Why did you choose Co-op?
I knew Co-op is meant for you to get out into the world. I was able to travel and to ask, how is physics used in the world? As a physics student imagining the future, you see yourself finding these ground-breaking theorems — but you can’t quite picture how. With Co-op, I got to see what it is to be a real researcher.
Where did you Co-op terms lead you?
Each internship was life-changing in its own way. Working as a radio astronomy researcher, I learned that astrophysics is just such an interesting field.
At my second internship, in Germany [University of Düsseldorf] I was a research assistant in quantum optics. It was nothing to do with astrophysics or data analysis or coding. It was really experimental stuff, in a lab. The entire way of doing things in Europe is so different, from getting your breakfast to doing research.
At the European Space Agency [Gaia Mission science trainee, Noordwijk, Netherlands], I got to see the space industry as a whole, since the agency is an entire gigantic campus with people from all over Europe. I took advantage of being able to email anyone and I set up a series of small informational interviews to ask, what do you do in your life? I realized the spectrum of possibility is huge. It opened my eyes to a whole other world.
I applied for a research grant because I really wanted to work in an observatory [Instrumentation intern, Canada-France Hawaii Telescope, Hilo, Hawaii]. My grant application successful mainly because of the experience I gained through my three previous Co-op terms.