Challenging second year

Although for us studying Materials Science towards Masters it is still more than two years to go, we were also invited to this event. This was one of the rare opportunities to relax and forget about the workload we have as second year is arguably the most difficult one for us reading Materials.

Not having exams this year means that there is no time spent on revision and the workload is generally much heavier. The tutorial work became considerably harder, the laboratory work takes longer and in addition to this we have to write a business plan and attend industrial visits to companies that manufacture new technologies. To give an example, time spent on tutorial work in the first year was estimated to forty hours per week, this year it is more the fifty. In the first year a practical (labs) takes two afternoons, this year it takes three. Everything is generally much more challenging as we already have fundamental knowledge in Materials Science and now we progress at much faster pace.

The business plan is a very interesting part of our course different from any other assignment that we have. In a team of five we are supposed to write a plan for selling a real application of a cutting-edge technology. This business plan consists of Summary, The Product, The Market, The Technology, Business Strategy, Commercialisation Issues, Risk assessment and Finance. Our group is working on self-healing concrete which we have read about in a published scientific article. This concrete contains a specific type of bacteria that, by a biological-chemical process, fills in holes caused by cracks that naturally form due to loading of the building. Otherwise, these cracks cause water and atmospheric air to get into proximity of reinforcing steel bars making them corrode. Although the whole plan is only virtual we have learnt a lot about what it takes to get from a new technological idea invented at university to actual manufacture and production, how Intellectual Property works (including patents), how to negotiate, how to present our ideas and many other skills that are useful when starting one’s own business.

Beside work for my degree I continue to play Blues volleyball but also focus on fitness. This is also linked to my role as a Sport’s Rep. at St. Anne’s. In addition to induction of new members I am now also part of the Amalgamated Sports Committee at our college. This committee is executive as it creates budget for next year and generally allocates money for any sports activities that need to be funded. This is a good experience of working with our college bursar, treasurer and other members.

As to my future plans, I am at the moment applying for an internship at University of California Santa Barbara to work in Materials Research Lab under supervision of one of the most cited materials scientist in the world, Craig Hawker. If I succeeded I would spend ten weeks in summer working on synthesis of polymers applied for energy storage and electronic devices.