Working at BGS as a postgraduate intern
Katie Williams, an environmental geochemistry masters student, shares her experience following a work placement in the Stable Isotope Facility.
15/06/2022 By BGS Press![Mineral section.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mineral_section.jpg)
Recently I spent a few weeks with BGS on a work experience placement at their headquarters in Keyworth, Nottingham. As the placement was part of my MSc degree in environmental geochemistry at the University of Plymouth, I was mainly based in the Stable Isotope Facility, with my time split between sample preparation in the laboratory and understanding the sustainability projects in both the BGS laboratories and the wider organisation.
I was interested in gaining experience of working in the labs because of my dissertation on a petrological study of the layered and foliated gabbros found at the Oman ophiolite and their formation, which I undertook as part of my MSc. In the labs, I was able to experience preparation of both organic and inorganic samples ready for analysis using a mass spectrometer. Sample preparation involved lots of weighing, with samples coming from a wide variety of sources ranging from lake sediments to archaeological animal tooth enamel; some samples weighed less than 1 mg in mass (which is extremely small!)
![Image shows sample preparation of inorganic samples in preparation for carbon isotope analysis in the BGS Stable Isotope Facility.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/sample-preparation-bgs-stable-isotope-facility.jpg)
Sample preparation of inorganic samples ready for carbon isotope analysis in the BGS Stable Isotope Facility. BGS © UKRI.
The samples are analysed for a variety of stable isotopes, which can help answer a range of questions including the nature of past climates and environments at the time of deposition (lake sediments) or formation (tooth enamel). In addition to preparing samples, I was shown how carbon dioxide is extracted from the samples and analysed on a mass spectrometer. My thanks go to Jack Lacey and Chloe Walker-Trivett, who supervised my time in the labs.
As well as lab experience, I spent time understanding the sustainability initiatives of the BGS labs, namely the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), created by University College London. The initiative aims to improve the sustainability of labs using a certification system and shared good practice. BGS currently has silver accreditation and is working towards the gold standard certification (thanks to Angela Lamb and Leah Crosby). To increase sustainability in the lab, I put together a sustainability guide that can be disseminated to staff and visitors to raise awareness.
Staff have a very hands-on approach when considering the environment of the BGS Keyworth campus and have formed a staff wilding group. The group invited me along for a lunchtime session and I helped to build a bug hotel aimed at increasing biodiversity on site. During my placement I also spent some time with the Rushcliffe Big Business Carbon Club, who were visiting BGS to discuss shared ways of improving sustainability.
![Image of the Rushcliffe Big Business Carbon Club after attending a talk on sustainability and carbon reduction initiatives.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/rushcliffe-big-business-carbon-club.jpg)
Rushcliffe Big Business Carbon Club attending a talk on sustainability and carbon reduction initiatives at BGS Keyworth. BGS © UKRI.
As my career progresses, I hope to work with organisations like BGS in future. The staff at BGS were very welcoming and it is a great place to work.
About the author
Katie Williams is a Masters student studying environmental geochemistry at the University of Plymouth, where she is currently writing her thesis on the petrographic and trace element geochemistry of the 2021 Soufrière St Vincent explosive sequence.
Relative topics
Latest blogs
![Nine people in two groups (four to the left; five to the right) standing on grey rocks with brown cliffs behind them.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/tuscany-feature-image.jpg)
The heat beneath our feet: BGS field visit to Tuscan geothermal systems
05/07/2024
BGS visits the active and fossilised geothermal systems of southern Tuscany, Italy.
![Sophia and Job at BGS conducting specialist analysis of Pu in soils.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Job_Sophia_Lab_T-Barlow_thumbnail.jpg)
Harnessing global collaboration: UK/Kenya partnership in soil erosion research
31/05/2024
Collaboration between scientists is vital in today’s interconnected world to further scientific progress. In environmental research, issues such as soil erosion demand collaboration on an international scale.
![The aurora over Haddington, Scotland. Credit: Migle Petruskeviciute](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aurora-over-haddington-scotland.webp)
A-roaring display
16/05/2024
The dazzling and colourful aurora borealis, or northern lights, observed by many across the UK last weekend was one of the most extreme and long-lasting geomagnetic storms recorded in the last 155 years.
![Scott's Monument, west elevation. © BGS/UKRI](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scott_monument_thumbnail.jpg)
Building stones spotlight: the Sir Walter Scott Memorial 25 years after its conservation
29/04/2024
BGS geologist, Luis Albornoz-Parra, discusses the iconic Edinburgh monument, the building stones used in its construction and the result (so far) of its conservation efforts.
![Rebecca Mumpansha, a GSD librarian, with the sales stock of geological maps. © Rachel Talbot.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/P1000254-960x645.webp)
Unlocking key mineral archives at the Zambian Geological Survey Department
23/02/2024
Rachel Talbot recounts a recent visit by BGS Records staff to the Zambian Geological Survey Department, to assist in critical mineral data management.
![Aurora borealis in northern Norway. © Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/henrik-heitmann-wQ1UIvNfgYQ-unsplash.webp)
Will 2024 be the Year of the Aurora?
23/02/2024
The Sun’s approximate eleven-year activity cycle is predicted to peak this year, prompting BGS scientists to anticipate that 2024 will be the ‘Year of the Aurora’.
![P1038353](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1038353.webp)
Hungry like a wolf: new insights from old bones housed in the BGS museum collections
18/01/2024
BGS scientists are studying the diets of ancient British wolves and how they adapted to changing environments.
![The Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation contributes to the chemistry of overlying soils in Culver Down on the Isle of Wight. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/culver-down-p683813.webp)
How BGS is helping the farming sector of Great Britain
17/01/2024
New legislation concerning soil management and technology in modern farming has led to an increase in enquiries about BGS’s Soil Parent Material Model.
![The Codleteth Burn catchment with its outlet fan system and recent debris flow deposits near Talla Linfoots. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1038346-scaled-1-960x640.jpg)
Moving stones: faults, slopes and sediments
12/01/2024
Fractured rock along faults affects sediment movement on slopes with implications for the design of infrastructure.
![Chris Bengt, PhD Student, in Stable Isotope Lab, Keyworth. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/chris-bengt-p1038345.webp)
Understanding nutrients in tropical rainforests
11/01/2024
Christopher Bengt talks about carrying out research for his PhD amongst the rainforests and volcanoes of the Philippines.
![Gold mining activities (milled ore washing and sluicing) and community drinking water downslope of ASGM activities. © Maureene Auma Ondayo.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/gold-mining-activities-sluicing-p1038343-960x645.webp)
Linking geochemistry and health in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Kakamega-Vihiga gold belt, Kenya
09/01/2024
PhD candidate Maureene Auma Ondayo is investigating major and trace element exposure in the environment in Kenya, aiming to reduce exposure of humans to toxic chemicals.
![Team UK at the International Geography Olympiad. Source: Jo Bayham & Jen Lomas](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1_Team_UK.jpg)
The Geography Olympiad: Bandung, Indonesia
22/12/2023
School student Dion Thompson joined Team UK at this year’s International Geology Olympiad in Indonesia. We hear from Dion’s mentor Anna Hicks, before Dion reports on the Olympiad itself.