Kiah gives us an insight into her placement at the University of Surrey.
My name is Kiah, I have just completed my second year studying Physics with Astrophysics, and this summer I am taking part in a SEPnet placement starting Monday (28th June)!
This is a research project with the University of Surrey involving Dwarf Galaxies, their formations and how these give evidence of dark energy and matter. It is an eight-week placement, working alongside Noelia, a lecturer and researcher at the University, together with her PhD student Alex.
I Specifically, I will be working with simulations to back trace stars within Dwarf Galaxies to discover their origins. I am extremely excited (and of course nervous) to be a part of a research team and immerse myself amongst something I have only ever studied before. I discovered SEPnet (Southeast Physics Network), through researching for placements myself at the start of my second year of university.
Later I engaged with meetings and discussions promoted by Anna Rye, SPS’s employability officer, which gave amazing insight and knowledge on how to apply and what to expect from these placements – there is a massive variety to choose from, so I would recommend to anyone to investigate more! I believe this placement will be a perfect opportunity for me to gain experience and understand, to a greater depth, what is takes to be a scientist.