Thu, 10 December, 2020
Photographs of Autumn by NSIRC students and staff
During Lockdown 2 this past autumn / fall, NSIRC students and staff have been getting outdoors to look after their mental well-being, stay active and explore the world on their doorstep.
Being in and seeing nature is shown by science to have many physical and mental health benefit, such as improving circulation, reducing harmful levels of cortisol, and even boosting dopamine.
Many benefits can be achieved simply by walking in and observing aspects of nature. They can even be found in urban environments that have a natural connection like a water fountain, canal or park.
As part of this fun project, NSIRC encouraged students and staff to send in their favourite photos, and demonstrate how they had been finding comfort in nature.
Here are a few of the photos taken by students and staff this past season:
Saad Syed Iqbal Ahmed is an NSIRC PhD student with the University of Manchester, and still lives in the city. His photo's feature some fantastic autumn colours along the Manchester canal network.
The canal network in Manchester supported the city's expansion through the industrial revolution, the majority being built during the golden age of canal building between 1770 and 1830.
Maciej Gierulski, NSIRC student sent us this photo from his home in Tęgoborze, on the banks of the jaw-dropping Rożnowskie Lake in Poland.
These colder, darker months have also not stopped NSIRC students (from left) Nagu, Chiamaka and Anurag from getting outdoors in COVID safe ways. Nagu Sathappan has been exploring the White Cliffs on the south coast of England, Chiamaka Emilia enjoys the green space of Ryelands Park in the heart of Lancaster, and Anurag Niranjan, new to Cambridge, has been finding pockets of nature while getting to know the city.
James an NSIRC staff member, lives in Abington, just next door to the NSIRC and TWI facilities on Granta Park. He sent this picture of the Old Coach Road. The road used to lead to Abington Hall, formerly a stately home, but what became in the 1940s the home of The Welding Institute.
Vishal Vats moved to the UK from India to study for his PhD with TWI and Teesside University. COVID safety restrictions mean that many students have been working remotely, but they can still access the NSIRC facilities for practical experiments and testing under the correct protocol.
The latitude of England makes for a lot of contrast in the seasons and the light. This photo of the river Camb from Vishal demonstrates that great quality in the afternoon light, and you can feel the chill in the air from here.
One of the many ways COVID-19 has changed Cambridge is the number of visitors to the city each year. The quieter streets have give Vishal a chances to take these great pictures along Trinity Street, somewhere that even in November can be busy with shoppers and tourists.
Shiva, our NSIRC Project Leader for Finance, took this misty moment while walking round Milton Country Park, located just north of Cambridge.
While Ameni, our NSIRC Team Leader, shaded a photo from one of her escapes to nature at a reserve in Elsenham. Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve is a site of specific scientific interest and is a favourite location of Ameni's, one she likes to take her kids too.
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