What is happening in the AgriFoRwArdS CDT?
The AgriFoRwArdS CDT team are always planning new and exciting CDT activities. Take a look below to see what is planned for this academic year.
To read more about some of the activities that have occurred in the past, please visit AgriFoRwArdS News and the Student Blog.
Students and Staff can go to the portal for more information on events and activities.
October
- Welcome events and Quarterly PhD Research Progress Meetings (various dates across the consortium) – Institutes welcome their new PhD students and hear from existing students on the progress of their research.
- PhD tutorials (various dates across the consortium) – Students come together locally with their Academic Lead to discuss progress, share experience and get support.
November
- AgriFoRwArdS EDI Panel (7th November) – The EDI Panel promote inclusion, equality and the understanding of diversity throughout the CDT’s activities, and carry out monitoring of the CDT’s performance in key areas relating to EDI.
- AgriFoRwArdS Student Panel (18th November) – The Student Panel provide the Steering Board with advice and guidance relating to all aspects of the student experience, bringing concerns, feedback and ideas from the whole cohort.
- AgriFoRwArdS Advisory Board (18th November) – The Advisory Board provide expert opinions on scientific, industrial, ethical, management or exploitation aspects, and offer affective input and independent advice from outside the consortium.
December
- AgriFoRwArdS Seminar Series Day and Quarterly PhD Research Progress Meeting (5th & 6th December) – The two day event centres on developing the entrepreneurial skills of our students and we hear from existing students on the progress of their research.
- EDI workshop: Inclusive Leadership (5th December) – An opportunity for students and staff to develop inclusive leadership listening and allyship skills.
- Festive Get Together (5th December) – Everyone comes together to celebrate the amazing achievements of the year, and the wonderful community that AgriFoRwArdS is.
January
- EDI workshop: Career Journeys Discussion Panel (30th January) – A workshop focused on career journeys and succeeding in agri-robotics as a minoritized person or person from an under-represented group.
March
- Quarterly PhD Research Progress Meeting (3rd March) – We hear from existing students on the progress of their research.
- Hands on Robotics Training (4th March) – Students have the opportunity to get their hands on real robots and complete challenges based around navigation and SLAM.
April
- PhD tutorials (various dates across the consortium) – Students come together locally with their Academic Lead to discuss progress, share experience and get support.
May
- AgriFoRwArdS CDT Annual Conference (15th & 16th May) – Hosted by the University of Cambridge, we will hear from speakers from within the agri-food robotics sector as well as our students.
- AgriFoRwArdS EDI Panel (date tbc) – The EDI Panel promote inclusion, equality and the understanding of diversity throughout the CDT’s activities, and carry out monitoring of the CDT’s performance in key areas relating to EDI.
June
- AgriFoRwArdS CDT Summer School (16th to 20th June) – Students will attend the annual week-long residential summer school, this year hosted by the University of East Anglia.
- AgriFoRwArdS Student Panel (date tbc) – The Student Panel provide the Steering Board with advice and guidance relating to all aspects of the student experience, bringing concerns, feedback and ideas from the whole cohort.
- AgriFoRwArdS Advisory Board (date tbc) – The Advisory Board provide expert opinions on scientific, industrial, ethical, management or exploitation aspects, and offer affective input and independent advice from outside the consortium.
July
- AgriFoRwArdS Seminar Series Day (date tbc) – The second of this year’s Seminar Days will be held at one of our Industry Partner sites and will be packed full of interesting talks and activities.
August
- Towards Autonomous Robotics Systems (TAROS) Conference (20th to 22nd August) – AgriFoRwArdS have been invited to host a special session as part of the PhD day.
September
- Joint Robotics CDT Annual Conference (2nd & 3rd September) – Each year the EPSRC funded CDT’s focused on robotics come together for their annual conference, to share research and allow students to connect across CDT’s, this year the conference will be hosted by the University of Oxford.
We also encourage students to engage with various activities and events external to the CDT which may be of interest and may contribute to their personal and professional development. These include; training sessions run by the University’s Doctoral Teams (e.g., Surviving your PhD, Reflective Practice and the Research Process, Critical Reading and Writing for Research Students); international conferences (e.g. TAROS, ICRA, IROS, UKRAS).
We always welcome suggestions for activities from our students, so if you have an idea, do get in touch!
Students and Staff can head to the portal for more detailed information on events and activities, and information on how to get involved with the CDT activities.