Annabel Stork - Summer STEM Virtual Work Placement Student - Weekly Reports

 

In April SATRO took the unprecedented (and sad) decision to suspend the Research Programme for this year due to COVID-19. We asked all our providers for a 'day in the life of' summaries to give the students a flavour of the many types of roles that are available in the professional environments. 

Following SATRO's hard work to develop an online policy. In May, we reached out to our wonderful providers to propose a virtual solution and to get around any social distancing rules. The response was amazing. We asked for suitable titles that the students could research over the summer and devise a short essay and either a PP or a poster with their findings. 

All students have been asked to provide a weekly update on their experience - please see below to see what Annabel has been up to so far! 

 Week One

"I chose to research ‘How will quantum computing change our society?’, one of the physics questions. I chose this title for numerous reasons, one of them being that I my knowledge on quantum computers was relatively limited before I started my research. Another reason being that recently quantum computers have been in the news and there’s lots of stigma about if quantum computers will be able to breach our security, for example banking information. I wanted to know if any of these stigmas were true and if we should be worried. Moreover, the quantum world is deeply fascinating. 

So far my research has been progressing along steadily. At first I found it useful to understand what a quantum computer is and how they work. After securing a basic knowledge of the mechanics behind the machines, I delved into how they could be utilised in society. The internet of course has been exceptionally useful, filled with YouTube videos and articles, although to progress my research further I need to start looking at recently published papers in scientific journals. I have thoroughly enjoyed my research thus far and am looking forward to learning more."

- Annabel Stork