My Experience as a Year In Industry Student

By Joel Tyler, BSc Physiological Sciences

Edited by Maddie Wildridge

Reckitt is a Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company with offices and employees spread out across the world. Founded in 1870, Reckitt started off by selling laundry starch in Hull, now, Reckitt operates in a range of markets and is the owner of various health and medicinal brands such as; Neurofen, Strepsils, Dettol, Vanish and Durex to name a few.

Examples of some Reckitt products sold around the world

My placement year was a lab-based role involved in working for the brand Veet, this included both formulation manufacturing and analytical testing for the depilatory cream products currently available to buy in shops as well as a new product being developed and to be released in the near future.

A Day in the Life

Using a Light Microscope to examine the structure of a hair sample

Due to the fast paced environment (as an FMCG company), I found that there was always something to do all the time and the days/weeks were fairly similar. This is because of the constant manufacturing of different formulations of new products to be tested under different stability conditions, and then followed by analytical testing of the formulations to identify which was the best product.

Therefore, my normal day would start with a team meeting to discuss where everyone was at with formulation/testing work and to discuss steps/processes going forward or if anything had failed/gone wrong with the batch. After, I would go to the lab to complete any formulation/analytical testing which needed to be done.

I enjoyed this working routine as it meant I gained far more lab experienced than I initially thought I would, it was always very clear what work I needed to be doing and I was always given lots of support if things ever went wrong. I would say I definitely wasn’t treated as a ‘student’ but a very integral part of the team which also surprised me!

Student Project
In the second half of my placement, I organised and created a project alongside my line manager which involved testing the tensile strength of hair using a texture analyser and a brand new test method. I also presented my results to the rest of the Veet brand to explain my findings.

Hair sample being tested in the Texture Analyser to investigate the tensile strength

During my project I had to test thousands of individual hair samples and as a result became the most experienced within the lab at using the texture analyser, this meant that I had the opportunity to present and perform samples to higher up executives within the company (and even the Global Head of R&D) which was an amazing experience.

A Becomix machine used to formulate and manufacture different depilatory creams during my placement year

Why I Chose To Do a Placement
I decided during first year of my degree that I wanted to do a placement, specifically a lab based placement, because I was enjoying being in the lab at university but I was curious if I would enjoy working in a lab as a full time job to give myself an idea for post graduate jobs.

Having completed my full year, I now know I could happily work in a lab after university, so applying for lab based roles isn’t a big risk but also that I know I can work efficiently and thrive under the environment. My placement gave me many challenges along the way (which is natural when learning new things in a short space of time) but I gained valuable and employable experience in overcoming these obstacles and realised that I feel confident within a lab setting.

I Would Highly Recommend a Placement!
Completing my placement year was definitely one of the most important things I have done within my life. The obvious reasons being all the different skills and attributes which I learnt/developed along the way, but also, the experiences which are available in just one year really surprised me, with the huge amounts of social networking needed to be done for my day to day job, I found myself naturally speaking to and shadowing other departments, creating professional relationships which will last for life. So I would say even if you are even considering to apply for placements, just go for it because you won’t regret it!

Language Barrier- English as Second/Third Languange?

By: Caroline Elaine

There are approximately 6500 languages in the world, each with its own distinct characteristics that distinguish it apart from the others. Most international students at Newcastle University come from all over the world, from Asia, Europe, and so on. They grew up speaking a language other than English and only began learning English in school. Some people will become really fluent at it, while others will not. Therefore, the language barrier is one of the reasons why studying in a foreign country can be difficult.

Continue reading “Language Barrier- English as Second/Third Languange?”

Our Student Secrets For Your First Year of University

By Elysia Marrs and Elayna Hugh – Jones

#1 “Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!”  

Picture this, it’s 6pm on a Thursday, you’re just back from a long day of lectures, you’re hangry as hell and those birds-eye potato waffles are calling your name…but trust me, there is a whole world of foods and flavours at your disposal if you just meal plan! As Iona Gannon, 2nd year nutrition student swears by, “an extra 30 minutes spent planning at the weekend will save you so much time and money, even just three speedy meals a week and you will thank yourself”. You never know, you might even be the next Gordan Ramsey, minus the raging temper hopefully!  

The Late Late Show with James Corden News on CBS
Continue reading “Our Student Secrets For Your First Year of University”

My Summer Travels with Cryptosporidium

Rosie, our Biomed undergrad tells you of her experience working in Wales and Liverpool on a summer research placement

By Rosie Gathercole

Working with poo turned out to be exactly the summer experience I wanted!

I worked at the national Cryptosporidium Reference Unit (CRU) at Public Health Wales in Swansea with Professor Rachel Chalmers and her team. I received a Scholarship from the Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM) for this placement, writing the application together with Rachel.

Rosie with a computer screen behind her showing the live spectra produced by the mass spec machine
Me working on my summer placement

Cryptosporidium is a parasite that causes diarrhoea, is found globally and is typically passed from animals, other people, food and fresh water sources. It is currently a human health issue due to the significant effect it has in developing countries and the lack of specific treatments to fight the parasite. Quite often how well you recover from the illness depends on how healthy you were to begin with!

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My week as a student at the University of Padova: Views of a summer school student

By Charlotte Ripley – Food and Human Nutrition Student

A trip to Italy?! Yes please!

In June, I attended a Food and Health Summer School in Italy, mixing with students from the University of Padova and the University of Sydney.

