Lucy Maun

MSc Science, Technology & Society student Lucy undertook an academic summer internship in the area of archaeology in Cyprus with the help of the Turing Grant funding.

Tell us why you wanted to undertake a global research placement.

I wanted to do an academic internship over the summer, and there were not many opportunities for archaeology that had funding attached. Cyprus contains the type of archaeology that is specifically interesting to me (goat remains), so receiving the funding allowed me to gain some more experience without having to pay for everything myself.

What skills did you develop whilst on your placement?

Problem solving, resilience and drive, analytical and critical thinking, written and verbal communications, adaptability, and digital skills. I also gained more research skills and knowledge about how academia worked practically.

Top tips for undertaking a placement in Cyprus:

1. Being aware of safety, particularly at night and when travelling around.
2. Being confident to stand up for yourself and to be aware that there are different cultural norms in different places.
3. Places to visit: Larnaca Salt Lake, Nicosia Museum, Northern Nicosia.
4. I wish I had known that I would need to be responsible for my own schedule - I would have prepared differently and set different project timelines. Work out what your commute is! I was lucky that I found accommodation only a 10 minute walk away, which was lucky, as the public transport was not as good as I was expecting based on online research. Take the pressure off for the first week and figure out how to keep yourself alive (ie. grocery shopping), and don’t be afraid to ask people there for their advice about local knowledge that might not be available online.