{"id":58,"date":"2025-09-13T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T10:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/?p=58"},"modified":"2025-09-13T11:16:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T10:16:33","slug":"reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Graduation and a New Academic Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_61\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-61 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/Undergrads.jpeg\" alt=\"BSc graduates Oran Talbot, Mitchell MacPherson, Andrew Clelland, and Aedan Wilson after receiving their awards.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/Undergrads.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/Undergrads-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/Undergrads-1024x767.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/Undergrads-768x575.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">BSc graduates Oran Talbot, Mitchell MacPherson, Andrew Clelland, and Aedan Wilson after receiving their awards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>This week marks Freshers\u2019 Week at Edinburgh Napier University<\/strong>\u2014the beginning of a new academic year and a time when I welcome new MSc Sound Design students. For the first time, I\u2019ll be greeting both on-campus students and those joining us from around the world. Alongside in-person attendance, we\u2019re introducing new modules designed to challenge and inspire.<\/p>\n<p>But before diving into Trimester 1, I\u2019d like to take a moment to reflect on a key event from the previous trimester:\u00a0<strong>graduation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/#Celebrating_Success_at_the_Usher_Hall\" >Celebrating Success at the Usher Hall<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/#My_First_Time_on_the_Graduation_Stage\" >My First Time on the Graduation Stage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/#A_Moment_of_Pride\" >A Moment of Pride<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/#Sunshine_Smiles_and_Goodbyes\" >Sunshine, Smiles, and Goodbyes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/#Looking_Ahead\" >Looking Ahead<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Celebrating_Success_at_the_Usher_Hall\"><\/span>Celebrating Success at the Usher Hall<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In July, we held our summer graduation ceremony at the iconic\u00a0<strong>Usher Hall in Edinburgh<\/strong>. Six students from the MSc Sound Design programme were awarded their degrees. While three couldn\u2019t attend in person, the other three travelled from\u00a0<strong>England, Italy, and the USA<\/strong>\u00a0to celebrate their achievements.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-60 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/IMG_2519-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"MSc graduate Federico Aramini with his MSc award\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/IMG_2519-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/IMG_2519-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/IMG_2519-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/IMG_2519-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/IMG_2519-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">MSc graduate Federico Aramini with his MSc award<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Their dissertations covered a fascinating range of topics, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Infrasound in horror films<\/li>\n<li>Sound design in smart homes<\/li>\n<li>Game audio adapted for age-related hearing loss<\/li>\n<li>Authenticity of AI in podcasts<\/li>\n<li>Techniques to improve dialogue intelligibility<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As always, supervising these projects was a learning experience for me too.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"My_First_Time_on_the_Graduation_Stage\"><\/span>My First Time on the Graduation Stage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The day was a glorious summer\u2019s day. After locating the staff entrance, donning a gown, and blagging a hat, I joined the academic procession into the hall. This was my first time participating in such a ceremony\u2014my last ENU graduation was when I received my honours degree in electronics, more years ago than I care to admit!<\/p>\n<p>I found myself seated at the edge of the front row, with the Chancellor\u2019s procession front and centre. The speeches were heartfelt, praising students for their hard work and thanking their loved ones for their support. It was a resonant reminder of the sacrifices made by those closest to our students.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Moment_of_Pride\"><\/span>A Moment of Pride<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As the awards were handed out, I spotted several MSc and BSc Sound Design students I had supervised. I was the only lecturer from the Sound Design team present, so I clapped especially enthusiastically when our students crossed the stage\u2014doing my best to make some noise from behind the Chancellor!<\/p>\n<p>One student even gave me a big thumbs-up as they walked across the stage\u2014a lovely moment of levity and pride.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to forget how transformative the journey through postgraduate study can be. Many of these students began with uncertainty, juggling work, family, and study. Seeing them walk across the stage, confident and accomplished, was a powerful indication of why we do what we do. Their success is not just academic\u2014it\u2019s personal, creative, and deeply human.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sunshine_Smiles_and_Goodbyes\"><\/span>Sunshine, Smiles, and Goodbyes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_62\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-62\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-62 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/AmandaGrad-1024x473.jpg\" alt=\"MSc graduate Amanda Rainey travelled all the way from Nashville, USA, to receive her MSc award.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/AmandaGrad-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/AmandaGrad-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/AmandaGrad-768x355.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/AmandaGrad-1536x710.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/09\/AmandaGrad.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-62\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">MSc graduate Amanda Rainey travelled all the way from Nashville, USA, to receive her MSc award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After the ceremony, we stepped out into the sunshine to meet students and their families. Hands were shaken, photos were taken, and robes were returned. There was laughter, hugs, and a few emotional moments as students said goodbye to classmates and staff.<\/p>\n<p>Graduation is always bittersweet. While it marks the end of one chapter, it also signals the beginning of new adventures. I\u2019m excited to see where our graduates go next\u2014and equally excited to welcome the next cohort of students ready to begin their own journey.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Looking_Ahead\"><\/span>Looking Ahead<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This year, the MSc Sound Design programme continues to evolve. We\u2019ve introduced three new modules:\u00a0<strong>Advanced AI for Audio and Sound Design<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Introduction to Audio Programming<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>Soundscapes<\/strong>. These additions reflect the changing landscape of sound design and aim to give students fresh opportunities to explore emerging technologies and creative practices.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an exciting time to be teaching and learning in this field. The boundaries of sound design are expanding rapidly, and our students are right at the edge of that frontier. Whether they\u2019re interested in immersive audio, interactive media, or sonic arts, the programme now offers even more pathways to explore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week marks Freshers\u2019 Week at Edinburgh Napier University\u2014the beginning of a new academic year and a time when I welcome new MSc Sound Design students. For the first time, I\u2019ll be greeting both on-campus students and those joining us from around the world. Alongside in-person attendance, we\u2019re introducing new modules designed to challenge and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[27,23,26,24,25],"class_list":["post-58","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-edinburghnapieruniversity","tag-graduationday","tag-postgraduatestudy","tag-sounddesign","tag-universityexperience"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reflections on Graduation and a New Academic Year - Interactive Media Design<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/imd\/2025\/09\/13\/reflections-on-graduation-and-a-new-academic-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reflections on Graduation and a New Academic Year - Interactive Media Design\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week marks Freshers\u2019 Week at Edinburgh Napier University\u2014the beginning of a new academic year and a time when I welcome new MSc Sound Design students. 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