Week 2 at Thomas Swan: Achievements and Early Goodbyes

Our second week started after two days of rest and travelling. Some of us went to Edinburgh for fourteen hours and got to know as much of the city as possible. In total we walked more than 20 km! We were exhausted afterwards, but it was a very rewarding cultural experience.

Week 2 has been more productive, and more challenging as well. The team has been able to identify potential chemicals and explore them further. The first few days were stressful because we had very broad information and never ending chemical terms. However, as the week progressed we were able to narrow down our list of chemicals and our goals became more clear.

To celebrate this achievement, we went to have a nice dinner at Yo! Sushi and take advantage of “Blue Mondays”. It seems like a good deal, because they offer more “blue plates”, which are of the cheapest on the menu. It adds up though! Nevertheless, we were able to eat some nice Japanese food and desserts (our favorite was the Mango Mochi), and had a great time.

On Tuesday, we didn’t go to Thomas Swan because the GEO planned a field trip to Piramal, a pharmaceutical company about 30 minutes away by bus. After learning about the company’s history, we were given a tour of the different plants on site. We were fascinated to see how they transform raw materials into final products. Being able to see the packaging process was very interesting as well. We were then given a very interesting talk about leadership.

Since we didn’t work from the office on Tuesday, on Friday we went to Thomas Swan for work (we normally would have worked from NUBS on a Friday). We had lunch with Harry Swan and Simon, the Technical Director. The purpose of the lunch was to say goodbye to Sachin, since he is going back home this weekend. During the lunch we were also able to discuss our progress and receive guiding feedback from Harry and Simon.
Once we arrived to Newcastle we said our goodbyes. Sachin will be missed! Next week will be challenging since we have 3 days to work on our project before our presentation on Thursday. Yet, we know we will be focused and work hard!! Wish us luck

GEO Thomas Swan Interns