Performing one final piece of research for the COSMOS office: 'An Investigation into the Effect of Hot Water and Detergent on Dirty Dishes' (forthcoming in a reputable peer-reviewed journal near you!).

Credit: Phill English

It’s been a blast, but my time at COSMOS is coming to a close. Sad times! This week I leave the offices for a brief stopover in Melbourne and then back to Perth. I’ll be madly trying to organise the final submission of my thesis before I head off to Thailand for four weeks! Needless to say, the editors are keen for me to get a story from my travels. Perhaps I can perform some chemical analysis on the content of fishbowl cocktails? Or maybe the effect of buoyancy on the ability to imbibe beer? The possibilities are endless!

So what have I learned during my time as an intern? Well for one I’ve learned that it’s entirely possible to exist on noodles and toasted sandwich lunches for a month. I’ve also developed a greater awareness of geography thanks to trying to figure out whether it’s day or night in various time zones. Oh, and I’ve performed quite a few experiments on determining the weights of boxes of magazines, with the conclusion that they are very heavy indeed.

More seriously, I have gained some insight into how exactly the publishing industry works, the cycle of news and the dynamic that exists between scientists and journalists. Seeing how willing scientists were to help get their work out there and have it understood was really encouraging, especially given the increasing importance of public understanding in the context of climate change and agricultural demand.

My writing has definitely improved with the help of the editing staff. There’s a certain knack to structuring sentences in order to communicate complicated ideas without losing the reader. With my newfound skills I might even be able to explain to my Mum what I’ve been doing for the past few years!

I’ll sign off now by thanking everyone here at the office who has made me feel very welcome and valuable. You guys have been great! I’ll be sure to keep in touch by spamming you all with crazy science videos and maybe a few pictures of my cocktails in Thailand. Purely for scientific interest, of course!

~Phill