIC!). Luckily, there was another train to Newcastle that would arrive before the conference started. So, we decided to get on that one (and, breathe).

To help settle my nerves, I did some work on my laptop, ran through my presentation in my head  and constantly checked if the disc drive that contained my presentation was still in my pocket.  I was so nervous, that I only relaxed when I finally sat down during the welcome talk.

The Fredrick Douglass Centre and Newcastle University campus were beautiful spaces. It was early in the morning but, it was buzzing with energy although, I was  still glad Remi (my fellow OU CRC PRA colleague) was there. It was the first time we met in person but, I already felt at ease. Remi and I attended a few presentations, had lunch and got to the hall we were assigned to before we had to present our own projects together. 

I was scheduled to present my project first. I think I managed to share  as much  as I could about the study in the 10 minutes allotted. I remember reiterating the importance of ethics and participatory research in academia. Unfortunately, I only got to answer one question in the end as my time ran out (Someone asked: "In your opinion - Is Home education suitable for children over the school age?")

After my presentation, I observed Remi and other students' projects (Managed to observe 9 on day 1). We also got to attend Rosalind Beaumont's seminar regarding reflexivity and the importance of 'thinking spaces'. 

Day two felt less intense as the pressure of 'presenting' was gone so, I was able to be 'present' and fully engage with all of the presentations and sessions I observed.   

There were

- 12 Oral Presentations (3 sessions)

- 29 Posters

- 1 Installation and

- A Networking session by Beth Lawry

I met many people and learned so mapny things in such a short time. But I couldn't stay until the end as I still had other work/familial commitments to fulfill. 

Overall, I am deeply grateful for the experience and the chance to learn about different studies from various disciplines. I think my favourite project is the one about identifying dolphins!