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Projektforløb med en virksomhed kan give en idé om fremtiden

Marianne Bom & Rie Jerichow, Publicér

Som fysikstuderende har Emil Visby tidligere haft svært ved at svare på, hvad han vil bruge sin uddannelse til. Han kan stadig ikke komme med et konkret svar, men efter et projektforløb i en virksomhed føler han sig nu tryg og sikker på, at han nok skal få sig et fornuftigt og interessant job.

Projektet med Foss Analytical og denne røntgenkilde og -detektor har givet ham en idé om, hvad han også kan bruge sin uddannelse til. Privatfoto.

Når man læser Fysik og Nanoteknologi, er de første semestre ret fastlagte. Her skal man “tilegne sig en grundforståelse inden for kvantemekanik, faststoffysik og nano-­skala-materialefysik, optik og fotonik samt fabrikation af mikro- og nanostrukturer”. Kort sagt: teori med teori på.

“Som fysiker kan det være svært at se, hvilke virksomheder der kan bruge de kompetencer. For en bygningsingeniør er det oplagt, hvad man skal lave bagefter, men jeg har haft svært ved at se, hvad al den fysikteori kunne bruges til,” siger Emil Visby, der nu er i gang med kandidatdelen af studieretningen Fysik og Nanoteknologi. På 4. semester samarbejdede han med virksomheden Foss Analytical, der arbejder med løsninger til at sikre og forbedre fødevarekvalitet, om et projekt. Her fik han et nyt syn på både studiet og fremtiden.

“Selv om projektet med Foss kun varede i tre uger, var det interessant for mig at opleve, hvordan den teori, jeg havde lært på DTU, faktisk kunne anvendes til noget, og det har givet mig en tro på, at der nok er et spændende job på den anden side, selvom det ikke er så åbenlyst,” siger han.

Grib chancen

Den spæde kontakt til virksomheden blev etableret allerede på 2. semester i forbindelse med et projekt, som Emil lavede sammen med en forsker på DTU. Foss Analytical var interesseret i nogle data fra projektet, der blandt andet involverede en røntgendetektor.

”På en virksomhedsdag på DTU Fysik gik jeg hen på Foss Analyticals stand og snakkede med Elisabeth Ulrikkeholm, der arbejder som ingeniør i Foss’ R&D-afdeling. Jeg fik hendes visitkort med besked om, at jeg bare skulle skrive. Det gjorde jeg så og spurgte, om det var muligt at lave et tre ugers projekt i juni i virksomheden,” fortæller Emil. Det kom i stand. Projektet gik kort fortalt ud på at afprøve, om man ved hjælp af absorption af røntgenstråling kan bestemme fødevarers sammensætning.

”Det er velkendt, at man kan benytte metoden til at analysere fedtprocenter i kød, men det var interessant at se, om metoden også kunne bruges til andre fødevarer,” fortæller han.

En uge gør forskellen

I projektet forberedte og testede han fødevarer med forskellige næringssammensætninger og beskrev, hvordan røntgenspektrummet opførte sig i de forskellige blandinger.

”Da det præcise blandingsforhold var kendt, kunne jeg også undersøge, hvor præcis metoden var, når jeg ud fra billeder fra røntgenmålingerne forsøgte at bestemme en blandings fedtindhold,” fortæller Emil. I to uger arbejdede han med måledata og forskellige prøver på DTU og sad derefter en uge hos Foss Analytical, hvor han analyserede resultaterne.

”Det var en god oplevelse bare det at opholde sig én uge i en ingeniørvirksomhed. Til daglig løser vi en masse ligninger og lærer en masse teori, men vi ved meget lidt om, hvad de laver ude i virksomhederne, og hvorfor vi egentlig skal lære al den teori,” fortæller han.

DSE Messe Lyngby. Foto: Bjarne Erick.

Udnyt virksomhedsmesserne

Han er ikke i tvivl om, at han vil anbefale andre studerende at søge uden for universitetsverden i løbet af studiet.

”Det har været rigtig fedt og super nemt fra det øjeblik, der var en kontakt til en virksomhed. Så brug de forskellige messer til at opsøge virksomhederne. Og husk at følge op på kontakten ved at sende en mail bagefter. Jeg kan i hvert fald se, at det var det, der virkede for mig efter den uforpligtende samtale og et visitkort. Så når folk siger: ’du skriver bare’, så husk at gøre det,” anbefaler Emil.

Marianne Bom & Rie Jerichow, Publicér

As a physics student, Emil Visby has previously had some issues answering what he will use his education for. He is still not able to give a concrete answer, but after a project course in a company, he now has some confidence that he will get a sensible and interesting job.

The project with Foss Analytical and this X-ray source and detector have given him an idea about what he can also use his education for. Private photo.

When you study Physics and Nanotechnology, the first semesters are fairly planned. Here you have to ‘gain a fundamental understanding of quantum mechanics, solid-state physics and nano-scale material physics, optic and photonics, as well as fabrication of micro and nano structures’. In short, theory with theory on top.

“As a physicist, it can be hard to see which companies can use those competences. For a building engineer, it is obvious what to do afterwards, but I have had a hard time seeing what all that physics theory could be used for,” says Emil Visby, who is now studying the masters’ degree of the course, Physics and Nanotechnology.

During the fourth semester, he cooperated with the company Foss Analytical about a project. Foss Analytical works with solutions to secure and improve food quality. This is where he gained a new view of both the study and the future. “Even though the project with Foss only lasted three weeks, it was interesting for me to experience how the theory I had learned at DTU actually could be used for something, and that has given me a belief that there is an exciting job on the other side, even though it is not so obvious,” he says.

Seize the chance

Early contact with the company was established during the second semester, in relation to a project Emil did in collaboration with a scientist from DTU. Foss Analytical was interested in some data from the project, which, amongst others, involved an x-ray detector.

“At a company day at DTU Physics, I went to Foss Analytical’s stand and talked to Elisabeth Ulrikkeholm, who works as an engineer at Foss’ R&D department. I got her business card, with the message that I should just write to her. I did, and asked if it was possible to complete a three-week project in June with the company,” says Emil. They made it work. The project was, in short, about testing whether you could decide food’s composition through absorption of x-rays.

“It is well known that you can use this method for analysing fat content of meat – but it was interesting to see if the method could be used for other foods,” he says.

One week makes the difference

In the project, he prepared and tested foods with different nutritional values, and described how the x-ray spectrum acted in the different mixes.

“When the precise mixing ratio was known, I could also examine how accurate the method was, when I could look at the pictures from the x-ray I tried to decide a mix fat contents,” says Emil. In two weeks, he worked on measuring data and conducting different tests from DTU and spent a week at Foss Analytical, where he analysed the results.

“It was a good experience to just spend one week in an engineering company. We solve a lot of equations and learn a lot of theory daily, but we know very little about what they do in the companies, and why we are actually supposed to learn all this theory,” he says.

DSE Fair Lyngby. Photo: Bjarne Erick.

Udnyt virksomhedsmesserne

He has no doubts about whether he will recommend other students to apply outside the university world outside their course.

“It has been really cool and super easy from the moment I made contact with the company. So use the different fairs to talk to the companies. And remember to follow up on the contacts by sending an email afterwards. I can definitely see that that was what worked for me, after the informal conversation and a business card. So when people say ‘just write’, remember to do so,” Emil recommends.

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