In this Making an Impact Special we chat with Sarah and Alys about how blogging can be a powerful communication tool.

Sarah Arrowsmith has been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool since 2010. Before Covid Sarah could be found in the laboratory carrying out wet-lab experiments focused on understanding uterine contractions to find novel treatments for preterm birth or slow to progress labours. Since the closure of laboratories due to COVID however, Sarah has been working from home on a very different project investigating the impact of COVID-19 on different research groups within the university, with a focus on equality, diversity, and inclusivity.

Sarah is a keen baker and cake decorator. She enjoys spending weekends with her 3-year-old daughter in the kitchen who, along with her husband, enjoys eating all the sweet treats. During lockdown, Sarah took up running (to help burn off those cake calories!) and completed a 10K last October. Covid-permitting she hopes to run another this year and gain a new personal best.

Alys Kay has worked with Postgraduate Researchers in UK Universities for 11 years, as a facilitator and coach, specializing in personal and professional development. Alys is also a creative practitioner of socially engaged art, and has worked on many community projects facilitating storytelling and photography. During the pandemic Alys was part of a project that supported 1st, 2nd and 3rd Generation African Caribbean individuals to write and share their stories about the legacy of the Windrush Migration. Alys believes in the power of stories, as a tool of self-discovery, a way to make sense of the world and to engage the hearts and minds of others. She is currently developing a number of written pitches for personal essays/podcasts of her own which she is planning to turn into a side hustle in the near future.

Alys enjoys seeking out experiences that push her out of her comfort zone, and has taken up online laughter yoga during the pandemic. She is also a podcast addict, and documentary–aholic, avid reader of creative non-fiction and has been indulging this as much as possible, whilst cuddling a cat or two. Alys spends lots of time on weekends rough and tumbling with her kids, getting trampoline lessons off her youngest and facilitating (and scoffing!) the baking of chocolate stuff.

The Academy’s Developing Practice Podcast is produced by The Academy, University of Liverpool. The role of the Academy is to promote and enable organisational excellence through the strategic development of the University’s people and practices. The podcast hosts Matt Davis and Alex Owen are based in the Academy. Matt is an Organisational Developer and Alex is an Academic Developer. To find out more about the work of The Academy check out: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/the-academy/

Reading List:

https://rl.talis.com/3/liverpool/lists/7CAED93D-01E3-077F-01B8-72B27A00F8F2.html?lang=en-US&login=1#3e1b19b3-3724-4af8-a769-4c7997325e2b

Music & FX:

This podcast uses sounds from https://freesound.org/s/417560/ and music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Opportunities for engaging with the Journal of Developing Academic Practice with Charles Buckley, Gita Sedghi, Tunde Varga-Atkins, Luke Simpson & Clare Hooper

The Developing Practice Podcast - University of LiverpoolBy The Academy at the University of LiverpoolAug 02, 2021