Nat Kemp
University:
University of Sussex
Placement:
Environment Agency
Role:
Water Resource Modelling Data Intern
"Doing a physics degree, it is sometimes hard to see how the same techniques are applied in other industries, a placement seemed like a great way to do that."
Describe a typical day:
My supervisor, the two other placement students and I would have a catch up each morning to touch base, talk about our tasks for the day and check in on each other. Mostly I would be either filtering and cleaning the WRMP24 data in excel or writing python code to analyse and interpret that data. Throughout the day we would communicate to each other through email and zoom meetings.
Why did you decide to do a placement?
I wanted to see the workplace approach to solving complex and dynamic problems as well as experience what it is like to work on data analysis and code as part of a team. Doing a physics degree, it is sometimes hard to see how the same techniques are applied in other industries, a placement seemed like a great way to do that.
How do you think doing a placement has benefited you for the future?
This placement has shown that I can adapt to disciplines other than physics. I’m from a rural county so the environment is something that’s very important to me, being able to combine my skillset with that and show it on my CV was a real plus for me. It’s given me confidence using my degree to find employment I find engaging and gratifying in the future.
What are your next steps?
Whilst I would really like to pursue a PhD in the future, I am still considering my next steps. I’m a first-generation student, so being able to talk to professionals and other placement students about their career paths has been a real eye opener in terms of future options.
