Current PGR student update - July 1 2020
Dear PGR student,
We hope that you are staying well during these challenging times following what was a truly unprecedented academic year. You should be proud of what you have achieved in these most difficult of circumstances.
Our plans and procedures are continually evolving in line with the latest national guidance – with your health, safety and wellbeing being at the centre of everything we are working towards.
We recognise this is an anxious time, and that for many of you the impact on your research project will have been significant. For those of you who are based on campus, I am pleased to be able to update you on our plans for the next academic year and measures in place to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on research degrees.
We hope you have had the opportunity to view the Research Open Session where Marion Campbell, Vice Principal for Research, and Graeme Nixon, Dean of Postgraduate Research, provided more detail on this and on the re-opening of research facilities including laboratories and libraries. Answers to all of the PGR-related questions posted during this session will be made available, and in the next few days we will be providing more details on our policy to minimise the impact of Covid-19 disruption on your PhD progression.
Last week’s announcement by the Scottish Government regarding the move to Phase 2 of its route map has provided greater clarity that is helping us make essential preparations to welcome you back.
Much still depends on the progress Scotland and the wider UK is making in suppressing Covid-19, but at this point we are on a clear path towards Phase 3 of the Government’s route map, allowing for a phased return to campus while retaining some elements of home working. Indeed, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has indicated that Scotland is ‘not far away’ from eliminating coronavirus.
In terms of practical activities, the move to Phase 2 means that more staff can now return to campus in order to ready our buildings in preparation for restarting research activities. And it means that non-office-based workplaces including lab and research facilities are preparing to resume, with on-campus university research also restarting subject to physical distancing. This expands on the essential Covid-19 work which has been ongoing through lockdown and Phase 1. There will be a delay in accessing research facilities in the short term while new health and safety procedures are embedded - you will receive more details of access to buildings and facilities in due course from your School. You received a detailed description of our plans in our message of Friday June 19 including new guidance related to research field work and access to archives.
If you are undertaking your research degree on campus, your experience will likely be, in the first instance, a blend of on campus and home working that will be individual to you. We may not be able to provide you with access to your usual PGR study space, but there will be some access to study spaces where physical distancing measures can be observed, and you will be able meet with your supervisor(s) - either on campus if circumstances allow, or online. You will also have access to comprehensive online orientation modules tailored to your year of study, and where you are undertaking any taught modules, these will be available with a blended learning approach.
In addition, please be aware of the following updates, which may be of interest
- The library is now beginning to work towards the safe reopening of services and buildings. Further details and FAQs are available here.
- From today, students seeking to move out of student accommodation or students seeking to return to accommodation to collect belongings can do so - please email hillheadstudentvillage@abdn.ac.uk and staff will assist you in making the necessary arrangements. Further information, including advice for students not resident in Scotland, is available here.
- For international students returning to Aberdeen, you may be interested in a recent letter from the UK and Scottish Governments that provides reassurances as to the approach being taken to welcome international students to the UK, providing advice on various matters including advice on the New Graduate Route for international students and quarantine arrangements.
As a University we continue to provide the latest advice and guidance through our Covid-19 web pages, and we are working to support international students who may be required to self-isolate on arrival in the UK, assuming that current UK government guidelines requiring a 14-day quarantine period remain in place.
We hope this email has answered some of your questions, but if you have any further questions please feel free to email coronavirus@abdn.ac.uk. We will keep in touch as our preparations continue, so that you are kept up to date with all the details you will need to return to campus or fieldwork-based research.
The University is currently developing a range of Campus Commitments to help our student community understand the support and procedures we will have in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable campus experience for everyone.
We continue to look forward to welcoming you back if you are based on campus, and promise to stay in touch on what you can expect from your experience. In the meantime, please take care.
Best wishes
Marion and Graeme
Professor Marion Campbell
Vice-Principal (Research)
Professor Graeme Nixon
Dean of Postgraduate Research