careers | Employability in Applied Sciences

I Gained a Summer Internship at Science Futures Fair 2023, Here’s How

Employability in Applied Sciences | 6 March 20236 March 2023

The Science Futures Fair is an annual event that provides a valuable platform for showcasing research and career opportunities in various scientific fields. This year, the fair was held at the UWE Bristol Enterprise Park and was attended by students across all years of study and numerous companies and professionals from across the country, making it an interesting and interactive experience for students to explore opportunities for the future.

One of the key benefits of the Science Futures Fair is that it provides a unique opportunity for students to explore different professional careers. With various stalls for students interested in fields like biomedical sciences, healthcare, and environmental sciences, there was something for everyone who attended. By interacting with different companies, I gained invaluable insights into potential career pathways.

LearnSci

During my visit to the Science Futures Fair, I was immediately drawn to the LearnSci stall, which showcased innovative teaching and learning resources for university science students. The team exhibiting at the stall were enthusiastic about the company and their products, and I took the opportunity to engage with them. During our conversation, I expressed my interest in science communication and digital illustration, which were well aligned with the company’s focus.

Summer Internship with LearnSci

Throughout my academic journey, I have been exploring how digital illustration can be applied in a scientific field. By creating posters and illustrations, I have honed my skills in this area. Following my interaction with the LearnSci team, I was thrilled to be offered an 8-week summer internship where I will create visual and informative media, such as infographics while working alongside the communications team at LearnSci.

Image taken from: https://www.learnsci.com/post/introducing-learnsci-our-new-brand

UWE Careers & Enterprise Session: Get the most out of Science Futures!

To prepare for the Science Futures Fair, I attended a talk organised by the Careers Team, which proved to be incredibly helpful. The preparation allowed me to develop thoughtful questions to ask the professionals and companies who attended the fair, which helped me to get the most out of the experience. By reflecting on my experiences and achievements at UWE, I was able to identify the key qualities that could be valuable to potential employers, which gave me the confidence to talk about my achievements and experiences.

Based on my own experience, I would highly recommend that students take the time to prepare for events like careers fairs. This could include researching the companies and professionals who will be attending, as well as exploring their LinkedIn pages and other social media platforms. By doing this research and preparation, students can come to the event armed with thoughtful questions and a better understanding of the companies they are interested in. This will allow them to make the most of their time at the fair and maximise the opportunities available to them.

In the Future

Attending the Science Futures Fair was an exciting and valuable experience that helped me discover potential career opportunities that I may have not encountered otherwise. Besides exploring the job and internship offerings, the fair provided a great networking platform to connect with other students in the science field. By participating in events like this, I gained a better sense of my career objectives and professional development as a student.

Overall, I strongly encourage other students to attend the Science Futures Fair in the future and to engage with the companies attending to explore the wide range of opportunities available. It’s also helpful to prepare for the event beforehand by researching the companies to make the most of the experience.

Enjoy reading and don’t forget to leave us a comment.

This article was written by Ilyssa Alagon, Second year undergraduate student in Biological Sciences at the School of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol.

If you have any question about this article or want to write for the blog, get in touch with us via LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also contact the Editor for details.

Connecting With Other Scientists Globally – Join a Professional Society

Employability in Applied Sciences | 14 January 202314 January 2023

An image of people networking at an event. Imagine from Adobe Stock photos

Among the benefits of undertaking a science degree is the opportunity to network and connect with other scientists and to learn from experts in the diverse scientific fields. As students, you get to read articles published by authors from across the globe and your recommended textbooks are also written by scientists engaged in all sorts of cool stuff.

Before the days of online networking sites, apps and social media, it was much harder to connect with these leading figures and notable scientists.

What has changed?

We now have the internet and all the notable scientific professional societies have developed platforms where scientists from across the globe can connect, network and collaborate with others who share mutual interests.

Is there any value to being a member of a professional society as a student?

Yes, some of the courses on offer in the applied/life sciences field are accredited by professional bodies e.g. Royal Society of Biology, Institute of biomedical Sciences, Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences etc. For those that do not offer accreditation, there are many other benefits.

Regardless of your level of study or scientific field, it is of value to you as a student to be a member of a professional body. Firstly, it looks great on your CV and can often be a point of discussion during interviews.

Joining a professional society gives you access to magazines about the society, regular updates about events, conferences, volunteering opportunities, job opportunities and grants. Several UK societies offer summer bursaries of grants which allow second year students to undertake summer placements at their institution for about 8-12 weeks. For a student, this provides invaluable experience and many students who are successful in undertaking these internships/placements are able to demonstrate work experience and research experience on their CVs.

Better still, some of these internships lead to opportunities to present at conferences and can also contribute to published articles – imagine yourself as the author of a paper presented at a conference or on a journal article…this is for many what being a scientist is about.

For postgraduate and PhD students, professional societies play an important role in your career development.

Personally, I attribute a lot of my career progress to being connected to a wide network of researchers who I would not have been able to access without relevant professional society networking opportunities.

Several societies offer PhD studentships annually or grants for PhD students who are undergoing hardship or grants for self-funded students who need support. There are also many early career grants to help students at all levels to engage in research or scientific endeavour.

Meeting some of your scientific heroes or role models in the field is always exciting and a good reason to engage with professional bodies. I have met many of mine, I hope you get to meet yours as well through your professional society networks.

