NPL is one of the UK's leading science facilities and research centres. It is a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate standards, science and technology available. Each year a number of vacancies are offered to students aged between 14 and 16 who wish to participate in a week of work experience at the UK's National Measurement Institute. We also offer a number of projects that are suitable for over 16s.

The list of opportunities on offer for 2013 NPL Academy vacancies can be found below (where indicated, some vacancies accommodate two students).

PLEASE NOTE: The closing date for NPL Academy 2013 applications was Monday 7 January 2012. Although we aim to place successful candidates in chosen roles, this cannot always be guaranteed, so supplying further choices (i.e. ticking more than one box on the application form) is advisable.

 

Ref	Business Area	Post Description
01 + 02	Mass & Dimensional	Seeing 3D! Evaluation of the Xbox Kinect technology for 3D scanning applications The NPL FreeForm centre is a world leading facility providing support for users of 3D scanning systems for applications, ranging from the measurement of aircraft wings, turbine blades and car body panels, through to teeth, ears and whale bones. The ability to accurately measure complex 3D shapes and compare them against design tolerances is a critical step in advanced manufacturing. In the last 5-10 years there have been great advances in scanning technology and the software to process the captured data. The NPL FreeForm centre is focused on the evaluation of 3D scanning systems and the development of standards to provide confidence to end users. Recently, low cost scanning systems (Xbox Kinect) have made the technology accessible to many new applications. However, understanding the accuracy and performance of such systems is very important if they are to be used successfully.
03 + 04	Time & Frequency	Quantum Frequency Standards - Participate in the research of building next-generation optical atomic clocks We are developing next-generation atomic clocks. All clocks rely on an oscillator that 'ticks' at a constant rate. The optical atomic clocks that we are building use laser light to generate these oscillations. The frequency of the laser is referenced to a quantum transition in atoms that are trapped in an optical lattice. These clocks are targeting accuracies of measuring 1 second to 17 decimal places - better than the accuracy of caesium clocks that currently realise the definition of the SI second. By joining the Time & Frequency group, the successful students will have the opportunity to be in the labs and learn from the scientists about NPL's atomic clocks and frequency standards. In addition, they will be given a task that allows them to have a hands-on participation in our research work.
05 + 06	Functional Materials	Small-scale magnetic measurements The Functional Materials Group develops test methods for determining the properties of materials that couple one form of energy to another. Composite magnetoelectrics consist of layers of magnetic and piezoelectric materials - when there is a change in magnetic field, the magnetic layer will change size and shape, which can be picked up as an electrical signal from the piezoelectric responding to the internal strain. Magnetoelectrics are promising materials for many new applications in digital consumer electronics, because of the way magnetic, mechanical and electrical energy can be converted and detected. The students in this project will be helping to measure magnetoelectric coupling in MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) devices using interferometry to measure ultra-low strain levels. They will be working with high magnetic fields, so no pacemakers are allowed.
07 + 08	Communications	Create a video from start to finish about the NPL Academy These roles are within the New Media team, which is part of NPL's Communications department. The team helps to communicate NPL's science and outreach activities to the public and UK industry using web, social media and collaborative technologies. Prior knowledge and experience with making videos would be an advantage, but is not essential. Working together, the two roles will see students plan, film and edit a short video about the NPL Academy, with the added possibility of the finished video being published on the NPL YouTube channel.
09 + 10 + 11	Quantum Detection	Cryogenic testing of electronic devices You may have heard that liquid nitrogen is very cold, but at -196 °C (77 K) it is too 'hot' for us. At NPL, we have a refrigeration facility that can go down to -273.14 °C, that is only one hundredth of degrees above absolute zero (-273.15 °C). Why do we need such a low temperature? We need an ultra-cold environment for developing new types of electronic devices, such as superconducting circuits, ultra-sensitive magnetic sensors, or even devices that can accurately control the movement of individual electrons. At room temperature, or even at liquid-nitrogen temperature, electrons are too energetic. They move around chaotically at fast speed. At lower temperatures, things are much more controllable, and we start to see interesting quantum mechanical phenomena. In this project, the students will experience what it is like to be low-temperature experimentalists. They will cool down various electronic devices (semiconductor, superconductor, normal metal, etc.) to the liquid-helium temperature, that is at -269 °C (or 4.2 K) and see how their electrical characteristics change. The students will learn a basic technique for electrical measurements, and the underlying physics behind the behaviour of different materials.
