Today I applied for membership with the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). As I'll start reading an MSc soon, I'll want the support they can bring while I undergo my studies.
Other memberships
While I studied chemistry at York, I was signed up to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and I had paid membership fees for the duration of my degree course. This allowed me to have undergraduate / student membership with the institution. This entitled me to the magazines RSC News and Chemistry World. Chemistry World is more of a trade magazine for the chemical sciences and it gives lots of summary articles based on cutting edge research from literature. RSC News keeps one abreast of the situation and happenings in the RSC and leans more toward the educational side of things.
New Beginnings
As I had been a member of the RSC during my first degree, I thought it a good idea to seek membership with the IChemE. If anything, the complimentary magazines are interesting and they can help direct your thinking toward the science as the articles are very focussed on the research / projects/ news they describe. There are many more benefits to being a member and as a young person starting out in their career, there is lots of support out there. There are discounts on course texts and discipline related books and there are opportunities to go to seminars, lectures and symposia too. These conferences are useful because one can hear what the captains of the industry are saying. This last part really excites me as it gives one the opportunity to talk to the people who are heavily involved in the field I want to move into. Certainly in the more social symposia and conferences, there will be the opportunity to network and meet people.
Reasonable Fees
As a member of the RSC, I pay £12 annually for my student membership and gain access to lots of resources and I think this is a reasonable price. For my RSC membership, the level of membership was easy to work out because I was an undergraduate student and so a student membership was appropriate. Because I was now a postgraduate, I was unsure on how to go forward. So I called the IChemE helpline to ask about the right membership for me. The service assistant on the other end advised me that given my previous experience in the chemical sciences, an affiliate membership would be right for me. An affiliate membership is for people who are out of their first degree or have a few years work experience in the chemical sciences. He said £20 would be the annual fee which, if I were to receive the same level of support as from the RSC, was pretty reasonable. He sent out the application form via email and I filled it in. I'm waiting to see if I get any shiny membership cards through the post.
Wholesome Character
Membership of an institution doesn't just give you access to great discounts and very readable 'trade magazines'. It can count as a part of a wholesome character from a professional perspective because being a member of an institution and maintaining that membership can be a sign that you're committed to your science. As a prospective employer, a maintained membership / active participation shows a love for what you do and can often be that extra cherry on the top of what employers expect from applicants. It's a small thing but it's important if you're trying to communicate you're passion for scientific industries in your CV.
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Most matter is empty space
Consider this: an atom is composed of a shell of electrons which orbit at a radius to a nucleus made of neutrons and protons. The electron is very small ( ~ 2 x 10^-15 m ) and the nucleus is also a very small object: ( ~1.75 x 10^-15 m ). Classically, the radius of the atom is 10000 times the radius of the nucleus. The distance between the electrons and nucleus is empty space. This means that nearly all the volume associated with an atom is actually empty space.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Consulting
Being a chemistry graduate, I have quite extensive experience in matters of chemical science and labwork. I am able and willing to consult with you if you have any need for chemical knowledge or assistance in a related area.
Extending out from chemistry, I have experience in public speaking and delivering my thoughts and ideas to groups of people.
Please hit me up if you're interested in some freelance consultancy
Extending out from chemistry, I have experience in public speaking and delivering my thoughts and ideas to groups of people.
Please hit me up if you're interested in some freelance consultancy
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Old Friends
I met up with some of my friends from school / college and went for lunch. It was a really fun time and we reminisced about all sorts of different things that happened during our time at school. We also talked about what we were up to in our social lives and what kinds of things we were doing in our spare time. The conversation was rich and flowed well without pause but we kept coming back to one specific topic - education.
Education
As we had all been through the education machine ( school / college and university) we each had a degree and we kept talking about how we got on at university as we had all recently graduated. This was an interesting conversation in itself as we all went to different universities and read different courses. I contributed all that I had done at university at York and how I really enjoyed my time but moreover, how I had grown as a person and developed from quite a shy and retiring person to a vibrant guy with varied interests and hobbies. This conversation continued for a while fine before I sensed an undercurrent to the conversation. As time went on, we began talking about what we were up to post-graduation and then I hit upon the sensation I felt earlier as tension regarding the jobs market and further education.
