I thought I would write a quick update to let you know what I’ve been up to since my Natural Talent Apprenticeship ended in March. I was really sad when it ended – everyone says it but the year really does go so quickly! I had so much fun and met so many lovely, amazing people that I was really gutted when the plans to potentially extend my placement fell through. After spending a few months feeling sorry for myself, and looking for jobs I ended up back at SEPA this time working in the Microbiology department for the summer.
The job involved analysing samples in accordance with the European Bathing Water Directive which requires each beach in Scotland, designated as a “Bathing Water” (beaches typically used by large numbers of people for swimming etc.), to comply with limits set on levels of bacteria such as E.coli. There are 83 bathing beaches in Scotland and the new central Microbiology lab in the Angus Smith Building is responsible for the analysis of the samples from the East and West coasts, 57 beaches altogether. Each beach has to be sampled 20 times over the Bathing Water Season from the 1st of June to the 15th of September and have to be analysed within 6 hours of sampling so as you can imagine things got pretty busy over the summer as we also did some analysis of Strathclyde Loch where the Commonwealth Games triathlon event was held and analysed mussels for the Shellfish Waters Directive.
Luckily for me one of my old colleagues decided to move away so I am happy to announce that since September 1st I have become a permanent member of the Marine Ecology Plants team at SEPA. I couldn’t be happier and it is definitely thanks to my Natural Talent Apprenticeship that I gained the skills necessary to get the job and will help me loads in continuing my work on zooplankton and new work on phytoplankton, marine plants (such as macroalgae -seaweed, seagrass and saltmarsh plants) and microplastics.
Thanks again to John McFarlane and everyone else at TCV – I had such an amazing time and learnt so much. I would really encourage anyone thinking about it to apply for a Natural Talent Apprenticeship. I hope all the other people still doing their apprenticeships are getting on well!
Thanks!