1 Engineering News

At Engineering at Warwick we have fantastic opportunities to work on vacation projects in the UK and abroad. They are great life experiences and enhance your CV. These examples are from our current engineering students.

What I did last summer!

Sarah Chen – Technical and Social Aspects of Hydro-power Generation in Rural Uganda

An amazing life changing tripSix students went to Uganda to help work on a micro hydropower scheme. Electricity is highly sought after by people in rural areas because it facilitates after dark study by school children and encourages economic growth and development in the area. The project achieved a 47% increase in power.

During our time in Uganda we have all learnt a vast amount which has not been limited to purely technical skills. We had little prior knowledge about micro-hydropower before we began, and were not entirely sure the problems we would be faced with when we set out. This project was a great way to learn how to tackle problems using materials which could be locally sourced, challenging us to use novel solutions.

Living within the communities themselves was great for the project in becoming part of the community and in terms of access to the project. It was however difficult being the

centre of attention for a full eight weeks, as well as lack of access to running water and washing facilities.

We learnt much about the political and social situation in the Ugandan communities that we were living in.

Meeting the local Minister for Energy

An impromptu A Level session!

Will the turbine fit in the powerhouse?

Robert Jones - Project leader (Mott MacDonald Bentley, Pont Robert, Wales)The placement involved the day to day development of the project, which not only included design work, but also communication with contractors such as land agents and framework suppliers, cost considerations via liaisons with company quantity surveyors and subcontractors and client communication with Severn Trent Water.

Specific design work included hydraulics for pipes and a rising main, mechanical calculations for pump sizing and structural design of reinforcement for concrete base slabs and flotation calculations for sunken structures.

The placement gave me an understanding about how work within in the industry is operated. It also helped to develop my technical and communication skills and demonstrated the importance of being able to work within a group.

Neil Forbes – ISO accreditation at Conductix-WampflerBased in Manchester I was involved in the process of achieving accreditation for ISO 14001, an international standard recognising Environmental Management… and they sponsored my 3rd year project too! This has provided the opportunity to apply the research project to an industrial setting, which is something that I feel, will give my work an additional dimension. The University has been very supportive and accommodating in this process.

Industrial experience is something I would highly recommend. By spending time out in the ‘real world’, important life skills are gained. I have found that working in Industry has helped me to focus on my studies.

Engineering News2

Qian Zhang – Working at Jaguar Land RoverI applied for a summer placement offered by Jaguar Land Rover, this scheme is for Chinese students studying a relevant engineering degree. My job was in the Manpower

Planning (MMP) Team in Manufacturing. I worked in the Off Track Area in four different plants.

At the end of this placement, they arranged an assessment and if I pass this assessment, I can go to JLR directly after graduation.

Natalie Wride – Catthorpe Viaduct replacementI took part in an 8-week placement on the viaduct replacement at J19 on the M1 costing £20M.

I have seen all the individual parts of the project, not just the bridge itself but other important elements such as the drainage and adjoining roads to the structure which are often overlooked by the general public.

Visa-Pekka Laurila – Activity Leader in a Language SchoolDuring the summer holidays I spent my summer working as an Activity Leader for an international language school, EF. Years ago I had attended a language course through EF, in France, to study French so when I was considering different options concerning what to do over the summer, I decided to see what EF had to offer in the UK. I thought the work was ideal for me as I wanted to travel and experience different parts of the UK before starting to work in engineering. Thus, I ended up applying for an Activity Leader position and was offered one in Hastings on the South Coast of England. The work was extremely fun as it mainly consisted of organising and taking part in activities, such as games and sports events, for 14 to 18 year old students from all around the world who came to England to improve their language skills. The work also involved taking students on excursions to London, Brighton and elsewhere, where I could share my knowledge of the UK with international students. I feel that it was the perfect way to enrich my international experience as a student in the UK as I met a lot of people from different countries and had the chance to travel in England and visit sights whilst working. Furthermore the experience allowed me to develop my leadership and communication skills as it was not always the easiest of tasks to be in charge of a group of 25 teenagers from different countries.

Having the opportunity to sit in on a Project Board Meeting, with both the client, Jacobs and Skanska, has shown me what each party wants from the project and their key concerns. I was able to relate areas of my course, especially with regards to economics and project management, to parts of the project mentioned in the minutes and talked about in the meeting. For example Lean Management and Critical Path Analysis were covered on the course and I gained a fuller understanding of how these areas are organised and discussed within the construction environment.

Making the most of your time at WarwickAs you can see there are many and varied opportunities and we look forward to working with future students to apply their engineering skills in the real world.