Waking up bright and early again, unfortunately, I was able to grab some wall adapters and finally felt like I was starting to settle in. With my phone charged and my body somewhat rested I was ready for our trip to London’s National Physical Laboratory, or NPL for short.
Throughout all 300+ laboratories located at NPL every single one shares the same goal, measurement. From redefining the kilogram or determining the shininess of cat fur, anything that can be measured will be measured here, if demanded by the government or private sector. To further illustrate the need for measuring devices we tried to order a set of weighted dolls, aptly named the dolls of confusion, from lightest to heaviest; as you can see below, it’s much trickier than you think.
We then got a guided tour through some of the lab rooms and spoke with some current researchers about their work. This included a lab dedicated to measuring the efficacy, and stability, of hydrogen fuel cells and THE calibration machine for all of the radiation equipment used in cancer treatment in the UK. Finally, we ended the visit with a friendly competition to come up with the most unique measurements for a cat with proper SI units. I am happy to say my teammate, Rhianna, and I got first place and some cool prizes. Jeff, one of my physics professors from UFV, if you’re reading this, I remembered my units for once!
Ending the day Dervilla Mitchell, a civil engineer by trade, gave our second principal lecture. Discussing her 40-year-long career, she shared some of her most memorable projects throughout life such as how they raised (erected) the roof for the Heathrow Airport in London. Combining a mix of describing the design process and providing career advice, a recurring but greatly appreciated topic, her talk was very informative whilst staying digestible for those without an engineering background such as myself.
For now That’s all Folks!
– Connor