…it’s fast-paced, inspiring and ever-changing – I can tell you that!
For those who don’t know me, I’m Lauren; I will be working with Premier Farnell for 8 weeks and I am fresh from completing my first year at the University of Warwick studying English Literature. I began my internship with Premier Farnell 3 weeks ago and have already learned so much from the tasks I’ve done, which have ranged from report writing for the CEO and promoting our brand to Universities, to interviewing engineers for supersonic rocket cars!
I have a 2 hour commute to work – which is a little different from the 2 minute journey to work at my previous job, at Cranfield University – but I have adjusted well to my new routine and find myself naturally waking up at 6.30am! Working in London has been a fantastic experience so far and the city pace of life is a really exciting start to my day.
CEREB: My first week kick-started with a potential article lead for Tech First, the company's globally distributed magazine - the opening of the Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (or CEREB for short).
The first thing I saw when I walked into the K2 building of London South Bank University was half-a-dozen plasma screens and a plastic drum for recycling batteries – “Have a positive impact”: clearly a place of innovation.
One step into the main meeting space and I could feel whirring. I looked down and saw nearly 4metres of phase-changing material technology beneath a glass pane under me. Judy explained that phase-changing materials work a little like an ice pack – giving out or taking in heat based on the atmospheric state. Also on show was the CHP trigeneration system for heating/cooling the centre, as well as solar fibre optic lighting.
The tour continued onto the roof which was by far my favourite part of the experience. The PV cell beds and solar heat pumps looked awesome against the London skyline.
Overall, an awesome place for any forward-thinking business tree-hugger. See the article on CEREB and photo tour for more details. (On the photo tour, click each photo to see a description).
Farnborough International Air Show with Bloodhound SSC: Farnborough Air show has definitely been my favourite experience of my internship so far. I went along with 3 technical experts and Jamie Furness, Head of Community Relationships, from Premier Farnell to support Bloodhound SSC.
Now, I’m not really a nerdy for cars or planes, and even I got excited about Bloodhound. The car stretched diagonally across the whole room and was swarming with people all day; taking part in the activities, having their photo taken with the car and asking Bloodhound’s Engineers millions of questions. Krishan, a year in industry student from Aston University working at Bloodhound, explained to me all the complicated factors to consider when designing the braking system for a supersonic car. The whole Bloodhound team were really engaging and helped make the design considerations relatable to people of all ages.
I loved the displays – particularly the Airbus A380. It looked way to big to fly, and as it moved overhead I just kept thinking “It’s going to drop out the sky!” because it appeared to move so slowly.
Other highlights of the day included seeing my first Red Arrows display live and meeting Sir Kill-a-lot from Robot Wars!
Read my Farnborough write up on element14 HERE
Peace out!