Employment
As I've already stated in my profile here, I read chemistry at York and have been accepted into UCL to start an engineering masters in the September. I've already sorted my next path out but I talked to my friend and she said that she was freaking out. She was really nervous about what she wanted to do now as she had no idea and the current jobs market (as of July 2011) is pretty pants. She had told me previously that she wanted to work as an archivist as she had a real affinity for books and written records. She has now lost her passion for that idea but remains really interested in books and the written word. The problem for her is that she read English literature and she is now looking for some general admin work to tide her over. My other friend read a business degree with a gap year. These degree choices aren't the problem; the job choice is. As they have general english skills degrees, they have to compete with all the other people who want a general admin job and have general english skills like graduates in history, history of art, sociology, media. This list can go on and on. There are so few jobs in this sector and they are very heavily oversubscribed. I recently read the figure of 83 graduates going for every job out there.
Engineering
There is a massive need for engineers in the UK as there is plenty of new infrastructure to help install, especially in the IT sector where new servers and electronics engineering are essential to keep pace with modern living and the demand for fast, on-demand services. This sector requires specialist skills in maths, physics and depending on the flavour of engineering, further knowledge in a natural science (physics / biology / chemistry / medicine). This immediately cuts out a lot of the 'normal' competition from general skilled graduates and easily separates the workers from the blaggers as it's hard to 'wing it' in a situation requiring logical engineering principle minded employees.
Neglect
In recent years, there have been many news articles written concerning the type of course being read at university and that there have been great numbers of people reading and studying arts degrees and that the maths and sciences have been grossly neglected. This is true and the consequences of this are now coming to fruition as there are a relatively low number of engineering graduates out there but a great new need for them. This is excellent news if you're into your engineering in a big way. The situation is changing though and the news of neglected science has been overtaken in recent years by the story that the numbers of students opting for maths and sciences have been growing year on year. This could be a reaction to the new government fees for university of £9000 a year. The students could be looking for more value for money and better value in the way of a nearly 9 - 5 teaching day as opposed to 9 or 5 teaching hours a week. There are lots of trends that can be picked out of recent graduate unemployment numbers and new student discipline preferences but one thing's for sure: the neglect of science in favour of arts is being reversed as students look for a strong set of skills with which to start their careers.
Education
As we had all been through the education machine ( school / college and university) we each had a degree and we kept talking about how we got on at university as we had all recently graduated. This was an interesting conversation in itself as we all went to different universities and read different courses. I contributed all that I had done at university at York and how I really enjoyed my time but moreover, how I had grown as a person and developed from quite a shy and retiring person to a vibrant guy with varied interests and hobbies. This conversation continued for a while fine before I sensed an undercurrent to the conversation. As time went on, we began talking about what we were up to post-graduation and then I hit upon the sensation I felt earlier as tension regarding the jobs market and further education.
Employment
As I've already stated in my profile here, I read chemistry at York and have been accepted into UCL to start an engineering masters in the September. I've already sorted my next path out but I talked to my friend and she said that she was freaking out. She was really nervous about what she wanted to do now as she had no idea and the current jobs market (as of July 2011) is pretty pants. She had told me previously that she wanted to work as an archivist as she had a real affinity for books and written records. She has now lost her passion for that idea but remains really interested in books and the written word. The problem for her is that she read English literature and she is now looking for some general admin work to tide her over. My other friend read a business degree with a gap year. These degree choices aren't the problem; the job choice is. As they have general english skills degrees, they have to compete with all the other people who want a general admin job and have general english skills like graduates in history, history of art, sociology, media. This list can go on and on. There are so few jobs in this sector and they are very heavily oversubscribed. I recently read the figure of 83 graduates going for every job out there.
Engineering
There is a massive need for engineers in the UK as there is plenty of new infrastructure to help install, especially in the IT sector where new servers and electronics engineering are essential to keep pace with modern living and the demand for fast, on-demand services. This sector requires specialist skills in maths, physics and depending on the flavour of engineering, further knowledge in a natural science (physics / biology / chemistry / medicine). This immediately cuts out a lot of the 'normal' competition from general skilled graduates and easily separates the workers from the blaggers as it's hard to 'wing it' in a situation requiring logical engineering principle minded employees.
