Inaugural Physics Residential at Lancaster

In December, the Ogden Trust funded the first ever Physics Residential at Lancaster University for 25 A-level students from schools in Cumbria.

The event gave promising sixth-formers the opportunity to go on a lab tour for the Quantum Dot project, conduct experiments in the teaching laboratories, meet researchers and hear about the latest news from CERN. They also attended the SciTech Conference lecture "What's the Use of Space Science?: Space Science in a Modern Society" by Professor David Southwood, formerly of the European Space Agency.

The event created a relaxed and supportive environment, where the students could experience real-life research and were able to work with researchers in their labs. “The residential was an inspirational, motivational and enjoyable experience,” said one participant. “It allowed me to apply A-level physics to new situations alongside other students with a fascination for the subject, whilst experiencing life at an exceptional university. The people were friendly, the physics was fascinating and above all, we had bags of fun!”

 “The event was a great success,” concluded event organiser Phil Furneaux. “It helped to improve the students’ understanding of physics concepts and gave them a taste of the campus experience. We hope it will encourage these students to continue their studies at university and perhaps even inspire the next generation of physicists.”