Aryan Aggarwal - Physics and Astronomy School President

As a first year student, I'm experiencing the department with a fresh set of eyes, raring to bring fresh perspectives in order to improve our education and future. I understand exactly how it feels to transition between regular school to university level studies. I am running for president in order to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone struggling with it and to ensure all students receive adequate support and guidance while feeling heard. Studying a traditionally difficult degree can feel painstakingly solitary. This is why fostering a stronger sense of community is vital. I'll transform underutilised spaces such as our physics common room for post lecture decompression or pre lecture preparation. Relying on end of semester surveys by SUSU or the department results in problems lingering for too long. I will launch an anonymous feedback form in which issues may be reviewed weekly and brought up with the staff student liaison committee. We all chose physics, likely, to keep our career aspects broad given that physics is such a broad subject. This can result in anxiety over the fact that we won’t get opportunities to explore the entirety of the subject. Working directly with the department, I’ll advocate for a diverse array of external speakers at the peak of their careers, whether it be industry or research, alongside alumni to come in to host talks and informal Q&As about all of our career prospects.