Ros McAdden, 2024 Cohort, Ancient & Medieval History & Culture Student at Trinity College Dublin

I started my research early, the first week after my semester two exams were complete, and I was very fortunate that a desk was available in the Environmental Humanities Centre on the Art Building’s 6^th floor (pictured above). Having desk space alongside PhD students in that centre was a rare privilege as an undergraduate and was a wonderful opportunity to discuss their experience of postgraduate life, what research skills they had developed over their careers, and indeed the direction of their current research.

A major obstacle to my project’s progress was learning how to use GIS, a software I had no formal training in. I had planned to devote two of my six weeks to this task, and those were two weeks well spent. After long hours and several online tutorials, soon I had a grasp of what the software was capable of. As my knowledge of the software developed, rather than let data limitations curtail my project, I pivoted to the great benefit of my research. In retrospect, a key lesson of summer one was quickly realising what time or knowledge limitations could not be overcome in the research window and to not squander energy in a direction where there would be little return. Obstacles, it transpired, were more often opportunities to change your direction of research into a more productive area.

I reflected a great deal on the nature of good leadership, and indeed, what kind of leader I wanted to become. Both my time in the environmental humanities centre in Trinity and my time in New Zealand, a country which has suffered such huge ecological setbacks and is working so hard at a societal level to overcome them, convinced me that it is the environmental path for me. The personal impact of this project has been immense. Unique experiences combined with continuous development, the opportunity to develop amazing connections with admired academics; assets for life.

From first hearing about Laidlaw in a History of Art lecture hall almost a year ago to field-surveying Māori pā on Urupukapuka Island, my project has changed a great deal, though that constant evolution has made my research both more achievable and more impactful for society and the research career I aspire to.  I can only thank the Laidlaw Foundation for this wonderful opportunity, and my supervisors for their unwavering support and encouragement during my research. Due to their support, my profile now sits alongside those of Trinity College Dublin’s current PhD students on our Environmental Humanities’ website. More than anything else, this Laidlaw scholarship has taught me both self-belief and adaptability. Learning to better anticipate and then overcome setbacks gracefully, and indeed, to turn those setbacks into a springboard for greater success. The product of my summer’s work demonstrates the impact of persistence despite setbacks and will be an invaluable lesson for me into the future. When I was in New Zealand, I took the chance to visit the University of Auckland and was captivated by it. Aiming now to build a new coalition, I am at this moment emailing researchers in the University of Auckland with the intention of applying my research there next summer, finally turning this idea into action.