Through the eyes of a geologist

The idea of undertaking a PhD application never sounded too scary. I had been toying with the idea for six months or so… A PhD or straight into industry? For me the deciding moment happened when I presented my ongoing MGeol Masters Research Project at MDSG (Mineral Deposits Study Group) back in January this year. Since the majority of NERC DTP application deadlines were January, it was quite a late confirmation. Attending the conference made me realise just how much I’m enjoying my project and the prospect of continuing in research is really exciting! Providing I found the right project, I’d love every minute of it. For me, the best website was FindaPhD.com – it had all the information you needed in one place. There were hundreds of projects to choose from which really allowed you to consider the vast range of topics. I was very keen to find a project that was fully funded, either privately or through NERC DTPs. What’s a NERC DTP I hear you ask? NERC (Natural Environment R...

Fourth-years are beginning to reach the final hurdle of their undergraduate degree. Some are nearing completion of their Masters Research Projects, whilst the majority (me included) run around like headless chickens trying to complete a to-do list that seems to have no finish. I’m going to share with you a normal day of data collection. This insight is aimed at early geology undergraduates as well as outsiders. Hopefully, everything explained in this post is as if you’ve never had the pleasure of SEM analysis! But let me know if you have questions. Lab facilities tend to be fully booked as other students begin to realise the deadline is looming and panic begins to set in. So when your designated lab day finally comes around, it really is precious. You need to set yourself deadlines otherwise you might run out of time and have to wait another three weeks until you can re-visit a sample. One facility many of us having been using for our Masters Research Project is the SEM. T...