The Department of Physics has expanded its series of taster sessions for Year 11 students to include those in Year 10 as well – and instead of one session each year, there are now three: one per term.
The taster sessions, led by the award-winning outreach team at the Department of Physics, are engaging and interactive and give participants a flavour of what it might be like to study physics at degree – and not just at Oxford.
Each online event kicks off with a multiple-choice quiz, hosted by different researchers from the department each time, to start exploring a particular area of physics – that could be anything from astrophysics or quantum materials to weather prediction or planetary exploration. This is then followed by a session dedicated to problem solving which is one of the key tenets in higher level physics and an aspect that is less likely to be covered in great depth in schools. Participants get to hear about different problem-solving techniques and are sign-posted to particular resources.
There is a slot dedicated to exploring the next steps from choosing A-level options to looking at some of the different places that a degree in physics might take you. Finally, each session wraps up with a Q&A, an opportunity to ask undergraduate students and researchers about their own experiences.
‘We are passionate about young people discovering how brilliant physics is,’ explains Kathryn O’Brien Skerry who leads the sessions. ‘Degree-level physics is very different from what the majority of students understand as physics in secondary school or college so we think these sorts of taster sessions are essential. Physics as a subject is vast and a degree in physics opens up a world of opportunities to students.’
Those in years 10 and 11 can join just one session or as many as they wish as each session covers different topics.
‘It was very relatable and the students were very good at explaining in a clear way about both Oxford life and physics courses. I also really enjoyed the problem solving as it was clearly explained even when not always intuitive!’
Year 11 taster day participant, 2025
The programme continues for those in Year 12, or equivalent, with a dedicated session for those in their final year of study who want an insight into studying physics at degree. Following a similar format to the year 10/11 taster events, the session covers a research-related quiz, problem-solving focus and Q&A, but it goes into greater depth and also includes an introduction to studying physics at Oxford.
‘The whole session was amazing, both the talk and Q&A were very informative and useful, and the estimation problems workshop was probably the best part of the day, as I have never really done estimation problems with a focus like this, and the tips were very good.’
Year 12 taster day participant, 2025