Meet our IEA - Andrei Ciobanu

Hello everybody, my name is Andrei Cosmin Ciobanu and I am originally from Romania.  I am currently in my second year of studies at the University of Sheffield, Department of Automatic Control & Systems Engineering.  Actually, it is the only department in the UK and one of the best in the world dedicated to Control & Systems Engineering.  Standing at the border between Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, my degree provides some of the most exciting career perspectives.  Moreover, being in a constant development, it provides some of the best future technologies in a wide range of industries: Automotive, Electronics, Artificial Intelligence.  In my opinion, having the opportunity to contribute to its growth would represent an extraordinary experience for any present or future engineer!

What truly fascinated me about this area was the creativity and the rational way of thinking involved. Over the years, while developing a thorough understanding about the subject, I have set a resolute target: to build a rewarding career and become a great Systems Engineer.  As I describe myself as a very competitive person, during high-school I have participated in many national engineering contests obtaining praiseworthy results, which reinforced my enthusiasm and motivation to have a profound approach on these subjects.

Regarding my university life, I still remember that awkward feeling that I got in my very first day here in Sheffield. Even though it was the first experience far away from home, like many others, I quickly adapted. Surprisingly, I met a lot of kind people and I have made great new friends in a very short period of time which was amazing. In my opinion, Sheffield is the right place to live during your studies. Even though it is a quiet and peaceful city, it provides all the facilities you need. So far, this is the best experience of my life and I am really grateful for this opportunity that had been offered to me.

I am the social officer within the Romanian Society, so I am responsible for organizing parties and many other recreational activities! Regardless of the problems that may occur during the semester or approaching deadlines, we inevitably forget about all of these and really have fun when we get together. Actually, one of the most intense experience of my life was participating in the International Cultural Evening last year. We successfully performed a traditional Romanian dance, obtaining the 3^rd prize! Even though the rehearsals were really intense, I definitely enjoyed it as I got the chance to know all the others much better!

Meet our IEA - Anton

My name is Anton and I am currently a second-year student, studying MEng Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Originally, I am from Russia, but I have lived and studied in Cyprus from 2010 until 2016. My parents had an opportunity to send me to Cyprus to get British education with a future aim of obtaining a degree in UK.  I successfully completed my IGCSEs in American Academy Limassol and my A-Levels in the Institute of Maths and Sciences.

When I was choosing universities via UCAS, I decided to make the University of Sheffield my firm choice because the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was ranked in the Top 10 universities of UK. My decision was affected by comments of students that this course before, level of research and level of employability after graduation. This year our department has been ranked second in the UK in the Times Good University Guide 2018 and this proves that it is one of the top providers of the course.

My course provides the opportunity to work in groups and individually. The quality of teaching is great, and lecturers are keen to provide feedback on your work in order to facilitate your personal development. In the first year, you will be assigned to a tutor who will organise either group or one-to-one sessions that can make a crucial difference in understanding of a certain topic. In addition, one of the most important aspects of my course is lab work. Almost every week I had a hands-on practical related to materials science and to be honest they were very useful in consolidating knowledge from lectures. Also, the department organises visits to different companies so that students can see how their knowledge can be applied in practice and why it is important in industry.

Starting from the first year, you can get involved in various student-led projects that will stand out in your CV once you will apply for internships or graduate placements.  Sheffield bears a long history in materials science due to large-scale production of steel and invention of stainless steel. Besides that, it is one of the greenest cities in the UK and it is a neighbour to a beautiful national park called “Peak District”. The city has many cultural places and attractions such as theatres, museums and parks. Moreover, the university offers a variety of indoors and outdoors sports that can satisfy anyone’s choice.

The Student Union has been ranked 1st in the UK for the eighth consecutive year for a good reason. This is the place where you can get support in your social life, education and even personal issues. The Diamond building provides superb facilities for doing any project work, laboratory work, organising activities for student societies and much more. In case you encounter any difficulties in your studies, you will be able to get support from a 301 Workshop that operates opposite to the Student’s Union.

After my degree at Sheffield, I plan to be involved in research of materials for either nuclear fusion reactors or advanced manufacturing technologies as a PhD student. I aim to climb a career ladder to the position of a R&D Director or start my own business venture with my friends. To all prospective students, I would recommend having ambitious goals and work hard to achieve them because the university is a place where your dreams can really come true! Enjoy every moment at the University and make it count!

Meet our IEA - Michal Stepkiewicz

Hello!  My name is Michal, I come from Poland and I live currently in Sheffield and study fascinating Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. However, it wasn’t always like that. I’ve lived my whole life in a single city – Krakow. It was there where I was born and raised, where I attended all schools and made all of my friends – some of them I met for the first time in kindergarten. When I was making plans for my future I couldn’t really imagine me leaving my beloved town, in which I also used to cycle a lot, not to mention going abroad and living in a completely different country. However, due to my ambition, passion for engineering and a series of various events I’ve ended up here in Sheffield. And I’m so glad I did!

 I’ve always enjoyed maths and physics classes in my school and after connecting those two subjects with my wide interest in technology it was pretty sure for me, that I would like to study some kind of engineering. I decided to study mechanical engineering because it contained modules connected with technology and engineering fields I was keen on – e.g. engine structure. I am also fascinated by engineering work – solving problems and using theoretical knowledge and experience to implement changes or improvements in machines and devices.

When the vision of me being a mechanical engineer in the future clarified for me, it was time to decide on a university. I was looking for a very hands-on course, that would provide me with both enough wide  theoretical knowledge and a lot of practical experience. Because of that I chose University of Sheffield – an exceptional university that offers so much  to prospective engineers. I greatly enjoy every single part of my course – from programming, technical drawing and lectures to design projects, laboratories and workshops.

Apart from the casual course I am also taking part in many events or extracurricular activities within the university. One of these is Railway Challenge engineering project, which I happen to be a lucky member. With a bunch of other students we’re designing a locomotive, which will be put into a test during a competition between universities. This project allowed me to meet many passionate people and work with them in a team and also put some effort into an ambitious project that gives m both fun and experience, that might be helpful in the future.

So eventually I am here studying in Sheffield – a medium, very green and cheap city, where there are a lot of friendly and positive people. I would have never guessed that I would be able to fall in love in a such a different city compared to my hometown, but I did. I am greatly enjoying my life here – fascinating studies and lovely people I meet.

To all prospective students I can give an advice – work hard and aim high! See you in Sheffield!