The final week at Summer school- Beth

Monday- Today we went to Macaw, we got a presentation when we first arrived in the afternoon, where we were told a few personal stories about career journeys which had quite a lot of useful information in it for us. We also got a presentation from somebody named Paul, who was a piolet of the drones. He explained to us in depth about the various different types of drones that they operate at macaw and how they actually have a lot of restrictions on them as they are very dangerous pieces of equipment if they are not operated properly and under certain terms and conditions. After the talk we got to have a go at flying some of the smaller drones which were so small that they fitted into the palm of your hand. They are a lot harder to fly than you originally think!! This was a very fun part of the day and it was also very interesting to see how the drones worked and it fitted in perfectly with my academic research. After having a go at flying the drones, we got another presentation off the director of the company which was very interesting.

Tuesday- Today we visited Kromek, we had a talk on what the company was about and what sort of products that they manufactured and produced. Most of their products were based on nuclear Physics, for example, they produced gamma ray spectrometers which were small enough to fit into the palm of your hand which was pretty amazing. He told us in great detail how all of the products they made worked, and this was really interesting and I learnt quite a lot of new information during my time there. After we were given the talk we were given a small coffee break, and then we went on the laptops and we used the gamma ray spectrometers to try and identify which isotope the ‘mystery substance’ was. This was really fun to do, and I really enjoyed seeing how it all worked on the laptop and how you can come to the final conclusion as to what isotope is present within the mystery substance. We then headed downstairs where we went to the clean lab; we had to put on lab coats, hairnets, and white shoes! It was very interesting, it was only a small room but it had many different pieces of equipment in it which they used. We left Kromek at lunchtime and headed back to Northumbria to carry on with our projects. By the end of today I had finished my poster, and also my academic research.

Wednesday and Thursday- We carried on with our projects, and we worked our way through our checklists to ensure that we finish everything by the end of the week. I added some finishing touches to my academic poster, such as colourful diagrams and I also added a little bit more information to it. By Thursday, I was ready to print off my academic poster ready for it to be displayed on Friday for parents and the think physics team. I also carried on with my doll, making it a lab coat and also trying to find a way of making some safety goggles for it. Tomorrow, we will be presenting our academic posters to the think physics team and for parents.

I have had such an amazing time at the think physics summer school 2015, and I am so glad that i got the opportunity to do it. I have met some great people, and have learnt so much information over the last three weeks. I now know for definite that i want to do a medical physics degree. It has been fantastic to see where Physics can take you in the future, and i now know what sort of careers that are out there for me- a massive thankyou to the think physics team!