Category Archives: Physics and Astronomy

Student Case Study: Frazer-Nash Consultancy

Free Photo Of Female Engineer Working On Her Workspace Stock Photo

Name of Student:  Amelia Toghill 

Degree Subject:  Physics  

Job Title: Freethinker & Problem Solver Engineer Summer Intern 

Company Name:  Frazer-Nash Consultancy 

Description of Organisation:  

Frazer-Nash is a leading systems, engineering and technology company. They help organisations deliver innovative engineering and technology solutions to make lives safe, secure, sustainable, and affordable. With over 1000 employees, they work from a network of nine UK and four Australian locations. 

Type of Internship:   

Access to Internships (A2I)   

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

I worked on two projects, one was to test the code written to model patient flow for a hospital, and the other was a private venture to write a code to optimize a device for nuclear fusion. I had to work to a high standard to meet deadlines. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement was producing a piece of code that included techniques that I wasn’t familiar with and writing a report to summarise my findings. 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

My biggest challenge was moving from general physics at university to engineering in industry and learning how to apply transferable skills to industry specific tasks. I overcame this by talking to other colleagues and having practice over time. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Organisation 
  • Decision Making 
  • Communication 
  • Time and workload management 
  • Problem solving 
  • Degree Specific – report writing, copy writing 

 Attributes Developed: 

  • Logical thinking 
  • Independence 
  • Work Ethic 
  • Professionalism 
  • Confidence 
  • Perseverance 
  • Motivation 

 Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector? 

“Over the past 3 months of summer, I worked as a freethinker and problem solver summer intern at Frazer-Nash Consultancy. During my internship, I gained valuable experience of working as an engineer in industry. This taught me technical and transferable skills that I couldn’t have learnt otherwise, and I believe that this was an amazing opportunity. I really enjoyed my time there and can’t wait to return as a Graduate Engineer next year.

Employer Quote: 

“Amelia was great to work with, had a fantastic attitude towards the work she was set and asked questions where she didn’t understand. We have provided her with an offer of a full-time position once she has completed her degree. “

Employer Case Study: Frazer Nash

Name of Organisation: Frazer Nash 

Description of Organisation: With offices in the UK and Australia, Frazer-Nash is a leading systems, engineering and technology company. Our work makes a difference to things that matter in the world. Our 1000 employees work from a network of nine UK and four Australian locations. 

Name of Employer: Ben Gaskin 

Job Title: Group Leader – PWR & Systems Engineering

Internship Scheme used 

Student Business Partnership (SBP) |Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Amelia was great to work with, had a fantastic attitude towards the work she was set and asked questions where she didn’t understand. We have provided her with an offer of a full-time position once she has completed her degree. “

Student Quote:

“Over the past 3 months of summer, I worked as a freethinker and problem solver summer intern at Frazer-Nash Consultancy. During my internship, I gained valuable experience of working as an engineer in industry. This taught me technical and transferable skills that I couldn’t have learnt otherwise, and I believe that this was an amazing opportunity. I really enjoyed my time there and can’t wait to return as a Graduate Engineer next year. “

Student Case Study: Climate Emergency and Energy Intern

Name of Student:  Janka van der Merwe

Degree Subject:  BSc Physics with Astrophysics

Job Title: SCP 6029 Climate Emergency and Energy Intern

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship:  Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Conduct research of rainfall, doing analysis on rainfall observations in the Northern African/Sahel region.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Creating a report of the findings of the research.

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?

Working remotely was challenging, and making sure I did the right amount of hours each week. I kept up with this by going onto campus and joining a friend who was also doing an internship, where we would work together.

Another big challenge was the high level of knowledge that I had not entirely been experienced with, regarding the climate field. Luckily my supervisor gave me access to a few of his lecture slides on the code that I was working on, and that was really helpful. I would also google the keywords, and that gave me a much better understanding.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Organisation
  • Researching
  • IT

Attributes Developed:

  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

This internship opened my eyes to a field that seems so exciting and up-and-coming. It has allowed me to refine my career interests, and I feel more confident in what I want to do after my undergraduate degree. I gained valuable skills working in 2 different coding languages; Python and R. I have developed the skills to perform a rainfall analysis thoroughly, which has been engaging and interesting to learn. Discussion with my supervisor also gave me a wider understanding of what the results from the analysis mean, and what could further be investigated. I am proud to have identified that the Northern Sahel region has different dominant frequencies in their rainfall spectrum than the Southern Sahel, which has implications in understanding the two Hadley cells that occupy that space on Earth.

Student Case Study: Research Assistant in Acoustics (Physics)

Name of Student:  Ekaterina Zossimova

Degree Subject: MPHYS Physics with Study in New ZealandPHD Physics 

Job Title:   Research Assistant in Acoustics (Physics)

Company Name:  College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter

Type of Internship:  Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)

  1. What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Fabrication of underwater thermo-acoustic devices for experiments. Building heat transfer simulations on FORTRAN to model the thermo-acoustic device in different mediums.

  1. What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

Fabricated and tested a successful underwater thermo-acoustic device. Produced heat simulation models of the system in air and water.

