Engineering360: Life through an Engineer’s Eyes by Ronak Sharma

Hello, World!! Are you one of those people who is interested in Engineering but never got the opportunity to see how it is actually practised at the University of Sheffield? If so you would be interested in knowing about this project called ‘Engineering360’ which I was a part of, along with 10 other students.

I am part of an organisation called Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy (SELA) which provided me with the opportunity to work on this project. The aim of this project was to organise a public engagement activity to promote engineering at the University of Sheffield. Being such a big responsibility, I felt that the theme for this engagement activity should be something ground-breaking. We began with a long brainstorming session during which we agreed it was important to strike the right note so that people would feel inspired about engineering. We began by filming some incredible 360˚ videos about engineering at Sheffield (TUoS is one of best in Engineering!). We focussed on this because in today’s world people are attracted to experiencing new technology, so we used this approach, spreading the message about engineering in Sheffield across the world.  This event was also featured as part of the Sheffield Festival of Science and Engineering (SFOSE: link below) which was a great help to us to target the right audience which was local people from Sheffield.

So, about my experience. Hmmm, I had a mixed experience during this project. It was very exciting but also a bit daunting as it was the first time I was involved in organising such a big event!  We started very professionally making timelines using Gantt Charts and organising weekly meetings but as it is rightly said ‘Humans are bound to make mistakes’. This expression completely defines the progress of our project, suddenly we found ourselves with only two months until the event and we hadn’t made any progress. Although this part of the project came as a shock to me, it taught me an important lesson about effective team management and project planning. Since time was limited, rather than just focusing on a specific task, I was involved in various roles throughout the course of the project. We needed some good content for the videos, so I decided that we should contact companies local to Sheffield and everyone agreed to that idea.

So, I began the project with the responsibility of negotiating with companies to allow us to film some of the cool stuff they design and produce. I really enjoyed this task as I improved my communication skills and also broadened my professional network. One lesson I learned from this task was that if people don’t reply to your emails within 2 working days then you should call them up (emails are useless as the first point of contact if you are in rush like me). Finally, after pestering some companies, I was able to convince a few companies like AMRC and Tribosonics to contribute to this project and inspire people about what they do. For more effective filming, we had to buy our own 360˚ camera (how cool is that!). After all the footage was collected, it was time to make something worthwhile out of it. So, I suggested that it would be nice to design a teaser to excite people about this project. For this bit of the task, I would have to thank Natalka (International Engineering Ambassador Scheme Co-ordinator) for a session she organised with Corporate Information and Computing Services (CICS) to share some tips on filming and editing videos. Although I was still an amateur, I was able to help my friend with the main story line and the content for the teaser and also helped a bit in editing the clip. I would have to admit it to you guys that never I had imagined in my life that video editing would require so much time. Just to create a 40 seconds clip I had to spend 8 hours in the Diamond! (the Engineering building at UoS). If anyone of you had any experience in video editing, you would understand my pain. Eventually, I was very happy with the clip and if you want to have a look at my hard work, just scroll at the end of the page.

After this role, I moved on to help with the marketing of this project. One of the reasons I took this role was because I was a bit afraid of it, but I wanted to challenge myself and see how difficult it would be. When I began the task, I had no clue where I was heading. So, I began by seeking advice from a marketing team, at the University. Taking into account that in today’s society people are always on Facebook or Twitter and other social media. I assigned a member of the team to market our project through social media. Once the leaflets for the project were designed and printed, I had to decide how to distribute them. We were fortunate enough to have a stall at one of the events during the SFOSE called ‘Discovery Night’. This was a great opportunity for the promotion of our project as I was able to show local people how marvellous engineering is. I still remember the amazing expressions of people when they first put the VR headset on their eyes and saw engineering all around them from machines to students working on them.


To conclude our project, we organised a final event called ‘Behind the Scenes’. It was attended by local people during which we were able to share all the work that had gone into this project and we also distributed some VR headsets. I had advertised our final session at many other SFOSE events and I have to admit that my hard work paid off. I was surprised at the large number of people that turned up to our session and seeing people getting excited about engineering at Sheffield in 360˚, made me realise that our project has been successful. I felt proud of the whole team as we delivered a successful project without having any prior experience. We also achieved our most important aim of the project which was to engage people with engineering.

This project gave me the opportunity to make mistakes but to go on and learn from them and not repeat them in the future. Everybody worked very hard on this project trying to manage both academics and this project. But my advice to you is that you shouldn’t fear things if you are passionate about gaining new skills because I tell you at the end of the day it can be a lot of fun and you feel good about giving something back to the society. For me, the experience of working in a multidisciplinary team, with such great people was the best thing that I have gained so far from the University. If you guys are interested in knowing more about the project please feel free to contact. Have a nice day.

