Category Archives: Science

Student Case Study: Research Assistant in Acoustics (Physics)

Biosciences, Internship Schemes, Physics and Astronomy, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , ,

Name of Student:  Ekaterina Zossimova

Degree Subject: MPHYS Physics with Study in New Zealand, PHD 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 – University of Exeter

Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Health Care, Science, Science, Sport and Health Sciences, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

Full Frame Shot of Abstract Pattern

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

I was tasked with exploring a model of single hair follicle dynamics with focus on hair growth and its primary factors. This role had a number of central goals:

– To verify previous results in the MATLAB software package Matcont, seeking accuracy and precise conclusions.

– To write code that enables results to be easily repeatable.

– To further explore the model parameters and develop insight into how they relate to future refinement of the model, and what it reveals about hair follicle dynamics

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

I greatly developed my familiarity with MATLAB – something I’ve only really used at a surface level before. Spending extensive time debugging code written by myself and others has helped me to improve my ability to write functional scripts. I also gained a greater insight into the day-to-day reality of research. I am now more familiar with the process of learning and building towards a defined, specific output. With this has come a greater appreciation for the unpredictable ebb and flow of progress when trying to breakthrough a barrier in understanding.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I hope that my verification of past results is a useful resource, one that strengthens confidence in the assumptions upon which the model is founded. With this done, in a repeatable piece of code, it supports further divergence from the prototypic case to a more advance and detailed model (or a model with a different focus). New results regarding the parameters of the model provide a more complete picture of how the model may react to change/stimulus. With these in hand, conclusions can be drawn about which parameters are key influences, those in which change elicits dramatic variation in model dynamics.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Teamwork and collaboration, focus on goals and outcomes, degree specific – coding for dynamic modelling

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Perseverance, logical thinking, independence

Fingle Wood Research Intern – University of Exeter CLES

Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Geology, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

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

I was working with mapping software delineating catchment boundaries, sdding pour points to tributaries and analysing the results of various imagery of Fingle wood to determine the type of vegetation that is and has been growing over the Fingle Woods area.

Also, I was spent a day ground-truthing the areas which were under analysis soon to cross reference. On this day I would check probes in the area and calibrate where necessary to ensure accurate data capture.

At the end of the project having finished Fingle Woods to a stage completion was able to work on another project involving urban flooding and cities holding water and avoiding runoff. This project was focussed on the area of Taunton.

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

Having been able to get a reasonable understanding of the GIS technology and also an idea of what is involved with the progression through the environmental sector. What it takes to be an environmental consultant today. Working with complex data projects in the direction of water improvement.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to complete the project to a reasonable standard that could be handed over for further manipulation by another GIS operative or researcher. I was able to problem solve and come up with possible solutions to current problems on GIS software. Also, brainstorming on anomalous probe results that show inconsistencies between live and compiled data.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, ability to work underpressure, decision making

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, motivation, creative thinking

Research Assistant – Coldhabour Mill Trust Ltd

Access to Internships (A2I), Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Environmental Work, Geography, Science, Science

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

My responsibilities were to research the mill pond on the site to support a 1.8M renovation project and grant bids. The main details they wanted to know about the pond was, when it was built, how it was built and how it was used. To conduct this research I worked both at Coldharbour and visited local archives.

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

I was able to conduct research outside of a university classroom, and had the opportunity to go to archives and see the source material myself.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to find out when the pond was roughly built, and also provide a list of areas of future research so the next researcher would have a starting point. Despite the fact I found little evidence, what I did find was actually rather fundamental to the grant bids.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Problem solving, ability to work under pressure, focus on goals and outcomes

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Motivation, cultural awareness, independence

Work experience – Animal Plant Health Agency

Access to Internships (A2I), Biosciences, Science, Science

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

I shadowed various employees within their microbiology laboratory at Starcross, Exeter to gain a better idea of what their job roles required and the daily running of the business. I had the opportunity to watch multiple post mortems on various animals performed by vets and also got to observe the identification of various bacteria’s using different equipment. Health and safety was important for this role so each day I would ensure I was wearing correct PPE and following the specific protocols for each laboratory room, as each room had different requirements depending on the samples they were handling.

