Students showcase their SEPnet success

Students, academics and companies gathered at a special event at the University of Southampton to celebrate the outstanding achievement of Physics and Astronomy students on recent SEPnet internships.

Last summer SEPnet – the South East Physics Network – arranged 50 student placements at companies across the UK and 25 of these placements were awarded to Physics and Astronomy students from the University of Southampton.

SEPnet is a consortium of physics departments from nine world-class universities, including the University of Southampton, that are working together to promote excellence in Physics through high quality research, collaboration, teaching and outreach activities.

Clare Bodimeade, SEPnet employer engagement officer at the University of Southampton, said: “We were absolutely delighted that so many of our students were selected by SEPnet to take up their internships over the summer.

“We organised this event to celebrate the achievements of our students, showcase their work and raise the awareness, both with staff and students at the University and with local employers, about the opportunities these placements provide and the experience our students have gained during their work. It has been fantastic to see the students, interns and employers mixing and sharing their experiences

“We hope that by attending this event more students will be encouraged to apply for these internships and more employers will look to creating links with SEPnet to provide these internships in the future.”

Two of Southampton’s students – Amy Ennion and Azaria Coupe – were also celebrating recently winning awards at the annual SEPnet Students’ Expo. At the event the interns were asked to present posters on their summer placement projects and Amy and Azaria were recognised for their outstanding work.

Azaria, who worked on a CERN project for her internship, said: “I felt incredibly shocked when I heard I had won. It is excellent recognition and is something that will help me stand out and be respected by any future potential employers.

“The internship was an amazing opportunity. You gain far more experience, meet new people and can get involved in cutting edge research.”

For some Southampton students their internships have led to them gaining a job. MPhys Physics student Laura Benn, did a SEPnet internship at Magnetic Shields, in Kent, two years ago, and after graduating this summer she will be joining them as a Technical Consultant.

As well as staff and students, the celebration event also provided an opportunity for local employers to find out more about the benefits of providing SEPnet internships.

Derek Finch, a Senior Radar Systems Engineer at BAE Systems, at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, said: “I have found it really interesting to attend this event and see the internships that have been carried out. It is something we will be looking into for the future. It is a great way of giving young people the chance to gain an understanding about what sort of work goes on and see the different opportunities on offer, while as employers we are able to showcase what we do to potential graduates.”