University of Oxford
11a Mansfield Rd
OX1 3SZ
UK
2nd September 2024
5 minutes read
After graduating with a degree in Biology a few years ago, I decided to apply to the UNIQ+ programme to help me decide whether I wanted to embark on a postgraduate course. I applied to the Biology 07 project, as I have a particular interest in sustainability and nutrition, and was paired with another intern for the project, Amber. The project involved working with Merton College to understand their food waste management practices and provide solutions to challenges they are facing. Amber analysed current food waste data that Merton College had collected in the previous term, and so I thought it would be interesting to know what the other colleges were doing in terms of food waste, as it would be great to collaborate and share successful strategies. The focus of my research involved conducting interviews across other colleges to develop strategies and guidance for reducing food waste and environmental impact. The outcome of the project was producing a guidance document and poster, with practical recommendations that colleges could implement in their kitchens. Some of these suggestions included offering customisable portion sizes, actively seeking feedback from diners, and prioritising the education of students and staff about the issues of food waste, especially plate waste.
Throughout the project we were working with Simon Crawshaw, the Head Chef at Merton College, who provided a great insight into the inner workings of college kitchens. Alongside our supervisors, E.J. and Mike who provided invaluable guidance to support the development of the project.
The seven-week programme has given me a fantastic insight into life as a postgraduate student and provided opportunities to learn more about student life and academic study at the university. The programme has really sparked my interest in sustainability, provided experience developing and delivering a small research project, and has provided me with a toolkit to make competitive postgraduate study applications in the future.
Anna Cooper
After graduating from the University of Exeter last year, I was unsure whether to continue with my studies or to go straight into industry. I liked the idea of postgraduate study, but I was not sure if it would be the right fit for me and it seemed generally quite daunting. I happened to stumble upon the webpage for the UNIQ+ internship at Oxford a couple of months before applications opened. It seemed like a perfect fit for me as it would give me a taste of what postgraduate study might look like. I decided I had to apply when applications opened, but I never dreamed that I would actually be accepted!
My project was a biology project run by the ICCS under the supervision of E.J. and Mike, titled Reducing the environmental impacts of Merton College’s food. After speaking to the head chef at Merton in the first week, it was decided that the specific focus of the project would be on reducing food waste. Merton had been collecting plate waste data, for each meal of the previous term, using a set of scales attached to the bin that plate waste is scraped into – but they had not analysed the data. Therefore, analysing this data, along with the menus and number of diners for each meal, became the focus of my project.
My project partner Anna decided the focus of her project would be to interview head chefs (and some domestic bursars) at other colleges to discover what strategies they were using to reduce food waste with the aim of finding out if other colleges already had solutions that were working well and could be implemented at Merton. I attended these interviews too, to assist with note taking, and found it fascinating to hear how different each college’s approach to food waste was.
Through my data analysis, I found that the main source of waste was, unsurprisingly, formal dinners. Lunches were also contributing more to food waste than breakfasts and early suppers. I also discovered that when curries were served there was significantly more waste; and when pasta dishes were served there was significantly less waste. Anna and I collated the findings from both of our projects into a guidance document that was sent to Merton, as well as the other colleges we spoke to. This guidance document ended up being rather long, so we decided to also make a poster with the key findings, which was sent out alongside the document.
At the end of the project, we presented our findings in both the ICCS weekly meeting, and at the UNIQ+ end of project conference, as well as to Simon, the head chef at Merton. I found the idea of presenting quite daunting, but everyone was so lovely and supportive that I had nothing to worry about!
Living in Oxford while doing the internship has also been incredible. It certainly felt surreal walking past the Sheldonian on my way back from the supermarket each week! UNIQ+ interns are placed in college accommodation for the summer, and I was lucky enough to be staying at New College. The accommodation was only a street away from the department and only a short walk to the town centre! I made the most of sightseeing at the weekends and working in the various Bodleian libraries where I could – I particularly enjoyed working in the Duke Humfrey’s Library, I have never seen anywhere quite so beautiful!
Overall, I have had an amazing time doing this UNIQ+ internship! I have learnt so much and truly just had the best time in Oxford this summer. The internship has helped me realise that I am capable of pursuing postgraduate study, and that it is something I would love to do! I would like to thank UNIQ+, and the ICCS for the opportunity to do this internship. And I would especially like to thank E.J. and Mike for being so supportive, and generally just amazing supervisors, during the internship!
Amber Clifton