Ben Ruggles
University:
University of Portsmouth
Placement:
Environment Agency
Role:
Water Resource Modelling Data Intern
"A benefit of participating in a SEPnet placement was getting experience of the job application process and being able to improve my interview skills."
Describe a typical day:
My placement was conducted remotely using Microsoft teams to communicate with my employer. Every morning would start with an online meeting with the whole team. We would discuss the progress of our project which in our case was to help aggregate data so it could be used as the input for a mathematical Model.
When we had agreed upon each person’s tasks for the day, I would begin the process of cleaning Data and also working on my own individual project which involved using Python for data analysis.
On a typical day I would work from 9am until 5:30pm with a break for lunch.
Why did you decide to do a placement?
I chose to do the SEPnet programme as I was keen to get more experience of what a job in STEM would be like after university. It is important to me to try different things to help me decide on what kind of career path I would like to take and what types of subjects I am interested in. Another benefit of doing this placement was getting a more general experience of the job application process and improving my interview skills.
How do you think doing a placement has benefited you for the future?
From doing this placement I have gained a huge amount of confidence in presenting my work, particularly in the context of shared team projects. Being able to produce high quality work and communicate it with others is an important skill for any job and will be necessary for any role I may take on in the future.
What are your next steps?
Currently I am working towards my master’s degree in physics which will be my focus for the next two years. Physic is a broad subject and I hope to complete a second placement next summer to gain even more experience which will help me narrow down which area of study I would like to follow in the future.
