Apotheosis Day 2025 A Journey Through Stress, Science and Shared Spaces

 Author: Anaswara Tharavanthedath Somadas 

On 9 July 2025, students and teachers from the Research Honours batch of 2025, gathered for the much-anticipated Apotheosis-day. Far from being just a closing chapter or a group assignment, this day was about exploring the very human side of research: resilience, creativity and collaboration.

The day opened with a topic very close to every researcher’s heart: stress. In a beautifully curated workshop titled ‘the art of reframing’, Lynn, Anushka and Marloes invited participants to look at their anxieties through a creative lens, introducing Paul Gilbert’s model of threat drive and soothing systems.  While transforming every ‘I'm not enough’ and ‘what if I fail’ into ‘this could be the chance’, the participants' worksheets transformed into canvases of chaos and calm. The session ended with a gentle and powerful mantra: Stop-Rethink-Relax. A reminder that while stress is inevitable, it doesn't have to control us.

After lunch, the focus shifted outwards to the digital world. Omar, Martijn, Siti and Ira posed a provocative question: ‘Would you keep a science fact to yourself?’ because ‘If you don’t speak up, someone else will and they could be wrong’.  Their workshop on scientist-influencer addressed one of today’s biggest challenges: communicating science in a digital landscape flooded with misinformation. In this digital era where seven out of ten people get their science through social media, often from influencers rather than from experts, the team showed contrasting examples of misleading versus trustworthy science posts. The participants - all users of social media, practiced the craft of ‘sciencefluencer’ through the Hook+clarity+call-to-action-model. Where hooks should be the bait but not clickbait, clarity should keep its integrity and truthfulness and call to action should be audience-aware. Because we don’t need a million followers to make a difference. The session concluded as the aspiring scientists think of their next sciencefluencing post.

The spotlight then turned to interpersonal skills, as Maartje, Ike and Sara knew how people struggle to give and receive feedback, and how important it is to maintain healthy relationships. Through role-play exercises, participants practiced the DESC method (Describe, Express, Specify, Consequence) and the 5 R’s of receiving feedback ‘Request, Receive, Reflect, Respond, Resolve’. The room filled with laughter and aha moments as the participants discovered that effective feedback builds trust, strengthens teams and opens doors to growth rather than simply pointing out faults.

Later, the gears shifted to another layer of collaboration skills through a ‘playground of ideas’. Lizeth, Jurjen, Joan and Anaswara designed a co-design roleplay on inclusive urban planning, where participants were tasked with reimagining a unity park. Groups were handed persona posters representing diverse stakeholders from parents to policymakers, environmental scientists to restaurant owners, and asked to design a park that met everyone’s needs. The first round of prototyping was fast paced, with sketches, sticky notes, clip arts and spirited debate. A surprise twist halfway through forced teams to rethink priorities, mirroring the dynamic nature of real-world decision making. After 30 minutes, the prototypes were not just park models but a deeper appreciation of multidisciplinary teamwork.

As the day ends, the workshops gave way to the pinning ceremony, where students received recognition for their journey through the research honours programme. With shared drinks, wishes, potluck and a warm summer evening, we said our goodbyes in a festive note.