Do I need to be an expert to join?

No, many of these societies have different levels of membership starting from the student member category. This is really important as these societies and professional bodies recognise the value of having the future of the science among their ranks.

Students of today are the experts of tomorrow.

What if I don’t want to be a researcher?

Being a member of a professional society is not only relevant to those seeking research opportunities, most societies recognise that and cater for diverse member interests. While some students may not be interested in research, some may be creative or like to run school events etc. these societies welcome all types of members.

But there are many societies, how do I know which to join?

While there are many societies (which is great), for students this can also present some confusion as to which may be more relevant or not. My advice, speak to your personal tutor or your course leader and ask them to recommend a society or two based on your course or your interests. Many of your tutors are already members of professional bodies and maintain their membership.

Helping you decide

I have produced a list of professional societies (not exhaustive) which you can have a look at. If you are a student in the School of Applied Sciences, I would encourage you to chat to your personal tutor or any member of staff you interact with and ask for advice on which societies they recommend.

Royal Society of Biology

Microbiology Society

The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences

The Genetics Society

Institute of Environmental Sciences

Royal Society of Chemistry

British Pharmacological Society

Biochemical Society

The Physiological Society

British Ecological Society

Applied Microbiology International

British Mycology Society

British Society for Immunology

British Society for Cell Biology

Institute of Biomedical Sciences

You may also benefit from an article I wrote years ago on why you should join a society. I include the link here for anyone who would like to learn more.

Why You Should Join a Professional Society

Enjoy reading and don’t forget to leave us a comment.

This article was written by Dr Emmanuel Adukwu, Deputy Head, School of Applied Sciences. If you have any question about this article or want to write a blog article, get in touch with us.

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Breaking the Stereotype of an Entrepreneur

Employability in Applied Sciences | 12 June 202112 June 2021

If you’ve ever been curious about entrepreneurship or even wondered how to get started, this is the article for you! Izzy Rodriguez, one of our writers, has written an excellent summary of the key ingredients she needed and the steps she took to running her own business as an entrepreneur. We hope you enjoy the read!

Introduction

To me, a year ago, becoming an entrepreneur sounded like something you would do later in life, with considerable investments and a lot of knowledge on how to run a business. Little did I know that, one year later, I would be running my own business during university – “winging it” and learning as I go. Despite the stereotypes, business, for example, does not require middle-aged men in suits with a company car to be working ‘9-5’ in an office, but creating a profit from a single ‘side hustle’ – that’s it.

Drive and passion

Drive and passion are the two ingredients, in my opinion, required to ensure a business is successful. In my case, I wanted to educate people, young women in particular, on good nutrition and how to lose body fat sustainably.

With the rise of social media, misinformation spreads like wildfire. This happens especially in diet culture, alongside trends recommending new supplements, “detoxes”, and fitness regimes almost every second. Having become a victim of such trends throughout my teens, I felt resentment towards diet culture, which heavily impacts people’s lives and health who don’t possess the knowledge to know what is true and what is not. I decided I wanted to make a positive change and start producing educational content to try and curb the hidden epidemic of eating disorders.

Knowledge

Firstly, I needed a credible qualification and to be educated on evidence-based nutrition. Fortunately, I still had a job during lockdown and was able to save up enough money to pay for an online course.

With the extra time that resulted from the pandemic, I completed an accredited level 4 diploma in nutrition and weight-loss management and became an online nutrition coach. Whilst completing this course, I built up a social media following by posting nutrition facts, recipes and workouts on Instagram. This is where I learnt how powerful social media really was – with its algorithms favouring misinformation and diet trends, gaining followers was a slow, but steady process.

Learning and adapting

Understanding what does and doesn’t work and why is crucial for any business. In my case, I had to learn how people liked information to be presented, what content was popular and what was not. Followers tended to love my recipes but not my workouts, so I stopped posting workouts. Controversial nutrition videos tended to be more popular than food pictures, so I stopped posting food pictures. The cycle is a never-ending process and the ability to adapt, accept failures and create solutions is not easy, but incredibly important for progress.

Asking favours

During this process, the biggest thing I’ve learned is not being afraid of asking for help or favours when you need it. Having contacts skilled in areas you are not will help you in building a business.

I was lucky enough to have a friend who designed my logo for free – so I gave him some nutrition advice and recipes in return. I also had a friend whose parents own a gym; I asked them if I could set up an online nutrition course for beginners in cooperation with them. They warmly welcomed the idea (still being developed) and also gave me some valuable business advice. If you ask nicely, most people are willing to help!

Profit

The great thing about this kind of online business is that the costs are low. I also learnt that I didn’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to monetize my business, but just a few who trusted me. Afterall, I can only balance university with a maximum of four clients at a time; no number of followers would change this.

I started to think about how I could make my knowledge and services accessible to more people without giving up more of my time and decided to set up an engaging online course where multiple people could learn about nutrition and ask questions simultaneously. By doing this, I could still dedicate the same number of hours a month, but reach more people and subsequently yield a larger profit. ‘Work smarter, not harder’.

Time

The phrase “little and often” resonates with me. It’s very easy to dedicate a lot of time to your business in a rush of excitement, but to then burn out a few weeks later.