SFOSE: http://www.scienceweeksy.org.uk/
Engineering 360 Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcjNtq6B1yU
SELA: http://www.sela-sheffield.org/

Meet Our IEA Alumni: Sa'ad Kamal-Deen

Department: Automatic Control and Systems Engineering

Nationality: Nigerian

How did you decide which degree course to take?

Right after secondary school I initially wanted to study medicine, but as soon as I began college I discovered biology wasn’t for me. I then researched several course in order to discover what I enjoyed doing. I found interest in learning about how different systems around us work, mainly electronic ones. I then focused my efforts on searching for leading universities that offer Systems Engineering and the University Of Sheffield turned out to be one of the best.     

Favourite Module

I expected my programming modules to be my worst. I feared so because I had little or no experience writing codes and everyone I asked about it said it was very difficult. But after I started university, I soon discovered it wasn't rocket science and like all my remaining modules, if I work hard enough I could do well. Now, any module involving programming is the best part of my course.

What do you enjoy the most about studying at the University of Sheffield?

I enjoy the Information Commons also known as the “I.C” among the students. It is a 24hours, 7days a week library where students go to read and have group meetings. Apart from the fact that it is always open another thing I like about the building is the atmosphere; it has every type imaginable, from quiet to noisy and even hidden areas if trying to avoid friends. It also has a cafeteria, so if you want to get your study on, you have no reason not to do so! 

What do you do enjoy doing in your free time?

 At Sheffield, you can never fall short of things to do because there is a society for everything you could be interested in. Personally I enjoy swimming, playing tennis and occasionally playing football with friends. My advice to new students is to take advantage of the freshers week to enjoy societies, that offer some of the most adrenaline packed activities they won't normally be involved in like mountain climbing or even salsa if that’s what gets your heart rushing.   

What useful advice would you give a student about to leave home to study in  Sheffield

●       Try to pack light. In the Sheffield there are major shopping centers and better still,  there are also local shops  that sell international and local products e.g. food.

●       Do your research before coming to the UK. Ensure you are familiar with things like the food and culture of Sheffield.

●       Ensure that you apply for a visa in good time so as to avoid missing key important information during the freshers week. You don’t want to miss that!

●        Write a checklist to ensure that on arrival students have all the required documents at immigration and during registration. Book your accommodation beforehand as well!

Security

Sheffield is one of the UK's safest cities but nevertheless, it is sensible to take precautions to avoid crimes and prevent accidents. In my two years in Sheffield I definitely have not had a negative incident at any time of the day. I doubt security would negatively affect your stay in Sheffield.

Meet Our IEA Alumni: Shruti Vasudev

Department: Bioengineering

Tell us a little about yourself. 

My name is Shruti Vasudev; my family are Indian but I’ve lived in Kenya all my life as part of the large Indian ex-pat community there. I’m nineteen and studying first year bioengineering here at Sheffield. When I arrived I decided to join the International Ambassador Scheme and I’ve recently returned from Kenya where I was giving talks on studying at Sheffield and coming to live in the UK to students at Schools where I grew up. 

How did you decide to study Bioengineering? 

At first I wasn’t very sure if I wanted to do engineering or medicine, because I really liked biology but at the same time I really liked maths and physics. When I found out about bioengineering it seemed like the perfect combination for me and when I read about the course content at Sheffield I was very interested in doing it here too.

The subject is very interesting, I’m very intrigued by a lot of the modules and we have amazing tutors. Sheila MacNeil is my role model; she’s just amazing. Everything about bioengineering suits me very well, all my interests are what I’m studying so it’s a lot of fun. 

What are your plans for after you finish your degree?

Well I’d like to finish my Masters then work in industry for a year first and eventually I’d like to do my MBA and maybe start my own company. My dad owns a business for cardiac surgery equipment, so In the future I’d like my own company, maybe something like medical imaging. 

What have you been doing through the International Ambassador Programme?

This was, undoubtedly, my best experience ever. It was about telling people what we offer at Sheffield, the kind of engineering degrees we do and basically to encourage people to come here. I went to my junior and senior schools at Oshwal Academy. It was so much fun going back to people you know, and they remembered me from last year.  The teachers were all there too and they were so proud that one of their students was in the University and had come back to represent [Sheffield]. That was a really big feeling. 