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

It gave me a chance to network with employers with employers if the industry and gain a better understanding of what the job role would entail.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Organisation, assessing and managing risk, time and workload management

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Commercial awareness, confidence

 

Cognitive Abilities of Grey Squirrels Intern – University of Exeter

Animal Care, Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Geography, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

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

Coding videos and preparing the different nuts for the experiment and placing the cameras and replenishing the nuts in the apparatus.

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

I learned a lot in terms of analysis of data collected from animals and in particular using a Behaviour Observation software which has made me more confident in my ability to analyse different types of data in different circumstances.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I managed to help with creating a buffer of chopped nuts so that more time could be spent for marking the squirrels and analysing the information, I completed a third of the video analysis of the project which alleviated the workload of the other team members by leaving them to do only two thirds of the analysis.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Teamwork and collaboration, ability to work under pressure, IT

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, initiative, motivation

Student Intern – University of Exeter CLES

Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Mathematics, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

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

Looking through historical sea fisheries data and extract statistics surrounding Cornwall. These documents included annual reports dating back to 1886. I catalogued these statistics into several spreadsheets according to their category (e.g. fish landings). I was also responsible for taking notes and being involved with a 3 day workshop about historic marine ecosystem services. This workshop was arranged for several academics in interdisciplinary fields of research to brainstorm ideas for starting a paper about the historical and cultural use of marine ecosystem services.

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

I made new professional relationships while at the workshop. The workshop also gave me an insight into how to brainstorm relevant ideas for your research topic.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I managed to catalogue data between the years 1886 and 1946, which hopefully will relieve some of the workload from other interns and my line manager.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Time and workload management, IT, marine biology – conservation management

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Commercial awareness, confidence, logical thinking

Research Assistant – University of Exeter CEMPS

Biosciences, Education, Education, Teaching and Research, Engineering, Health Care, Science, Sport and Health Sciences, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

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

I assisted my professor in putting together a presentation for a research consortium. This involved researching the area of injury biomechanics for the built environment and age friendly cities, an exciting area that I wish to pursue further. I made visual diagrams to help non-experts understand the subject, reviewed literature and identified possible research areas for grants. I then attended the research consortium where I met academics involved in the subject from a range of universities and made some good contacts. I was also involved in the design and manufacture of a headform drop tester. I made models and drawings on Solidworks and then used the mechanical workshop to make my design.

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

I learnt the process of putting together research proposals for grants, and how to create a presentation for a research consortium.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I helped my professor structure research ideas into a presentation to apply for grants. I started work on an ongoing project for the design of a headform drop tester, providing an initial prototype and engineering drawings to be developed further. I also identified relevant literature for the project.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Teamwork and collaboration, research, networking

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Cultural awareness, logical thinking, creative thinking

 

Research Assistant – University of Exeter

Biosciences, Computer Science, Education, Teaching and Research, Health Care, Science, Sport and Health Sciences, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

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

My main role was to process and analyse research data using statistical software with the aim of developing research questions relating to dementia and hearing loss. I worked with research team members to develop a study proposal which I will develop into a paper over the summer. In order to complete the tasks that my supervisor and I set, I was required to learn the basics of SPSS, and the statistical methods that are required as part of the analytical approach.

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

I have not yet had the opportunity to develop a research project of my own, and have no experience in using statistical software to analyse large sets of data. During the course of my internship, I learned how challenging this process can be and with the help of the team discovered solutions to the many issues that were found. As a result of this internship, I have been able to set the foundation for my career in medical research.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I hope that I have been able to reveal some additional insight into their data so far. Over the next few months, I will also submit a paper to research journals for consideration.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Statistics, problem solving, enterprise

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Initiative, motivation, creative thinking

Research Assistant – University of Exeter RILD

Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Health Care, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

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

I had to constantly be reading and analysing new research papers on type I diabetes and glucose variation as well as P2Y receptors. I also completed a small research project where I came up with a research question, planned an experiment to analyse the data (this was a western blot) and then came to a conclusion. I also helped other scientists with changing media on cells in tissue culture where I learnt important aseptic techniques. I calculated protein concentrations and made serial dilutions from this to assist with other experiments.

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

At the end of the internship I had to present to a room full of expert scientists about the project I had been working including some background, methods, results and conclusions which helped me work through my dislike of presenting.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I completed a project that one of the PHD scientists did not have time to do but really needed the results.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Research, strategic planning, lab techniques

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, professionalism, perseverance