Hello Everyone

[Fox Phlox]

Wow, Kali, yours sounds very impressive (PeterT being a professor is also impressive, but I knew about that already). Where will you be studying? I know that Faji and Gaia are at Bristol now, after a while at Leicester.

[Rowan]

I'm ok. It has been a few years lol

I've finished my degree and will be starting my MSc in Nuclear Science and Technology in September. I want to specialise in experimental reactor design. Other than that, I've just been doing general life stuff lol. I volunteer for the Institute of Physics and for STEM ambassadors. I normally do physics busking type stuff at events etc. I went on an academic trip last summer to CERN in Geneva with some friends from university. It was amazing.
Not much else of interest unfortunately  

What have you guys been up to?

Hello Kali! This is great "news" - it's very impressive to hear what you have done.  And  I think your course might be the one my son did last year - if it is in Manchester.  He has now continued on to a PhD.   

[Kali Schomer]

Hi Rowan 

Yes, it is based at Manchester Uni, but some of the modules are at other universities and we are encouraged to find a company in which to complete the project we have to do for our dissertation in the summer. I've started to look for that project now - so much to do in so little time lol 

I'm not sure what I want to do next. A PhD would be good, but I've yet to see a topic that I feel I am interested enough in to dedicate 3/4 years of my life in intense study and work. So, if I don't find a PhD, then I'll have to get myself a real job  My student days will be over.

But its very exciting and I feel as though I'm finally working towards a career. Undergrad was fun, but I had no idea what I was going to do after. Now I've made a choice about what direction I want to go in and I can work towards that.

Is your son still at Manchester, or has he moved onto another institute?

[Fox Phlox]

Hi Kali - I'm glad to hear things are going so well for you.
We have a set of funded studentships going at the OU - but I think that even the scientific ones are quite far outside your field. Nothing in physics, I'm afraid.
    Big data and open learning
    Citizen observatories and the environment
    Digital technology and education futures
    Educator roles in open online courses
    Human wellbeing, open education and technology
    Impact of Open Educational Resources
    Investigating Children’s Use of Open Digital Narratives
    Mobile Literacies for Effective Open Learning
    Rethinking student feedback in an open world
    Social networking in language learning and teaching
    Surveillance, Privacy and Learning Analytics
    The role of open practices in enhancing teacher education in LICs
    Understandings of Cultural Openness in Education and Enterprise
http://www.open.ac.uk/creet/main/news/leverhulme-doctoral-scholarships

[Kali Schomer]

Those studentships look like they would be interesting tk research, but you are right - they are quite far away from the areas I'm looking at going into.
I've applied for a few PhDs at uni, so I'll just have to wait and see. And I'm sorting the t my 3 month project for my masters. Very busy times! Lol
If I don't get one of the PhDs, then I'll have to look for a real grown up job   
I've got a good list of companies etc that I would apply to/look into further.
All this grown up stuff isn't fun - it's all very serious
 

[Fox Phlox]

Let us know how you get on. I hope you get funding to do an interesting PhD.