Who would have thought 4 years could go by in what feels like a split second. It seems as if it was only yesterday that the first CDT in Metamaterials’ cohort embarked on our programme, but 4 eventful years have passed and we will soon see all of them move on to new endeavours. Therefore, it was high time for them to get together for a final event to celebrate the occasion.
Our 4th years made the most of the recent nice weather spell and invited their peers to an afternoon boat cruise to spend some joyful hours in each other’s company, cruising up the river towards Topsham and back again whilst sharing memories, current agendas, and future plans.
The organisers, Ben Ash and Sam Shelley, managed to get almost all of the 2014 cohort’s diaries joined up – a challenge in it’s own right – and provided the participants with a fantastic setting to catch up and socialise whilst enjoying the views of the river Exe. The evening was concluded by our soon-to-be graduates with a celebration dinner to say an early farewell to their time in the CDT.
Some have already submitted their thesis and completed their viva, some are yet to tackle this challenge over thext few weeks. A chapter in their lives is about to close and new adventures are about to start, with interviews being lined up, jobs already secured, or extended travel plans being made.
Whatever the next step will be, we are incredibly proud of our PGRs. They have shaped the CDT from day one, through their engagement and feedback on all aspects of the centre’s deliverables. It will be a pleasure to welcome them back to invited talks and reunions in the years to come – we are curious to learn about their new challenges, and how they will reflect on their PGR experiences in hindsight.