Try assigning yourself short but regular slots a week to focus on your business idea. With time, it will build up into something far more robust than you could have imagined originally. Additionally, remember you can work when it suits you best. If you work better in the evening, then do it as you no longer need to conform to the regular 9-5 system, allowing it to coincide with university or your other commitments.

Final thoughts

If you have an idea that you’re passionate about and can dedicate some time towards it, this is your sign to do it. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t have to be about making millions, but just generating an income from doing something you love. It might not be easy, but if it has the potential to improve people’s quality of life – including yours, then, in my opinion, it’s worth it.

Thank you for reading.

Written by Izzy Rodriguez

Edited by Jessica Griffith

Izzy Rodriguez

Isabela (Izzy) Rodriguez is currently in her 3rd year at UWE Bristol studying Biomedical Science. She intends to study post-graduate medicine after her degree to eventually become a doctor.

Last year, she set up an online nutrition coaching business which has become very rewarding; she also loves the perks of being self-employed as it fits around university life very easily. Izzy hopes her story of setting up a business during the pandemic will inspire others to do so aswell as a result. She is a big believer in being ambitious and that you can do anything you put your mind to.

In her free time, she enjoys triathlon training and is part of the UWE athletics and cross-country club, and the cycling club which she finds to be a great stress reliever.

From the editor: Wow! It’s really refreshing to hear another person’s perspective on entrepreneurship. It’s also great to see how productive some people have been during lockdown and encouraging that you can still accomplish things, even during a global pandemic. We hope you enjoyed the read as much as we did!

We always welcome new contributions and look forward to new additions to our team, so please do get in touch if you’re interested. To reach us, please email ScienceFutures@uwe.ac.uk. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Until next time, keep well and safe.

References:

Photo of ‘profit’: https://www.callcentrehelper.com/cost-to-profit-centre-126838.htm

Photo of with ‘clock’: https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/flexible-working-hours-work-life-balance-focus-time-management_11412207.htm

#UniAdvice – 10 great apps for University students!

Employability in Applied Sciences | 28 September 202028 September 2020

It’s September and the beginning of a new academic year. Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for your final year at University, we can guess that your smart devices (phone or tablet) play an important role in your daily activities. Apps should not be left out of University life either and can be used as learning tools, to increase productivity as well as staying healthy. In this article, Amara shares a list of great apps* to kick start your studies this year. All apps mentioned are available on both iOS and Android platforms with price plans from free!

*This is not a sponsored article. Neither the author nor APH has received any direct or indirect compensation for any products discussed.

Your University’s app – I would always recommend starting here first. As Higher Education continues to embrace technology in facilitating teaching and learning, almost every Higher Education Institution delivers their teaching using an online platform such as Blackboard™ which have associated apps. Apart from giving you access to all the teaching material, you can check your assessment deadlines, get feedback on your coursework, and communicate with other students in your class. Some University apps have more enhanced functionality providing students with information and services anytime, anywhere.

Evernote/Penultimate for Evernote – Have you ever written something important on a piece of paper just to lose it when it really mattered? With Evernote, you can have all your important information not only in one place but well organized for instant access. Every smartphone usually has an app for notetaking but with Evernote, you can attach images, embed voice files, scan documents, prepare to-do lists and set reminders. If you find typing your notes in class too difficult, Penultimate for Evernote is a great ‘type to text’ app that can convert your written notes to text and save into Evernote. The app also syncs your notes across devices so you can write a note on your iPhone and read it on your Samsung tablet. Another important advantage is that there is a website behind it so if you ever lose your device, your notes are still available.

Dropbox – My biggest fear at University was leaving my floppy disk in the library’s computer! Yes, there were storage devices before the advent of the memory stick! No more excuses of your dog eating your homework! With Dropbox, you have cloud storage of all your very important work which you can access from your phone/tablet. Ensure you always back up your files so the least you can lose is your latest draft and not all your work from 2010! It is also a good place to store and organize your holiday snaps and other memorable photos. We could all use some more gigabytes!

A flash card app for revision – We are so sure that if you are reading this, you are one of the conscientious students who prepares for revision early on in the semester by making their own notes. If you are, keep it up. If not, what are you waiting for? Flashcards are a great way of summarizing your taught material using your own words. You can note areas you need to conduct more research in or keywords that need to be more clearly defined. If you use flashcards already why not try an electronic version? These are less susceptible to loss and can be synced across your devices. Some allow you to embed pictures and audio into your flash card. What’s not to love about that? Examples include Evernote peek, StudyBlue, Quizlet and Chegg (available for iOS devices, please check for Android).

Read More – Sign up to get our essential checklist for succeeding in Higher Education

6-flashcards — Flashcards have been saving our lives for centuries : )

5-chegg — Carry your revision everywhere you go!

RefME – Writing continues to be one of the biggest challenges new as well as not so new students grapple with in Higher Education and based on my personal experience referencing is not left out. Have you ever spent time researching a topic for an essay, reading through different topics, furiously making notes just to find out you’re all muddled up when it comes to what idea came from where and preparing your Harvard or APA reference style list at the end. Well RefMe can help you collect your research and manage your references, supporting your development into a more skilled academic writer. Other apps that do an equally good job are EasyBib and Endnote.

