Travel Vibes: LONDON

By: Hemanshi Galaiya

London is not just one of the fashion capitals but also one of the most eccentric cities I have ever come across. After a long trying semester I needed some time to unwind relax and get some change from university life. Hence, I logged onto my computer, booked a last minute bus ticket, packed my bags and headed to the bus station early next morning.

I was taken by the city vibes as soon as the bus hit the London borders. The tall buildings, Victorian architecture and bright sunny day added a cherry to my leisure packed long weekend. I hit the streets as soon as I put my bags down. I decided to spend my days meeting up with friends, feasting to my hearts delight and being a mainstream tourist.

We started with the classic spots and while we were at it, why not take some of the most cliché pictures.

From pretending to make a call at the ‘ancient’ telephone booths to posing in front of the London Eye, from the ‘visiting’ the Queen outside the Buckingham Palace to taking pictures of mimes and m&m models; and from experiencing my first tube ride to going to Lego world.

I spent my second day shopping at spots like Oxford Street and Covent Garden; buying souvenirs and eating pizzas, burgers and everything I could possibly get my hands on – now you know the secret of my puffy cheeks :P.

We then headed to Trafalgar Square where I experienced a moving act of solidarity. Several of the traffic lights shone light to support gender equality, homosexuality and child rights.

On my last day in the city, we packed our gear, took our coats and headed out for a day filled with activities. We headed down to the shopping mall where we spent some quality time at the arcade and have an incredibly competitive bowling game and of course the day included trying a variety of cuisines.

With all said and done I headed back to Sheffield and with a relieved heart, relaxed mind and recharged body all prepared to tackle the new semester.

Chemical Engineering V/S Students: the battle continues

By Hemanshi Galaiya
Hello once again,

If you frequent our blog and are a ‘fan’ of Chemical Engineering, you have just landed on the correct page. It’s Easter break and while some are busy celebrating a lot of students are busy stressing about their graduation or anxious about how to be productive this summer. Yet, here I am sitting in front of my computer sipping on some relaxing herbal tea and not biting my nails.

Now, I know you are reaching out to call 911 because you have never seen a meme that would show a non-stressed, non-caffeinated student but don’t worry I am doing just fine!

The holidays are soon coming to an end; which means everyone will be stressing about exams, job and internship applications and trying to get that 100-hours coursework done in a night. Yet, I feel relaxed, relieved and refreshed to tackle all of the above.

Again, I assure you there is no need to ring 911. 

Yes, I know you are skeptical about how ‘fine’ I am but what I am about to tell you might give you the much needed reassurance. My spring semester so far has been full of activities, studying and stressing. However, while I approach the end of this seemingly long time, I am sure that a lot of good has come out of it:

  1. Design Week 2017

If you have ever spoken to an engineering student at UOS they definitely have had to mention the Global Engineering Challenge (GEC) or the Engineering! You’re Hired (EYH); and while both these weeks are really fun and excited Chemical Engineers don’t seem to have enough of them. Hence, our department does its own version of the challenge right before Easter break for both 1^st and 2^nd year students. While GEC and EYH teach you the soft skills of teamwork, research skills and solving real life problems, design week sheds light on the application of core knowledge, analytical and critical thinking and project management.

Throughout design week each team works to solve a very realistic chemical engineering related problem. The teams have to make use of a variety of different modules and concepts already learnt as well as computer software and known literature. This hands down approach helps everyone not only see how classroom knowledge can be applied but is by far one of the best ways of making students revisit a variety of concepts and theories in preparation for exams.

 2. Networking sessions

The Chemical Engineering department organizes a number of networking sessions throughout the year; some of these include calling upon alumni to share their advice. One of the few sessions that I attended this semester consisted of alumni from all ages and phases (yes, it is an engineering pun) of life.

I had the opportunity to interact with a diverse variety of individuals - from my current professor’s classmate back from 1970’s who showed everyone their class photos to a recent graduate who just started working at a company; from a Chemical Engineer who worked for Shell for over 30 years to a Chemical Engineer who is now working in law enforcement as a police officer.

All of them had invaluable knowledge and experiences to share. We discussed issues such as typical job roles, emerging market and the contribution of women in the uprising of engineering. At the end of the session, all the insights and advice kept me encouraged throughout the semester to continue working on those applications even when the psychometric tests and endless cover letters got me bummed up.

 3. Drop-In Sessions and increased tutorials

Like every typical student, I too leave a lot of my coursework for the last minute or sometimes I too need that extra help because I was unable to understand all the content and needed a different way of grasping it. To my benefit, I have had a ball of a time this semester as most of my lecturers acknowledged and acted upon this need. While some choose to reduce the amount of time they ‘blabbed’ on for and instead chose to spend some time on physically going through examples step by step during the lecture, others went ahead to give out worksheets and video tutorials.

