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I worked at CERN within the opto-electronics group where I was a technical student testing the optical data links for the particle detector upgrades.

During my placement I did quality assurance work for optical links for the next Large Hadron Collider upgrade, and tested the links being designed for the upgrade after that. I worked in multiple labs doing experimental physics and coding to control the experiments. I did radiation tests on the devices, working in Switzerland and Belgium, and some days I would be simulating the semiconductor devices and radiation damage they would experience in the detectors.

The experience I have gained of a research facility also solidified my plans to aim to go into research.

Freya Bottom

Physics with Employment Experience MPhys

I learned about the electronics required in a particle detector to send information to the control rooms, and the tests that the optical-links need to undergo to be integrated. An important lesson that I learned on placement was that answers often are not available in research (that's why it's called research) and that's a good thing, it provides more avenues to explore. Generally attitude was far more important than knowledge.

The most enjoyable part of my placement year was the freedom given to achieve goals. There was freedom to improve systems that I felt were more time consuming than necessary or perform more tests that could provide insightful information. That, and the opportunity to work in another country and meet such amazing people.

Taking a year away from studying has helped me focus in my final year, because it was very easy to get used to having evenings and weekends with no work to do. The experience I have gained of a research facility also solidified my plans to aim to go into research. I attended a seminar on the CLOUD experiment and learned that I could use a physics degree to investigate climate change, a field I hadn't realised was physics based until then. Since then it has been my goal to pursue a PhD in this field.