Student ambassador blog: busy times on campus

Posted 19 November 2013

Alex Robinson, 20, is a second year BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Mechanisation student from Narberth, West Wales.

Once settled back into the routine of life at Harper Adams, academic commitment regains its hold on students in all years as the autumn term progresses. Assignment hand-in deadlines begin to arrive thick and fast and all of a sudden I find myself spending a lot more time in the library!

So far, the term has been very busy, with lots of changes for new and current students. I myself have made two considerable changes this term – finally, after five years, I have returned to the rugby pitch with Harper Adams with the intent to get fit. Secondly, I’ve swapped sides at the student union bar, now selling beverages instead of buying them!

Recently, we hosted the Douglas Bomford Trust careers event, where delegates from around the world, as well as post-GCSE students from colleges across the country, attended. The event began with the opening of the new Douglas Bomford Trust lecture theatre in the Agricultural Engineering and Innovation Centre (AEIC).

During the day, a host of ambassadors guided groups of delegates around the campus to various 15-minute workshops and seminars on all things engineering. These short workshops were run by leading industry companies that specialise in various sectors, from heavy engineering to electronic precision farming equipment.

As I write this column, the campus is preparing for some important celebrations, as the installation of the first Chancellor at Harper Adams is taking place this week.
The Chancellor is to be Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, who has long had a close connection with Harper Adams as patron, and also recently opened the new Princess Royal Hall accommodation block - of which I was one of the first residents. I also have my own celebrations this month, as I travel back to the beautiful, wet west Wales for my 21st birthday.

The legendary Agric-Block fixture returned to Harper Adams a few weeks ago. Agriculture students from Newcastle University attended the historic weekend to play rugby against Harper in the traditional agric university rivalry. The support for the rugby was tremendous and there was a great atmosphere on campus all day.

As an agriculture with mechanisation student, I have a keen interest and fascination in all things machinery, and an opportunity to travel to Agritechnica with the engineering students could not be missed. The bi-annual show is held in Hanover, Germany, and is the biggest agricultural machinery show on earth.

This was to be a once in a lifetime trip, so I had to go. I must thank the final year students who organised the trip and the Douglas Bomford Trust, for helping make this study tour possible through generous funding.

Once again, thank you for reading my ambassador blog, see you soon!
Twitter: @AlexCrunchie