Malta: Biology Symposium and Graduation
After the ATWARM meeting I traveled to my home country, Malta the next day, in order to present at the University of Malta, Biology Department annual symposium on the 20th November and Graduate with an MSc in Biology (Research) from the University of Malta on the 25th November.
The Biology symposium is held annually by the department where students who have carried out research in the department during the previous year get the opportunity to present their findings. I presented the research carried out as part of my masters’ dissertation:
Using Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile as a biomonitor of heavy metal pollution in Maltese coastal waters
My presentation went well overall. I got one question that I thankfully managed to reply to successfully. I had treated this aspect considerably in my dissertation, but I did not include it in my presentation, since I only had 15 minutes allocated. I also enjoyed meeting up with other people who have either studied with me in my undergraduate course or else I have had contact with during my research.
After the presentation came my graduation on the 25th November. Even though I have already started my PhD studies, it felt good to close the chapter to my MSc (although it has not yet closed completely I think). Even though it is just a piece of paper, which you know you are going to receive beforehand, it is still a special day. My next graduation will hopefully be in around 3 years’ time. I look forward with enthusiasm and apprehension for the intervening years to then.