Social media apps – Wait a minute Amara, are you sure? Yes I am. Social media is here to stay and we may as well get with the program. The key to winning with social media is pre-defining your purpose for being on social media before you start and managing your time effectively. You should be using social media and not the other way around. Increasingly, developing an online social presence has become important to help you stand out of the crowd and recognize key influencers and opportunities that can support your career post University! It is never too early to create your LinkedIn profile or use Scoopit! to publish curated information pertaining to your discipline. What do you spend your time on Youtube doing? Watching cats playing tricks? While I agree that is a fun way to spend your time, do you realise how much knowledge is available in bite size chunks on your subject? Who makes the best videos explaining key concepts in Economics? Whatever platform you choose to follow the news or contribute to the conversation, always practice netiquette.

Khan Academy – I’ve used and recommended Khan Academy to my students especially those just starting out for years. Why? Because it’s a great tool and aid to support learning for selected subject areas particularly the sciences. If you’re a first year student in the Biosciences check out the Biology and Chemistry topics. Having this app means that you can have this resource with you at all times and not just when you are in front of a computer.

Google apps – Google provides a range of different apps that can help you organize your calendar and email, ‘Maps’ to help you navigate if you’re new to the town or city, docs, spreadsheets to prepare your work and Drive for online storage.

TED – Hopefully you’ve heard about TED talks? Why do you need it? Well, you’ll hardly get through University without undertaking some form of public speaking will you? The best place to learn is always from the best. With this app, you’ll have access to some of the best from the TED stage. Learn how to engage an audience, speak confidently and about the latest innovations in a wide range of disciplines.

A Fitness app – Working towards a degree is not just about developing academically and mentally. You need to take care of your health too. If you’re like me and need some extra help to keep on the straight and narrow with your fitness goals, consider adding a fitness app to the mix. I’m not making any recommendations here so look for something that works for you! For somewhere to start you can look up apps like ‘Couch to 5K’ from the BBC, FitBit, 7 Minute Challenge or just a simple pedometer. Please note that not all these apps are free.

Your bank’s app – Yes, I know I said 10 but see this as a bonus. The most important resource a University student has is their time however the biggest cause of concern for most students is money. Moving to another town, giving up work/working part time, costs associated with study can all be a drain on finances but moving to an online banking platform can ensure you always stay on top of what is happening without having to spend time standing in queues at the bank or an ATM. Managing your finances is important to improve your overall experience at University so ensure you keep on top of it and use the support available from your institution when you need it.

What did you think of this list? It’s not exhaustive by any means but I believe it is a good place to get started. Do you have all these apps or are there any more you can recommend to our readers. Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

About our writer– After completing a PhD in Microbiology and Food Science, Amara is developing her career in academia – providing teaching and learning solutions in UK FE and HE Institutions as well as conducting research in Food Microbiology. Amara believes in the combined power of education, mentoring and productive relationships as essential tools for building successful careers.

Originally published by The Aspiring Professionals Hub.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share. Would you like to share an article in The Hub? We would love to hear from you. Please get in touch – info@aspiringprofessionalshub.com.

Think Different, Be Different! Develop an Enterprise Mindset

Employability in Applied Sciences | 25 March 202025 March 2020

Mr Iheanyi Ibe, Enterprise Adviser at UWE Bristol and Coordinator of the Student Ventures Hub recently delivered a workshop on Enterprise as part of the Department of Applied Sciences Monthly Employability programme. Iheanyi gained a first degree in Pharmaceutical Science (BSc) and proceeded to a Masters in Business Administration. He worked in the Biopharma sector for several years before taking a different route into entrepreneurship developing expertise in this area and now supports entrepreneurial programmes across different institutions the UK.

So why enterprise and should it matter to you as a scientist?

Typically, students do not understand the term enterprise and automatically assume it is starting or owning a business. According to Iheanyi, it is more than that. He says, “Think of enterprise like a stem cell. ” Stem cells are special human cells with the ability to develop into many different cell types. Enterprise is just like that. Skills that give you the ability to do anything you want to.

It has been defined by the QAA (2012) as “applying creative ideas and innovations to provide practical situations. Therefore, it combines creativity, idea development and problem solving with communication and action.”

For students in the sciences, aspiring scientists, academics, or even those already working in the field, enterprise is very important and should be part of your thinking and your mindset. It is really about how to identify problems and proposing solutions to addressing them.

“There is nothing new about enterprise. In fact, as a species, it can be argued that we exist today because we are enterprising.”

So broadly speaking, having an idea you can capitalise on and can meet people’s needs OR having a business, are both descriptions of enterprise.

Do you need special skills to be an entrepreneur?

The answer is NO!

Iheanyi described a discussion he has with his son about something his son wanted him to do. The nature of the conversation and the outcomes from it indicated that right from an early age, we get to apply different skills that are entrepreneurial in nature. These skills include recognising what you want or need, negotiating and communication.

“The inherent skills you use in everyday life such as negotiating with parents, negotiating with your children (for some of you) and compromising with friends are the skills we tend to take for granted, but use them in our everyday life.”

Does it matter if I do not want to be an Entrepreneur?

It does! Employers are looking for candidates that can demonstrate these skills. “20% of employers reported ‘alarming weakness in skills around team working’ and a similar proportion identified weaknesses in problem solving skills among graduates.”

In a article published in the Guardian, employers expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of some graduates, with a third of companies unhappy with graduates’ attitude to work, citing lack of resilience, self-management skills, cultural awareness, and customer awareness article. In addition, the CEO of Be Wiser Insurance group, added “You would expect that university education would teach some basic business etiquette, and certainly communication skills.”

