80+ Students from 9 Schools Attend NHEHS Astrophysics & Computer Science Conference
Over 80 students from nine schools attended our Astrophysics Conference last week and heard brilliant talks on astrophysics and computer science:
– Sophia Zomerdijk-Russell – Research Assistant, Imperial College Space and Atmospheric Physics Group
– Zoe Lewis – Research Postgraduate, Imperial College Space and Atmospheric Physics Group
– Cara Waters – Research Postgraduate, Imperial College Space and Atmospheric Physics Group
– Dr Sama Aleshaiker, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for Computer Science – University of West London
Students completed two team exercises – the prize being a Lego The Mandalorian Star Wars trophy! The computing segment asked students to use Python language to run a simulation of a satellite in orbit and, during the physics segment, they had to solve questions about the International Space Station (ISS) orbital mechanics.
Congratulations to the Twyford High School team who won the competition and scooped the Star Wars trophy!
We had some lovely feedback from attendees from students from all schools on what they thought of the event, with many describing it as informative, challenging, fun, collaborative and competitive!
“It was very engaging and allowed us to connect with people who have similar interests. The talks were about topics we didn’t necessarily get to learn my about in school and the competition elements were fun.”
“It was a great opportunity to hear from people who have gone through a career path that I find extremely interesting, it was very inspiring”
“The talks were very interesting and the competition was engaging”
“The conference was extremely interesting, it left me with a lot of interesting ideas I hope to pursue in the future and a lot to talk about to my peers”
“It was interesting to see how I could take my studies to a higher level in relation to astrophysics and space”
“The talks were very informative and interesting and gave good insight into potential careers I would like to pursue”
“While I do not want to pursue astrophysics, each talk was interesting as it gave me new insights into how computer science, specifically AI, can be implemented into other areas of science”
When asked how had the conference helped students with their university options, responses included:
“Coding and collaboration with others”
“Opened up a possible career option in data modelling”
“Expanding my knowledge of the current career possibilities in aerospace engineering”
“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to go into astrophysics instead and this has confirmed I would like to go further into that”
“Helped me gain extra knowledge about subjects I hadn’t really considered before”
“Really helped, as it inspired me and made me look into space physics as there was a difference between Astro and space physics.”
“I was enlightened on how AI and computer programs are used to analyse the vast amounts of data collected by extraterrestrial instruments”
Huge thanks to our speakers and to all who attended from Twyford, Cardinal Wiseman School, Greenford High School, Kensington Aldridge Academy, Putney High School, Northwood College, Nottingham Girls High School and Sutton High School for making it such a collaborative day.
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