Hanka Besic, NUI Galway

Hanka Besic, U of Galway PhD candidate

The Solar2Chem (Marie-Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 861151 ) Winter School, “Materials and Methods for Solar Chemical Production” took place at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) from the 22nd to the 24th of February 2023. The event hosted 80 early-stage and post-doctoral researchers who learnt the new trends of research about solar fuels production, interacted with each other during the networking activities, presented their research at the poster sessions and much more!   University of Galway PhD candidate Hanka Besic attended and provides her take on the training.

What did you expect to get out of the Solar2Chem Winter School?

I expected to gain a broader understanding of the course content and methodologies covered in the training course. I anticipated that the training course would provide some practical applications, techniques or ideas that could be directly applied to my research.

What did you do to prepare?

Firstly, I consulted with my supervisors to consider whether the training course aligned with my project and the relevance of the content. After assessing the course content, some presentations were relevant to the project and research field. In addition, two poster sessions were held and I prepared a poster.

In your opinion, what makes a good training course?

A good training course has to have clear learning objectives and aims. The training course is there to provide knowledge or skills or both by the end of it. It helps if the course is well-structured, engaging and interactive. I found Solar2Chem winter school well organised in a logical manner. There were different interactive elements, activities and discussions. The invited speakers communicated their research topics and interests and created a positive learning environment.

For you, what makes training effective (or ineffective)?

Clear learning objectives help make training effective. One thing that I did not mention before is the relevance of the learning materials. The content of this Winter School aligned well with the attendees’ areas of research. As for ineffective training, training that solely relies on lectures and presentations without active participation or discussion can make it difficult to follow and apply information effectively.

Describe the training environment. Was the venue comfortable?

The event took place at the UPV campus. The meeting room and facilities were adequate and comfortable. The training venue had enough space to accommodate all of the participants of the Winter School. The University itself provided, a well-equipped training venue with projectors, screens and technical support.

Did you find the trainers effective and engaging in delivering content to the audience?

The invited speakers did well with an engaging delivery style throughout presentations and discussions. In terms of content, all the presenters had expertise and knowledge relevant to the subject matter they were covering in their presentations resulting in delivering information clearly and concisely. Through the discussion, the uncertainties and questions were addressed effectively.

How was it delivered?

The training course was well organized and delivered through various presentations including slides, discussions and interactive elements, two poster sessions and a round table discussion.

How relevant was the course content to your PhD project and transferable skills?

The course content aligned with my PhD project and allowed me to understand the subject better. I always appreciate the practical application and this course covered some methodologies and techniques that could be applied in my project.

Was the pace of the presentations appropriate? Too fast or too slow?

Each presentation is a different story. Some presentations covered more material and maybe had a bit faster pace, while some were slower due to the complexity of the material or simply the speakers' style of presenting. Overall, the pace was adequate and appropriate for the learning material.

Who else from FlowPhotoChem was involved in the training?

The Winter School was opened by FlowPhotoCHem PI Hermenegildo García, full professor at Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) of UPV, who discussed photothermal catalysis for CO2 and N2 hydrogenation. My two supervisors Dr Wenming Tong (NUIG) and Dr Pau Farras (NUIG) were present at the training course.

Did you have the opportunity to network?

The course's interactive elements included adequate coffee breaks. Two poster sessions provided ample networking opportunities. Here, forty-eight projects were presented by the attendees of the school.

How did the course compare to what you expected?

The course was different to what I initially expected. After reviewing the schedule, I thought there would be mainly presentations followed by another presentation, but the amount of discussion after each session was a positive surprise.