Pictured are some of the 13 PhD students who took part in a very successful and enjoyable retreat at the Knockree Youth Hostel in Enniskerry, organised by the School of Postgraduate Studies. On the retreat students learnt how to perfect their elevator pitches and scientific paper writing, while enjoying the hospitality and scenery of the Garden of Ireland. The highlight of the retreat was a full day Scientific Communication workshop held by Jonathan McCrea of Newstalk FM (pictured left). His energetic and enthusiastic teaching style encouraged students to push themselves into a very creative space. They learnt to connect their work interesting, visually stimulating metaphors, and also summarise it in very short soundbites. He even managed to get them to perform well under the bright lights for a video camera, well outside their comfort zone. Dr Marian Brennan also held a writing workshop where she taught them how to develop a solid hypothesis and perfect their research abstract.