Elaine Simpson, Data Scientist at geo attended Collyer’s Science and Engineering Careers Conference on Friday 29th June to inspire the next generation of pupils to take up a career in engineering.
This year was the 10th Anniversary of the Science and Engineering Careers Conference, which sees ex-pupils of Collyer’s and professionals from a variety of sectors give short talks to first year A-level students to demonstrate the different career options available and to inspire the students into a career in Science or Engineering.
A wide range of speakers were in attendance from current university students to academic researchers, satellite engineers, government officials, radiotherapists and even a pilot! Each speaker had plenty of useful insights, knowledge, experience and advice to pass on.
Elaine’s talk, “Data Science: From Exoplanets to Smart Homes” started by explaining why she wanted to study physics at university which she hoped some of the students would identify with.
“I discussed my PhD research project, “Searching for exoplanets” (which are planets outside our solar system), as although exoplanets have been included in the A-level syllabus, it is a relatively new subject with the first exoplanet being discovered in 1995. I was able to recount some first-hand experiences about what will be coming up in the syllabus for their second year, which I am hoping will help them remember the material for their all important exams!”
The remainder of Elaine’s presentation focused on what it’s like to work as a Data Scientist at geo, showcasing a few of our products and the data we collect from them, in particular geo’s range of in-home displays. Although it is not a connected device, the British Gas in-home display was immediately recognised by the students as being a geo product in their own home.
Students attending the Careers Conference were extremely engaged and had plenty of questions, they were particularly interested in machine learning and AI, because it is something they have heard about but have not had practical experience of.
We hope Elaine’s talk has inspired the next generation of Data Scientists!
