Jo Hodges, science enterprise manager at The Oxford Trust, highlights some of the benefits from the Nuffield Science Bursary Scheme that stimulates links between students and R&D

This summer the Nuffield Science Bursary Scheme sees 25 students from Oxfordshire working four to six weeks on a project in local research organisations. Each project is a genuine piece of new research for the organisation hosting the student. Projects range from the study of lightning on the Earth's ionosphere at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, to studying diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease in mice at the Medical Research Council, sorting and curating Darwin's insect specimens at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History to testing solar cells in the Oxford University Materials Department.

The students are all 17 and have just sat their AS exams, so this is the perfect time to prepare them for the second year of their A Level course and ultimately for university.

This year, the organisations involved are mainly University departments or Research units on the Harwell Science and Innovation campus. However, there are two companies offering projects which give an insight into the application of science in industry, and The Oxford Trust, who co-ordinate the scheme in this area, are keen to get more companies on board in future years.

Toby Ashton, Materials Scientist at Crown Packaging in Wantage, is hosting student Sanjeev Paudel from Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. Two weeks in, he is very pleased with the work Sanjeev has done and is confident that he will have collected useful data for Crown during the five weeks he is spending there.

"Sanjeev has settled into the work with great enthusiasm and has been able to do most of the tasks that we have set for him," says Mr Ashton. "The experience has exposed Sanjeev to the working environment of research & development in a large company doing various tasks from material testing to computer modelling."

David Brooks, who is the Manager of Materials Science at Crown, set up the placement. He explained why Crown Technology wanted to get involved: "It gives us the opportunity to have the student working with us over a short period. For us there's a possibility that the student may well be interested in working for Crown in the future. It also offers my team the possibility to get leadership experience supervising projects"

The Oxford Trust has been co-ordinating Nuffield Science Bursaries in the Oxfordshire area for over 10 years and has seen the programme go from strength to strength.

"The students who get placements are all of exceptionally high calibre," says Jo Hodges, Science Enterprise Manager at The Oxford Trust and Regional Co-ordinator of the scheme. "The demand from students is terribly high and we would love to provide an even broader range of projects for next year that challenge students in the fields of chemistry, mathematics, physics, engineering and biology. It is always a shame to have to turn away students eager to do research, and who, if a suitable project were available, could receive a bursary for their time, at no cost to the company offering the placement."

There are plenty of reasons why companies should get involved: there is nothing to pay, and with careful design the project can get some genuine research completed - perhaps that extra mini-project that never gets the time or resources to be carried out.

Dr Chris Davis, from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, has hosted a number of student placements over the years. For him it forms a regular part of the research going on in his laboratory, as each year a small part of one of his projects can be carried out by an A-Level student. He says "The Nuffield Bursary students I have hosted have all been brimming with skills, enthusiasm and commitment. By providing them with projects suited to their talents we have made some fantastic scientific discoveries together. The greatest testament is in the number of scientific papers that we publish as a result."

Past project providers have found the students to be eager workers and fast learners, so don't be put off by the fear that their knowledge or understanding levels may be too low. Most students will spend the first few days of a project, and maybe some time before it starts, reading around the topic, with instruction from the project provider, to bring them up to speed.

There is plenty of support available from the Regional Co-ordinator regarding Health and Safety, insurance, designing a suitable project and of course finding a student.

Overall, most project providers find that mentoring a young scientist or engineer is a rewarding activity. It can be the perfect first managerial experience for new graduates or DPhil students, and many places find that having a young person with a new outlook to be really refreshing to the team as a whole. Plus, you may just spark the next R&D scientist of tomorrow - and what could be worth more than that?

If you would be interested in finding out more about the scheme and how to get involved, come along the Celebration Event, where this year's students will be showcasing the work they have done over the summer. It is taking place on Tuesday November 11, at Science Oxford, St Clements, Oxford. Attendance is free, but please book a place with: Jo Hodges, 01865 728953 or jo.hodges@oxtrust.org.uk This page is compiled by The Oxford trust www.oxtrust.org.uk