Wednesday 8 November 2017, 16:30-20:30 Hallam Conference Centre, London W1
A special joint IOP SEPnet careers event for early career researchers to help, inspire and motivate you to explore the careers options open to you in a welcoming and friendly environment.
You will meet a panel of physics PhD graduates pursuing careers in diverse areas in and outside academia.
Organisations include Adaptix; Diamond Light Source; IBM; Institute for Cosmology & Gravitation, University of Portsmouth; MP Capital; National Physical Laboratory; STFC ; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory; Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd; UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and WP Thompson.
Vishanti Fox, IOP Careers and CPD Manager, will offer advice on CV writing.
Places are limited. This event is free to attend.
Travel expenses will be reimbursed by SEPnet through GRADnet PGR Administrators.
Register at http://bit.ly/2wFp084
SEPnet is looking for an evaluator for Connect Physics, our new workshops looking to raise the number of Year 8 students considering physics as a pathway to their future. There has been some formative evaluation and initial testing on the workshops but we would like the evaluator to join us for this final phase of testing and summative evaluation.
SEPnet Outreach will accept proposals up to £7,000 which should include any travel expenses and VAT if applicable. Any proposed budgets above this amount should be justified within the proposal. Deadline for proposals is Monday 16 October 2017.
Contact Please contact Dominic Galliano on 0207 882 5063 / 07702 363 731 or outreach@sepnet.ac.uk if you would like any further information.
Have you been involved in an innovative, exciting or impactful public engagement project? Is there someone is your SEPnet department who has a long history of supporting and delivering public engagement projects? Or someone who’s just started out and whose enthusiasm is infectious and encourages others to take part? Is your research group fantastic in supporting public engagement?
Now’s your chance to celebrate these achievements! SEPnet is launching their 2017 Public Engagement Awards and needs your help recognising the best of public engagement across the network. We are recognising work across three categories, individuals, projects and research groups:
Projects:
Nominations for awards in this category should be for a single project run by an individual or a team. Projects would taken place within the last two years, with some form of output, outcome or long-term impact since September 2015.
Projects nominated in this category can include researchers from outside SEPnet and / or physics research, as long as at least one member of the project’s core team is based at a SEPnet Outreach Partner, including the associate members (Reading, St Mary’s and Oxford) and is carrying out physics research.
Innovation Project Award This award recognises projects which have delivered interesting and innovative ways in which the public has engaged with physics research. Nominated projects will have had a target public, set aims & objectives, and an evaluation measuring outcomes and if appropriate long-term impact. Projects can include any form of engagement based on physics research with any audience.
Impact Project Award
Projects will have generated long-term impact from their research through any channel involving engaging with the public – including knowledge transfer, working with user groups, debates and many more.
Individuals:
The nominations for awards in this category should be for a single individual based at a SEPnet Outreach Partner, including the associate members (Reading, St Mary’s and Oxford) who is carrying out some form of physics research.
Communication Award This award recognises an individual’s ability to communicate their own research through different channels including broadcast media (television, radio or film), writing for print or online journalism and public speaking (festivals, lectures, debates or panel discussions).
Achievement Award
This award recognises an individual’s record of sustained (at least ten years) of excellence in engaging the public with research through a range of engagement activities and audiences.
Newcomer Award
This award recognises an individual who is new to engagement and have made an impact that could include any type of engagement activity or project linked to their research.
Research Groups:
For the purpose of the awards a research group is defined as a collection of academics, normally based within a single department at one of the SEPnet Outreach Partners, including the associate members (Reading, St Mary’s and Oxford), working in an emerging or established area of expertise. This should line up with how your institution defines a research group. Nominations can be written by anyone within the research group but must have the approval of their head of group.
Research Group Award This award recognises a research group that has a well embedded culture of public engagement based on their research.
Please note:
School’s Outreach activities not based on research are not eligible for any award.
Projects, individuals and research groups can be nominated for more than one award however a nomination form for each award is required.
Projects, individuals and research groups can be nominated in successive years for the same award. However winners will not receive the same award twice.
