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Top prize at the East Midlands Institute of Physics competition

Physics student Jodie West took the top prize of £200 and will be invited to the National Heat (the "Grand Final") of the competition which is held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, on the 17th of May.

    Picture of Jodie West

    The Institute of Physics 3 Minute Wonder (3MW) is a UK and Ireland-wide science communication competition, challenging early-stage researchers to present their research to a non-specialist audience in 3 minutes. The aim is to bring cutting edge Physics-related research to life for the general public.

    This year three NTU Physics PhD candidates were invited to take part in the East Midlands Heat of the competition, making up a third of the competitors in the region.

    • Akhshay Bhadwal - Imperfect fluids for colloidal transport
    • Jim Hall - Using Copper nanoparticles to prevent biofilm formation on medical devices
    • Jodie West - P-Type Zinc Oxide: Fairytale or reality?

    With incredibly tough competition, NTU PhD student Jodie West took the top prize of £200 and will be invited to the National Heat (the "Grand Final") of the competition which is held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, on the 17th of May.

    Jodie's entry focused on the development of Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes (UV-LEDs) using the material Zinc Oxide (ZnO). Her presentation covered the exciting potential applications of UV LEDs, the huge research challenges in the field, using stories such as ‘The Princess and the Pea’ to help to communicate the research in an informative but fun and accessible way.

    Jodie shared what this success means to her:

    “There is so much exciting and interesting research taking place right now and I feel very honoured to have been announced as the winner of this round of the competition. I entered the 3MW as a way to challenge myself, a chance to present my research and represent NTU Physics. I am now preparing to present again in the 3MW final at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in May, following in the footsteps of Physics royalty such as Michael Faraday - it’s all very surreal! I’m very grateful for the opportunity and just excited to be able to present again at a fantastic venue alongside so many inspiring researchers - the fairy tale continues”.

    Find out more about Research degrees in the School of Science and Technology  at NTU.

    Published on 6 April 2022
    • Subject area: Sciences including sport sciences
    • Category: School of Science and Technology