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SPEAK for YOURSELF Editorial MARCH 2006 OPEN UNIVERSITY SWR INTERVIEW CAREERS OU students Scott Kelly: The pros consider the to infinity and cons of end of an era and beyond doing a PhD nexusnews The Student Newsletter of the Institute of Physics PHYSICISTS AND THE MEDIA SPEAK FOR YOURSELF Editorial Letter from the editor Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Okay, so the cover is a little misleading. Instead of “Speak for Place, London W1B 1NT, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7470 4800 yourself” it should probably read “How to work in harmony with Fax: +44 (0)20 7470 4848 journalists to achieve a less misleading interpretation of your scientific views”. But that’s not as snappy. Besides, I bet the one we Samir Dawoud Student liaison officer and chose grabbed your attention! editor of Nexus News Joking aside, being unable to express your ideas and views to [email protected] someone without being misinterpreted is frustrating – whether it’s your friends, your family or even journalists. The Science Media Sarah Connolly Member support officer Centre, in conjunction with the charitable trust Sense About Science, [email protected] offers valuable advice on how to work effectively with the press from those on both sides of the fence. Check out Frances Downey’s report on p8 about a recent Voice of Young Science media day, and pick up Vishanti Lall some invaluable tips. Institute careers adviser [email protected] Elsewhere, the Imperial College Astronomy Society presents a fascinating interview with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (p5) who has some inspirational advice for young scientists. Curiously, Kelly’s identical twin brother is also a NASA astronaut, who appeared in a E-mail [email protected] if you have any queries about your subscription, need to recent issue of Nexus News! It sounds like a bad excuse for me to register a change of address or have missed a recycle material but I promise it’s true! copy of Physics World. There is a lot to investigate in this issue, so I think it’s time you Nexus committee started. I hope you enjoy it. Laura Pickard President [email protected] Antony Carver English representative [email protected] Dayle Edwards Welsh representative [email protected] Stuart Lynn Scottish representative [email protected] Eoin Kerrane Irish representative [email protected] Samir Dawoud, editor/student liaison officer Nexus News is published three times a year by Contents Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd, Dirac House, Temple Back, Bristol BS1 6BE, UK. News 3 Art director Andrew Giaquinto Production Seth Burgess Features Circulation Claire Webber The lab of luxury 4 © 2006 Institute of Physics Rocket man 5 Printed by Warners (Midlands) plc, Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK. Racing ahead 7 The contents of this magazine do not Don’t be afraid to necessarily represent the views or policies of the Institute of Physics, except where speak out 8 explicitly stated. Cover image: You can’t complain Lessons by the lake 11 If you would like to submit an article about the press misreporting FAQs on PhDs 13 to Nexus News, contact the editor for further information. All contributions scientific news if you don’t do you are warmly welcomed. bit to get involved. p8. Regulars The Back Page 15 2 N EXUS N EWS M ARCH 2006 News&Events If you would like more information about The conference promises to be an exciting Societies win registering your society with Nexus, please opportunity for students to witness this e-mail the student liaison officer at rare event while strengthening links with Nexus awards [email protected]. the international student community. Nexus is coordinating with the regional Congratulations were in order at the Nexus Institute branches to offer branch annual general meeting, which took place Dublin YPC is subsidies to its members, so that students at the Institute of Physics in London on 5 have more options to choose from when November, when four student physics a big success selecting their financial support. societies took the prizes in the 2005 Nexus Visit www.solareclipse2006.org for more Society Awards. The winner in each The Institute’s seventh Young Physicists’ information about the conference and category received a substantial cash prize Conference (YPC) took place on 25–27 www.iaps.info to find out about IAPS. To to put towards their future activities. The November 2005 at Trinity College, Dublin. find out more about the availability of winners were: The conference is an opportunity for both Nexus and branch bursaries, or to apply, Best Society: Astro 2, NUI Maynooth undergraduate and postgraduate students please contact the student liaison officer Physics Society – £200; as well as young professional physics by e-mailing [email protected]. Most Improved Society: Surrey graduates to meet and exchange ideas in University Physics Society – £100; an informal environment, and was well Best Website: