We received a message from Benjamin, the internship student from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia.
My internship at the ACES started in July 2019 and ended in December 2019 and focused on the Paleo-environmental Reconstruction of the Malay Peninsula using Marine Sediments for the last 50,000 years. This project helped me to gain a deep understanding of radiocarbon dating using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry of several shell and coral samples brought from the East Coast of Malaysia. Through this project, I was able to grasp the many workings and fundamentals that surround Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and the practical and theoretical knowledge needed to utilize it to its fullest extent in radiocarbon dating.
This internship has been one of the best periods of my life, especially the day-to-day research that was carried out in deepening my knowledge in the field of radiocarbon dating as well as the multitude of experiences that I have never been exposed to. One of the many highlights was the two-week excursion to the Tohoku and Mount-Fuji regions that not expanded my knowledge on the diversity of geology in Japan, but also helped me establish life-long connections with individuals from Japan, Australia and more. I hope that I may be able to one day continue my studies at the ACES or the University of Tokyo and explore more of what Japan has to offer. I would like to sincerely thank Yokoyama-sensei for giving me the opportunity to carry out my internship here and to everyone who has not only made this internship possible, but also a joy to carry out and hope to see everyone again in the near future! Thank You!!