“Every university should have a scheme like this! I went to Kenya but other students went to other countries and this will make such a big difference” - Shruti Vasudev

One of the other schools I visited, Nairobi Jaffery was a really good experience too. It is a Muslim school and a lot of girls came to my presentation. I think they were surprised to see a girl talking about engineering and to hear that they could do it too. They often come from quite conservative families that don’t always believe in girls taking up something like engineering and when they heard from me that girls can do it and we have jobs all over the world, it meant a lot to them. 

“a lot of girls came to my presentation- I think they were surprised to see a girl talking about engineering and to hear that they could do it too” - Shruti Vasudev

How have you found the audience reaction to your talks?

It’s been really interesting and positive. After I went to the Jaffrey School a lot of the girls’ parents rang me to ask how I was finding it, things like is it a male dominated class? Are there other girls studying with me, how it was on the whole to adjust to the UK and if it was safe for a girl to be there?  They were so interested to know how I was managing not just as a person but as a girl. After the talks some of the teachers came up and asked me to tell them about the course as well. When my biology teacher went back to her class all the boys said “OK today, let’s not study today, tell us about bioengineering a little more!” 

It’s a new scheme this year, how do you feel it has gone so far? 

Every university should have a scheme like this! I went to Kenya but other students went to other countries and this will make such a big difference. I know personally a lot of students will be considering engineering that wouldn’t have done so before. Definitely. This scheme is undoubtedly fantastic, it’s such a big thing. 

My family in India are teachers and this has been so positive for me that I’m hoping that I can arrange to go and speak in some Indian schools next time I visit. 

Do you plan on going back again?

Yes definitely I would love to do this. At the end of the day, it’s such a good feeling knowing that, if I've not made a difference to someone’s life, then at least shown them a path they may not have considered before. That’s such a good feeling, especially when at the end of every presentation a few boys and girls come around and asked questions. I feel like I’ve helped them at least a little bit in choosing a career.

Meet Our IEA Alumni: Alireza Parandeh

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Course: (MEng) Mechanical Engineering With a Foundation Year

Nationality: Iranian

About me:

I'm a second year mechanical engineering student here at University Of Sheffield who is passionate about designing and inventing things that'll have a great impact on people's lives.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Maths, Physics and Computers.

How did you decide which degree course to take?

I always liked making and designing new things. Mechanical Engineering was one fo the courses that would teach me how to do this and learning the theories behind it. The special thing about this course is that I will get to see my designs turn into real machines/objects.  It also has a great job market too if you want to find a job after graduating.

Who inspired you to follow this route?

My Sister. She graduated from University Of Sheffield 5 years ago in exactly the same degree I'm currently studying and found a job before graduating. She's now working for a rail company called Interfleet Ltd and during Olympics designed a new safety system for London Underground Victoria lines in London.

What advice would you give to people about to choose a university course?

I'd suggest taking some time researching the potential courses you're interested in. Maybe talk with students who are already taking those courses and ask them about their modules.

Most of all select a course you would enjoy doing since you will do great at anything you enjoy doing in a long-term. Also, research the university and city as well. Many prospective students choose University based on the course rankings but don't take into consideration the city and its student life.

Why did you choose Sheffield?

The faculty of Engineering at University of Sheffield has been always one of the top 3 in the UK. Also, the degree is accredited by IMechE (Institue of Mechanical Engineers) which is a well known organisation among employers(Even Some of them require this). The course also provides a great amount of practical side which I found really fun and informative.For Example: Labs, Engineering Global Challenge,Applications week and "Engineering: You're hired" course.

The University also has the best students union in the country. 

Apart from University , The city is one of the best students cities in the UK in terms of being cheap, safe and green.

What is Engineering Global Challenge? or Applications Week?

During your course as an engineering student you will need to complete some short modules/course in order to advance to the next year. These are compulsory but great fun and really helpful and I really enjoyed them myself.

• Engineering Global Challenge: In this week-long project, all first year students in the Engineering Faculty tackle real-world problems from a global perspective. I with a team of other engineering students worked on a solution to Water and Sanitary problems of a small village called Devikalum in India. Every year there will be a new project but with the same global view.
• Applications Week: During my first year, I completed this one week course where I had to make a Vice in a workshop from Engineering Drawings. Then, Redesign it in Solidworks and workout the financial viability of its processing. One of my best experiences in the first year.
• Engineering "You're Hired": This is the continue of Engineering Global Challenge. I will do this one week course this year where real employers from industry will give students a project on the week. I and my engineering team will then have one week to come up with a new idea or solution for the project.

