Earlier this year our HPRU hosted three local school students as part of the Maker Challenge, Outreach programme at Imperial. The programme aims to inspire young person into Science Technology, Engineering and Medicine.
To mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and in particular to highlight the different skills and disciplines needed to tackle antimicrobial resistance, we are sharing the blogs from those students reflecting on their experience and what they learned from our researchers.
We hope to see them back one day as PhD students, researchers, AMR Ambassadors and maybe even future Professors!
Tejas Nair
I took part in a PhD Shadowing with the Department of Computing and William Bolton.
I hoped to gain valuable insight into what it is like completing a PhD course as well as how research is conducted to produce a thesis.
I was shown some of the research conducted as well as the theoretical context behind the research. I was also shown some of the software that was programmed with the code used to process the clinical data.
The most important skill or insight that I took away from the experience was learning about the independence needed to conduct the research. While not fully relevant to the course I am hoping to study, it did provide invaluable insight into a PhD course and writing a thesis. It was an experience that will impact my future decisions about university courses and it has helped me be more informed about university courses beyond a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
Mahir Sharif Askari
I participated in the Imperial PhD shadowing of William Bolton in the computing department. I hoped to get an insight on what studying a PhD is like for my own future decision. I also wanted to see the steps it took to complete a PhD and what you gain from it.
During my placement, I was able to learn about William Bolton’s PhD about linking AI with urgency for care in order to provide the best care for people, I was able to see how AI is coded and learn about machine learning and the complexity of it.
The most important skill I received was the introduction to AI. It was really interesting and to learn more about AI and machine language and why it works it was really thought-provoking and exciting. I got more than what I hoped and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I would recommend it to others 100%, I really enjoyed it and it gives you a proper insight on what studying a PhD does for a specific subject. It can also help to gain an introductory interest in that field and to seek more knowledge in a certain subject or field. But most importantly the PhD students and Imperial environment was welcoming, kind and helpful.
Martina Radenkovic
I participated in the shadowing for the Health Protection Research Unit in HCAI and AMR with Dr Nina Zhu and Rakhee Parmar.
I had always been interested in Biology at school, as well as looking beyond the GCSE curriculum due to the lack of depth we would reach (in my opinion) when in secondary school. My hopes revolved around gaining hands-on experience in a relevant department like Infectious Diseases.
Throughout the wonderful day I was introduced to an incredible team of diverse people, who were collaborating in this project. I met Dr Nina Zhu leading one of the engagement projects, who explained everything they have been doing, what antimicrobial resistance (AMR) entails and what my role would be in this as a school ambassador for the project.
As for the remaining part of the day I proceeded in creating a presentation, directed at Sixth Form students, for them to understand the importance of AMR and participate in the research by completing a short survey with their parents/carers/family).
I believe the most relevant skill I took from this were all interpersonal skills, such as clear and attentive communication (written and verbal), empathy and respect towards others. It was such a lively team that deemed their interactions as incredibly important, hence why their interpersonal skills stood out to me.
I would definitely recommend this opportunity to other pupils who have an interest in enriching their knowledge regarding current research on Antimicrobial Resistance; modern research methods including the community; and overall the environment of working in an office.
It was enterprising and overall a great experience, thank you to all that made it so!