The Living Lab is blessed with a truly wonderful team of student interns and student researchers from five different departments of the university. We realised we hadn’t introduced them yet. So here they are in their own words!

Meg (she/they) – Student Intern

Hello! I’m Meg, a third-year theatre student, and a student intern with the Living Lab. My role as an intern with the Living Lab is to speak to and engage students in discussions around the topic of food. So far, this has involved me visiting lectures across various modules, running workshops, and being a part of events. One of the key things for me so far has been the importance of connecting with each other and collaborating in response to this topic. Throughout my internship, I have been passionate about bringing people together, and hope to create more opportunities for this going forward. Currently, I am conducting research into the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and food poverty on students as this has been identified as a key issue for students. Overall, I want to create spaces in which people feel they can safely come and talk about food.

Mhairi (she/they) – Graduate Intern.

Hello! I’m Mhairi. I recently graduated from YSJ with an MA Media Production, and I’m now an intern with the Estates department and Living Lab: Feeding the Campus. My role is quite diverse, dealing with multiple food related projects. Supporting the Catering team in working towards getting Food for Life certification. Helping to set up a Too Good To Go scheme, along with finding other ways to reduce food waste on campus. Connecting with one of my fellow interns to research and start conversations around issues of student food poverty. Using some of my creative skills to work on films and social media campaigns. And lots of other things going forwards. For me the Living Lab is all about connection, collaboration and intersectionality between students, departments, and the wider York community. I’m so glad to be involved and hope to be of help during my months here.

Maia (She/Her) – Student Researcher

Hello! I am Maia, a second-year human geography student and a student researcher on the living lab project with this year’s focus on feeding the campus. Some of my roles as student researcher involve writing literature reviews and working with students at the university to collect data that will help support this year’s project. My research focuses on students’ eating habits and their correlation with campus such as the food choices available on campus and their influence on what students are eating as well as the food choices available in York. With a passion shared by the whole living lab team for making food as accessible as possible for all, I am grateful to be in an active position working with the university and student community to achieve this goal.

Lukasz (he/him) – Student as Researcher

Hi there! I am Lukasz, a first-year Sociology with Criminology student, and a student as a researcher within the Living Lab project. My task is to support the evaluation of the Living Lab, in terms of the impact it has on students’ wellbeing and employability. So far, I have created an evaluation plan, with indicators and methodology of research. I plan to participate in the Living Lab events, lectures and seminars during next semester, and collect feedback from students. I would like to use a few separate ways of data collection, for instance, spectrum of opinion exercise or reflective interviews. I am looking forward to listening to the voice of students involved in the Living Lab project!

Hayden (They/Them) – Student as Researcher

Hey there, I’m Hayden. I’m a second-year psychology student and a Student Research Assistant within the Living Lab project. My role is to investigate and aid the collaboration between the art and science departments in our ‘Feeding the Campus’ project. I’ve enjoyed learning about the living lab and working with my colleagues to better the project overall. Currently, I am focusing on researching student opinions of food and the living lab, identifying crucial factors affecting involvement and contribution. Ultimately, I aim to incorporate the voices of the student body in the decision-making of the living lab and improve resource accessibility