Girls Who… Get a PhD

hey, hello, hi!

Ok, so firstly, I still cannot believe I’m writing this. ME doing an actual real life PhD…

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, my self confidence has been minimal, if non-existent at times. To the point where I actually wasn’t going to apply for this PhD for fear of not getting it or embarrassing myself. The only way I (with a little bit of help from a few amazing people around me) built the courage to apply for it was on the condition that whatever happened, it would be good to update my CV and practise writing a cover letter.

I wanted to use this blog post to tell you a bit more about what my PhD is and what I’ll be doing during it as Girls Who will definitely be on the journey with me. I also thought it would be a great place to document my thoughts and feelings – maybe mostly for me to refer back to at a later date. But also to show anyone that can resonate with my ramblings during these blogs that nothing is too big or too much for you to achieve.

What is a PhD?

Let’s start with explaining what a PhD is. In its most simple terms it’s an academic period of time where you complete pure research on a topic. Sometimes this topic is defined by the person carrying out the research – so you would apply for a PhD position and submit a research proposal for a supervisor to decide whether or not they want to facilitate it. Alternatively, you can apply for a PhD that already has a research title proposed by the supervisor – this is often the case for many STEM subjects however if you’re passionate about your research field and can find a supervisor that shares your passion then you can submit your own research proposal. Having said that though, this route is very heavily dependant on funding (which is a whole new ball game).

In terms of the PhD I’m going to be doing, I applied for a predefined title set by a supervisor I was already working under at Cardiff University. The PhD is partially sponsored by a leading equestrian helmet company which means I’ll be exposed to a commercial setting too. The application process involved creating an academic CV and a covering letter – I think this is the typical application process for all PhDs.

My PhD…

So let’s get on to talking about the PhD!! I’ll start with the title: 3D PRINTED HELMET LINERS TO ENHANCE HEAD PROTECTION IN EQUESTRIAN.

I am FULLY AWARE the wording doesn’t make it sound anywhere near as exciting as it is! BUT let me explain it a little better.

So, if you go to the BBC Sport website (or any other sports reporting website) there is a very high chance there’ll be a report on some kind of sporting head injury. Also, if you are even slightly a sports fan, you’ll be aware that a large number of sports have introduced rules to minimise concussion, brain damage and other head injuries in players. For example, the FA (Football Association) is trialing a new rule called the Additional Permanent Concussion Substitutions (APCS). The rule allows a team to make additional substitutes (up to a maximum of 2) if a player has sustained a head injury that’s resulted in concussion symptoms. This is not only to ensure no team is disadvantaged but also provides rigid protocol that a player has to abide by – sportsmanship goes hand in hand with wanting to play through injury which especially, in the case of brain injury, can be severely detrimental. [1] The RFA (Rugby Football Association) has introduced a similar rule meaning players who sustain a concussion injury are removed from play immediately. It is worth noting however that these rules are only for elite players – mostly because of the lack of medical staff that can carry out a concussion assessment at lower levels. The RFA are urging an “if in doubt, sit them out” motto for non-elite clubs. [2]

There is a lot of work being done to investigate the effects of young people (whose brains are still developing) and brain injury in sport. Currently the English, Irish and Scottish FA have banned heading the ball in football training of children between ages 6 to 18, however are still allowing it during matches. [3] This is an evidence based ruling however I find it hard to accept that not training children to properly header the ball could be more detrimental at a later age? – This is just my opinion and there is currently no scientific evidence to back this up!! (*disclaimer*).

So as you can probably tell, head injury within sport is a very hot topic. Unfortunately, although there is movement from the governing bodies (such as FIFA, the RFA and the NFL), there is huge gaps in research to understand the actual damage that occurs during an impacted collision when playing different sports.

If you read my #WISW blog you’ll know that as part of my masters degree I’m currently computationally modelling a football heading scenario using a head model from a real life MRI scan of a 15 year old. The aim of the model is to be able to look at how different ball designs (for example different pressures, different geometric layout and different sizing) affect the biomechanics of the head (how the head/skull, scalp, brain etc behave under impact). Basically, by the end the project, we are hoping to better understand the impact of heading the ball has on a child’s brain.

So now I’ve waffled on about the background of it, the PhD I’ll be doing is a continuation of the work we’ve achieved this year. Initially looking into brain injury as a whole, in sports like football and rugby. Then applying this knowledge to equestrian helmet design!

Within a riding helmet there is a liner. The liner is the main feature in protecting the rider from a head injury. The knowledge and skills I’ve built up so far, and will continue to build, should give me the ability to bring a new approach to helmet liner design to better protect horse riders.

Although this PhD is essentially going to be focusing on the design of helmet liners, I would love for the over arching aim of the research to be a movement in reforming safety standards and rules, to create a more evidence based process that doesn’t take away from the fun of horse riding and other sports. Too often we hear “health and safety gone mad” but it would be brilliant to find a happy medium that protects people while still allowing it to be enjoyable.

I’ve tried so hard to minimise the engineering jargon in this post or at least explain words I have used but I apologise if there are still parts that are a little technical.

Obviously as I’m doing a PhD on the subject it’s something I could talk about FOR-EV-ER so I’ve tried to give you a brief overview of it. If anyone is interested in finding out more than, as always, drop me a DM on @girlswhostem_

I’m so excited to start, eeeekk.

ALSO before I sign off I want to highlight the importance of ensuring education is accessible for us all. I never studied at a private school. I went to three different schools before I ended up at my high school. I’ve lived in three different places growing up and I definitely didn’t come from a typical two parent family. But I never once let any of that alter my pathways in life. It hurts my heart that people are put off applying for these things based on their circumstances. Yes, there were quite a few PhDs that I would have loved to do but that were self funded and there is no way I could afford to self-fund my own PhD – and unfortunately this is just one example of many where you do have to be rich to progress. BUT for as long as we have a voice to make education inclusive for everyone, there will always be alternative opportunities.

I’ve even heard of people not going to university because of finances. Other than the food packages my mum used to send me back with and buying bits and bobs for me here and there (and supporting me near enough rent free during the summer) I relied solely on my student loan. I worked all summer with very little break so that I could afford things when I went back to uni. It’s hard, damn it’s hard, but I did it. If going to university really is your dream then find out about bursaries and scholarships and other methods of funding. Don’t be scared of student debt. And never let your circumstances define your future opportunities.

All my love, Meg x

References

[1] – https://www.premierleague.com/news/1980769

[2] – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/55303464

[3] – https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/feb/24/updated-heading-guidance-announcement-240220