Field trips

Departure day was filled with lots of reminiscing and tough goodbyes, but also with many promises of future travels across the globe. I extended an ever-open invitation to Canada, and assured my fellow participants that the west coast would be waiting. After a bittersweet morning, those of us continuing on to the CERN programme made … Read more

Today marked the final day of LIYSF. The closing address was given by Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE, who shared his work in the exciting new field of quantum biology. There is strong evidence that much of life behaves quantum mechanically, including enzymes using quantum tunnelling, plants using quantum coherence, and animals using quantum entanglement. Evidence … Read more

The lecture that I attended this morning was titled ‘Is it possible to build a star on earth? (with humongous lasers)’ by Dr Kate Lancaster. I was originally drawn to this lecture because of its intriguing title, but I was not expecting Dr Lancaster to reveal that a star on earth is in fact becoming … Read more

This morning we travelled all the way to Cambridge. We were first given a guided tour through the campus, and learned about the university’s vast history. I was in awe walking past the colleges where so many great scientists have studied, including Stephen Hawking. The campus is really lovely; the aged stone buildings stand among … Read more

‘Lighting the Way to a Healthier Brain’ was an inspirational lecture led by Professor Clare Elwell and Dr Gemma Bale this morning.  These two incredibly successful medical physicists combine science with healthcare in order to monitor brain activity in an unconventional and nonintrusive way. Their work has proved particularly impactful for newborns with brain injuries … Read more

Dr Matt Sinclair was a LIYSF participant in 2004, and returned this morning to give a specialist lecture on machine learning in medical image analysis. Through the using of artificial intelligence in medical imaging, his company is improving outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease. I find his work particularly intriguing due to its ability … Read more

Today I visited the University of Oxford. The streets were alive with students and tourists, and so very full of the school’s extensive history. I made sure to visit the bookshop, and made what I believe will be my best purchase of the trip. The Museum of Natural History was exquisite. It is home to … Read more

Today proved a particularly special day for me. I had the honour of hearing from and working with Dr Alice Pyne: a physicist and engineer turned biological researcher. Her work focuses on understanding the complex nature of the DNA structure from the most fundamental level, and holds future impacts for antibiotic and cancer treatments. Dr … Read more

The University College London Mullard Space Science Laboratory is an unassuming group of old buildings in the middle of the British countryside, but the research being done inside its walls is nothing short of extraordinary. We were introduced to the facility by Dr Colin Forsyth, who researches the physics that governs our solar system.   … Read more

Professor Seth Love is a dementia researcher looking at the regulation of blood flow in the brain. This morning he shared his work in new ways of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease based off of his unexpected research findings. After the lecture we spent the afternoon in Garden Park, eating lunch and watching the passersby. Later this … Read more