PsiStar, Queen Mary’s, attended by nearly 100 delegates. Guest Meet the new University of London Physics Society – lecture highlights included Channel 4’s £100; FameLab 2005 winner Dr Mark Lewney, committee Best Newsletter: Imperial College lecturing on topics from the physics of London Physics Society – £100. music to superstring theory with the The Nexus AGM also saw some significant Representatives of NUI Maynooth’s assistance of his custom-made Ibanez changes to the Nexus committee. Chair Astro 2, Emily Duffy and Eoin Butler, electric guitar and his shredding talent! Antony Carver of Bath University stood attended the Institute of Physics awards The undergraduate and postgraduate down after a busy year. His replacement is dinner, held at the prestigious Savoy Hotel lecture competitions – two of the most Laura Pickard, a final-year student at in London in January 2006. They were popular events – were held once again and Bristol University and already an active presented with their prize and drew a large participation. The member of the Nexus community. Laura congratulated by the Institute’s president undergraduate winner was Tom Whyntie of becomes chair after a year of service on the Sir John Enderby. Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, with committee as a regional representative The Nexus committee awarded the Best his lecture “Life, the Universe and… the and we wish her the best of luck. Society prize to Astro 2 for its commitment Neutron?” while the postgraduate Meanwhile, three new members were to public outreach while offering a wide competition was won by Keith Lambkin of welcomed as Nexus expanded its range of social and academic activities to University College Dublin for his lecture representation from across the UK and its members. Meanwhile, Surrey “Gulliver’s Travels and Kepler’s Mistaken Ireland: Chris Wheatland, a final-year University Physics Society won the Most Ingenuity”. Both win expenses-paid trips student from Lancaster University, Eoin Improved Society award for its efforts in to attend the 2006 International Kerrane, a third-year student from Trinity recovering from a three-year lull to Conference of Physics Students (ICPS) in College Dublin, and Elizabeth Chambers, a become a vibrant and active group, while Romania this August. Meanwhile, the PhD student from Sussex University. PsiStar scooped the Best Website award student poster competition was won by for its easily accessible, informative and Richard Branch of St Cross College, Oxford, dynamic website. Finally, Imperial College for his poster on his work with the ESA Advice comes Physics Society secured the Best student parabolic flight campaign. Newsletter Award for its friendly and to your door welcoming membership newsletter GUTed, which gives a great insight into the Get money off Looking for professional advice about your sense of community the society creates job applications or future career? Vishanti among its members. a solar eclipse Lall, the Institute’s careers adviser, will be Want to know more about what these visiting all the branches this year offering great societies are doing? Check out the The International Association of Physics careers guidance to all members, including following websites: Students (IAPS) is organizing a student students. Services on offer include one-to- Astro 2: www.minds.nuim.ie/~astro2 conference in Ankara, Turkey, to coincide one careers guidance, CV tips and advice Surrey University Physics Society: with the 2006 solar eclipse due on 29 on interview techniques. To find out when www.ph.surrey.ac.uk/ugrad/physoc March. To support student members she will be in your area and to book a PsiStar: www.psistar.co.uk hoping to attend this event Nexus is session, visit http://careers.iop.org/ Imperial College London Physics offering a number of bursaries for £60 to mobile_careers or send an e-mail to Society: www.union.ic.ac.uk/physoc partly cover travel and registration costs. [email protected]. N EXUS N EWS M ARCH 2006 3 MSSL The lab of luxury Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) may be the world’s grandest space-research facility. Khee Gan Lee reports on his placement there last summer. s an undergraduate at Univer- entific instruments and detectors to be car- sity College London studying ried into space. I quickly learned that the physics with space science, unforgiving environment of space presents I’ve attended several lecture many engineering challenges, with difficulties courses taught by researchers such as zero gravity, extreme temperatures, Afrom UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory vibrations from lift-off and fluctuating elec- (MSSL). So I jumped at the chance to spend a trical supplies. Each instrument has to be couple of months there in the summer of 2005 designed and built to cope with all these fac- on a research studentship, funded by the tors while carrying out its intended role suc- Nuffield Undergraduate Research Bursary.
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