Mrs Eakins and Mrs Craig took twelve aspiring physicists and engineers to get a peek inside the guts of Diamond Light Source – UK’s synchrotron facility and one of the world’s biggest x-ray machines!

Diamond host investigations that have contributed to knowledge of the atomic structure of SARS-CoV-2, the development of a potential vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease, and the study of T-cells for cancer treatment. Outside the field of medicine, this remarkable tool has shed light (pun intended!) on cannon balls from The Mary Rose, fossils, coins, and more.

Our students had the opportunity to talk to beamline scientists on the physics behind their work as well as the work behind their career. They were able to get up close to magnets that shape the beam of electrons and wiggle and jiggle it to produce the x-rays used to probe specimens.

A highlight for one group was experiencing the density of tungsten as each was given a turn to hoist a chunk from one of the shutters. Meanwhile, the other group journeyed to the eye of the synchrotron, the very centre of this massive doughnut shaped building, to experience the architectural awe of what is Diamond.