Your course has a foundation year. How was your foundation year and why did you take it?

I had not completed my Pre-university year before coming to Sheffield so I had to complete a foundation year before starting my degree. It's the same as Pre-University year but with the benefits of studying the modules that is going to help me in my current degree (Maths, Physics, Chemistry) and having access to all the facilities students have (Information Commons, Libraries, Gym, etc).

What are some of your best Achievements at University of Sheffield?

• I was part of the winning team at Sheffield Start-up Weekend organised by University of Sheffield Enterprise(USE). We made a Hands-free cookbook app under 54 hours that interacts with users without their dirty hands (During Cooking) touching the phone screen. We then went to London to compete on national scale and our invention became 2nd in the UK. Click HERE for the story.

Hands-Free Cookbook Team - University of Sheffield Students

Emma, Eliska (Law), Alireza (Mechanical), Sina (Computer Science)

Not Pictured : Atra(Architecture), Ingrid(Law), Michael  

• I also have a published game on Windows 8 store which I made under 48 hours with a group of students when I participated in Microsoft Game Jam last summer.

What other activities do you do apart from your course?

• President - University Of Sheffield Persian Society (2012-2013)

• Public Relations - Managing AIESEC Sheffield's Website - AIESEC Sheffield  : Read my Published Interview of AIESEC Sheffield's Vice President Of Talent Management : Grace Fogarty (Business Management)
• Mentor - Sheffield Mentor's Scheme 
• Volunteering Ambassador - Sheffield Volunteering

What do you like to do when you are not working on your degree?

I like designing and this doesn't limit me to my degree. I'm currently working with softwares such as Adobe Illustrator, helping Connections team of Sheffield Volunteering with their logo and leaflets as a Volunteering Ambassador.

Apart from these, I'm studying Game Design on my free time and learning programming languages such as JavaScript and HTML5.

What are your plans for the future/dreams/goals?

After finishing my second year, I'm planning to take one year industrial placement by the help of University. As in the future, I'm seeking a career as a Design Engineer and in 5 years time after graduating becoming a project manager of one of the Engineering Companies in the UK.

Last Comments:

I'm certain that I did not choose the wrong university to study in. I love both the city and University and its community here and there are lots of activities to do during the year with 250 societies and the best Students Union. My department has also greatly supported me during my studies.

SPRING IT!

Now that the long dark times are over, it is time for all of us to ‘spring’ out of our warm cozy blankets and kiss adventure. Spring is the season for rebirth, regrowth and renewal not just for the flora but also for the fauna like you and me.

Now that spring is here, I have compiled a list of my top 5 suggestions on how to kick start into a brighter lifestyle.

Weston Park - Photo Credits

1. Grab a book

As we all know Sheffield is home to some amazing scenic places. Just grab one of your favourite novels and read it in utter tranquility- be it reading a romance novel while sitting at the Endcliffe Village pond or be it reading an autobiography at the Weston Park. Be it imagining yourself at a crime scene in the Whiteley Woods or escaping imaginary horror at Agden Reservoir. Just grab a book… and read it good. 

2. Support team Wednesday

Again, something that being at Sheffield that excites many is being able to watch one of the matches and make ever lasting memories. Now, I have no opinion on football and I know as much about it as Einstein knew about art – if you know what I mean. Yet, whether you like it or not, I am sure it would be a fun experience. Just tagging a few friends along can give you a break from the struggle of studying and it will refresh your mind; of course, you will have vented out the frustration by commenting on how the game should have been played in the first place... like a true fan.

3. Get to the Peak!

Its spring and that means, warm sunny morning and longer days. Hooray! Take a day trip and please your mind and soul to the vibrant images of the Peak district. Hiking or even cycling at the peak will give you an escape from the tall buildings and busy lifestyle of the city centre. Not every city can boast to be modern and yet close to nature like Sheffield. So hold this opportunity by the hand and bring out the boots and cycles.

Photo Credits

     

       

      4.It is time to empty your pockets.

This is probably one of those necessary evil suggestions. Spring means time to pack up the coats and get some new shorts. With the warm weather approaching all a girl or even a guy needs is new outfits. Spend the day in the company of friends jumping from one store to another and bagging all the new spring collection – after all even Cinderella teaches us that any problem can be solved with a new pair of heels.

5.       Be a tourist in your own city.

Take a ride to the Kelham Island museum, ride on the Wheel of Sheffield, picnic at the Botanical Gardens, visit historic buildings like the Cathedral and Beauchief Abbey church or if you are too nifty on the pocket, just walk into the Weston Park Museum and enjoy the history of the city of Steel.

