Employability and Problem-Solving in Physics at Salford

what we are trying to do…

Bridge the gap between school and industry

Develop skills (and mindsets) that will make students more employable

Make students aware of potential career directions

Provide enjoyable break from traditional lectures and labs

Make Salford students better physicists…

the skills we hope to develop…

experimental skills- observation- measurement- analysis- design- construction

employability skills- business awareness- CV, interview- company research

(market, industry, competitors)

transferable skills

- leadership

- teamwork (people management)

- communicating ideas to a grouporal (presentation,

teaching)written (report, logs, notes)

- Information gathering

- problem solving

- applying knowledge

- project planning/organisation

employer talks

Dr Katy Szczepura (University of Salford / NHS)Dr Jill Tipping (Christie NHS Foundation Trust)Medical physics Tom Talbot (AREVA)Nuclear energy Jo Gwillim (Centre for Alternative Technology)Green technology Dr Hywel Owen (Cockcroft Institute / University of Manchester)Particle accelerators Dr Neil Boag (Nanoco Technologies)Quantum dots

Prof Bob Cywinski (ThorEA / University of Huddersfield)Alternative nuclear energy James Leach (Mewburn Ellis LLP)Intellectual property law Stuart Lucas & Andrew Paterson (EADS Astrium)Aerospace Col David Thornycroft & Lt Rob Swift & Sgt Mick Hill Armed forces

Dr Tim Needham & Dr Roger Clark (University of Leeds)Geophysics

*University of Salford graduates

activities: cotton reel tanks

Build a cotton reel tank that will travel as far as possible

activities: research questions

Explain the explosion

“Teach” an aspect of physics to the rest of the class

activities: catapult

Fire a projectile into a bucket

activities: The Italian Job

Analyse the feasibility of stunts in The Italian Job

the skills we hope to develop…

experimental skills- observation- measurement- analysis- design- construction

employability skills- business awareness- CV, interview- company research

(market, industry, competitors)

transferable skills

- leadership

- teamwork (people management)

- communicating ideas to a grouporal (presentation,

teaching)written (report, logs, notes)

- Information gathering

- problem solving

- applying knowledge

- project planning/organisation

activities: Energy Research Project

Come up with an innovative research idea to reduce energy demand in (pre-1940s) buildings

the journey…

Not all students enjoy this style of teaching / learning…

Am I doing it right?

Can’t you just tell me the answer?

What physics is this supposedto be teaching me?

the journey…

… but many really benefit from it…

It was interesting not intuitively knowing the answer and having to fathom out what was

going on – the outcome was surprising.

This has really helped me understand things that never even occurred to me before.

the future…

First YearTweaking and improving activities

Integrating business and science project research

the future project structure…

Assessment

Idea Generation

The Company & The Industry

The Market &The Competitors

Transferrable skills

the future…

Second year

Free to choose research direction

Hydrogen rocketsCoil gunsStirling engines

Project that is industrially relevant

Mini R&D project “Real” problem