Amy testing samples in the lab

Amy’s summer internship success

Amy Austrin secured a five-week internship as part of the Interreg REDPOL (reduction of pollution by endocrine disrupting compounds at source) project this summer, and helped Dr Wulan Koagouw in the lab. Read what Amy has to say about the skills learned during her internship.

280L of artificial seawater, 300 cleaned mussels and 120 tissue samples later…Over the last 5 weeks, I have spent some fantastic days in the laboratory with the Redpol team at the University of Brighton. It has truly been an invaluable experience.

Amy working in the lab

From day one my supervisor Wulan made me feel comfortable within the lab and talked me through the programme to make sure we could fit in two rounds of exposures within my time there. As a student who feels very comfortable doing fieldwork, I was nervous about being within the lab. Although there was a lot to learn to ensure each step was performed correctly, Wulan talked me through each process I would be performing clearly, which allowed me to feel confident to undertake the tasks correctly. Some of my responsibilities was creating the artificial seawater, pipetting tissue preservatives, setting up the cold room and the final task of dissecting the mussels for molecular and histology analysis.

Throughout the weeks, my confidence and abilities have grown in all these areas, showing that this opportunity has provided me with transferable skills for future lab experience and experimental design. Some of the essential skills gained are being aware of potential cross-contamination and learning the anatomy of mussels to identify the correct tissues for dissection.

Also, the importance of asking questions as you learn so much! I got to discuss the rationale for concentrations of each contaminant, how collaborations with other universities and researchers help inspire experimental design and the hopes for the future impacts of the research.

This internship has definitely inspired me on what I would like my future career to be. Thank you to Interreg RedPol for the opportunity!!

Shantel looking into microscope

My placement experience at University Hospitals Sussex Pathology East

How I felt starting my placement and the advice I would give to others

My placement was in the Cellular Pathology department at University Hospitals Sussex Pathology East. When I started I felt excited to have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained from the first two years of studying Biomedical Science BSc(Hons) in a professional clinical setting. I was keen to delve into the variety of different diagnostic tests carried out in the hospital to gain a better understanding of what a practicing biomedical scientist does. However, I felt nervous about the step up in responsibility and autonomy that comes with working in the healthcare setting. I was also worried about the amount of work that would be required to complete the registration training portfolio whilst working full time.

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Abbie with a duck

Getting a head start on your career

Abbie Hobbs graduated in Ecology and Conservation in January 2022. Read her story….

As a very recent Ecology and Conservation BSc graduate, I am sharing how a slightly unusual path through my course gave me a head start on my career.

I started my undergraduate course in 2016 and really enjoyed the wide-ranging content, from micro-biology to behavioural ecology. When a sandwich placement year was offered, I decided it would be a good opportunity to get some work experience before graduating and might help me get an idea of the kind of jobs I could work towards. The careers service was extremely helpful with finding possible placements, writing applications, and preparing for interviews. Continue reading “Getting a head start on your career”

How studying Environmental Sciences at Brighton helped me succeed

Connor working in labThis past year I have completed my Environmental Sciences BSc(Hons) degree at Brighton with first class honours, receiving the Environmental Sciences award for best overall performance and completing a placement year in industry. It is thanks to all of my supervisors, lecturers, support staff and fellow students at the University of Brighton, that I was able to achieve this, and I wish to share with you how studying Environmental Sciences at Brighton put me in a position to succeed.

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Dolphin jumping in the sea

My research internship with dolphins!

After applying and securing the seven-week research internship for Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) at the start of the year, in September 2021, I headed to New Quay. New Quay is in West Wales (not Cornwall!) which was a new discovery for me! Sea Watch Foundation are a marine conservation charity that work nationally collecting data and promoting citizen science from UK coastlines.

The internship in New Quay is dedicated to their long-term project monitoring the dolphins of Cardigan Bay. This has been in place since 2000 and is recognised as the largest dolphin monitoring project in Europe. This project and its dedicated work have enabled two Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to be introduced to Cardigan Bay, successfully providing protection not only for the semi-resident dolphin population, but for the diverse marine habitat associated with the bay.

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View from the shore of Malham Tarn

Autumn colours

Since my last blog I have been keeping very busy! Autumn is a busy season for the FSC, here at Malham Tarn we have had multiple A-level groups, GCSE groups, University groups and more. I have been supporting the tutors in grassland ecology field sessions, helping to learn about various surveys techniques, plant identification and more. This has really helped me to improve my own plant identification and each week I notice myself becoming more confident and remembering more and more plants. I have been given the opportunity to lead more groups through the peat bog, discussing with them how it is formed, succession and the important species it is home to.

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