Inside the Weston Park Museum - Photo Credits

Bottom line, get up and get going… because spring is nature’s way of saying lets party!

Meet our International Engineering Ambassador: Adrien Gallet

Name: Adrien Gallet

Nationality: French/German

Department: Civil and Structural Engineering

Course: MEng Civil Engineering with a Year in Industry

Where’re you from?
Probably one of the most difficult questions to answer really, and it generally goes something like this. My mom is French, my father is German, though my great-grandparents came partially from Spain, France, Germany and what is today Poland. I was born in Paris, grew up in Munich, and lived five years in Shanghai. And now I'm in Sheffield! So, I guess I'm from Europe?

Why the University of Sheffield?
I could probably write an essay on this, but I will summarize it for you. To begin with, the university belongs to one of the top 100 in the world, has one of the highest student satisfaction records in the country, and boasts the best student union for eight years running in the UK. We've got the tallest university building as well (the Arts Tower with its paternosters), the university holds a Guinness Book record, we have an amazing campus that is constantly being improved upon and the 81-million pound Diamond. Speaking of which, the Diamond is a fantastic study and learning space altogether: it’s open 24/7, it is filled with silent study rooms and two separate libraries, it has world-class facilities ranging from 3D printers to flight simulators and a cable-stayed bridge. I should probably stop, but you get the idea: it’s an amazing university.

Why Civil and Structural Engineering at Sheffield?
This department is nothing short of excellence. We belong to one of the top 50 Civil and Structural Engineering department in the world (just think about that), we've got fantastic lecturers and tutorial leaders from all over the world (including England, Scotland, Australia, Holland, Germany, France, Iran, the list goes on). The last Research Excellence framework ranked us amongst the best five universities in the UK for civil and structural engineering in 2014, and there are millions of opportunities to engage with engineering at the university (Engineers without borders, Global Engineering Challenge week, Spaghetti Bridge competition, Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience). To top it all off, you also get your own personal tutor in the first year, which is great in case you ever have any kinds of questions.

What’s Sheffield like as a city?
I've been quite a bit around in the world, and I was fortunate enough to get to see a good number of cities. And I can tell you with confidence that Sheffield ranks amongst some of the best cities I got to live in, especially as a student. Sheffield is a great city to live in in terms of living costs, it has plenty of parks (Weston Park is about 78 seconds away from the student union for example), it’s safe, it’s clean, and people are all extremely nice. The only thing one could complain about is perhaps the weather, because it gets windy and rainy just like anywhere else in the UK! But at least that gives you the motivation to study inside =)

Hobbies Sports. Any really, but I play table tennis, touch rugby and fencing, and I love to hike in the Peak District. Also just joining societies is loads of fun; the investment, poetry and chess societies have so far caught my interest. And regardless of who you are, I can tell you with absolute certainty that you will find a society (correction societies!) that will suit your interest.

The Ghost of Western Bank Library

Photo credits

On the night of 2^nd March 2016 at precisely 11:47 p.m. a terrifying warning surrounded the silent dark room on the 4^th floor of the Western Bank Library. ‘Leave because if you don’t the WBL ghost will haunt you for the rest of the night,’ resonated throughout the space.

Sometime in mid-November 2015, I came across a job opportunity – little did I know that this would turn out to be a chapter of my university life that I would never dare to forget. ‘Naïve’ as I was, I applied for the post and then successfully went through an hour long interview to land my first job as the facilities assistant at the Western Bank Library. The timings worked well with my university schedule as I had to work later in the evenings rather than to compromise my study time.

On a Friday afternoon, I met with my supervisor who first asked me if I would like some tea. I politely declined because I had never tasted tea in my life – yes shocker of the year! He then explained to me the role and suggested I come for some observation sessions before I can undertake the role by myself. Part of the job included locking up the facility after ensuring that all library users had vacated the premises. That meant I was going to be the only person lingering around the empty library in darkness once I switched off the main lights.

I had never used the facilities at the WBL – after all who would want to leave The Diamond anyway? On my first day, like any other good new employee would, I showed up almost 30 minutes earlier. I met up with another senior from whom I was to take over the shift when time came. Again, the first thing he asked me was if I would like some tea. We chatted for a while until Chris, the senior I was supposed to ‘shadow’ for the evening, showed up. The first question he too asked me was – yes, you guessed it right – ‘Would you like some tea.’ Clearly, the British love for tea is as real as it can get.

