The Ensamble Reviews 

1. Why did you decide to participate in The Ensamble
The reason I applied to this program is because it was suggested from school and I was very interested to explore STEM in a way that isn't the standard. My favourite part of this project was breaking away from the typical school mindset of reading something to a mindset of exploring and being intuitive. Some of the things I learnt are, coding, how to ask good questions, how to logically answer hypothesises. I feel that this project really allowed me to see how STEM looks post secondary school either at university or in a job in a much more creative and logical way. The tutors are very encouraging and always willing to help. They make the sessions very fun and understandable even when the content is hard. I will use this experience in current and future studies in many ways, the first is planning and understanding logical methods of answering questions. Furthermore, it has been very helpful in understanding how to do longer projects. Overall, I think it is a completely worthwhile experience.

It is one of my best experiences outside of school. This course provided me with lots of techniques and knowledge beyond school, allowing me to combine my interests with machine learning. I have gained lots of benefits from this programme with all the support from the professor, they have try to make the course as fun as possible.

The ensamble was a great experience that stretched my general idea of carbon capture technology to gain an in depth understanding of how a specific method works, which was fascinating and therefore allowed me to understand the practical mechanics involved in CCUS much more. The coding, although initially daunting, was easy to understand due to to the base template code provided by the instructors, that you could alter to suit your individual project. I think the most valuable thing I learnt was how to write a scientific research paper - the amount of rigour and detail required was challenging, but improved my scientific writing greatly, and has prompted me to look to pursue more independent research projects related to chemical engineering.

The ENSAMBLE programme helped give me insight into how the scientific community worked. I found it very insightful for my future decisions, and the resources offered for python coding and lecture recordings help solidified key scientific skills that I would need to use for the future

It was a great experience and I learnt a lot of new things not only in the specific thing I was researching but also general template for how to tackle things like it in the future, I will mention it is hard work and you really should plan for the time it take to complete it but it’s partly due to how much is in the course.

I was introduced to the Ensamble programme by my school teacher, and thought that it would be a good opportunity to learn more about the subject I am interested in. I really enjoyed being able to discuss my ideas on a topic with other young people, and hearing the different perspectives and questions each person had raised. As someone who hasn't previously taken much of an interest in coding, I found it really valuable to see how computers could be used to help in scientific research, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the coding element. The tutors were great and really supportive, providing good feedback and helping answer scientific questions. I look forward to being able to use what I have learned about computer simulations for research in my future studies at university.

The course was an excellent introduction to chemistry, physics and ML beyond the A-level, and provided an insight into what research entails within academic institutions. Prof Sarkisov and Dr Lapshin are excellent teachers, and I recommend the course to anyone wanting to pursue research at a higher level.

I found the Ensamble Programme to be a highly enjoyable and educational experience in which I was able to improve my scientific skills and insights.
Despite having no prior coding knowledge, I was able to learn how to navigate the Jupyter notebook through the support from the mentors, and this opened up a new perspective on modelling and tackling scientific problems, expanding my skillset. I would highly recommend this programme to anyone who is looking to get an insight into what undergraduate study in scientific research is like, especially in STEM related fields.

The Ensamble internship has taught me so much about a range of different subjects. It was a very enjoyable experience and a great insight into university and beyond. I would definitely recommend it to someone who wishes to pursue a career in any STEM field as it has greatly helped be develop my skills.

I think the ENSAMBLE programme was an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in gaining hands-on experience in scientific research at the undergraduate level.

Although sometimes challenging, it was an appropriate degree of difficulty and with the support of the mentors along the way, it became an enjoyable process too! Having their advice particularly helped with the coding aspect as I was not proficient at coding in any regard prior to this but now I can say that I'm familiar with how Jupyter notebook works and using code to analyse large data sets. The topic, modelling materials for carbon capture, was highly interesting and it made the experience feel relevant and valuable. It was a very rewarding programme and worth undertaking if you're looking into a career in STEM or just interested in carbon capture.

The Ensamble Project is an invaluable experience for anyone looking to find out what it is like to pursue research at Undergraduate level. Although difficult at first, the mentors are extremely kind and helpful in guiding you through any problems that you might face. I have also never had any prior coding experience, so this project particularly pushed me out of my comfort zone, however it made it even more rewarding once I had completed the project. This course is one of a kind, and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to complete an independent research project or pursue a career in science!