Each award has their own form.
Outreach Officers, Public Engagement staff and anyone working on Outreach or Public Engagement at 0.5FTE or higher are ineligible for the Individual Awards.
Deadline has now been extended until midday on Wednesday 16 October 2017.
Click here for full details on the criteria for all awards.
Awards will be presented on Wednesday November 29th at Prince Phillip House in central London, following the Student Expo.
For more details please see your local SEPnet Outreach Officer or email outreach@sepnet.ac.uk
GRADnet is pleased to announce its programme of physics postgraduate researcher training for the next academic year. The programme for the year can be downloaded here: GRADnet Brochure 2017-18 Final
We have developed yet another comprehensive programme for 2017/18 comprising a mix of academic physics workshops and student-led conferences; residential schools with real life industrial content, leadership and professional skills training; targeted professional skills modules and more peer-learning opportunities.
This year, GRADnet is focussing on the following residential workshops in the following research themes of its partner physics departments. For 2017/18 we are offering:
Numerical Modelling in Condensed Matter (14-16 January 2018)
For some of these events we will return to the Old Thorns Manor Hotel which offers impressive leisure facilities in the middle of our region.
For Second Year PGRs
The whole programme kicks off with “Moving Forward for Second Years” training on 18th October in central London. The training day includes the following workshops:
Creating impact
How to write a successful fellowship application
Research data management
Unconscious bias
Writing better software for research
For First Year PGRs
For the second year running there will be a GRADnet Induction Day on 25th October in central London. The Induction will include a choice of workshops for new PhD students:
Introduction to LaTeX
Python for beginners and more advanced users
Introduction to MATlab
Getting your research published
Organising meetings and conferences
Induction Day 2016
For all PGRs
The Winter School in 2018 at Cumberland Lodge (14-16 February) focuses entirely on the 2003NASA Columbia disaster: a popular case-study element of last year’s school. It takes students through exercises in leadership and team-working, skills rated highly by employers.
The 2018 Summer School at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex (2-5 July) explores suggestions to “What can I do with my PhD?”– this is a mix of employer-led workshops and consultancy challenges.
There will be a student-led conference covering Advances in High Energy Physics and Cosmology and From Micrometres to Megaparsecs. There will be cross-over lectures which are relevant to students of both particle physics and astronomy at the University of Southampton on 21-23 March 2018 and a one-day workshop on Science Communications Skills on 24th April 2018.
For more information on these courses and to register, logon to the GRADnet VRE.
Who: 2nd Year Physics PhD students. All SEPnet Departments expect all students to attend.
When:18 October 2017, 10.30-16.30
Where: Park Crescent Conference Centre, 229 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN.
Deadline to register is 11 October 2017.
Numbers: This event is strongly recommended by all SEPnet partner Departments. Circa 100 students are expected to attend. Students are to sign up for two workshops on arrival and attend one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
What: A one-day training session, an opportunity to meet fellow researchers from across the network and to participate in two from five short workshops designed to get you started in key areas of activity.
Creating impact: Thinking about how to commercialise your research, or an idea, and turn it into an exploitable product or service? Perhaps you are interested in a career in business or knowing how businesses are created. Would you like to start thinking like an entrepreneur, or as someone that wants to change the world through innovation?
How to write a successful Fellowship Application: This workshop is aimed at those students who are considering an academic career. Most often this starts with a period of postdoctoral study during which the researcher is supported by a Fellowship. The workshop focusses on what is required to prepare a successful research council or similar fellowship application.
Research data management: Research data management is increasingly important in all fields of research. Presented by Research Council and University experts, this workshop asks what is required for good data management and examines some of the common problems and issues that researchers face.
Unconscious Bias: Almost no-one thinks that they are unconsciously biased. Yet white males and many non-white students perform less well in their degrees than white females – it could be due to bias in assessment systems – while females rarely get to the top of their profession – is this bias in the promotion systems? Something is going wrong if we don’t appoint and promote the best person for the job.