12 + 13	Mathematics & Modelling	Molecular modelling using post-pc devices - creating an Android app for molecular modelling In this project, we will set up a simple molecular dynamics simulation and run it on an Android device supplied by the student. At the end of the project the students can take the app away on their devices. (We will use a cross platform tool, so it will be possible to generate iPhone/iPad apps also if the student has appropriate equipment.) The simulation will illustrate fundamental physics principles including inter-atomic forces and potential and kinetic energy. We will show how temperature and heat capacity can be calculated and predict these quantities for several molecules. The students will have the chance to do some programming - a skill of fundamental importance in the modern workforce - and will learn the basic techniques of molecular modelling which is a major area of theoretical physics. Please note that this is a purely theoretical assignment with no experimental component. The students must own an Android phone or tablet. Having a laptop would be useful, but is not essential. They will have a keen interest in computer simulation, computer programming and theoretical physics. They should ideally have programming experience and must at least understand the concepts of programming (variables, loops, branches, functions, etc.). The students must be prepared to do some studying prior to the start of the assignment. In particular, they should study the Lua programming language before the assignment begins.
14	Electrochemistry	Ultrasonic dispersion of carbon nanotubes - Taming the strongest material in the world Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a class of nanomaterial known for their extraordinary physical properties. 120 times stronger than steel, they are the strongest material on Earth and 15 times more thermally conducting than copper. They can be conceptually visualised as a tube, made solely from carbon atoms organised in hexagonal geometry, of only one-nanometre (a billionth of a metre) in diameter and thousands of nanometers in length. CNTs have been proposed as a potential replacement for a variety of conventional materials, such as carbon fibres, which are typically used in aircraft components. Despite these benefits there remains one major scientific challenge in the processing of CNTs. The tubes are typically produced in a fine powder form in which millions of tubes are entangled together. The process of separating the tubes and dispersing them in a medium suitable for industrial use, such as water, represents a major barrier to the widespread use of CNTs. This project aims to address this situation by better understanding how ultrasound can be used to aid dispersion of CNTs. The student will be involved in setting up a CNT dispersion experiment, preparing the test solution, carrying out an ultrasonication test, and analysing the results. Through this process the candidate will have hands-on experience of using a range of modern analytical chemistry and acoustic instruments. Key skills required include simple analytical skills as well as a basic computer literacy (MS Office). Good timekeeping is essential.
15	Finance	The Finance department performs all the management accounting, financial reporting and accounts payable/receivable activities within NPL This role will include different tasks across the department in order to give a broad overview of the activities which go on within the Finance team. Use of MS Excel and NPL's accounting system will be a key part of the work experience. The student needs to have an understanding of MS Excel.
16 + 17	Radioactivity	How do levels of artificial radioactivity compare with those from naturally occuring radioactivity in food? The Radioactivity group at NPL exists to support accurate quantification of radioactive material wherever it is needed, for example in nuclear medicine, environmental surveillance and worker protection. The students will measure and compare the radioactive content of foodstuffs - in particular comparing natural and artificial radioactivity content. These roles are suitable for A-level students, as there is an age requirement of 16+ for entry to controlled laboratories.
18 + 19	Advanced Engineered Materials	Examine the microstructure of hardmetal cutting tool materials with optical and electron microscopes and predict their hardness from measurements of their structure Cemented carbide tool materials, often called 'hardmetals' comprise a range of very hard, refractory, wear-resistant alloys used very widely for wear parts and some cutting tools. Their properties are derived from their composite structure, essentially a hard phase embedded within a ductile binder phase through a high temperature sintering process. The size and distribution of the hard particles and the volume fraction and chemistry of the binder phase can be adjusted to optimise their properties, but measuring the distribution and boundaries between the two phases (the contiguity) can be time consuming using manual methods. Using optical and electron microscopes to acquire images of their structure and automatically acquired maps, the students will use image processing software to measure the grain size and contiguity of different hardmetal grades and make manual measurements of the same value. They will need to compare the results of the two methods and examine the images and maps to understand why the two methods give different results. Using the results the students will be able to predict the materials' hardness and then check to see how close the prediction comes to the real hardness.