These are the skills you are expected to demonstrate to employers regardless of your subject area and field of study and these are examples of entrepreneurial skills.

What are these Entrepreneurial skills?

Commercial awareness
Creative and innovating thinking
Prioritisation and time management
Problem solving
Communication, negotiation and persuasive skills

“These are no different from the skills you gain on your programme through presentations, writing essays, doing assignments, final year projects, team sports and society activities etc. do not underestimate the amount of skills you have gained through each year of your study, many of you are ready to succeed in the commercial world to embark on enterprising projects and initiatives.” – Iheanyi

Do you have the mindset of an Entrepreneur?

The speaker gave an example of people who go to a pub and are comfortable speaking to others, communicating to different folk, however struggle to speak in other settings or unable to do a presentation. This, he described is a problem with “mindset”. For you to succeed in your career, in the scientific world or as entrepreneur, you need to be willing to challenge your mindset, move out of your comfort zone otherwise you would be similar to graduates described by the CEO of Be Wiser Insurance group (“not prepared for the real world of work and often requiring ego-massaging”).

Testing your Creativity – Group Task

The students were put into groups of two to identify how many uses they could find for a paperclip. This was a 2-minute challenge and from the groups (6 in total), the ideas included: (a) a sculpture (b) a back scratcher (c) for cleaning hard-to-reach areas (d) bracelet (e) ear piercer etc.

Challenge to you – How many different uses for the paper clip did you find?

If you are able to think of a use for the paperclip, you have just demonstrated enterprise. Thus, enterprise is having the idea, mindset and action to create solutions to problems. Something you do regularly!

Skills audit

Can you identify what skills you demonstrate or utilise in the following tasks?

Writing an assignment
Writing a project proposal
Delivering a poster presentation
Group work
Examinations etc.

Group Exercise

The students were given a task to perform based on this scenario.

“You are meant on be on a trip to Singapore, what do you need to do before you go, while you are there and when you return?”

We would encourage you to try this task in your own time as those who attended the workshop found it useful to think through the scenario and to identify challenges as well as create new opportunities.

What will you do?

Before – this is where you plan
During – this is where you learn
After – this is where a lot of the reflection is, knowledge is gained and shared

Final notes from the speaker

Your personal life is not so different from the commercial world. What matters is your mindset
Improving your enterprise skills and your ability to identify and develop opportunities will benefit you whether you pursue a career in academia or decide to move into business or develop your own company.
It is relatively easier to develop ‘Commercial Awareness’ from a technical and scientific background than doing things the other way round.
As a student, you demonstrate enterprise in your day-to-day activities, during the degree, general social situations and work experience. What is most important is learning to recognise these skills and articulate them!

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it with others. Also, if you have an article or topic you would like to share with us, do contact us at ScienceFutures@uwe.ac.uk

You can learn more about the speaker by visiting Iheanyi’s LinkedIn page here .

For information about opportunities to develop your own business, apply for enterprise grants or for advice and mentoring contact the UWE Bristol enterprise team at enterprise@uwe.ac.uk

Continue reading “Think Different, Be Different! Develop an Enterprise Mindset”

Sciences Futures 2020 : Post Event Highlights (Part 1)

Employability in Applied Sciences | 3 March 20203 March 2020

Science Futures returned in 2020 and this year’s event was by far the biggest and the best of the annual Department of Applied Sciences (DAS) employability programme at UWE Bristol. The event was focused on engaging students with opportunities for internships, placements and graduate employment and developing the next workforce generation of our society. During this event, students were given privileged opportunities to listen to experts (including DAS alumni and recent graduates) discuss their career journeys and experiences, engage with the employer exhibition and be present during various panel discussions.

The event was opened by Dr Emmanuel Adukwu, DAS Employability Leader, followed by the welcome address from the Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Dr Marc Griffiths. He did an excellent job of welcoming the guests, expressing his passion for being in the sciences and discussed the importance of employability to the University and the Faculty, and why students and delegates needed to take advantage of the opportunities at Science Futures 2020; this set the tone for the rest of the day.

Dr Marc Griffiths (Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences (UWE Bristol) and Dr Emmanuel Adukwu (Department of Applied Sciences Employability Leader) setting the scene for Science Futures 2020

First Keynote Speaker – Dr Sabrina Roberts, Senior Scientific Policy Officer, Food Standards Agency (UK)

The welcome address was followed by the keynote talk by Dr Sabrina Roberts, who delivered an incredible talk on ‘Managing GM Regulations in the UK: From a Bioscience Degree to Informing Global policy’ which included highlights of her career journey, dealing with disabilities, impostor syndrome and changing courses mid-way through her degree. The feedback from the students about her talk was great and they found her to be inspirational, and great to talk to where she shared her wealth of experience and nuggets of wisdom.