Neglect
In recent years, there have been many news articles written concerning the type of course being read at university and that there have been great numbers of people reading and studying arts degrees and that the maths and sciences have been grossly neglected. This is true and the consequences of this are now coming to fruition as there are a relatively low number of engineering graduates out there but a great new need for them. This is excellent news if you're into your engineering in a big way. The situation is changing though and the news of neglected science has been overtaken in recent years by the story that the numbers of students opting for maths and sciences have been growing year on year. This could be a reaction to the new government fees for university of £9000 a year. The students could be looking for more value for money and better value in the way of a nearly 9 - 5 teaching day as opposed to 9 or 5 teaching hours a week. There are lots of trends that can be picked out of recent graduate unemployment numbers and new student discipline preferences but one thing's for sure: the neglect of science in favour of arts is being reversed as students look for a strong set of skills with which to start their careers.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Pushing Economy Further
New technology to increase the fuel efficiency of fossil fuelled vehicles is coming onto the market all the time. The idea is to either tinker with the engine so one can produce a less thirsty engine or reduce the drag coefficient of the vehicle (making the vehicle body more aerodynamic so it slips through the air with less resistance). This is the approach of the car manufacturers to the new EU legislation which requires all car manufacturers to have an average emission from their range of vehicles of 130g CO2 / km or less (130 grams of carbon dioxide emitted per kilometre or less). There are many technologies already on the market as part of new cars but there are some more subtle technologies seeking to push the economy to the limit.
Already Present
Some excellent examples of this new and emergy branch of automotive engineering are the aerodynamic enhancements made by Ford to their new breed of vehicles. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=34312 This article shows how the designers and engineers put their cars in the wind tunnel and test for drag and they work to minimise this. An excellent product of this process is the active shutting grille. At high speeds, motors at the front of the car shut the grille fins forming an air dam. This minimises air drag off the front of the car and this kind of technology is used all the time by hypermilers wishing to increase fuel economy by crazy amounts: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/effects-air-dam-ford-f350-pickup-3171.html
Another passive technology is the sculpting of the bodywork of the new vehicles to reduce disrupted airflow over the vehicle: http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/car-range
Start, stop, restart
A technology usually reserved for the higher end luxury models is the start-stop technology which involves an on board computer shutting down the engine when the car comes to a stop then starting it up again when the accelerator pedal is depressed when the lights change. This saves fuel by simply turning the engine off and this technique can be utilised by every vehicle when a lengthy stop at the traffic lights is on the cards.
A look to the future
New exhaust technology being pioneered at the Universities of Cardiff and Birmingham intends to further increase the fuel economy of vehicles by injecting fuel into a conversion unit in the exhaust, allowing it to react using the heat of the exhaust gases and then passing it through the engine. This is a more efficient way to use fuel as it converts simple diesel or petrol into carbon monoxide and molecular hydrogen which are better fuels than simple hydrocarbons. It is a 'green' approach too as it utilises the waste heat of the engine to drive the chemical reaction of conversion of the fuel. The average gains from preliminary testing are suggested to be around an extra 10% mileage with diesel engines and 20% with petrol engines. The lead scientist for this process, Stan Golunski, has been working on the concept for more than 10 years and expects the techology to be perfected and on the road before 2020. http://www.theengineer.co.uk/news/on-board-fuel-reforming-could-enhance-vehicle-efficiency/1005487.article
Already Present
Some excellent examples of this new and emergy branch of automotive engineering are the aerodynamic enhancements made by Ford to their new breed of vehicles. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=34312 This article shows how the designers and engineers put their cars in the wind tunnel and test for drag and they work to minimise this. An excellent product of this process is the active shutting grille. At high speeds, motors at the front of the car shut the grille fins forming an air dam. This minimises air drag off the front of the car and this kind of technology is used all the time by hypermilers wishing to increase fuel economy by crazy amounts: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/effects-air-dam-ford-f350-pickup-3171.html
Another passive technology is the sculpting of the bodywork of the new vehicles to reduce disrupted airflow over the vehicle: http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/car-range
Start, stop, restart
A technology usually reserved for the higher end luxury models is the start-stop technology which involves an on board computer shutting down the engine when the car comes to a stop then starting it up again when the accelerator pedal is depressed when the lights change. This saves fuel by simply turning the engine off and this technique can be utilised by every vehicle when a lengthy stop at the traffic lights is on the cards.
A look to the future
New exhaust technology being pioneered at the Universities of Cardiff and Birmingham intends to further increase the fuel economy of vehicles by injecting fuel into a conversion unit in the exhaust, allowing it to react using the heat of the exhaust gases and then passing it through the engine. This is a more efficient way to use fuel as it converts simple diesel or petrol into carbon monoxide and molecular hydrogen which are better fuels than simple hydrocarbons. It is a 'green' approach too as it utilises the waste heat of the engine to drive the chemical reaction of conversion of the fuel. The average gains from preliminary testing are suggested to be around an extra 10% mileage with diesel engines and 20% with petrol engines. The lead scientist for this process, Stan Golunski, has been working on the concept for more than 10 years and expects the techology to be perfected and on the road before 2020. http://www.theengineer.co.uk/news/on-board-fuel-reforming-could-enhance-vehicle-efficiency/1005487.article
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