Diverse @ Imperial

Tuesday, 6th December 2016

I didn't expect that what happened today would happen. I was just going about my normal undergraduate business when I got a message from one of the PhD students in the plasma physics group (almost-Dr Hazel Lowe) about having a photoshoot for the Diverse@Imperial project. For those of you that know me, you know that I cannot resist a lab photoshoot, so... of course I said yes! 

But what is Diverse@Imperial I hear you ask?

Diverse@Imperial is a week where Imperial showcases and shows recognition for its diverse (including all backgrounds, ages, disabilities..etc) and talented students and staff. They hope to not only bring awareness to the diversity of Imperial's staff and students but also to inspire others and maybe even allow them to discover role models at Imperial.

Friday, 9th December 2016

I received an email with some of the shots they had taken and I was able to choose which one I thought looked best so that they could display it on flyers, posters and social media related to the Diverse@Imperial project. It was so hard to choose! Or maybe it's because I'm super picky about photos! :p

Here are some photos from the photoshoot, some were taken in the lab I work in for my MSci project, which is called MAGPIE:

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

- Diverse@Imperial week exhibition -

Monday, 31st January - Friday, 3rd February 2017

It was just unreal to see a huge picture of me in the main entrance of Imperial College - felt so honoured to be part of this special week at Imperial that showcases the diversity of its staff and students. Hopefully sharing stories like this will inspire others or at least show others that Imperial staff and students are just like you or me. 

Here's my poster for the exhibition:

Me and giant me.

My story

Photo courtesy of Twitter

Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications

Check out the link to my story on the Imperial College website here.

Also, just wanted to shout out to Hazel Lowe for allowing me to take part in Diverse@Imperial week - here's her poster and story.

Hazel Lowe, PhD student, Plasma Physics Group, Imperial College.
Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Hazel and her story. Photo courtesy of Imperial College Communications.

Soho Radio

January 14th, 2017

I can't believe I'm saying this but I've just been on the radio for my first ever radio interview with Soho Radio! I was invited to the Science Mixtape show which airs every Saturday at 10am and lasts for an hour. It aims to find out more about the science and musical taste of an expert guest. So, I not only got to talk about fusion, MAGPIE (the experiment I am working on) and women in physics but also got to choose 6 of my favourite songs to air on the radio! 

Song list (for anyone that wanted to know):
Kygo ft. Maty Noyes - Stay
Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
Sean Paul ft. Dua Lipa - No Lie
Nicky Jam - Hasta El Emanecer
Ne-Yo - Closer
Christopher & Matoma - Take Me Back

So I woke up this morning at 5 am, brought my notepad with me with all my notes and made my way to uni - probably the earliest I've been into uni ever! I went down to the lab to get my demo, a baloon-popping-laser called the POP-O-MATIC, all ready for the show! I got into an Uber with the Pop-O-Matic (obviously got weird looks from the driver as I was carrying this huge and probably suspicious science equipment) and made my way to Soho Radio HQ. When I walked into the studio the first thing I noticed was the amazing cacti collection near the front of the room - it was pretty epic! 

Kyle Major, one of the presenters of Science Mixtape, was waiting for me in the studio which was full of radio equipment - microphones, headphones and all! I started to set up the Pop-O-Matic and almost immediately I found out that it wasn't working - I was so disappointed! I had checked it before I left university and it was working fine so I guess it must of got knocked in transit - what a shame! It's such a cool demo and I really wanted it to work but I suppose that is the nature of science - sometimes your experiments just don't do what you want them to do. Oh well :(

After that, I went through a sound check, put my radio headphones on (where I could hear my own voice - weird!) and before I knew it we were LIVE ON AIR!!!! I was so nervous! All I could think about was that my friends and family were all listening in. This was my first time on the radio so I didn't really know what to expect and I didn't want to mess up. 

The hour flew by and in no time at all it was over. We touched upon so many different topics and we even squeezed in some recent science articles too. During the song breaks I was trying so hard not to laugh because I was finding it so hard to believe that I was actually on the radio! All in all, it was great fun and I loved it SO much - so much so that I wanted to do it all over again!

You can check out some of my live videos from the day on Facebook and Twitter. 

Here are some pictures from the day:

Pop-O-Matic (balloon-popping laser demo)

Soho Radio HQ/Studios

Pre-radio interview nerves showing through here (Photo courtesy of Yasmin, Soho Radio)

Mid-radio interview vibes (Photo courtesy of Yasmin, Soho Radio)

Post-radio interview smiles - that's a wrap!

Soho Radio (loving the neon lights - that's a plasma!)

Check out the Soho Radio Instagram page and Facebook page for a video of my failed demo :( 

Check out the video below of the Pop-O-Matic in action and how it should have worked on the radio show:

You can check out the podcast version of the show online here and here. Hope you enjoy it! :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to thank Luke Robert Mason for introducing me to Matilda Hay, Science Mixtape presenter, and making my time on Soho Radio a reality. A huge thank you to Kyle Major and Yasmin for making me feel relaxed during the show! Thanks Soho Radio for having me - I'd love to do it again!