The Induction Week – A great start of the year
14/11/2019

It was the second week of October and I, Muriel, had just arrived at Cranfield University for my MSc in Future Food Sustainability. Before the first module started, there was an Induction Week planned for us with the students of Food Systems and Management.
Okay, I thought, time to get to know my fellow classmates! Which was exactly what happened during this intense week, filled with brainstorm sessions, group presentations, informative lectures and much more. The short breaks in between enabled us to chat and exchange thoughts regarding Agrifood, our arrival at Cranfield and our life back home.
For me there were two highlights this week: First of all, I won a Cranfield notebook when doing a Kahoot quiz. You might wonder why this is so special… Well, I always keep a diary of my daily activities and what better notebook to capture my year in than in a Cranfield notebook?

The other highlight of the week was the field trip on Friday. We had to rise and shine early, but it was worth it: at G´s we got to see how mushrooms and celery are grown. Before we could enter the celery field, we had to wear fluorescent vests to make sure we were visible and disinfect the soles of our shoes. This was necessary in order to prevent us from bringing unwanted contaminants onto the field. Once we were on the field, our faces were full of disbelief. Did you know a celery plant is 1 meter high?!
To see the different growth stages of mushrooms we had to enter a special facility, since mushrooms are grown inside. This is because the room temperature, humidity and many other factors must be controlled to be able to grow the mushrooms in a safe and efficient way. The manipulation of the mushroom´s environment is the key to make spores connect to each other and grow into a mushroom: when the environment is unsuitable for the spores, they will think they are going to die. They will form a mushroom together that will release a new generation of spores from the top to secure reproduction. As soon as the mushrooms are formed, the environment will be manipulated again to make sure the mushrooms grow further. Altogether a very fascinating system that I didn´t know of!
Before we left G´s we got a sneak peak in the packaging facility where their produce was being packed and prepped for retail. We all received a pack of fresh radishes to bring home. A great ending of an amazing week! I can´t wait to start with the modules 😊
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Want to know more about research methods?
Research methods are the strategies and tools used to gather, analyse and interpret data or evidence to uncover new information or create better understanding of a topic. Research methodology is the theory, justification and assumptions ...
How do I cite…. items with multiple authors in APA7?
This post follows on from our post on using 'et al' in citations but has a slightly different focus - do read them both! As you may know, in-text citations can be written either as ...
The British Library Business and IP Centre
Did you know that the Business and IP Centre at the British Library, on the Euston Road in London, has a variety of events and resources to support entrepreneurs and small businesses? If you register ...
Getting started on your Master’s thesis
Please note: This post is intended to provide advice to all students undertaking a thesis in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences. There is separate advice for School of Management students. Choosing your thesis ...
A key strength of the Management MSc: Thesis-linked Internships for all students
What drew me to Cranfield was not just its reputation, but the practical, real-world approach embedded in the curriculum. The course offers the chance to work on live case studies with companies and even ...
Register for a British Library Reader’s Pass
The British Library (Euston, London) is open to students and researchers who wish to use its world-class collections and resources. To do this, you need to register for a reader's pass. Begin by reading the ...