20 + 21	Radioactivity	Robotic manipulation of radioactive sources in support of the NPL Secondary Standard Ionisation Chamber systems - to programmatically 'teach' a robotic manipulator to SAFELY handle source changes for the NPL Secondary Standard Ionisation Chamber systems This project will focus on the development of a regime to 'teach' a newly installed robotic system to support the handling of radiopharmaceuticals to be measured in the NPL Secondary Standard Ionisation Chamber systems. The radio-pharmaceuticals involved are typically highly radioactive (but short-lived) and, in order to minimise the radiation dose received by NPL staff (by facilitating unattended source measurements), the use of robotics is highly desirable. These unattended measurements may proceed overnight, thus increasing throughput of source measurements. NB: This project will not involve the handling of radiopharmaceuticals themselves, as all robotic manipulations will involve the use of 'blanks'. Detailed knowledge will be gained on the use of 'Active X' controls, particularly from the intuitive LabVIEW graphical programming environment under Microsoft Windows. Emphasis will be placed on robust program design, ie. safely monitoring progress of all robotic manipulations, halting the process if an error occurs (sounding alarms, automatically sending emails/text messages to NPL staff). An interest in computer programming and robust program design is desirable.
22 + 23	Advanced Engineered Materials	Test materials properties using only a microphone and your ingenuity! This is a fairly open-ended investigation into the resonance frequencies of metal bars. Find out how the frequency relates to the dimensions and mass of the bars. The students will need to weigh the bars, measure their three dimensions and record the frequency of the sound they make when they are struck in a special way. They will then need to carefully plot as many graphs as necessary until they discover what the relationship between the frequency and the dimensions is. The students will need to label the graphs clearly as they go along so that they can make clear, informed decisions on what to investigate next. Use those results to predict the dimensions necessary to get a bar that resonates exactly at 'Concert C'. Depending on how the work progresses, the students may also use their results to calculate the modulus of elasticity of the material used. Record the method and the results in both a MS PowerPoint presentation (to present on the final day of the Academy) and as a MS Word document to give to their science teacher back at school. The presentation should be clear enough to convince the audience of the conclusions that the students have drawn! The students should bring their own laptop computers. Suitable for students from Year 10 to Year 13.
24 + 25	Functional Materials	Use waste heat to power electronic sensors Thermoelectric modules can produce electricity when exposed to a temperature difference between their two sides. They can potentially be used to power wireless sensors used in monitoring buildings or the environment. However, the voltage and power levels produced are rather small and they need to be integrated with some further electronics that will themselves consume electrical power. It is thus critical to optimise the system as a whole to make sure the system will operate as required. The students will investigate the basics of thermoelectric energy harvesting and try various mechanical and electronic configurations to produce a working prototype able to power small electronic sensors and systems. They will measure the electrical power produced as a function of the temperature of the source and investigate the relation between energy produced - energy storage and sleeping time of the sensors or wireless emitter. There is no age restriction, but a simple understanding of RC electronic circuit - resistance and capacitor - is required.
26 + 27	Mass & Dimensional	High speed cameras tracking whirling and whizzing 3D objects Do you know how they make movements in video games look natural and 'human' rather than robotic? One way is to attach bright white, golf-ball like, spheres to a real person's body in various places. They act out scenes from the video game in front of a blue screen. Each ball is tracked in 3D by watching it with multiple video cameras and the motion is reproduced inside the computer. So, what if you use the same principle, except this time apply it to a robotic arm assembling the parts of an airplane wing? You have a technique called 'photogrammetry', which has been around for a long time, but that NPL is trying to improve. In this week at NPL the students will learn how photogrammetry works, apply it in real life by building their own camera/sphere configuration, use image processing and filtering to help locate spheres in camera images, test with moving objects, write a bit of their own software (assistance will be provided) and, at the end of the assignment, create a short video showing the work in action. Applicants should be visually oriented, interested in images and how to filter/change them, enthusiastic, and willing to stretch their mind.
28 + 29	Maths and Modelling	Developing software for data fitting NPL's Mathematics & Modelling Group This group provides support to metrologists both within and outside NPL in areas such as mathematical modelling and uncertainty evaluation. A common metrology problem involves determining the best-fit function to measured (x, y) data. Two enthusiastic students with an interest in mathematics are needed to help implement in software algorithms for fitting functions to measurement data. Previous programming experience (e.g. Excel VBA) is desirable, but not essential.