Two year 12 students find out all about Human-Computer Interaction during their in2science placements in UCLIC

The UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC) has taken part in the in2science placement scheme which gives year 12 students the opportunity to work alongside science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) scientists and receive advice about university and STEM careers.

Dr Charlene Jennett, a research associate in UCLIC, welcomed two in2science students Nahida and Azzam from Stepney in East London to UCL for a week in July. Nahida is hoping to study Psychology at university, while Azzam is hoping to study Mathematics.

During their placements Charlene introduced Nahida and Azzam to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research, showed them around UCL, and introduced them to lots of other UCL staff and students so that they could talk about the research being undertaken at UCL and the careers available.

During their placements, Nahida and Azzam found out about information security and encryption, the use of 3D imaging for the Petrie Museum's fragile objects, ways in which medical technologies are being improved, as well as meeting scientists who are working on robotics. They also took part in a 360 video experiment and met some User Experience designers.

Nahida and Azzam wrote daily blog posts about their experiences.

Charlene said: "We hope that by reading their blog posts, other students will feel inspired to find out more about HCI research at university."

Image: Charlene Jennett (left) with Nahida (middle) and Azzam (right).