Dr Sabrina Roberts at Science Futures 2020

Some key points from her talk included:

Finding a career that fits your passion: this is achieved by consistent self-development, a hard work ethic and commitment to your dreams, doing all that is required to reach them (from the careful selection of a dissertation topic and supervisor, to the development of your CV). But along this journey, as Dr Roberts pointed out, it is important to “have something else” – a hobby, fun activity etc., not only for personal fulfilment and happiness, but also as a way of standing out from the rest of the crowd, showing off your uniqueness to your potential future employers.
Join a professional society: this can be a key component in accelerating your personal and career development in a number of ways.
Networking and making new connections: it is important to identify people you can learn from and have as potential contacts for the future; this also brings the idea of creating and sharing your business cards ( yes, this is a thing!). Conferences often encompass insightful talks, presentations (providing you with a wider perspective of your chosen field), networking sessions where you would have opportunities to find a mentor (to help you get to where you want to be) – and the list goes on!

Finally, to close this talk, Dr Roberts emphasised on the importance of presenting yourself well at all times, in speech and deed!

Her final comments were “Climb to where you are happiest, but do not forget to reach down and help others up to where you are” and more importantly… “love what you do!”

Second Keynote Speaker – Solomia Boretska, CEO and Co-Founder of Tempo Market. Also, UWE and DAS graduate (2016)

Solomia Boretska *at Science Futures 2020*

The second keynote speaker was a recent UWE graduate Solomia Boretska who graduated from Biomedical Science in 2016 and is now the CEO and Co-Founder of Tempo Market. As a speaker, she was engaging, dynamic and had everyone glued to their seats. She spoke about her journey navigating through life in and out of science, struggling to find jobs and using that as her driver for learning how to code. Her company focuses on providing a rental, repair service for camping equipment, and as she describes on her LinkedIn page “Tempo is building the industrial shift to products as a service through product rentals”.

Solomia offered advice to students to:

Chase people down and show them your passion: this bold act of chasing people down highlights the need for you to be audacious! This will help you stand out from the competition.
Let your actions match the passion you are expressing: so, if you are showing interest in working for someone, be engaged in research and news around that area of interest i.e. go the extra mile; this will help you to be recognised as a candidate who is serious about what they want.
For scientists and students struggling with the fear of rejection, Solomia suggests that you“think of a ‘no’ as a hypothesis – one that is to be tested rather than accepted as the absolute truth”. Hence, even if you receive a ‘no’, don’t give up there, work on what you need to do so that next time you yield a ‘yes’.
Be open to new opportunities: sometimes, the door that you want does not open. However, that is not to say that there isn’t potentially a better opportunity that you may have not considered before, therefore, be open-minded to working in an unfamiliar field of work.

The students found Solomia Boretska to be a great example to learn from, her confidence, presentation and delivery. According to many students who heard her speak, she was inspirational.

Exhibition

Dr Emmanuel Adukwu, Solomia *Boretska* and Dr Amara Anyogu (Co-founder, Aspiring Professionals Hub & Academic) at *Science Futures 2020*

This year’s Science Futures was a great opportunity for students and staff to engage the visiting exhibitors and to network with people from basic sciences to careers beyond the sciences. This was the biggest exhibition of the futures fair with near 50 exhibitors with top UK organisations including the Department of Education (Get Into Teaching), Environment Agency, Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT), Clinical Professionals, Society of Cosmetic Scientists, National Careers Service and the Intellectual Property Office.

The exhibitors also included programme leaders from different disciplines across UWE Bristol. The programmes included; MSc Biomedical Science, MSc Environmental Health, MSc Forensic Science, MSc Science Communication, MSc Physician Associate Studies, MSc Public Health, MSc Rehabilitation, and Secondary Science PGCE.

If you want to learn more about these programmes, you can click on any of the links provided. If you didn’t get a chance to network or attend – it’s not too late! Check out the ‘Careers Fair Plus app‘ to find out more about the employers and their details.

Upcoming article: Part 2!

Our next article will distill the discussions from the panel sessions at the Science futures 2020 which would be important for those seeking advice on which career routes to pursue… stay tuned!

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it with others. Also, if you have an article or topic you would like to share with us, do contact us at ScienceFutures@uwe.ac.uk

Written by Dr Emmanuel Adukwu and Jessica Griffith

All images were taken by Kane Smith (Undergraduate student, Faculty of Environment and Technology, UWE Bristol)

Science Futures 2020 – Promoting Diverse Careers in the Sciences

Employability in Applied Sciences | 20 January 202020 January 2020

Happy new year and welcome to the Department of Applied Science Employability Blog. Our first article was on Sandwich Placements and Internships written by our Associate editor and current MSc Public Health student Jessica Griffith and published in December. On Wednesday, 22^nd January 2020 the annual Science Futures fair will be taking place at UWE Bristol, Exhibition and Conference Centre, Frenchay Campus. This is an incredible event and one of the largest careers and employability events in the UK particularly in the applied sciences field.

Who is it for?

The event is open to all undergraduate, masters, PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the department, as well as graduates seeking further careers support. This year, Science Futures will also see students attend from other colleges and Universities. We are expecting students from Weston College, Bath Spa University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and possibly from other institutions. This offers opportunity for networking, developing new friendships and learning from your peers.

Why Science futures?

Science Futures is such an important event in the calendar for students and the department and is at the heart of the student journey. Understanding the diverse career pathways that you can explore as a student is important in decision making whether to continue or change career choices. The opportunity to meet and interact with employers is also very useful to provide a window into what the world of work is really like.

As an undergraduate student, I did not have anything like the Science Futures fair and the closest science recruitment event I remember was the National Recruitment Fairs which were often far to travel to and not subject or field specific. At UWE Bristol, we have the annual Meet the Employers fair every October however Science futures is developed with the field of Applied/Life/Bio Sciences in mind.

