by Olivier Cahn, Research Postgraduate, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction
On June 10th, our department came together for a special evening of informal networking and friendly competition at the “The Great MDR Departmental Quiz Night!”. Generously supported by the Imperial ECRI Community Fund, the event aimed to break down silos and provide a relaxed environment that encouraged interaction across different research groups and career stages.
The core of the evening was a multi-round quiz that struck a perfect balance between academic rigour and light-hearted fun. Attendees were challenged with a mix of science questions focused on the many different research topics worked on in our department; encouraging teams to have to work together to succeed. Sprinkled in between, we also included broader, more light-hearted rounds such as Imperial Trivia, distinguishing Pokémon from FDA/EMA approved pharmacotherapies or even guessing celebrity lookalikes for PIs across our department. Moving away from traditional Q&A formats, we also introduced a special interactive doughnut decorating round. This hands-on creative challenge provided a fantastic brain-break, resulted in some highly inventive (and edible) creations and ended up being a real crowd pleaser! To encourage attendance all attendees enjoyed the comprehensive food and drinks provided throughout the evening.
It was heartening to see how engaged the attendees were throughout the event. To foster a true sense of community, we utilised random team allocations upon arrival. This pushed people out of their usual circles, and attendees greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet new faces and get to know colleagues they might not typically interact with during standard working hours. The thoughtful mix of niche scientific humour and general departmental trivia ensured that everyone, regardless of their specific research background, could actively contribute to their team’s success. Well done to our three best performing teams, who all won incredible prizes for their hard work!
It was a highly successful event (attended by most of the ECRs in our department) that perfectly fulfilled the community-building goals of the ECRI Community Fund. We hope everyone left the evening with some new connections, great memories, and a continuing enthusiasm for future departmental events!