Once he had emptied his hot cup of tea we got to business. He took me around for a quick tour of the facilities. For those who say the Mapping building is the mother of maze buildings, I’d like to say I just met her favourite son. The WBL is filled with 5 floors of endless racks and shelves of books. While walking through the second floor I momentarily recalled the scene from the famous Harry Potter series where the trio walked through the Hall of Prophecy. The library has everything – from Japanese newspapers from the 1980s to books on modern technology. It is like a catalogue of knowledge that simply awaits being read.

Photo credits

One of the best parts about the University of Sheffield is that here the students and locals integrate into each other’s lives so effortlessly and the WBL is it best example to give. The library is open to both the university students and the locals. In fact, many a times, you can find the students having a nice chat with the locals in the lounge area.

Anyway getting back to my story…

Before I knew it, all the ‘chilling’ was over and it was time to start the hour long routine that ensured the safety of the premises and more importantly, the precious books it has beheld for all these years. We jumped floor to floor in a rather complex mechanism; the details of which I will spare you. After ringing the last alarm at 11:45, we made way to the fourth floor; the most popular floor amongst students. Surprisingly though, it was as empty as my wallet before pay day. We had just finished closing the curtains and switching off the lights and were making way towards the central door when my eyes caught a glimpse of something strange.

Within a split second, everything we had done in the past hour quickly flashed through my mind and I also did a quick mental check to ensure that no one was missed out while vacating. Then a sudden alarming sentence rang in my mind as my eyes moved left to right reading every word that I saw in front of me in the dim light coming from the hallway.

‘Before you leave, shout into the room to ensure that no one is left back,’ were the instructions my eye had just caught onto from the lock up procedure written on the paper I was handed earlier that night. I immediately turned back rolling my eyes.

‘Leave because if you don’t the WBL ghost will haunt you for the rest of the night,’ I shouted sarcastically into the pitch black void. Chris who was quietly observing me since I had made a sudden stop while exiting the room burst into laughter and commented on how hysterical I was.

I know this is such an anticlimax for all you thriller lovers. However, the point of this story was not to waste your time but to rather share yet another amazing chapter of my university life. Here at Sheffield, all that I could ask for, except for the cold weather to disappear, is being served right into my plate. I wanted a job that fitted around my university schedule and to work with some fun loving individuals. All my needs were matched exactly thanks to the array of services offered by the university. Further, my supervisors and the people I work with are warm – just like their tea – and welcoming. I didn’t need to worry a single bit about how I would manage the role because I received first hand on-the-job training from experienced peers. Lastly, the job is within the campus which makes it more credible and my safety is kept at the top of the priorities with the women night safety bus that drops me right at my door step at 0030 when my shift gets over.

Now, if you ever happen to come to Sheffield or to come across this ‘big fat’ rumor about the ghost that haunts the WBL you know how it started – then again, who knows?

Meet our International Engineering Ambassador: Shunzi Wu

Name: Shunzi Wu

Course: Aerospace Material

Nationality: Chinese

Background

Hello, I am Shunzi Wu. You can call me Darcy. I have a wide range of interests and hobbies. I love to oil paint, dance, cook, do calligraphy and sinology. I also have interest in European literature, classical poetry, music, science and traveling. If you are interested in any of them, you are very welcome to join me and my friends. I have started a Sinology Society, you can join if you are interested, I assume we will be having fun together.

Why engineering?

I was amazed by a photo that showed the Large Magellanic Cloud with which I instantly fell in love. Hence, I 'Baidued' (Chinese version of google) it up on the internet and came across some more gorgeous images such as nebulae and Crab Nebula. I believed those images were a great inspiration for fashion designing dresses, high heels, hair and make up style. Also, they seemed to be fit for creating art such as oil painting and source of music too -because some music was playing at the back of my mind as I saw those images.

It made me wonder what outer space was like? And I began to read books about it. Funny though, I feel the more I read, the less I know. I became deeply attracted by the amazing knowledge and grew curious about all of the concepts surrounding the theme; except Chemistry. Hence, I decided to study something based on Aerospace or Astronomy. I hoped to go to space and see firsthand what it really looks like. I concluded that maybe all we need is something to take us (the common people) up there? So, I chose Aerospace Material for bachelor degree. I am also considering Astronomy and Astrophysics for PHD.

Why UoS?

The University of Sheffield has a great reputation for its Engineering Departments.

Teaching and study methods at Sheffield.

