It seems to have rained all summer here in Limerick. Luckily for me, I escaped two weeks of it by participating in a staff mobility programme facilitated by UL Global. The advantages of travelling abroad for work are not limited to seeing the sun again. To give a few examples of why one should consider participating staff mobility programmes, here are a couple of benefits I received from my travel to Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen, Germany.
Opportunities to learn new skills.
While at Friedrich-Alexander University I practiced using video editing software. With the support of my generous hosts, I developed my first animated video. Working or studying abroad supports skill sharing. This enables the development of research skills, or research communication skills in my case.
Exposure to new ideas and concepts.
Planetary health is a phrase that I might have seen written before. But during my mobility period I learned about how this concept is being used in health promotion research. More specifically how planetary health considerations can apply to sport activities. I was also exposed to some of the interesting new techniques which are being utilised to assess the environmental impact of sports activities. These might be useful to future research.
Networking and chances to meet new people.
I was invited to speak to the whole research group. I was able to promote the PhD opportunities we have at the University of Limerick as well as the Physical Activity for Health summer school (sign up if you haven’t already). I met and talked to interesting people about their work. Maybe future career opportunities will emerge from these encounters
Kevin Volf is a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick.
Contact: kevin.volf@ul.ie @kevin_volf ORCID ResearchGate
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