Florine is a trainee at the European Space Agency

Hi Florine, what are you working on at the moment?

This year I was offered a position at the European Space Agency as a Young Graduate Trainee for Space Environment and Effects. This is my first job after I graduated, which I started only two month after I finished my degree at KTH.

What is a regular day like at your job?

As I’ve just started, a regular day involves a lot of programming and reading papers and background material. I work with satellite data from PROBA 1, INTEGRAL CRRES and the Van Allen Belts Probes, combined with modelling of proton fluxes in the Earth’s radiation belts to investigate their dependence on the pitch angle distribution.

Why did you choose this programme at KTH?

I chose Electrophysics as I wanted to combine physics courses with engineering courses. The flexibility in course choices is excellent and there are also a lot of project courses offered to give you hands-on experience. I think the mixture of courses was very useful. From the mandatory courses including plasma physics to the optional courses such as space physics and particle physics, I can use what I learned and I believe they are highly relevant to space environment research.

What was the best aspect of your studies at KTH?

One of the best aspects was how easily students can be included in projects, which gives you a different experience than if you’re only doing coursework.

What is your best memory from your time at the university?

There are plenty of good memories from KTH. I made really good friends there. I enjoyed hiking, camping, rowing or just hanging out with them. I also felt that KTH had opened up opportunities to me I would otherwise not have had. I have great memories of attending the 2^nd Symposium on Space Educational Activities, the ESA PAC conference and the 27^th

International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly to present my thesis and the student rocket project, which felt very rewarding. Going to the Tromsø EISCAT radar site during the rocket campaign and running the radar site was very interesting and a good memory.

I also did a semester abroad on Svalbard, Norway. I felt like I was in a really good working environment and was working in a highly motivated space physics group there. I got even more enthusiastic about continuing in the field – and seeing the Aurora Borealis is always a wonderful experience. I also enjoyed the trips we took on snowmobile, skis, bikes or just hiking, seeing some amazing landscape and wildlife. You can check out my thesis , if you’re interested.

What are your plans for the future?

I am aiming to do a PhD in space physics.

Would you want to say to a student who was thinking of applying for this programme?

Think about whether you like the mandatory courses of the programme and if they would serve as a relevant basis for what you’re aiming to do later. You can always develop your programme based on these. I was very thankful for the support provided by our programme director for my course selections.