Writing better software for research: Whether you have 10 lines of shell script, 100 lines of R, or 10,000 lines of C, the quality of your research, and reproducibility of your results, depends upon the quality of your code. In this course, Mike Jackson from the EPCC (formerly Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre) explores the qualities of good code, discusses blockers, and presents practical tools and techniques that help you to write better code, in less time, and with less effort.
Travel expenses and refreshments are covered by SEPnet.
Registration Now Open!
We look forward to seeing you at the School!
Are you an experimental physicist? Are the lab gremlins getting you down? Does none of your data make sense? You could give up and end it all… but you should come to the QLM Summer School 2017! There are a limited number of places for PGRs from SEPnet institutions.
Now in its third year, the QLM Summer School is a chance to receive practical, hands-on advice to develop new skills, improve your lab productivity and kickstart your future career. Taking place at Bournemouth University Talbot Campus from the 30th August – 1st September 2017, we are offering a varied selection of talks, workshops and activities to help unleash your full scientific potential whether you’re just starting your PhD and feel completely lost, or approaching the end of your PhD… and feel completely lost!
Accommodation, travel to and from the summer school and meals are provided!
GRADnet Introduction to Data Intensive Science Workshop 18-20 September 2017 – Registration now open.
Who: All DISCnet CDT students. Any GRADnet PhD student with an interest in data intensive science techniques.
What: A 3-day workshop that introduces the CDT and data intensive science and will comprise lectures, tutorials, and examples of the benefits of data intensive science techniques as applied to current research projects and induction into the DISCnet Centre for Doctoral Training: What is DISCnet? What kind of training is offered? What industry placements are available? This session gives an overview of the centre and provides information on how you can get involved.
Lunch and networking reception on 18th September: This is a great networking opportunity. DISCnet students, GRADnet students, supervisory teams, and the DISCnet coordinators will get to know each other in an informal setting.
Examples in data intensive science: How does data science give the edge in your PhD? Current PhD students from several SEPnet universities will demonstrate how data intensive science techniques have helped shape their PhD research. Topics will range from astronomical surveys, to numerical simulations and particle physics accelerator data.
Tools for data intensive science in particle physics and astronomy: This session will introduce you to important packages and tools that are in use in the various research fields. We will provide help installing software and guide you through the first steps.
When: 18th – 20th September 2017
Register here. Registration deadline 16 August 2017
Where: Old Thorns Manor Hotel, Liphook, Hampshire
Requirements: A laptop computer is essential for this workshop.
Numbers: 30-35 delegates
The Data Intensive Science Centre in SEPnet (DISCnet) is a new STFC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training.
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL GRADNET SUMMER SCHOOL AT NPL!!!
The fourth GRADnet Summer school took place on 3-6 July 2017 at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex. The school comprised a broad menu of workshops and challenges led by different employers designed to offer students an insight into opportunities beyond their PhD. A consultancy challenge took place on the last day and students worked in teams to create solutions using the skills they have learnt in their PhD.
AN EMPLOYER-LED PROGRAMME: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Fourth State Medicine; IBM; Magnox; National Physical Laboratory; Oxford Instruments; RBA Acoustics; Things We Don’t Know; Surrey Satellite Technology Limited and WP Thompson.
SPEAKERS: Dr Paul Stevenson, Reader, University of Surrey; Jane Burston, Head of Climate and Environment, NPL and Dr Michael de Podesta, Principal Research Scientist, NPL.
Thank you to NPL staff in particular Richard Burguete and Gill Coggins from the Postgraduate Institute, Dr Julie Reeves, University of Southampton, Dr Laura Christie, Royal Holloway, University of London and Kay Pearson, SEPnet Employer Liaison Officer, University of Surrey and last but not least, Cristobel Soares-Smith, GRADnet Network Administrator for making this such a successful event!
WHAT THE STUDENTS SAID:
“This was a fantastic opportunity to work on a real problem. Getting to talk to a real employer about their project of choice and thinking how to solve this problem was very valuable.”
