Hi there, and welcome to my first post! If you've made it this far then you must have some interest in Astrophysics, Astronomy or the life of a PhD student. Or you have completely lost your way on the internet, in which case why not spend 2 minutes of you life and carry on reading, while I try to take your interest. Well I am about to start my PhD in Astrophysics, so I hope that I have the required skills to provide all of the thing above.
Since I was a small boy, I have always looked up at the sky on a dark night, mesmerized by the everything i could see. I had no idea of what they really were till I was older and I've found that the more that I know the more interested I became. My curiosity has guided me into taking this interested to a new level. Tomorrow I will be embarking upon the beginning of my career in Science, and like many people just starting their first career, I have no idea what I'm doing! I have 4 years of Astrophysics University Education and a years work experience behind me, but I honestly cannot tell you what I will be doing on my first day of work (though on the first day I will probably be making the tea!). And even though I'm nervous and slightly scared about the whole adventure, I'm filled with much more excitement. I love Astrophysics and one of my new aims in life is to get everyone else loving it as well!
The word 'Outreach' is often used nowadays by members of the scientific community when describing their interaction with the public, which I really like. When I hear outreach I imagine a hand reaching out, not pulling, or pushing, but guiding someone. Guiding a person towards something they don't know, but something that they can access and be a part of. That's what I hope to achieve through this blog, to make Astrophysics more understandable for more people, no matter what your level of understanding. I want to tell people what it is like to be a PhD student, so that more people understand what we do. I hope to combine this blog with regular updates on my Twitter account, @UKAstroNut, and eventually set up an independent website on which I can combine everything together plus much more. All of this is in aid of a larger project, in which I hope to also visit schools and universities, telling kids and young people what I do and inspiring them to take an interest in Astrophysics, or even take up a career in it.
Anyway, I officially start my PhD tomorrow morning, so I should pack my bag, dig out my old calculator and blow the dusty off my old text books, ready for tomorrow morning. I am already looking forward to writing on here how my first few days go and telling you more about my project. Wish me luck!
