“I made an application to the Alexander Awards this summer and after being interviewed I found out I was a lucky recipient – much to my surprise! Being amongst one of the first recipients of the new award has made my summer a fun learning experience.
“Dr Carr and I visited the Arolla valley in Switzerland, and I got to see my very first glaciers up close; a textbook just does not compare! Dr Carr gave me the training to correctly identify and describe small-scale glacial erosional landforms in recently glaciated environments. Being a field apprentice gave me the confidence to undertake research crucial to my dissertation, which looks at ‘Small-scale glacial erosional landforms in present and past glacial environments’.
“I travelled to the Shetland Islands later in the summer with fellow geographer Callum Sykes, where I was able to use my new-found transferable skills to record much older glacial erosional landforms, which would then tell me whether the islands were covered by a local ice cap or a continental ice sheet during the last glacial cycle.
“The award has been transformational for me, giving me confidence that I can succeed in my studies and I have learnt that I am capable of conducting fieldwork, and can have fun along the way. I encourage fellow students to look into the award and apply too!”