The Ensamble is a great opportunity for any aspiring scientist. The course gives an ideas of what exactly being a researcher entails - how new technologies like coding and machine learning can be used in enhancing the quality of research, and the real world applications of STEM. If you’re looking for a head start and an in depth understanding of STEM subject in real world applications, The Ensamble is definitely for you!!

The Ensamble Project is an amazing opportunity for young people interested in STEM. Throughout the summer, the internship format is excellent at pushing you out of your comfort zone and into unseen software and methods. The research internship format is starkly different from conventional school work, but usually felt far more rewarding. Lastly, this experience is especially great for people who are considering academia as a career path, as this is far closer to such a career than school classes. Overall, The Ensamble is an extremely unique and unforgettable experience that proved to me that I would love a career in academia.

The Ensamble program was an exceptional and invaluable experience! It provided a perfect blend of advanced STEM education, problem-solving, and hands-on research that significantly deepened my understanding of science and coding. The mentors were knowledgeable, always approachable, and eager to explore various topics in-depth. The program's focus on independent learning and real-world research made it a standout opportunity, equipping me with critical skills for university and beyond. Prior experience with coding and using Jupyter Notebook, though, I would say are very important, since learning them on the job as I did was quite tough

Challenging and Enriching!

I learnt about scientific research method to coding machine learning programs on Jupyter Notebook, from learning about technique for carbon capture to actually designing and carrying out my own research with online databases. It can take a while debugging your code and the chemistry and physics concepts is a huge step up from A-level, a lot more in depth and challenging, but immensely rewarding once you get your head around it. Overall would recommend :)

Professor Sarkisov and Dr Lapshin are very helpful and experienced teachers; they explain technical ideas clearly, and the advice I’ve received on my work from them has been useful in all of the scientific projects I’ve undertaken since the programme.

If you want to learn some more advanced physics and chemistry, and have a taster of how simulations are used to provide insight into natural phenomena, then I’d highly recommend joining the course.

Was highly interesting and self-motivated which was nice. As it was less holding your hand and more problem solving on your own, a critical skill that I’m sure gives me an advantage as I head into university. The team are always on hand to fulfil doubts and are happy to explore topics which arise meeting to meeting, and are happy and have more than the capability to go in depth in each area of interest.

This was an amazing experience and allowed me to decide whether going into a research heavy degree in STEM is the right thing for me. I thoroughly enjoyed all the work I did, even though it presented challenges at times, however I was fully supported whenever needed. I highly recommend this to anyone thinking about a degree in STEM, and it’s an opportunity to expand your understanding of research. It would be hard to find anything like this elsewhere and with help from such a friendly and knowledgeable team.

This internship has been hugely beneficial to me as I am considering applying for Chemistry at university. It has opened my eyes to what research would be like and how the use of AI can help extend investigations beyond what can be achieved solely in a laboratory. It will feature widely in my personal statement as it gives me something ’real’ to talk about beyond what I can learn off the internet. The hands-on experience has been invaluable. Being able to conduct a small research project myself was eye opening. This internship has made me realise the importance of coding in contemporary Chemistry. My main achievement from the course was learning Python basics, and gaining an understanding of how important its use is in the research environment. Secondly, it was a valuable insight into Chemistry at university, something I would not otherwise have seen. However, I would have liked to have been able to explore the Chemistry side of the course a little further as learning Python was quite intense. Overall, the experience has been an asset to me and will most definitely stand me in good stead for the university application and admission process ahead.

The Ensamble was an exceedingly fun, useful and eye-opening experience for me. It taught me the nature of undergraduate STEM study and provided a clearer picture of what it means to be a scientist. Every lecture was entertaining - delivered with charisma, enthusiasm and vigour. I learned about molecular thermodynamics, computational chemistry and the scientific method – important areas for most STEM degrees and careers. The topics are well-explained and delivered at the right level for A Level students wanting to broaden their knowledge – even if they have little coding experience! Most importantly, it helped me to grow in my passion and provided an invaluable skillset for my future. The Ensamble was instrumental to my university application and the perspective with which I see science. My teachers and I agree that these opportunities were one of the main ways I stood out to universities.