Profile
Samantha Faircloth
Congratulations to David for winning in the Space Zone! :-)
My CV
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Education:
1) Hawkhurst Primary School, Kent.
2) Wadhurst secondary school, East Sussex.
3) Mid Kent College, Maidstone, Kent.
4) University of Canterbury, Kent.
5) The Open University (distance learning).
6) University College London.
7) The Open University (on-site in Milton Keynes). -
Qualifications:
GCSEs (Mathematics, Double Science, English Language, English Literature, History and Business Studies).
A-Levels (English Literature and Language, Business Studies and Sociology).
BA (Hons) Business and Economics with a Year in Industry
BSc (Hons) Natural Science: Earth Science
MSc Geoscience
PhD: I’ve just submitted my thesis! -
Work History:
Hastings Direct: car insurance.
AMP/NPI: Pensions provider
Sapient: Investment banking.
Heartwood: Wealth management. -
Current Job:
Research Associate.
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About Me:
I love rocks and collecting as many as I can carry. My favourite types of rocks are volcanic and igneous rocks. I also enjoy hiking and climbing mountains.
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I live in East Sussex (on the south coast) with my partner, Giles, in a house that backs onto woodland. We are on the outskirts of a very small town and get to enjoy being in the countryside but not too far from the shops!
When I’m not outdoors walking around the countryside, you can find me on a badminton court playing fast-paced mixed doubles or singles games.
Otherwise, I really enjoy indoor bouldering and climbing.
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The chemical elements that I study are sulfur and chlorine. These elements are found in both rocks from the Moon and rocks that are found on Earth. Sulfur and chlorine are also gases that come out of volcanoes! To measure the elements from the rocks, I have to use very big and powerful instruments (machines) that operate on an atomic scale (very, very small!). One of the instruments that I use at the Open University is called the “nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometer”, or NanoSIMS for short, that fires charged atoms (excited atoms) at my rock samples which then releases the sulfur and chlorine from the rocks and allows me to measure how much of these elements exist in the rock.
NanoSIMS
I have also worked at Diamond Light Source which is like Cern in Switzerland. The building is shaped like an enormous doughnut and charged particles (more excited atoms!) spin round it at very fast speeds. I use the particles to measure the different types of sulfur (known as isotopes) that exist in my rock samples.
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My Typical Day:
The day starts with cleaning the rock samples. Then I turn on a powerful electron microscope (electrons are found in atoms so they are also very small!) to have a look at the rocks in much more detail. Finally I turn on the NanoSIMS, which requires sometime to warm up before I can measure my samples.
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Typically, studying the rocks under the electron microscope takes a number of hours. It allows me to see things in the rocks that can’t be seen with the naked eye. I’m able to see tiny, beautiful crystals in huge detail. I’ve uploaded some photos of a small rock section and crystals for you to see.
Rock sample
Crystals
I can then go to the NanoSIMS and put the rock samples into a large vacuum area (a very low pressure area) that is locked off before measurements begin. I can then use the computer screens that are attached to the NanoSIMS to see what’s happening with my sample as I measure it. I can’t see the actual elements of sulfur and chlorine being released but the machine can detect how many atoms of each element are being released.
Diamond Light Source
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would buy a rare, super-massive 3 meter by 3 meter inflatable Moon to be used at the Open University’s Moon Night 2020 in December to teach young scientists like you about the Moon and Space! See the photo below! Interactive science is the best and most fun for young scientists! : -)
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Thoughtful, analytical, friendly.
What did you want to be after you left school?
An investment banker
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Aren't we all?
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Erasure (pop group from the 1980s!)
What's your favourite food?
Sunday roast
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) Started studying geoscience at a younger age. 2) Plant millions of trees. 3) Work on an active volcano.
Tell us a joke.
A photon walks into a hotel and requests to check-in. The receptionist asks whether the photon would like help with the luggage. The photon replies..."no thank you, I'm travelling light"!
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