This is on a
strictly need to know basis but… I studied Physics at university. A BSc at
that. It is with great fondness therefore that I recall walking into the
interview room and being asked:
“So you’ve
applied to be a mechanical engineer?”
“Yes” I say
with confidence. Pondering in those brief moments what had possessed me to
apply for something I was not at all technically qualified for. Reflecting on
it now I applied for that position because I knew I wanted to do something
practical, I wanted to do something science-y and I believe in fusion.
The
interview was suitably tough but at the end of the day what they’re looking for
is problem solving and being able to talk through a logical process of how you
might get to an answer. Look at any university website that has a course on
physics though and, like a universal constant, they will undoubtedly promise
physics, if good for anything, is good for problem solving. Nevertheless, it
was a surprise when a clandestine hand tapped me on the shoulder and I was
invited to talk to the head of the diagnostic group of MAST-U – the UK’s
spherical tokamak experiment due to begin experiments in 2019.
After going
through my presentation again at double pace and discussing my background
working as a technician after university and some of the summer lab work I had
done I left to complete the rest of the assessment centre. Not a week later and
my email flashed OFFICIAL – SENSITIVE. I was in.
Having been
here for a little while now I feel I am at liberty to disclose some of the ways
studying physics has prepared me for
(technically) being a mechanical engineer plus the very particular set of
skills I’ve picked up on the way. Being involved in diagnostics means I have some
flexibility as to how much of any end I get involved in whether that’s the
physics being studied, the engineering of supporting frames, vacuum systems and
high voltage supplies or indeed control systems and data acquisition.
Being part
of a research organization studying and experimenting on plasma physics and
nuclear fusion I’m familiar with the concepts thanks to my degree. The details
need to be filled in without a doubt though! edge localised modes, safety
factor and a whole host of other parameters/concepts are alien to me. The
basics however, are covered. This applies equally well to diagnostic concepts.
For example, one of my current projects is working on the interferometer that
measures electron temperature and density from the refractive index of the
plasma. This is an apparatus familiar from my own time at university, as well
as the many hours spent as a laboratory technician trying to align them.
Having a
clue on the underlying physics is one thing but applying them is a subject in
itself. Working with a spectrometer operating in the vacuum ultraviolet range
requires (unsurprisingly) an air tight vacuum so that the light isn’t absorbed.
This has required me to learn all about how ultra-high vacuums are achieved at
3 x 10-6 Pa (in our case) using turbomolecular and roughing pumps.
All to fit snuggly in a height adjustable frame that’s wide enough to not
overload the floor but still conform with space restrictions on nearby
diagnostics.
Luckily for me the department is happy to help and teach me
what I don’t know from the drawing office putting together the CAD models that
check everything fits to power supplies checking I can get mains and high
voltage in. That’s not to say I can rely on them forever though! An advantage
of the graduate scheme is that I can allocate time to learning these skills
through job shadowing and online or practical courses. Something I look forward
to over the next two years.
For any would be physicists out there interested in getting
into the nitty gritty of engineering I’d suggest dropping in on your local
engineering society and seeing if they run courses outside of lectures. Look up
if there’s any ‘hack’ societies in the area. The challenges tend to vary from
computational to creating a robot that can complete a course. Perhaps consider
taking a module within the engineering department if none of the physics ones
take your fancy! There’s all kinds you can do to boost the skills that would be
considered valuable as an engineer and the best way to do that is to look it up
and ask around.
Then again there’s plenty of roles physicists have managed
to infiltrate. Software engineering, chemical/processing engineering, scientist
(okay that one is not so surprising). Perhaps you’ll hear more from them in
another debrief… For now though that’s all I’ve got time for.
Over and out.
Agent M