On the 11th July, there will be an official ORBYTS
(Original Research By Young Twinkle Students) Closing Ceremony, where
secondary school students will give presentations about their research
in collaboration with UCL PhD students.
Organised
by Dr Clara Sousa-Silva (recent UCL PhD graduate, now part of the
Researchers In Schools program), ORBYTS links UCL Physics &
Astronomy PhD students and post-doc scientists with groups of secondary
school students. Together they perform original research associated with
Twinkle, a UCL-led space mission that will be launched in 2019 to study
the atmospheres of other planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy.
Three
group leaders from UCL Physics & astronomy, Dr Laura McKemmish and
PhD students Emma Barton and Katy Chubb each have a team of 4-6 Year 12
and 13 students from Highams Park School. These students are working
with them to produce original research on the energy levels and
spectroscopy of three different small molecules. Each of these small
molecules is important in exoplanetary environments (such as working
with hot Jupiters or eventually detecting life) which is crucial
preparation for the Twinkle mission. The work the students are doing
will be part of peer-reviewed journal publications in the near future.
The
ORBYTS project has a significant number of female participants and is
an excellent example of encouraging women in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics). This initiative is also a key component of
the Twinkle Space Mission which has equal gender representation at the
top level.
The Closing Ceremony is free and open to all; guests are asked to sign up via EventBrite for numbers.
Links
MAPS Newsletters
The MAPS Faculty Focus is published monthly and contains news, updates, and opportunities for MAPS staff.
Open Days
The Faculty participates in a number of open days throughout the academic year, including the UCL Undergraduate Open Days and the UCL Graduate Open Day.
Friends of Out@UCL
Professor Ivan Parkin -
Dean, UCL Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
"I fully support the aims of the Friends of Out@UCL campaign. I have
personal experience of the need for such a campaign and the
difficulties that the LGBTQ+ community face." Read more...
Snapshots from Space History
Online exhibition of historic space photos from the faculty's planetary science archives.