If you want something, just go for it. Teaching and study methods depend on character, personality, life habits, life experience, learning type (Auditory/Visual/Tactile) and desk preference etc. Good luck in finding your piece of cake and don’t care about peer pressure or other things too much. Consider them objectively and appropriately instead. One thing I want to tell you is that people are different - you need to find yourself and be yourself. I know, it is not as easy as it sounds. It might take a long while or even a whole life span. The process will contain many different components. It might be funny, harsh, humorous, hard and unbelievable etc...

But that is just life, we all have our ways.

My opinion of Sheffield as a city.

Initially, I felt nice and cozy. Now, it as turned to be boring and cozy - just the way I feel at home. The food here is good and I like the friends I made here.

The benefits of the UoS rather than another University.

It wanted the best University for my career and so I chose Sheffield. That on its own is the biggest benefit.

What do I want to do after my degree?

Work for one or two years, take my parents to travel during that one or two years. And then continue my PHD degree.

Advice to a prospective student before coming to Sheffield.

Think about what you like and want to do. Do a good research about the courses and universities you take into consideration. Check if the degree and module descriptions look like something you will enjoy? Ask yourself whether the University is a great choice for your module and future plans. Lastly, it all ties down to is Sheffield the kind of city you will enjoy living in? Come here, achieve things you want to achieve.

Hope you will love it here like I do.

Meet our International Engineering Ambassador: Leticia Campello

Name: Leticia Campello

Course: Mechanical Engineering

Nationality: Brazilian

Background

I am Leticia Campello, first year student of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. I am from Recife, a city in the northeast of Brazil. I have always dreamt about studying overseas and fortunately, I had the opportunity to move to Sheffield. This was the biggest decision in my life so far, as I was already studying mechanical engineering in a university in my city and I decided to “start all over again” coming to University of Sheffield. To be honest, it was scary to leave my city where I had never been more than a couple of months away, to study in a different country on the other side of the ocean. However, I felt like I was at home since the day I arrived here.

Why Engineering?

I did not know I wanted to study engineering until high school.  I do not really know what made me have this change of heart but I still remember how I felt during my maths and physics classes: excited and mind-blown. I did some research about engineering, especially mechanical engineering, and I decided this was what I wanted to do for life.

Why UoS?

I had in mind that I wanted to study in the UK but was not sure which university. I spent a couple of months doing some research about universities’ ranking and I found out that The University of Sheffield was one of the best in mechanical engineering. When I did my further research about UoS, I found out it has everything that I always wanted at a university and, I do not want to be cheesy, but I literally fell in love with the university.

Teaching and study methods at Sheffield

When I first got here, it was a shock - a good one - for me to see how different everything was from my university in Brazil. The thing I like the most at UoS is that you have a lot of support from your tutors and mentors, they are there for you to help you with anything you might need. The other aspect about UoS is how every modules are linked to each other and how important real life problems are to the modules, how the lecturers always bring real life example so that we can understand clearly about what the module is about.  

Sheffield Opportunities: The UAS Challenge

By Wai Keat, Lau (Lucas) 

For weeks now, a group of talented students have been gathering in the SIMURQ lab beneath the Frederick Mappin Building. These men and women are the engineers of Sheffield, working together to forge an instrument of sophisticated technology, one that will revolutionise humanitarian relief efforts in the future.

After a cup of early morning coffee (or tea for our lovely British counterparts), you decided to catch up on current news on your favourite news site. What awaited you was the media being flooded with news of a devastating quake that had happened just a few hours ago halfway around the world. Though the runway at the city airport have been cleared and legions of international relief workers and stockades of supplies have begun to land, any feeling of relief may be premature.

With roads cracked and rails obstructed by debris, they’re rendered useless and unsafe for transporting relief workers and supplies. As a result, access to remote communities is nearly impossible in the short term. With water, energy and road networks disrupted, and infrastructure destroyed by the quake, vital resources such as water, food and medicine will soon run low. The clock is ticking, delaying the supplies will put lives at stake. What now?

The answer: a computer-controlled aerial vehicle that takes delivery into the skies, capable of zipping past any obstacles on the ground and delivering supplies quickly, efficiently and accurately. Our brilliant engineering students are delivering that very solution, creating a UAV of their own that will be entered into the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) challenge, an annual competition hosted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The UAS Challenge

Presented with the scenario of a humanitarian disaster, the UAS Challenge provides an opportunity for students from universities across the UK to tread into the field of unmanned aviation, designing and manufacturing their very own fully autonomous drone for humanitarian purposes. While each team has their own unique approach to the challenge, each drone must be able to perform a series of intricate tasks, including area search, navigating through waypoints and delivering payloads with precision. Teams are given 9 months to design and manufacture their UAVs, after which their UAVs will be judged on a range of criteria at the final fly-off.

