From her favourite places in Hull to meeting the first Briton in space this summer, Georgia Lowes blogs about her experience of being a student in Hull.
Hi, I’m Georgia, a second-year PhD student. My academic journey started at Lancaster University, where I studied MPhys Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology. A PhD wasn’t always on my life plan but the further I researched my masters project, the more I realised just how much I had left to learn, and I knew I wasn’t ready to leave the field just yet.
While I study astrophysics, my PhD is hosted by DAIM – the University’s Centre of Excellence for Data Science, AI and Modelling. DAIM was a big reason why I chose Hull as I get to undertake my research while developing my skills in fields which are permeating all aspects of academia and industry.
Making friends on campus
I’d only visited Hull once before I moved here and was both excited and nervous to start but, honestly, I didn’t need to worry. I’ve made friends within my department and joined the trampolining club, both of which I have found to be very welcoming. Trampolining has been a great way to meet people from different courses and I loved competing in our annual varsity against Lincoln. I’ve also found the University to be very supportive. In my experience, the staff at the Student’s Union and Doctoral College are all friendly and offer helpful advice if you need it.
Hull is a campus university, meaning most of the buildings are on the same site and a short walk from each other. We don’t just have teaching spaces though. On campus you can find our sports centre, shop and even a Wetherspoons, which is perfect for socialising with friends at the end of the day. The SU also host a range of ‘give it a go’ events, where you can sample the activities campus has to offer. One thing I love during term time is when the therapy dogs come to visit – it’s a lovely way to relieve some stress!
Hull is a well-kept secret
Something I love about Hull is that there’s always something to do. I live in the City Centre which means I’m always within walking distance of some entertainment. For me this tends to mean the museums, our incredible aquarium The Deep (I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been in the past two years), the craft fairs which pop up every couple of months and the big events that feel like city-wide parties. My favourite of these big events is Freedom Festival, which showcases the arts. Hull is also a haven for independent businesses. My favourite part of town is the Fruit Market, which boasts a whole range of local shops, bars and restaurants. Some people say that Hull is a well-kept secret and I definitely agree! While Hull always has stuff going on, if you prefer larger cities, we are well connected by public transport and we’re only an hour away from Leeds and York, which has made it easy to stay in touch with my friends across the country.
Opportunities – meeting the first Briton in space
My studies at Hull have been accompanied by some incredible opportunities. Before my PhD, I had never used a telescope but within my first few months I trained to be a remote observer for the Green Bank Telescope – the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope – and I spent a few months using the telescope to gather my own data. Green Bank is in West Virginia, USA so it was incredible to control the telescope from my own living room in Hull, even if I always seemed to observe when the rest of the city was asleep.
I study pulsars, a type of neutron star with emission which appears to regularly pulse so, alongside my personal projects I am a member of NANOGrav, where we use pulsars to search for gravitational waves. It has been an amazing learning experience to be surrounded by so many subject experts at the forefront of modern physics.
I’ve also presented my work at conferences. I gave my first talk at the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) 2023 in Cardiff and spent a week in Oxford, where I had the honour of meeting and presenting my work to Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, who discovered pulsars as a PhD student in 1967.
Having attended NAM 2023, I helped with NAM 2024, which we hosted in Hull this July. I sat in on a lot of science sessions but as I’ve always had a keen interest in outreach, I also helped with the outreach activities we ran alongside the conference. On our opening day, we hosted a talk by Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space. Helen told us about how she became an astronaut; her experiences living on the Mir space station and was granted the Universal Astronaut Insignia pin by fellow astronaut Reinhold Ewald. I had the pleasure of meeting both astronauts before the talk and hearing their stories of space first-hand was truly inspiring.
As part of NAM, we also ran an astronomy festival in Hull City Hall, where we brought some meteorites, Apollo memorabilia and two mobile planetaria to share with the public alongside other university and observatory exhibitors. I’ve also spoken about my work at local astronomical societies and Pint of Science; it’s been a pleasure to meet the local community and to meet so many people who share my excitement for my work.
Hull really does have so much to offer, from academic opportunities to things to do in your free time. I can’t wait to see what my final two years have in store!