Ashley Parr, from Gorton, Manchester and former pupil of East Manchester Academy, has soared to new heights after being awarded the Alison Uttley prize at The University of Manchester for contributing most to the life and work of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The annual award is an exceptional achievement as Ashley was nominated by members of staff in the department and was chosen as the winner amongst over 1000 students in the faculty.
Ashley is a Xaverian student from the Class of 2022 and achieved top grades of four A*s in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and was also recognised as a Netcraft Top 50 AQA student nationally for his grades in Computer Science. Ashley commented: “All my subjects were exceedingly well taught. I remember my teachers’ passion for their subjects really shone through, something that I can now comfortably say, in my 4th year of degree education, is welcome in teaching. It made choosing the topic of my degree very hard, and I oscillated between Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science and eventually opted for an MPhys (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics, with a specialisation in the use of applied deep learning in observational astrophysics.”
Reflecting on his third year at the university, which ultimately led to him winning the award, Ashley said: “I was the Schools Liaison Officer for the University of Manchester Physics Outreach (UMPO), a student society that works on making physics and science in general more accessible to the public by doing workshops in primary and secondary schools and public science busking at markets and fairs, which is unique for a UK university. I also took on the roles of Academic Representative, which inspired me to go for and win the election for the Chair of Reps, Peer-Assisted Study Leader, whose job it is to help Year 1 students to settle into their studies, and a Student Ambassador, where I helped give tours and connect with prospective students.”
Ashley chose to study at Xaverian after being impressed by the friendly and engaging teachers and open campus at one of the open days, as well as speaking to family and friends who had studied there and commented: “It was a very easy choice and one I never had reason to second guess! I particularly enjoyed the community feel of the college and the strong academic connection I felt with the friends I had made on my subjects. We were friendly rivals throughout our time at college, competing to see who would gain the highest marks in Mathematics and Further Mathematics. This even extended outside of the classroom, where we competed in the Senior Mathematics Challenge and Senior Kangaroo. I didn’t always come top, but I remember our smiles and celebrations on results day, where we got an outstanding 13 A*s between the three of us!”
The nominations for the award were made without the knowledge of the nominees and was an unexpected shock to Ashley when the notification came through that he had won the award. Ashley said: “I knew of the award and vaguely its criteria, but frankly it never came to mind that my efforts would recognised in this way. I took part in the extracurricular work simply because they were things I am passionate about. I love outreach, representing our student community, and making a positive impact on my peers, so it was an absolutely major shock when I found out!”
Following the completion of his master’s degree, Ashley is planning to pursue a PhD in Computational Astrophysics and, after this, is considering teaching or working for the Institute of Physics or the Science and Technology Facilities Council. Ashley said “Whatever the future holds, I have really enjoyed being challenged by my work and having to discover solutions myself to keep moving forward. Studying Physics encourages you to become a problem solver, and I would love nothing more than a career that keeps it fresh and engaging with consistent challenges along the way.”