The most valuable thing they would take away from this year’s summer school was “knowledge and the value of careers outside the PhD. The number of interesting fields is limitless”.
“This has been a very good summer school, pitched at the appropriate level and a good base to meet fellow students!”.
WINNERS OF THE CONSULTANCY CHALLENGE:
Centre for Integrated Photonics (Huawei)
Team 1: William Evans, University of Sussex, Timothy Eales, University of Surrey, Tong Liu, Queen Mary University of London and Erika Cortese, University of Southampton with Michael Roberts, Research and Collaboration Manager, Centre for Integrated Photonics (Huawei).
Fourth State Medicine:
Team 2: Miroslav Mlejnek, University of Sussex, Katie Ley, Laila Gurgi, University of Surrey and Giulio Violino, University of Hertfordshire with Tom Harle, Chief Technology Officer, Fourth State Medicine.
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd:
Team 3: Joseph Allen, University of Surrey, Sam Rowley, James Richings and Azaria Coupe, University of Southampton.
People’s Choice: Nicola Abraham, University of Sussex, Filippo Contenta, Tom Coates, University of Surrey and Kerri Loughney, St Mary’s Twickenham with Peter Shaw, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited.
Congratulations to all the winners!
The Students also had great fun building water rockets after the barbecue:
Photographs from the Summer School are available here:
SEPnet students recently came together to participate in two days of intensive entrepreneurship training as part of our annual GRADnet Enterprising Ideas competition.
Elaine Hickmott, who developed the programme, explains how ‘by mixing the problem-solving and analytical skills developed as a physicist with an understanding of business and industry’, graduates can truly position themselves for success. She adds ‘this may translate into the ability to secure more funding as an academic, being the best physicist you can be, starting your own company or building a rewarding industrial career.’
Ricky D’Costa, a physics student at Surrey, shared his views about the training: ‘I have learnt that being an entrepreneur is not always about financial profit. People can become social entrepreneurs to help society and, whatever profit they make, they can use it to develop their business further. I have learnt to think from other people’s perspective – how they feel, think and process information. If ideas are criticised too early, people might be discouraged from sharing their thoughts. The most important aspect for me was understanding the four stages of innovation: Dreamer, Realist, Critic and Implementer. I am now keen to take my business idea further!’
Have you worked on an outreach, public engagement or science communication project based on the physical sciences? Are you looking to share your learning, celebrate your success and help others avoid your mistakes? If so then the Interact symposium is for you!
We are looking for all sorts of people to put forward sessions and share their experiences of working on outreach, public engagement or science communication projects. This includes community partners, outreach officers, freelance science communicators, the museum sector, creative producers, the arts community, media, and informal educators as well as researchers with public engagement experience.
Whether it’s a project that engaged a new audience, or an innovative way you raised science capital in schools, a new demonstration that encapsulates all the excitement of your latest research, a tested method of measuring impact or even that project that went so horrifically wrong; this is your opportunity to share!
The conference is targeted at physicists and physical scientists looking to share best practice, exchange ideas and meet some new colleagues for potential future projects. This conference gives them time for them to get out of the lab and think about the public and how to engage with them. The content for the workshop will be decided by those attending.
The STFC, IOP and SEPnet are co-hosting the event around the following themes:
There will be two different formats for sharing your experience:
Parallel session / workshop. We have many breakout rooms of different sizes that need filling with you and your knowledge! Do you know a few other people who have worked on a similar area? Invite them along and put on a session together. We really want as much variety as possible! We are open to all sorts of formats, lengths of time and audience numbers, at this stage simply let us know! Please submit your session ideas here.
An exhibition space. There will also be an exhibition space for you to demonstrate your activities in the marketplace. Here is your opportunity to show off your demonstration or that shiny exciting bit of kit throughout the day. If you would like to bring along your activity, please fill submit this form.
Deadline for applications will be Friday 30 June. If you are applying for a session, please do also register for the conference here.
Applicants will be told if their session and exhibition space has been successful by the end of July.
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