What to expect at Science Futures 2020?

The new iteration of the Science Futures fair is designed to enable 1-1 interaction between our students and staff with employers, provide career advice through panel discussions, provide opportunities for networking between current students and alumni and promotion of postgraduate programmes and conversion courses (for students looking to move away from the basic sciences into other fields).

I am really looking forward to our annual Science Futures event this week. It is great to meet so many of our alumni, working for great organisations and companies who come back to UWE to support our event and they give great advice to our students.
Dr Lyn Newton, Head of Department (Department of Applied Sciences)

Some of the programmes we have exhibiting this year include

MSc Biomedical Science

MSc Forensic Science

MSc Advanced Wildlife Conservation in Practice

MRes Applied Science

MSc Public Health

MSc Environmental Health

MSc Physician Associate Studies

MSc Rehabilitation

Secondary Science PGCE

You can see details of each of the programmes and the entry criteria. You will also get the chance to meet the programme leaders at the event.

Specifically, you will benefit from the following;

Expert speakers from different applied science related fields including a lot of our alumni who have excelled in different fields in Science and beyond the Sciences
Careers fair with employers and professional societies
Wall of work highlighting live opportunities you can apply for

In addition, for students who have attended my professional development workshops e.g. LinkedIn and others, you would remember the discussions about joining a professional society. Being a member of a professional society is very important for all students in the sciences and if you look at the DAS Employability programme (2019-2020) on Blackboard, we have provided a list of suggested professional organisations you could join, with many offering FREE memberships. By the way, many offer fantastic benefits such as grants for conferences, funding for public engagement events, PhD studentships etc.

How can you get the most from the Science futures programme?

Use the Career Fair Plus app (Identify the exhibitors and employers you’d like to network with.
Be Punctual (arrive on time), and dress smartly (you never know who you might be speaking to on the day)
Network (engage) with the exhibitors and speakers
Prepare questions you would like to ask the panelists
Have digital/physical copies of your most recent CV and be ready to share CV with exhibitors, speakers and guests (not all delegates are exhibitors)
Have an up-to-date LinkedIn Profile
Create your own business cards (easy to do for cheap – visit Bizay and Vistaprint)

Who are the exhibitors this year?

We have a great list of exhibitors attending in 2020, the largest we have ever had at the Science Futures programme and much more than the national biology/applied science events nationally.

Our exhibitors are listed on the Careers Fair Plus App (here) with some in the picture below…..

Some of the employers exhibiting at the Science Futures 2020

Who are our speakers?

To sum up the quality of our speakers in 2020, you’d need to google them online or look up their profiles online to see how good they are. Our speakers work at great organisations and are very talented individuals. We have two keynote speakers this year – Dr Sabrina Roberts and Solomia Boretska.

Dr Roberts is a Senior Scientific Policy Advisor at the Food standards Agency. The Food Standards Agency is a “non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom…responsible for protecting public health in relation to food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.” She currently represents the UK at EU working group meetings and the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) meetings in Brussels and votes on behalf of the UK in this policy area.

Solomia was a UWE student studying Biomedical Science between 2011 and 2015. Following her degree, she taught herself to code after struggling to find job opportunities and secured a research position at UCL, which led her to an MRes in Neurotechnology at Imperial College London. She is now the CEO and co-founder of Tempo Market, a company that is driven by sustainability to provide easy access to camping equipment when you need it, without the need for storage or cleaning.

You can find out about all the panelists on the Careers Fairs App (Careers Fair Plus). Also, following some of the feedback from students last year, we are trialling out sessions so you can get the opportunity to attend more than one panel talk. You can see the list of the talks below

14:15 Session A – Careers panel discussion I

Careers in Sustainable Futures and Sustainable Environments
Careers in Biopharma, Biotech and Health
Careers Beyond the Lab Coats & Science
*Employer Consultation & Networking (Session for employers and staff only)

15.05 Session B – Careers panel discussion II

Careers in Research in Academia
Placement and Summer Internships (Student panel: FROME)
Careers Beyond the Lab Coats & Science (Repeat panel)
*Developing your Career at UWE Bristol (Research, Teaching and KE – Staff Workshop only)

Science Futures Fair is a fantastic opportunity to engage with employers, alumni and postgraduate tutors to explore what the next steps in your life can be. Whether you know exactly where you’re heading, or just looking for ideas & inspiration, there will be something there for you. Hope you enjoy the day and I look forward to seeing you there!
Dr Antony Hill, Academic Director and Deputy Head of Department

My appreciation goes to the UWE Employer engagement team particularly Imogen Hirst and Zuliza Mackenzie (Placement intern) who have worked tirelessly with me to put this programme together and for their creative and dynamic approaches to enabling and ensuring that Science Futures 2020 is s success.

To all our speakers, employers and to you the students we look forward to seeing you at #ScienceFutures2020 and we hope you enjoy the event.

To follow our updates, you can connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Remember, you can also write for us if you have any personal stories to share or any interesting Careers or Employability information.

