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“It didn’t feel like a question-and-answer kind of interview. We all brought guide questions, but once we got together, it was like, ‘Scrap it. Let’s talk.’”

This is what Zyrene Estallo, a master of education student who graduated last May, said of her experience in an exciting new documentary being premiered next week.

Grad Students, Talking will be screened for the first time on the Fredericton campus on Oct. 7 as part of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Research Celebration Week.

The documentary features six students — three from the Saint John campus and three from Fredericton — conducting research at the graduate level. The students come from a range of disciplines, including science, geodesy & geomatics engineering, history, education and psychology.

The documentary takes a circular chain of inquiry, with the students stepping into the role of interviewer and interviewee. Through their candid exploratory conversations, they highlight their own research, engage with research in other disciplines and delve into their personal experiences as grad students at UNB.

Estallo’s master’s research focused on newcomer families and their experiences in the public school system.

“I looked at how these students are integrating with the education system and their overall community, and how that trajectory is different for them as immigrants,” she said. “I got to talk to students and parents, which gave me a really rich set of data.”

For Estallo, being selected for the documentary gave her a chance to look at her research in a new way.

“I interviewed Michaela Ritchie, a who was conducting research in psychology. Psychology and education have a way of intersecting, so that made the project really exciting,” she said.

“Michaela is researching how people take in information. As an educator, that was fascinating, as I study English language learning and classroom integration. I had a lot of questions for her like, ‘how do we apply this in the classroom?’ and ‘how to we apply this for a diverse group of students?’”

“Learning about Michaela’s research is something I will carry with me when interacting with my students and designing curriculum and pedagogical practices,” she said.

Estallo was then interviewed by Catherine D’Aoust, a graduate student in the department of historical studies.

“It felt like a person-to-person conversation. The academic part came naturally, because as graduate students we have curious minds and want to ask questions,” Estallo said.

“Catherine had this really striking charisma. She asked thoughtful questions that built a nice narrative of my research and my life as a graduate student,” Estallo said. “She is a fantastic storyteller.”

Gina Lonati, in year five of her PhD in the department of biological sciences, is conducting research on North Atlantic right whales – a critically endangered species that primarily occupies the eastern coast of North America.

Her research uses a variety of fieldwork techniques, including remote sensing technology. Lonati uses aerial drones and underwater sensors to collect data about right whale physiology, their movements, and their prey.

Lonati was thrilled to be part of Grad Students, Talking, not just to engage with other students’ research, but to get her aerial footage out into the world.

“The imagery I collect is special, and not many people get to see aerial perspectives of whales. I’ve learned that having a visual data set of a rare and endangered animal is an impactful way of bringing the general public to the science,” she said.

“These images can really move people – and it’s not just for documenting the whales, it’s for inspiring change.”

The most exciting part about being involved in Grad Students, Talking for Lonati was being an interviewer.

“I’m naturally curious as a scientist and have a lot of questions,” she laughed.

She had only a vague idea about what her interviewee’s research entailed.

“Dr. Rogers, the director, was very adamant that we had no introductions before getting in front of the camera – which made it both fun and a little nerve-wracking,” she said.

“It made the interactions with others organic and genuine. It will be exciting to see on film.”

She highlighted that while there was research talk, it also felt like grad students sharing their experience as researchers and academics.

“I think every grad student has the shared experience of the grind. The initial enthusiasm of wanting to do everything and eventually realizing that you have to cut things out, or you’ve made this fascinating discovery, and your research takes a different turn,” she said.

“It was cool to connect with people on that level too.”

“I think a flaw of academia is that as you specialize, it seems as though there are fewer people doing what you’re doing, and you can feel more isolated,” she said.

“But really that’s when teamwork becomes even more important. Connecting with other academics, going to conferences that are outside of your expertise – it’s how you make broader impacts.”

“Grad Students, Talking was a really unique way of doing that within UNB.”

“I think what the documentary showed me is that we have grad students here from diverse walks of life. There needs to be space so that everyone feels welcome, and everyone has an opportunity to be heard. That’s what enriches academic thought.”

Gina doesn’t shy away from discussing the difficulties of graduate studies.

“Grad school should be hard. You get a degree – and that should set you apart because you’ve done something hard. But it shouldn’t be a hardship. It shouldn’t give you crippling anxiety, it shouldn’t drain your bank account,” she said.

She hopes the film encourages the UNB community to reflect on how graduate students are impacted – both positively and negatively.

Dr. Matt Rogers, associate dean (acting) of UNB’s School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and professor in the faculty of education, who directed the documentary, said the motive was making the graduate research happening at UNB more visible and accessible.

“We wanted to show the fascinating scope of the work being done by grad students – as the interdisciplinary connections that show up when grad students get talking about their research.”

Rogers said the inspiration for the format of Grad Students, Talking came from The Most Unknown, a documentary film by Ian Cheney.

“I’ve wanted to experiment with that circular chain of inquiry methodology of storytelling for a while,” he said.

“As a viewer, you get to learn with the students as they navigate their conversations. You get to know a student in their interviewee segment, then they go on to be the interviewer and you can see the gears turning in their heads as they draw interesting connections to their own work,” Rogers said.

“It’s really rich.”

You can catch the premiere of Grad Students, Talking on Monday, Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. in Tilley Hall room 102 on the Fredericton campus. The event is open to the public.

The UNB School of Graduate Studies documentary will be released in segments after the premiere.

Dr. Rogers gives special thanks to the following people who made this project possible:

• Ty Giffin of UNB media services, director of photography, producer and editor
• Sanhita Biswas, assistant director
• Dr. Kevin Englehart and Dr. Sasha Mullaly, executive producers
• Ashley Morehouse, Peter Titus & Jon Blizard, crew
• And all the grad students involved who humored his ideas for the project.

The project was funded by SGS.