Yet, for me the best move so far was having additional drop-in sessions. This semester, we were faced with using a variety of software to carry out a number of engineering related calculations. We all are aware of how most operations in today’s world are becoming highly computerized which means that coding has become as sacred as the concept of thermodynamics. It was a very useful way of ensuring that individuals who were comfortable with the software from the initial sessions would not need to spend additional hours of their busy time while those seeking more help had access to more resources, one on one time and practice which meant that no one would be struggling all by themselves at 2 in the night trying to work on ‘alien’ software.

So there it is guys, my top 3 reasons for being able to breathe a little better, laugh a little louder and sleep a little more this Easter break. However, before I go here is a bonus pro tip… if you are still struggling and yet want to do all the ‘chilling’ I am doing, just find a friend convince them to motivate you to get up and get going.

P.S. I get my flatmate to check up on my study progress every morning and every night. It always helps to put extra tabs on yourself.

Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy (SELA) by Hemanshi Galaiya

As a student at TUoS, I have opportunities lying right at my feet that only need to be picked up at the correct time and this year has been the perfect time for me to participate in a life changing program. This exclusive program inspired by the acclaimed Gordon Leadership Program at MIT is an intensive 2-year-long extra-curricular leadership scheme that provides the perfect set-up for me to develop myself even further.

It is a well-known fact that the UK is in shortfall of engineers, especially in industry. What is even more alarming is that there are even fewer people equipped with the skills to become leaders in the industry. TUoS is combatting this situation through a multifaceted program famously known as SELA.

My journey with SELA began sometime in mid-march when applications opened. If you didn’t believe me when I mentioned intensive then let me give you evidence now. Each year applications are opened exclusively to first year students on Meng Courses across all departments. In order to identify visionaries, the application not only requires you to talk about your skills but also demands to known what you aim to get out of the program and what you could bring to the team.

Once, your application has gone through the radar, it is now time to demonstrate all the skills you so flamboyantly mentioned. The next step in the recruitment process in an interview with the board members. Here, you get the opportunity to paint the picture of the type of person you are. First, I was required to talk about the leaders that inspire me. Then, produce a 2 minute long pitch about ‘Why I should be selected to join SELA and what I will bring if I am selected.’ Lastly, I was put under the spot light and asked questions regarding some of the tougher aspects of life such as the biggest challenge I faced and how I overcame it.

Only about 0.02% of all engineering students at the university get into the program. The selection process is rigorous and requires demonstration of leadership and project management capabilities. Now, I know many of you are already thinking about saving yourself the trouble and planning to choose the easier option if being lazy. Yet, I would encourage you to give it a go.

Here is why…

Once, the tough part is over, the best part starts. The SELA program encompasses sessions in which members develop and enhance skills. One of the first steps of the program is an induction boot camp. This year, we were taken to a ‘secret’ location where we spent a weekend packed with small workshops for skill building. In each session we were faced with a different task which required using analytic, theoretic and intuitive skills amongst others. Yet, the best part of the boot camp for a student is undoubtedly the leisure of the swimming pool, sauna and hot baths at the golf resort and the scrumptious food prepared especially to meet your taste.

The last task of our boot camp involved building a marble run. Well, you might think that a marble run is fairly easy to make, isn't it?
However, the twist was that we had to do it in 3 different teams each of which were given a different set of information to build a different section of the marble run. That wasn't all, the teams weren't allowed to communicate with each other directly, only one individual from each team could talk to each other and that is when we discovered that between 3 teams, only 2 pairs of scissors were provided. We were already dealing with limited resources, limited communication and then 10 minutes into the task they announced a change in the specification of design and that is when we got an even more real taste of life in engineering!! Our design didn't work at first but after a little improvisation, our master piece past the test!

After the official induction was over, we were introduced to our project for the year; an Outreach Event aimed at promoting engineering to the general public. 10 weeks into the program and I have got additional sessions to develop skills in negotiation, networking, public speaking, project management and enterprise among others via workshops, networking events and technical and industrial experience opportunities. I have interacted with individuals that have the most absurd and yet most brilliant ideas. As part of the requirement to ‘graduate’ from the program, I have to undertake 2 different internships either in research or industry and day-in-day-out, we are introduced to opportunities via the SELA board and I can't wait to get started with my first placement this coming summer.

Personally, I feel guaranteed that this program will enhance my endurance, determination and focus and make me a better leader because it provides a practical approach to engineering - various projects will give me an insight into the process of research thereby paving way for further academic involvement which may encourage me to take up a role in teaching instead of entering the industry. The guest speakers that are invited will help me grow professionally as I will learn from their experiences. Working in more diverse engineering teams will teach me various skills and hence set me apart from others. All in all, it will create networks and industrial relationships for me so that I have an early start in my career.

To end it all, I hope that my experience with SELA will be a legend that will inspire individuals to become the next generation of engineers because this multifaceted program augments technical knowledge by giving a true taste of both research and industry.