Year in Industry Student Profiles
George
Year in Industry Scheme 2008/09
"On spotting an MOD placement at Porton Down on the YinI website I was immediately drawn to what seemed rather glamorous and interesting work. A bit more research into the company in fact confirmed this. The research here is indispensable to our armed forces, and the breadth of the work gives one an insight into many areas of science. The company also offers the opportunity to win a scholarship through university, an additional attraction. The placement seemed somewhat related to my degree, as I was told in interview that the team works on biological data also.
"I have entered into the Statistics, Informatics and Design team, a developing field in Dstl. I am principally involved in statistical analysis or modelling of experimental data from many of the departments on site, which means I catch a glimpse of many areas of research. The team is also involved in design of experiments.
"I am aiming to study Biochemistry at university, and have applied this year. I have just completed my A levels at Eton, in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths.
"The placement is allowing me to experience an area of science that I would probably not have otherwise got in to. The use of statistics and effective design are useful in all areas of science, and will most probably help me in my degree. The company are giving me, on the whole, stimulating work; requiring me to learn many new skills. I think life in university will be easier after 10 months spent living away from home, by one’s own means, and having developed the self motivation that is often not required in a timetabled school education. I am hoping the universities I am applying for will be impressed by the way I am spending my Gap year, being involved in critical, cutting edge science."
Blanaid
Year in Industry Scheme 2008/09
"My educational background is fairly standard: I went to a girls' secondary school and completed GCSEs and A-Levels: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and French. After my Year in Industry, I will study Engineering at Cambridge; at this stage I'd like to specialise in aeronautics.
"My interest in this area is one reason why I chose to work at Dstl. Across the sites, almost all disciplines of science and engineering are practised, and other staff are happy to talk to me about their work, and conversely, I am able to tell them about mine. Currently, I test the collection efficiency of various kinds of filters in a purpose-built rig. Eventually, my team aims to develop an automated system which will sample air, collect any aerosol present onto a filter, extract the collected material and present the user with a liquid sample which can then be analysed further. I also have smaller, additional pieces of work: I am developing a simple Perl program for a particle counter which we recently acquired, and will also co-ordinate the YinI students' "Community of Practice", a pan-Dstl web-based interest group.
"I have only been at Dstl for two months, but already I feel that I have gained valuable experience of working in research; I've had both good results, and results that have set me back to square one. In which case, I can discuss the situation with top scientists and use their expertise to help find another solution. The work I do is related to my future career, and gaining familiarity with standard procedures and software will give me an advantage at university next year.
"Finally, it's fun to live independently, and I've made new friends here; they make the whole experience even more enjoyable."
Line Manager's perspective
"We've had Year In Industry students within the team for the past eight years. They are always hard working, very bright and quick and willing learners. They rapidly integrate into the team and are given real projects to work on. For the past few years we’ve put our students to work in the lab where they are instructed by one of our lead technical staff and also mentored by another team member. They often provide a fresh pair of eyes to look at problems and so might come up with solutions that more experienced staff have missed. Of the past eight students we’ve offered six of them a Dstl scholarship which means we give them a summer job and money to help them at university and this I feel is a good reflection of how highly we think of them."