  1. What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Making the devices was a trial and error process, so it took patience and several unsuccessful attempts before creating a working device. After each attempt, it was necessary to pin point which step in the fabrication process was damaging the device and then alter the fabrication method in line with the findings. This process led to a thermo-acoustic device that could be tested underwater.

  1. Skills Learnt 
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Focus on goals and outcomes
  • Time and work load management
  • Assessing and managing risk
  1. Attributes Developed
  • Initiative
  • Cultural awareness
  • Logical thinking
  • Independence
  • Work ethic
  1. Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector? 

“It was a really valuable experience that allowed me to get involved with cutting edge research in the CEMPS department at Exeter. It gave me the opportunity to network with PhD students and find out about their research projects. This experience has helped me to shape my future career plans and I will be returning to the University of Exeter in January as a postgraduate research student.”

Research Assistant in Acoustics – University of Exeter CEMPS

It was a really valuable experience that allowed me to get involved with cutting edge research in the CEMPS department at Exeter. It gave me the opportunity to network with PhD students and find out about their research projects. This experience has helped me to shape my future career plans and I will be returning to the University of Exeter in January as a postgraduate research student.

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

  • Fabrication of underwater thermo-acoustic devices for experiments.
  • Building heat transfer simulations on FORTRAN to model the thermo-acoustic device in different mediums.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My biggest achievement was making the devices as this was a trial and error process, so it took patience and several unsuccessful attempts before creating a working device. After each attempt, it was necessary to pin point which step in the fabrication process was damaging the device and then alter the fabrication method in line with the findings. This process led to a thermo-acoustic device that could be tested underwater.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Ability to work under pressure, IT, decision making

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, motivation, independence

Assistant Research Scientist – College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences

clinic-doctor-health-hospital

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

After becoming comfortable with the literature, my main role in this internship was to train in the Biophysics labs and learn from a PhD student before going on to help them complete research. After completing this research I was responsible for the production of a paper detailing the process and results, with an aim to getting the paper published in a scientific journal. I have also attended the regular Biophysics group meetings, as well as being given the opportunity to hear guest speakers from other Universities talk when they have visited the Physics department here in Exeter.

Overall, the whole of my internship has been an amazing and extremely rewarding experience. I have learned much more about what life as a scientist really is, got to grips with a wide variety of new scientific concepts through studying the literature, and had exposure to a thriving scientific environment where it was a privilege to listen to scientists talk about their work. I believe my biggest achievement over the course of this internship is either the growth in confidence and ability to network that I have experienced, or the production (with much help and guidance) of a scientific paper that will hopefully be published, something I did not think I was capable of at this age.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

As previously mentioned, I helped to complete a piece of novel research for my employer as well as writing the results into a paper. Moreover, having now had experience in the Biophysics labs I would be more suited to working in this department again if my employer wanted a summer student next year.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

I encountered problems as a part of the work, such as a lack of knowledge of the specific vocabulary required to understand many of the concepts spoken about daily in this department. However, I overcame these either through research or asking for assistance where necessary. Everyone in the department has been very friendly and more than happy to offer assistance where necessary which has been invaluable to me.

HE STEM Project Coordinator – CEMPS, University of Exeter

STEM Internship, University of Exeter Internship, UoE Internships, SCP, GBP, SBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My role was to coordinate two of the department’s five National Higher Education STEM Programme projects in collaboration with partners at other South West universities. The projects focuses on employer engagement, particularly within the mathematics and engineering curricula. I organised focus groups and interviews with academics, students and local employers and drew up a series  of case studies of good practice for employer engagement. I also formulated a series of recommendations to improve employer engagement within CEMPS and contributed to an online toolkit of advice for Higher Education Institutions nationally.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The internship was particularly useful to me in learning how to network within a large organisation and how to get the most from meetings and interviews with other staff members. My communication skills have definitely developed as a result of working on these projects and my confidence in presenting my work to others has been boosted!

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The projects I conducted would not have been possible without my input and coordination.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

At times, the work was very challenging and getting cooperation from some individuals was tricky on occasion, but that made the successes of the projects feel like real achievements.

“Dawn has worked to a consistently high standard and excelled in balancing demands across multiple projects” – Line Manager

Dawn

Technical Research Assistant – Centre for Alternative Materials and Remanufacturing Technologies, University of Exeter

Universtiy of Exeter Internships, UoE Internships, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Working with CALMARE my main focus was helping small and medium enterprises in the South West, in the form of ‘Business Assists’ which involved consultancy on materials testing, development and sustainability. This was part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund. The projects were hugely variable, from competitor analysis to product development; from the deployment of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems to the development of aesthetic lighting systems.

I also supported the delivery of an art exhibition “From Cowboys to Astronauts” which showcased work from 25 South West artists. It focused on recycled materials, and was designed to promote the concept of circular economy. This involved setting up and taking down at two venues, engaging with the artists, businesses and general public.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I developed my networking skills and ability to present myself professionally to businesses. I also improved my time management skills.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I delivered high quality work on time, and used a variety of skills not assessed in the original application; from the design of marketing materials to photography. I was able to add specialist knowledge (physics) to an already varied team, and was quick to learn both the procedural aspects of the job and the extra knowledge needed for the position.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

Over the last year I have come to accept challenging circumstances in my personal life, and my internship helped me focus and accept what life throws at us.