Meet our International Engineering Ambassador – Aznie Othman

1. Background 

Hi!

​My name is Aznie Othman ​and I am ​from Malaysia which is in Southeast Asia. Currently, I am studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering and am ​in my second year. ​I am in the middle of ​a ​circuits and machines module.  I ​have also joined ​the university’s football and futsal societies. Besides that, I love singing and cultural dancing and was able to perform at an International Cultural Evening organized by 

the International Students’ Committie. I have been ​a member of the International Engineering Ambassador (IEA) scheme since my ​first year which has provided me with many wonderful experiences across the university.

2. Why engineering?

I have really enjoyed​ studying Physics since high school, playing around with electrical machinery​ really excites me and I am eager to discover how the​se incredible things work. ​I was inspired by my brother who​

​ ​is an electrical and electronic engineer and I always ​found his work fascinating. I am planning to work with him and expand his small company ​so it becomes more successful. Moreover, electrical and electronic has been a demand in this highly ​technological ​world where the ​internet is everything.

3. Why UoS?

Apart from being voted the best Student Union in ​the ​UK, ​the ​UoS is most highly ranked for my course. In addition to this, the style of teaching really suits my needs. The Diamond building was established in 2015 and the facilities and equipment are first class . When I started in my first year, I was one of the first students to be able to operate the amazing machinery and use all the facilities. I was attracted to the UoS after reading many excellent reviews by more senior students.

4. Teaching and study methods

​Throughout the course students are helped by module tutors and lab demonstrators and there are also many very approachable lecturers. In addition to this, if you require more help with your course there are ​teaching aid centres where you can just walk in and ask for assistance. ​Every first and second year student is supervised by a personal tutor who will help with any problems. Currently, in my second year, ​I am working on an ​industrial project with ARUP ​where I am able to apply the theory I have learnt on my course.

5.  The City of Sheffield

Sheffield has one of the most beautiful green cities which is and surrounded by spectacular countryside. ​The City Centre is perfect for students and has everything you might need within easy reach. Sheffield is also rated as one of the safest city in UK so ​going out at night has never been a problem. Living costs​ are pretty reasonable  compared to big cities like London and Manchester. Nevertheless, the best thing about 

Sheffield is the friendliness of the people, ​which includes the locals and internationals.

6. ​The ​Benefits of UoS

​

The ​UoS offers a wide range of courses​ especially in engineering​, with all students having access to the latest cutting edge facilities. In addition to studying here​​ students can enhance their experience by choosing to join 

a ​huge range of societies and sports​ to choose from​. The UoS promotes a healthy international spirit among

​the students, therefore as an international student, I have always felt welcomed to engage in all activities across the University.

7. After ​my ​degree

I am planning to work with my brother ​but also maintain an interest in research and development  particularly within the ​electronics sector. I hope to work on business proposals and projects with other large companies to broaden my network. I may also do some part time lecturing or tutoring in ​Universities or colleges as I have a strong passion for educating others.

8. Advice

Make sure you research the course that you are interested in and select the one that you believe you will enjoy 

​the most. Find the most suitable accommodation, mentors and ​societies so you can make the most of your student life in University of Sheffield.       

First Year through Anna's Pinboard!

My first year as a Sheffield Uni fresher as almost come to an end, with only three weeks left to spend in this great city and 8 amazing months behind me, I’m already starting to feel a bit nostalgic. So many things have happened and I’m taking back home some very beautiful memories.

Since Intro Week in late September I immediately started to pin some of those memories on the pinboard in my room, so that now every time I raise my eyes from studying at my desk or working on my laptop they are right there in front of me, a constant reminder of all the things that I experienced since coming here to Uni. I thought that it would have been nice to share with you some of these memories of mine:

My Intro Week 2014 this was one of the first items that I got when I first arrived in Sheffield. Intro Week were seven of the most interesting and fun days I ever had in my life, everybody was obviously excited about Uni and meeting and get to know people was very easy. Taking part to Intro Week is the best way to start your new life in Sheffield. The wristbands were handed over by students helping the Student Union and entitled me many discounts and activities such as watching a film at the SU’s cinema!

 

The Penguins: these two drawings were made by myself and by my fellow Bioengineer and IEA Saylee Jangam, showing that engineers have quite a good deal of creativity. These drawings are actually significant for me because they were sketched quite early in the year, probably during the second or third week, when I and Saylee were just starting to get to know each other. They remind me of all the incredible people I found here in Sheffield and of the strong bond that you can form with your course mates.

 

  

SU’s events tickets (Nights out):  during my months at Sheffield I took part in quite a few nights out organised by our great Student Union or by students’ societies like the Bioeng Soc or MedSoc, among the best one were probably the Freak Festival on Halloweens - who doesn’t enjoy a bit spooky dressing up?! – and the Pop Tarts, the Saturday Non-Stop Retro Pop night where you can dance with your friends to the best tunes of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

 

The circuit: I made this tiny circuit with resistors and LEDs during the first Electronic and Electric Circuits lab I had this year, it was a very nice way to start to familiarise with the equipment that we would have continued to use during the first and second semester. Every time I look at it, I remember how much I learnt in one year not only of Electronics but also in all my other modules, and I feel one step closer to become an engineer.

Cultural Events Tickets: apart from nights out, the SU has so much more to offer. An example are the events organised by the International Student Committee (ISC), like the International Cultural Evening, where I could see a people from all around the world display their typical way of dancing in the wonderful frame of the Sheffield City Hall, or like the World Food Festival that took place in early in May, where I could try foods from every single corner of the globe, from Malaysia to Nigeria. Another great thing about Sheffield is its music scene, which is one of the best ones in the UK, therefore it’s no wonder at all that I could see quite a few gigs performed by the like of indie bands Django Django and Mystery Jets, or by more famous Placebo (I got to meet the band as well, that’s why the ticket is signed, and the pick was the bassist’s one!) and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. All in all it has been a very good year here in Sheffield from the cultural point of view, but I bet that next year I can do better and take part in more events and concerts!

My birthday card and the picture:

  again talking about friends, because friendship is going to be a main thing here at Sheffield. That is the very artistic birthday card that I received for my 20^th from Saylee, Sindhoori, another Bioengineering course mate, and Janani, one of my flatmates. This was my first birthday ever away from home but it was a really good one, made special but the people around me. The picture is me with my best friends from home, it’s been on my pinboard since day one at Uni and it’s nice to have it there, because I know that even though I’m leaving in another country true friends are always going to be there true friends even if you can’t see them every day. I included this picture in this blog article because I think that going abroad to study one might be scared to lose contact with people from home, but I believe that real friendship can overcome any distance – especially if you manage to Skype from time to time, then it can be as if you never left.

 

Next year’s modules: last but not least, the subjects I will take next year. In fact in Bioengineering at the end of Year 1 we have to choose what specialisation we want to take among Medical Devices and Systems, Biomedical Engineering and Biomanufacturing & Tissue Engineering. My choice was Biomedical Engineering, and even though it’s been quite hard to pick one in the end I think I found the best fit for me. Biomedical Engineering offers a mix between more typically engineering based modules such as the ones from the ACSE or the Electronic Engineering Departments and the more biological focused ones from the Material Science Department. 

This is the last picture from my pinboard and I can fairly say that I can’t wait to start my second year at Sheffield Uni, and fill another pinboard with really good memories to keep!