04 Jun 2019
My life would not be the same today if it were not for Prof. Ian Bryden. I
would not be doing the work I am doing, in Ian’s beloved field of ocean
renewable energy, and I may not even have the family I love if it were not for
Ian.
Initially, Ian started as somewhat of a mythical figure to me. While I was
searching for a masters project at the University of Southampton, I was
fortunate enough to get an email from Prof. Bakr Bahaj, who would later hand me
one of Ian’s articles regarding the exciting new technology of tidal current
energy conversion. This would set me on the road to becoming an ocean energy
researcher, and it would not be long before I would meet Ian again, while being
interviewed to become a PhD student under the Supergen Marine programme.
I began my PhD in Robert Gordon’s University in Aberdeen, with Ian as my first
supervisor, which would soon become a PhD in the University of Edinburgh,
following Ian’s return to the home of his PhD (Ian
would later be drawn back to the north to join the University of Highlands and
Islands in Inverness). It was at the University of Edinburgh that I met Lucy,
my amazing long-term partner and mother to my son.
Completing my PhD was not easy. There were many moments when I considered
quitting and it took substantially longer to finish than it should have done.
Nonetheless, Ian always supported me, and he was always willing to trust in my
ability to meet my potential.
Ian was also a good laugh. I fondly remember being regaled with tales of
Subarus and Wankel engines, and it was always fun to spot Ian’s leather jacket
being sported in his (numerous) television interviews. It was always a pleasure
to be in his company and I am sad that I will not have the chance to speak with
him again.
Ian and I also shared another geeky interest, that of Star Trek. I must admit
to a tinge of jealousy at Ian’s collection of Star Trek models, proudly
displayed in his office – I wish I had the courage to be so openly Trekkie! The
overarching theme of Star Trek is exploration, which is the same reason that we
do science. I’m proud to have published an article (alongside my
co-authors) in Ian’s special Issue in Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews,
and I hope, Ian, that you would be proud of our achievements (and maybe enjoy
the content, too!). Thank you for your faith in me and for making all this
possible, and for teaching me to boldly go where no one has gone before…
30 May 2015
I have been studying marine renewable energy since September 2002 so, at the
time of writing, nearly 13 years. Sadly, to my discredit, I have not always
taken all of the opportunities that studying in this unique field have offered
me. One such opportunity was to become actively involved in a young researchers
network called INORE during my PhD. This was a time of my
life where I was bitter, big headed and small minded (gotta love PhDs), and so,
rather than try it out, I simply heaped scorn on my friends that were involved.
I like to think that I’ve changed since then, and I am becoming more like the
person I want to be. Yet still, when another opportunity to attend INORE came
along, familiar sentiments returned: “I’m too old”, “I’m not that kind of
person”, “Why would I waste my time?”. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
My closest colleague could have gone instead of me but, fortunately for me,
he seemed less enthusiastic to go than I did. Indeed, I know now that he was
saying this for my benefit as he is one of the world’s super nice people. It
also made sense from a technical perspective as we needed to present a piece
software that he can’t use, as yet. That piece of software is
DTOcean - my current charge and will be for the next
15 months. I have a lot to thank DTOcean for as, along with the EU Marie
Skłodowska-Curie Actions
programme, it has brought me to Bilbao and an exciting (and challenging) new
life.
I will say more about DTOcean at a later date, as we have just begun to
publicise its existence and there is lots of interesting stuff to tell (maybe
even a slot at Europython (woo!). The
presentation at INORE, in Vico Equense in southern Italy, was the 3rd of a group
of four presentations of our “Alpha version” over 2 months, a period throughout
which the software has been getting more alpha all the time. Sadly, including
some intense preparation time, this has stolen a good 3 months of my social life
(and Spanish learning), so I hope Derwyn (my pet name for DTOcean) appreciates
my sacrifice. The last presentation is next week.
I did not have my travelling hat on when I arrived in Italy, and was feeling a
bit out of sorts. These feelings quickly faded, however. Firstly, I had a
calzone. Secondly, Vico Equense is incredibly stunning.
The hand you see in the last picture is that of my bed and breakfast host,
Peppe. The pictures above were taken because of his generosity in offering
me a hair raising ride on the back of his moped for an hour long tour of the
locality about Vico Equense. This was truly one of the best experiences of my
life, so if you ever happen to stay at the Bed & Breakfast Maria
Grazia and Peppe offers you a ride, take it. The
B&B is also a lovely building and he has some of the largest lemons I’ve
ever seen… Just remember to take a car, as it’s a bit isolated.
So it was a good start to my journey, and the next stage was to meet the INORE
gang at the hostel up the road. Now, I wouldn’t say that I didn’t know anybody,
in fact a colleague from my current work was attending along with colleagues
from the University of Edinburgh. The joy was that I hardly spoke to them
throughout much of my time there as I met with such a nice welcome from the
group as a whole. OK, everyone was looking a little tired (the days and nights
are long at INORE), but this had not dampened the open and inclusive spirit of
the group. Indeed, this will be my enduring memory of the trip, feeling at home
among like-minded people and having fun with old friends and, I hope, new ones
as well. I will remember that feeling, and also seeing one of the most
beautiful sunsets of my life from the roof of the hostel; one of those
perfect little moments of life.
Beyond a great social experience, the trip also proved very useful from a work
perspective. The feedback we received from the group of young researchers after
my presentation of DTOcean was very detailed and thought through, and really
highlighted the embarrassment of young intellect in the room. From both an
intellectual and social perspective I left INORE totally satisfied.
In fact, I was extremely sad to leave when I did (two and a half days before the
end), and upset with myself for never taking the risk to try it when I could
justify spending the entire week there. If I could, I would have gone back
instantly and implored everyone else to stay in that beautiful place for ever
more. Still, life goes on but if you are a young researcher in offshore energy
and have ever thought of trying INORE or even if you think its not for you, I
would urge you to give it a try and not make the same mistake as me. I feel
extremely lucky and privileged to get a second chance, but I wish I had taken my
first.
14 Nov 2010
Wow, Sebastian Vettel is the F1 World Champion for 2010. It always looked like a possibility, but going into the last race in Abu Dhabi, it was looking highly unlikely that Ferrari and Fernando Alonso would not finish with enough points to retain their lead and, thus, Alonso’s would win his third championship.
I chose to watch the race around a friends house, with a bigger TV than ours, and demonstrate my uber geek to all his guests by staring at the timing screens more than the cars. With cheese on the menu for lunch, it was a fun afternoon for me at least. Also the amazing BBC F1 Forum aftershow, put on great entertainment by following the Reb Bull celebrations after the race. Although these were raucous, they somehow lacked the excitement of the Brawn win last year, and the team seems to have lost, rather than made friends this year. Obvious in his absence was Mark Webber, long time championship leader, who, although praising Sebastian’s world title win, did not wish to celebrate with a team that marginalised him this year in favour of his younger rival. In contrast, he McLaren drivers were gracious in defeat, and Ferarri ashamed of their costly error. Next year will be just as exciting as this, I hope.
I am actually glad the championship has finished, I must add. Although my fanantical support of this years races (and practise and pre-season) has given me something to look forward to during the hard slog to finish my PhD, now that it is finished I am glad to be able to use all my weekend to rebuild my tattered life. Yes, my six year old PhD is now submitted, and I can finally get on with whatever else I want to do! Unfortunately, I haven’t quite worked that out yet. At least I now have time to do it and I can choose. I just have to get back into the habit of choosing, which is easier said than done.
Anyway, congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. I hope you lose next year!