At the start of November, DSA hosted the PhD Un-Forum Fall 2023 (PUFF 2023). PUFF was modeled on the idea of an un-conference, with the goal being to create a place for PhD students to gather, reflect, and find community.
We created two-types of activities, “puffs,” and “popcorns.”
PUFFS
Puffs, or introductions and reflections designed to “puff up” ideas, were focused on the following questions:
- What’s one thing that empowers you and brings you joy?
- What makes you travel? Or, why do you travel?
- What’s on your desk, physically or metaphorically?
- Where are you in life?
POPCORNS
We held two rounds of popcorn activities, one focused on personal keywords, and the other focused on research keywords. For each session, doctoral students pre-submitted keywords they were thinking about, on subjects ranging from temporality to data to chess and more. Students used sticky notes to respond to those keywords that most resonated with them and to add suggestions/resources.
To help maintain a nurturing space for early-stage ideas, the outputs from the puffs and popcorns are private. If you are a PhD student interested in seeing them, please contact DSA.
What’s next? We’ll be planning a formal PhD forum for Spring 2024. Stay tuned!