I've gained so much confidence in lab techniques like polymerisation reactions and film forming. I have learnt skills in time-management and teamwork, because there was a lot of exciting experimentation to undertake in the short 10 weeks, with others using the lab too. The summer project has really strengthened my CV, giving me more relevant experience in materials engineering, alongside my industrial placement. It's helped prove I can successfully work in both industry and academic research roles.

I have been persuaded to pursue a career in research and I am going to look into PhD study after I graduate.

I would recommend doing a summer internship! You get to be part of novel research, discovering things that no one has before. There are plenty of diverse project areas to suit everyone's niche, whether polymer chemistry, metallurgy, ceramics or composites, etc. Even though you're seemingly giving up 10 weeks of your summer, it's a fun, confidence-building experience with the perk of being paid to research.

Biomaterials Engineering was the perfect blend of chemistry, biology and product design, which were my A level subjects. I loved the multi-disciplinary modules Loughborough offered and was excited to apply materials engineering to healthcare and sustainability applications in particular.

I aspire to do a PhD and then head into the healthcare industry to apply my research to real life applications. I'd like to improve people's health and quality of life through materials engineering. The multi-disciplinary style of Biomaterials Engineering at Loughborough has gently guided me to find my own area of interest and given me the diverse skillset to be employable in that sector.