Marina Ruiz Sanchez-Oro

I have gained more experience in laboratory and data acquisition techniques, time management and communication

My project was about photodetector testing for photons coming from cosmic muons and I was based in the School’s Particle Physics Experiment research group. It was split almost half and half between experimental work in the lab and simulation work. At the start, I wasn’t very confident about doing real simulation work but I have learnt a lot from it, because you have the pressure from being part of a team you can’t let them down. I have also improved in terms of laboratory and data acquisition techniques since you need to be very organised and have good time management skills to do everything in time.  I have also experienced an improvement in terms of communication, as I had to present my work to academic members of staff and my peers.

Doing this summer project has enabled me to get an insight into what it is like to work in a research environment as part of a team. I now have a better idea of the environment where I would like to work and I think this is very valuable, especially since I was quite unsure when I finished this academic year.

One piece of advice I would give is to make the most of this experience and don’t be afraid of making mistakes and trying different things. This is one of the most valuable experiences I have had in my degree but it is very important not to give up whenever you encounter a problem, just focus on finding a solution!