My name is Jess, and I am currently a year 13 student studying Maths, Physics, Music, and an EPQ. In my spare time, I am a keen astronomer and enjoy exploring enticing physics concepts such as dark matter and black holes. I am also a musician, playing both the tuba and tenor horn, and enjoy playing in my local orchestra and wind band. As well as classical music, I am an avid metal fan and frequently spend my time attending my favorite band’s concerts, such as Slipknot and Metallica.
After year 13, I hope to go to university to study Physics with Astrophysics. I hope to one day be able to work in the field of astrophysics and continue to expand on the knowledge we already have around black holes and other astronomical areas of research.
Learning about the history of Sherwood Observatory as well as the 55 years of history around Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society has been one of the highlights of my time here. Its rich history makes it an inspiring place to work and experience a tightly knit community, both members and visitors, who all share a passion for learning and exploring astronomy.
Another highlight of my time here has been meeting and working alongside the staff and volunteers at the observatory. Having such welcoming staff has made it a great experience where I have always felt supported whilst learning the different roles and have made it an enjoyable experience where I have felt comfortable asking questions and seeking help if I was ever unsure about a role or situation.
During my week here I have had the opportunity to shadow the lead planetarium presenter who runs the planetarium shows. This opportunity was a wonderful experience as I got to learn from both the astronomer and the fascinating planetarium shows I watched. I got to see the behind the scenes of the shows, as well as the hard work and knowledge that goes into both setting up the visuals and leading astronomy talks (involving challenging astronomy questions from the public).
My time here also gave me the chance to work at the front desk and get to experience the behind the scenes of running the observatory. My time at front desk involved booking visitors in for planetarium shows, answering any questions visitors had and helping everything run smoothly. I also got to see the hard work that goes into running the website and many other marketing aspects of observatory, learning the workings of valuable tools such as WordPress and Canva that
all help to create informative and enticing online advertisements, leaflets, in-building information and much more.
I have found my time here greatly beneficial and feel that the experience and knowledge I have gained will help me greatly as I begin my career. My time spent shadowing the astronomer who leads the planetarium shows taught me lots about the area, such as the Rubin Observatories’ ongoing research and having an insight into some of the coding that is involved in creating pre- show trailers and many of the graphics seen during shows.
Having the experience of working at the front desk has helped me to learn how to provide good customer service and help with inquiries put forward by visitors. Gaining an insight into the marketing side of the organisation has been really interesting, as I have been able to explore an additional skill that I previously had no knowledge about.
Written by Jess, our visiting work experience student.