PULSE
PANDEMIC EDITION
HOW YOUR CORONADIARY COULD
ASHLEY AKBARI Senior Research Manager & Data Scientist
go down in history Has living with isolation and social distancing inspired you to put pen to paper (or finger to screen)? If so, you could be part of an unique social research project examining how society lives through COVID-19.
“Population Data Science has never been more important than throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The research infrastructure and expertise here at Swansea has been instrumental in enabling collaboration with multi- disciplinary teams and organisations in the use of data to answer policy relevant questions, and improve services and outcomes for people for the people of Wales and the UK.”
THE DATA SCIENCE BUILDING IS HOME TO POPULATION DATA SCIENCE RESEARCH AND PROJECTS. DATA SCIENCE ACTIVITIES HAVE ATTRACTED £30MILLION OF UK GOVERNMENT FUNDING. THIS MAKES THE SERVERS IN THE BUILDING ONE OF THE MAIN DATA LINKAGE SITES FOR ANONYMISED HEALTH DATA IN THE UK.
Dr Michael Ward, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences here at Swansea University, has been recruiting volunteers of all ages to take part in the CoronaDiaries project, the first social science study into the crisis, which aims to study how we have documented our experiences during the pandemic. And this doesn’t just mean traditional diary entries, he is eager to include social media posts, blogs, videos – any method that people are using to express themselves during lockdown. As medical and epidemiological knowledge is being produced, there is also an urgent need to use a social science lens in the response to COVID-19. “
Dr Ward still wants to hear from anyone who is willing to take part in CoronaDiaries: Documenting the everyday lived experiences of a global pandemic and share their experiences. These diaries will act as a recording of what we are going through for future generations and also as a way to share pain and experiences with others. A CoronaDiary can take any form of expression from handwritten notebooks to video diaries, digital recordings, reflective pieces, social media posts or other artistic or creative expressions. He is hoping to secure funding to produce a digital archive of the contributions so they can be used to help influence not only the strategy and implementation of the COVID-19 response but also to help inform for future outbreaks. The project is based in part on the mass observations studies conducted before, during and after the Second World War which saw volunteers record their experiences. “ “
Thinking about your future?
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I I want to maximise the wealth of experiences that can emerge from both anthropological and sociological analysis of our different responses to the pandemic. Dr Ward said as lockdowns have continued, new modes of behaviour have been created and different social situations are constantly coming into existence – from Zoom work meetings to virtual coffee mornings via party apps. People are responding in multiple ways. New interests, new interactions, a different social life is taking shape in both the real and virtual worlds. “ “
Develop your career, skills, employability and entrepreneurship with the Swansea Employability Academy. We help our students achieve the careers they deserve. The University offers a variety of paid work experiences and careers advice through its dedicated employability and enterprise team. • Careers fairs • Entrepreneurial activities • Alumni networking • Placements • Help to start your own business at the end of your studies
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