COVID diaries: Aimee's working at home - with slugs!

25 March 2020

Student Aimee Tonks isn't letting the coronavirus stand in the way of her research project. She was tracking slugs on farmland, but with the university campus closed to all but resident students and essential workers, Aimee has adapted her project and has spent the last few days monitoring slug movements in her garden - posting day and night to share progress.

Follow Aimee's Tweets below, and view details of her original plan at harper.ac.uk/h79b

And just like that, it's over. Today was my last official day on #campus as an #undergrad @HarperAdamsUni. Not quite how I expected to be leaving things, but we're certainly not done.

Sorry to everyone I didn't manage to say goodbye to. But Harper I will be back! ?? #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/sFoA1SEM2d
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 21, 2020

#SocialDistancing done right! And yes, the table is 2m ?? #HRP #university #WorkFromHome #sunshine #COVID?19 #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/6C5Tn5o4Pb
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 22, 2020

#dissertation or #artsandcrafts project? ... Who even knows the difference any more! ??‍????

18 garden markers made, 106 left to go... ??#HRP #RFID #slugs #tracking pic.twitter.com/8CkOp3bAWn
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 23, 2020

#COVID?19 you will NOT destroy my spirit.

Tonight, my research project was cancelled.
Tonight, I emailed my supervisor and divulged my devastation.
Tonight I gave up.

That's not me. I do NOT give up. So here we go. It's my garden for one last night. Let the #tracking begin. pic.twitter.com/Xtxw9k3Nf8
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 23, 2020

1am #slug #tracking done! See you in three hours! ??

P.s. thank you to the guys at @tonks_carl for my handmade hat to keep me going! It's working a treat ??#HRP #RFID @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/TLncFmTUJn
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

7am sees our #garden starting to fill with little white flags. But no, this is not a surrender! ??#slug #tracking #HRP #RFID @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/BLwUeiGQyg
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

10am #slug #survey done! 5 done, 4 to go! And the #sun is shining! #WeCanDoThis #COVID?19 #research #HRP #tagging #tracking #RFID @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/VweD6kTltd
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

You know the drill by now... 1pm #slug #tracking done and (somehow) still smiling! Wohoo!! ??#COVID?19 #HRP #RFID #research #tagging @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/RcbXHc6l8B
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

4pm #slug #tracking done and dusted and were starting to see some strange trails... ??#RFID #Tracking #HRP #research @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/gPVKdx2T9D
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

7pm #slug #survey done... nearly 24 hours in on only 2 hours sleep and it's fair to say I'm feeling a tad worse for wear! ?? Last push... only one more to go! #HRP #RFID #tracking #research @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/mMBbhhGWFo
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

Its 10pm which means... #slug #tracking is over! I thought 120 flags would be enough, but I sadly miscalculated. I mean, I did say I was going to dust off my old #paintbrushes this year. I can't say this is quite what I meant though ??‍???? ??#HRP #RFID #research @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/65SlBqXHpS
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) March 24, 2020

And when she isn’t tracking slugs, Aimee has been doing some pretty impressive drawings of them!

Considering it's been 4 years since I've #drawn anything properly.. pretty happy with how these are coming out! #HRP #slugs #RFID #work #relaxing #womeninSTEM @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/7gM0SXvJxX
— Aimee Tonks (@tonks_aimee) January 21, 2020