2015 design on the runway at Brundingthorpe

The University of Sheffield team

Sheffield UAV team at Brunthingthorpe

In July of 2015, the University of Sheffield team stepped onto the grounds of Brunthingthrope Aerodrome in Leicestershire with their drone at hand for the inaugural competition, facing off against 13 other teams from universities across the country. A testament to their engineering ingenuity and brilliance, the Sheffield team and their sleek carbon fibre quadcopter successfully claimed third place, in addition to awards for design, manufacturing and the business case. 

“This year, we’re aiming to get first place by introducing cutting edge technology into the design of our UAV”, says Lewis Parsons, a 3rd-year mechanical engineering student and one of the two leaders of Sheffield’s UAV team.

In achieving this, the team is putting the university’s resources to good use. They’re utilising the expertise of university researchers, state-of-the-art equipment including 3D printers, and their cooperation with the Composite Systems Innovations Centre promises cutting edge techniques to be utilised in manufacturing.

Do you have what it takes?

For Lewis, his involvement in the UAS challenge was motivated by “the opportunity to work on developing current engineering research and solving a challenging engineering problem”. Indeed, this up and coming field of engineering is tempting to many enthusiasts and holds great potential for development. Are you interested in joining the ranks of the Sheffield UAS team?

Preflight checks before take off

The Sheffield UAS challenge promises a fruitful and rewarding experience to all its members. Depending on their preference, students may choose to work on one of the many sub-teams covering different aspects of UAV design, whether it be avionics, electronics, structures or payload delivery. Though it would be ideal for members joining the team to be pursuing an engineering degree, but do not be discouraged even if you aren't!

“An engineering degree isn’t the nail in the coffin for prospective members looking to join the team. We have had physical science students that help out with the UAV design, even business students interested in the business side of the engineering helped out with the business case.” says Ilgit Ercan, second leader of the Sheffield UAS challenge team.

“It is the interest in engineering technology, enthusiasm and ability to commit that we look for in members”

Team manufacturing a carbon fibre I beam in the lab

In return, members willing to take on the challenge are rewarded with extensive specialist knowledge on UAV design, opportunities to network with academics and industrial partners, plus an impressive activity to be included in their CVs! New members with little background knowledge can expect to be directly involved in the design of the UAV as they’re expected to gain knowledge through research. Students’ willing to step up and undertake advanced tasks will also be provided with the learning opportunity under the tutelage of an experienced member. 

This budding field of engineering has yet to reach its prime, and with its versatile nature the potential applications of UAVs are boundless. You, the student, could shape the future of unmanned aviation, will you grab this opportunity and take on the UAS challenge with us at Sheffield?

Engineering You're Hired! 2016

By Hui Choo (Tris)

Engineering You’re Hired (EYH) is a one week programme where penultimate year students from various engineering disciplines come together to work on the projects they have chosen. The aim of EYH is to let the students to obtain skills and gain experience through working in a diverse team (group of 6) on a real-life project. Last year we had a similar programme called Global Engineering Challenge (GEC), EYH differs from GEC is that we were left on our own most of time for group discussion.

My project is Sleep Monitoring System for Diabetic Children. Basically we have to come up with a new/improved sleep monitoring system for children with Type 1 diabetics. This system has to be able to monitor changes in blood sugars and detect early symptoms of falling blood glucose before it reaches a critically low level.  

On the first day, we had some engaging activities to get to know the members in our hub. All my group members were from different departments and they were really friendly! During group discussion we had to do more research about such devices and brainstorm various ideas for the product. At the end of every day there was a boardroom meeting where we had to present our daily progress to the demonstrator and the Professor in charge of hub. They could be quite harsh at times but their questions and advice pointed to areas that we missed out and this allowed us to improve the product.

Various flip charts on our research. They are used for our board meeting.

Throughout the week, there were quite a lot of things to do. We had to research, come up with a design, develop our idea and finalising our design. At the end of each day, there was a Q&A session, where the questions are the kind that companies might ask during applications/interviews. Towards the end of the week, we had to work on our report and final presentation. On the last day, we had to pitch our idea to the board of directors to convince them to invest in our product.

One of the group pitching their product

This engineering week was a tiring yet fulfilling yet week. My group was happy with the outcome as we were awarded for the best “pitch for funding” (though we feel there were other groups that were better than us!). I gained some experiences as well as broadening my social circle. This is definitely something that I can share with my employers for future application.