The focus was on the effects of different food components on overall health and well-being, with topics ranging from the effect of soil on the micronutrient content of foods to the worldwide issue of obesity – so the week was specifically aimed at those with a medical or food science background. Thankfully, everything was taught in English, as even Duolingo wouldn’t have prepared me for terms such as ‘squalene’, ‘fetotoxic’ or ‘teratogenicity’.

Though the week was primarily lecture based, we visited 2 different food producers (Grandi Molini Italiani –  one of Europe’s largest flour mills – and Prosciuttificio Attilio Fontana Montagnana – a family-run prosciutto factory) and got to see some of Padova’s biggest attractions (Orto Botanica, Palazzo Bo and the Museum of History and Medicine). We even had our very own gala dinner to celebrate the end of the summer school – luckily, the lectures didn’t quite put me off the free wine on the tables.

Prata Della Valle – just a 5-minute walk from my hotel.

Continue reading “My week as a student at the University of Padova: Views of a summer school student”

So your immune system’s an overachiever; what I’m doing about it during my placement at GSK

By Emma McCarthy

Hey, it finally worked!

I look at the screen and smile. After an intensive six-hour lab session involving lots of careful pipetting, I’m ecstatic that the experiment I’ve spent weeks on has succeeded at last.

At the moment, I’m based in a biology research unit at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies on the planet. I’ve been on placement here for over nine months; I still can’t quite believe it some days.

Continue reading “So your immune system’s an overachiever; what I’m doing about it during my placement at GSK”

Barclays Local Genius Success

Newcastle University student, John Cornilious, wins regional final of Barclays Local Genius

John Cornilious is a final year Biomedical Sciences student who presently holds the role of Student Enterprise Ambassador for the School of Biomedical Sciences. He has been undertaking various entrepreneurship activities both on and off-campus. Recently, John entered the Barclays Local Genius (BLG) competition with his charity concept; Pamba Pedu. BLG is a platform for student entrepreneurs with tech-based and socially responsible ideas throughout the U.K. to receive professional training and compete for experienced mentorship and potential funding.

Pamba Pedu means “Our house” in Shona, a common language in Zimbabwe. The concept is a digital platform that will enable victims of domestic violence to find free overnight accommodation whenever they do not feel safe. Organisations of faith, hotels and registered foster parents (to name a few) can register their rooms in a volunteer capacity on the platform. Victims will be able to view these options and select suitable refuge based on factors such as distance. The mobile App will also be a comprehensive directory of available resources, including counselling, and network for support with other   victims.

In the regional heats, held in Radbroke, there were six teams. The range of ideas pitched to the judging panel of senior Barclays staff and external entrepreneurs, were diverse, each tackling very different problems. Amongst the competitors were projects such as CharityPick; a mobile application that lets you search for a cause which matters to you and find local charities engaging in that cause – a trivago for charities. It is mutually beneficial as it gives a voice to local charities struggling to create awareness and visibility, and empowers the donors to choose the right charity for them and donate flexibly. Another project was Stooswap: a platform allowing students to swap their rooms on a temporary basis. For example, if a student from Manchester is travelling to London and another student from London is travelling to Manchester in the same period, Stooswap connects the two students so they both get a free place to stay. This way the student community has another avenue for enhancing connection and social experience through travel with no accommodation cost.

John, pictured with the other BLG teams.

The participants concurred that BLG availed a special opportunity to practice pitching skills and consider all the aspects of a business as part of the planning process. Stooswap told John that they have learnt how they can improve their idea. CharityPick said, “We would recommend students across the UK to participate in Local Genius even if you’re not entirely sure about embarking on the entrepreneurial path as it has a lot to offer.” The feedback from the judges was specific for each idea and this was immensely useful. John will now go forward to the national final in London on the 10th April to compete against other regional finalist and runner up teams. Good luck John!

Student Enterprise Ambassador’s #EntrepreneurshipDiary: #3

John Cornilius was appointed as the School of Biomedical Sciences first ever Student Enterprise Ambassador earlier this year. Through a series of blog posts, his youtube channel and his LinkedIn profile, John aims to share reflections on his own enterprise journey. Follow along by clicking the #EntrepreneurshipDiary tag or the link in the sidebar.

Background Story Part #2

Hi guys,

Today I am continuing from my last video telling you guys the steps I have taken to get to my current position in terms of setting up my start up.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments!

Have a look & enjoy 🙂

New business ideas grown in Newcastle

New business ideas grown in Newcastle

By John Cornilious – Student Enterprise Ambassador, and Stage 3 Biomedical Sciences

Newcastle University showcased some of its up and coming entrepreneurs at the 2018 Start Up Business Expo. Student Enterprise Ambassador John went along to meet the innovators (including one of our School of Biomedical Sciences alumni) and to find out how the University supports new business ideas. Hear what he found out at the event and about some of the interesting entrepreneurs he met.

Stage 3 Biomedical Sciences Student John Cornilius, the Schools' Student Enterprise Ambassador

Stage 3 Biomedical Sciences Student John Cornilious, the Schools’ Student Enterprise Ambassador Continue reading “New business ideas grown in Newcastle”

Summer Placement Poster Presentation Event 2018

December saw our Summer placement poster presentation event with research presented from across the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

SBMS summer placement poster presentation event 2018, hosted in our new superlab.

First of all, let me thank all of you who presented/provided posters for the event, it was fantastic to see your hard work up on those poster boards in our swanky new lab! Secondly, I’d like to thank all of you who attended, asked questions and engaged with the event (not just for the mince pies).  Finally I’d like to thank our judges who did a sterling job deciding our prize winners! Continue reading “Summer Placement Poster Presentation Event 2018”