Profile
Emily Rose
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About Me:
I live by the beach with my partner James and my cat Lady. I have recently learned to crochet and made Lady a cat-sized sofa so we can watch Netflix together. I also love baking (it’s basically chemistry) and board games.
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I use robots to run chemical reactions!
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My aim is to find the best conditions possible for a chemical reaction. Changing things like the solvent, base, or temperature may make the reaction better. Unfortunately, there a lots and lots of possible different conditions, and I won’t know I’ve got the best until I try them all. So I use robots to help me run hundreds of reactions at once. The robots can weigh out solids, add liquids, and stir and heat my reactions. They don’t get bored of weighing the same solid out hundreds of times, and they can work overnight while I am sleeping.
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My Typical Day:
I have a relaxed morning and get to work around 9am. On Mondays my team has a catch-up over coffee. I am in the laboratory for most of the day, except for lunch when I usually crochet or read. I enjoy cooking an evening meal when I get home about 6pm. All my colleagues are very friendly and sometimes we go out for a pub quiz or to see live music.
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Most of my time at work is spent telling the robots what to do. I think up what conditions we should try, give the robots the chemicals they need, and program them to run the reactions. The other part of my job is developing the robots themselves. I can use my imagination to see what else I can get the robots to do, or I can design new robots all together.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d like to provide a local school with some science equipment.
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Education:
I went to a grammar school in High Wycombe which I didn’t enjoy very much. Grammar school suits some people but I felt like I was under an awful lot of pressure. I left school to do my A-Levels at Henley College, where I found my love for Science. I didn’t apply for university because I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do, and it seemed like a very big commitment. After I got my A-Levels I started a Level 3 apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is where you study and work at the same time. I worked in a chemical laboratory while studying for a BTEC in applied science. This lasted 2 years. I found that I loved working in a lab so much, I wanted to carry on. So I then did a degree apprenticeship which I am finishing off now at the University of Greenwich.
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Qualifications:
GCSEs
A-Levels – chemistry, biology and maths and an AS in further maths
Level 3 BTEC in Applied Science as part of level 3 apprenticeship
BSc in Chemistry – I graduate this Summer!
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Work History:
I had a Saturday job as a receptionist at a vets while I was in school. This improved my confidence a lot as I had to talk to strangers. I also got to cuddle lots of puppies and kittens.
After college I did a level 3 apprenticeship in an analytical chemistry lab. I was given samples and I had to figure out what was in them using a technique called chromatography. You can have a go at chromatography yourself to work out what colours are inside your felt tip pens Kitchen roll chromatography | Experiment | RSC Education
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Employer:
Pfizer
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Robot enthusiast (I'm aware that's only 2 words)
What did you want to be after you left school?
Something sciencey - but not sure what
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No, I was a goody two-shoes
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Singer
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Taylor Swift
What's your favourite food?
Chocolate
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) I'd like to have lots of pets including ferrets, tortoises, and rats. 2) I wish I was better at programming. 3) I'd like a robotic personal assistant.
Tell us a joke.
What should you do with a sick chemist? If you can't helium or curium, you might as well barium.
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