Article written by Dr Emmanuel Adukwu, Department lead for Employability and Coordinator of the Science Futures event. You can follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter

Sandwich Placements and Internships: Getting to Know the Application Process

Employability in Applied Sciences | 6 December 20198 December 2019

On the 23rd of October at the very popular Department of Applied Science Monthly Seminar, Dr. Heather Macdonald (Placement co-ordinator), Dr Shona Nelson (Summer Internships Scheme) and Helen Moore-Elly (UWE Careers coach) discussed the value of placement and summer internships schemes and how to go about applying for them.

Placements and summer internships are a great way to enhance your CV and hence increase your chances for a job. These opportunities can be found locally, nationally and globally so you can expect to have a wide range of experiences to choose from. As a student searching for a placement or summer internship, there are a few things that you should consider before you start this venture.

Know what you want

Before you even start looking for placement, you should first think about what you want, i.e. your career aspirations. This is what most students tend to skip or forget when searching for a placement or summer internship. Whilst it is important to get an opportunity, it is more important to gain experience that is relevant to the career you aspire to work in.

Most students are still on a self-discovery journey and are trying to figure out what they want to do when they grow up (like these students you may be one of them). This can make it quite hard to know what placement opportunities you should choose over others. However, with some reflection and guidance from peers and mentors, you can be sure to find an opportunity relevant to what you want to do.

During her “Find your way” presentation, Helen Moore-Elly did an amazing job encouraging students to take time to reflect on who they are and what their interests are. By doing this, students will have more direction as to which placement or summer internship opportunities they should be applying for. For more advice, check out the Careers toolkit on the UWE InfoHub to find the career that is best for you.

Where to find opportunities

Placement and summer internships can often seem out of reach; despite this, if you know what you are looking for and where to look, you can be sure to find an opportunity relevant to you!

There are many different online platforms which advertise various placements and summer internships. These platforms include:

InfoHub: UWE’s InfoHub is a great place to start your search. With specialised search engine tools, you can narrow opportunities down to those which are relevant and appealing to you. UWE Volunteering is another great way to enhance your CV so be sure to look out for these during your search.

Prospects: this site is often used to read up job profiles (as one does when trying to understand what a job will entail). In addition to this, you can also search for placement and summer internship opportunities.

Indeed: this site is not only for job hunting, as many students do when job hunting, it is also a great place to find a placement or summer internship.

Rate my placement: this is a great place for hunting for various placement or summer internship opportunities, with reviews from previous placement workers and where top employers are highlighted.

Student ladder: this site has a great search engine which helps you to narrow your search right down to what year of study you are in (even graduate opportunities), helping you find the most suitable opportunity.

Tips on how to use search tools:

If present, use the navigation menu to select relevant categories (i.e. science) to help narrow down your search results to what you want.
Type in key words that are relevant to what you would like to do. For example, if you are desiring to work in a laboratory as a biomedical scientist, you should use terms like “science”, “biomedical science”.
Start with broad search terms (see examples above) and then get more specific, such as a specific job role (i.e. “laboratory technician”) to give you more opportunities to choose from at first and then narrow down to see if you can find a more relevant opportunity.

Many of these websites also include advice on how to be a successful applicant so be sure to read their blog posts and articles for advice and guidance. Signing up to their newsletters will also be useful to receive alerts when new opportunities are advertised.

If you have a company in mind, you should also consider approaching them directly and enquire about the possibility placement or summer internships. On the other hand, if you are unable to find a relevant opportunity for you, speak to the Department of Applied Sciences employability team or the UWE Careers and Employability team for advice.

NB: Many placement opportunities have deadlines and so it is important for you to start searching and preparing for the application and interview process as early as you can!

Expand your horizon

When students have an idea of what they want to do in the future, the search can become narrowed down very quickly. Whilst it is good to focus on specific subjects or job titles, it is also important to stay open minded to other relevant opportunities available. You also want to keep your budget in mind as depending on the placement location (for example when going global), you will need to consider how you will be funded/ fund yourself.

Placements can range from large to small (i.e. less well-known) companies/ organisations and so be aware that larger ones might be more competitive than smaller ones. When applying for opportunities, broaden the types and sizes of companies/ organisations you apply for to increase your chances of success. Global opportunities are a great way to gain experience whilst exploring a new environment and of course having fun in your new adventure!

Curriculum Vitae

Before you start your applications, ensure your CV is up to date and ready to show employers. Your CV is your chance to tell employers all about yourself, show them what you have to offer and present yourself as a successful candidate for the placement or summer internship you are applying for.

On your CV, it is important to include all relevant work experience and skills that match the opportunities you are applying for. Make sure to research into how to create a successful CV and attend CV workshops and drop-in sessions facilitated by the Careers team for feedback etc.

You can do it! Have confidence in yourself

Finally, as expressed by Dr. Heather Macdonald, it is more than possible to gain a placement or summer internship as you are more than capable of doing so!

Set your goals, do your research and go for it! Never give up and you are sure to find an opportunity relevant to what you want to do and so no matter how long it takes you (even up to the induction day of your next year at university), don’t give up!

Getting placement opportunities can seem like a daunting task with so many people to compete against and sometimes long processes to go through. Nevertheless, the wait is certainly worth it and you can definitely do it! Know who you are, what you want to do and where you want to go. Finally, have confidence and go for opportunities that will help you reach your goals.

Upcoming Events

Next DAS Monthly Employability Workshop: Wednesday 4 December 2019

Science Futures Fair – Wednesday 22 January 2020