A different take on gravity by MSc Particles, Gravity and Fields students
June 4, 2021
Guest post by Prof Tony Padilla Every so often our students remind you how wonderfully creative and talented they are. This couldn’t have been more true as I marked this years assessments for my Advanced Gravity module. Advanced Gravity forms part of MSc in Particles, Gravity and Fields run jointly between Maths and Physics, and …
Joel captures Mars on closest approach
November 9, 2020
Amazing footage of the rotation of Mars captured by astronomy PhD student Joel Miller and featured on BBC News. Joel (MSci Physics with Astronomy, 2017) has previously featured in this blog for more sporting reasons, but has been finding other ways to keep busy during lockdown by returning to a love of astrophotography. Catching Frisbees …
Quantum Sensing the brains of Cheltenham Science Festival
July 30, 2019
Guest post by Natalie Rhodes (3rd year MSci undergraduate) I was absolutely delighted to be invited to join a group of PhD students, Post Docs, and undergraduates to present to the public “Quantum Sensing the Brain” at the start of June. I had just finished my third year exams (the day before we went!) and …
Brain Imaging on the BBC: Dementia Choir
May 10, 2019
Members of the Medical Imaging group from the School of Physics and Astronomy recently featured in a BBC documentary entitled “Our Dementia Choir“. In this guest post, Dr. Lauren Gascoyne and Dr. Rebecca Dewey describe the science behind the deep connection between music and our brains. The two-part show is available on demand from BBC …
Spring into Science 2019: thunderbolts and lightning for Year 8 students
May 7, 2019
One of the highlights of our Outreach programme is the now annual “Spring into Science” show: an interactive demonstration of light and sound designed for Year 8 students in the Nottingham area. Prof Philip Moriarty presents the show, with the support of Prof Ed Copeland and his outreach team and our wonderful technical support staff. …
CSI: East Midlands
March 13, 2019
In this guest post by Dr. James Sharp, we learn about about cutting-edge new techniques used to measure fingerprints. A paper describing this work was published in the journal Science and Justice and was recently featured on BBC CrimeWatch Roadshow. For more information on how physics and forensics go together, see a previous post on this …
My first conference ever: personal experiences and what I’ve learned
November 30, 2018
Guest post by Jo Melton, fourth year MSci Physics undergraduate and aspiring science communicator who has previously played a big role in our social media team. With the end of my masters course looming, I realised I couldn’t put off the dreaded job search any longer. Throughout my degree I’ve not really given what I’d …
The physics of muesli
November 22, 2018
Ever wondered why the big bits rise to the top in a box of muesli? Dr. Mike Swift appeared on the Channel 4 show “Food Unwrapped” recently to explain the physics behind the so-called Brazil Nut Effect. Skip to 12:45 at the link below to see Mike give a demonstration of granular physics in action, …
Shivani Dave redefines the kilogram on Radio 4
November 18, 2018
Delighted to hear recent graduate Shivani Dave (2017 BSc, Physics) on Radio 4 explaining the redefinition of the kilogram earlier this week. No longer tied to a single lump of metal sitting in a vault in Paris, the new definition adopted on Friday at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Paris redefines our …
Calling all volunteers: the Inflativerse needs you!
October 1, 2018
We are rather enthusiastic about public engagement at all levels in this department, be it by YouTube, down the pub, or in the classroom. Some of our key outreach activities are planned, delivered, and managed by our very talented undergraduate and postgraduate students. In this guest post, Tom Peterken (currently a PhD student and a …