Engineering Student Stories

I knew I wanted to go to university and the subjects I studied at A Level fitted perfectly with the Energy Engineering syllabus at UEA. 

If you enjoy doing hands-on activities, and like learning about how things work, have a think about UEA engineering. Even if you like the sound of engineering but don't really like one aspect, there is bound to be an engineering degree which suits you. 

The UEA engineering community is an incredible collection of people from all walks of life. If you are willing to show enthusiasm for engineering, you will go far with your career and the community will support you in your choices.

UEA have a huge range of opportunities for you to get involved in. The range of industries that come in to UEA is very wide-reaching and there is bound to be a company out there which could lead to employment after you graduate. UEA Engineering is also very good at getting the small, local companies in, which you have never heard of before. These are normally the companies that are most interested in you, but are hard to find otherwise. 

Engineering is such a broad and expansive subject that it can accommodate everyone. Whether you have an interest in designing or making things or problem solving in general, engineering is a fantastic subject to explore. There are so many opportunities for every aspect that you find the most interesting. 

The UEA Engineering community from my perspective is very inclusive. Everyone is very open and easy to have a conversation with, which really gives you a sense of belonging. 

The typical day mostly consists of working on various projects or coursework in between lectures, while still having plenty of time to enjoy your free time and hobbies. From my experience, a lot of time was spent on the dissertation, however the whole experience was very rewarding as you can see your hard work all come together.

UEA Engineering funds student memberships to professional bodies like IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) and IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) which are very helpful in delivering information on the current world of engineering and opening new opportunities.

I graduated from UEA with a job offer that came from the Select Partnership Scheme. I spend six months working on Japan's first commercial offshore windfarm, Akita Noshiro, then moved into business development, exploring new business ventures.

Engineers enable the world to transition to renewable energy, one project at a time. There is collaborative support within UEA Engineering, regardless of exeperience or project type. Those with different backgrounds and epxeriences are always willing to listen to ideas and consider anything you bring to the table.

After graduation, I would like to work as a renewable energy engineer in South Africa and do my bit to make a more climate-friendly country. I want to use our natural resources for the benefit of everyone.

My tops tip for aspiring engineers are:

1. Use all the opportunities given to you as a student to learn and experience as much as you can.
2. Always remain curious. Curiosity is an engineer's best asset.

What attracted you to the internship?

Sanitation and access to clean water have been huge issues in many parts of the world. This internship interested me as it would equip me with the knowledge to detect contaminants dangerous for human consumption and use. This internship also demonstrated the use of nano-material such as graphene in sensors to increase sensitivity, a concept I wanted to explore further. 

What was your internship about how did you find it?

This internship allowed me to prepare samples for researchers. The samples were prepared by alternating different layers of graphene oxide and polymers, and were created in glass slides and optical fibres. The function of layering graphene oxide and polymers was to create sensors that can detect even the smallest concentration of certain water contaminants. This would be useful for remote detection in a water treatment plan and can reduce both the manpower and money necessary to do so.  

At first, my responsibilities were daunting because of the jargon used. I also had to look through the different research papers and familiarise myself with the meaning of the technical terms before I could understand the aim of the research. Fortunately, my supervisors explained everything to me slowly and clearly. They understood that I would make plenty of mistakes and they encouraged and supported me when I had difficulties. 

Would you recommend partaking in an internship to other students?

I would recommend that students get involved in an internship as it will equip you with further skills and knowledge to be used as a future engineer. There are so many things that we, as students, don't know about the world of research. This internship opened my eyes and allowed me to appreciate how important it is for more people to get involved in research that positively impacts future generations. This internship boosted my confidence and encouraged me to expand my horizons. It felt like I had made a small difference. An internship will help students who are interested in research and pursuing a PhD.  

How has the internship supported your development?

I have developed my laboratory skills such as measuring different chemicals accurately and am able to use the different machines in experiments. However, the most important thing I learnt from this internship was to be patient as this quality determines the success of extracting the best samples possible. The more patient you are, the better the experiment will be. This made me appreciate the work of researchers because it is not as easy as it looks. 

What did you enjoy most about this opportunity?

I loved talking and interacting with my supervisors. My supervisors were also my lecturers and it was very enjoyable to interact with them outside my studies. I got to discuss my concerns with them and they gave me some advice about pursuing a PhD after graduating. I also got to learn something I didn't know much about. I always hear about how graphene is one of the best materials that has ever been discovered but through this internship, I got to know why. In my opinion, the small details that we tend to ignore are the most interesting things in the world.

What attracted you to the internship?

It was good for my CV and the topic is relevant to renewable energy, the area in which I would like to work in the future. Learning such a complicated software such as Hyperworks also allowed me to develop useful skills. 

What was your internship about and how did you find it?

This project aimed to develop a finite element model for the high-speed gearbox system capable of predicting the performance under wind turbine operating conditions. The main task was to learn to use the Hyperworks software. This was a big challenge as it is not an intuitive software and requires a lot of time and specialisation in order to use it professionally. The one month internship felt very short considering that most of the time was used to acquire the confidence in the software, and left little time to put the knowledge into practice. In any case, this was a good lesson in independent learning and not giving up when I didn’t make as much progress. I felt I was not the right person for the task but soon realised that it would have been just as challenging for any one of my peers with the same level of knowledge.  

Would you recommend partaking in an internship to other students?

Yes, it is a great experience to enter into the world of work in a topic that you choose for your studies. It is rewarding thanks to the close contact with professors and researchers with whom you can exchange ideas and opinions. It is also a huge learning experience, personally and professionally and improves your CV for the purpose of applying for jobs in the future.  

How has the internship supported your development?

Aside from improving my approach to self-learning and challenging myself more, the skills acquired when using the Hyperworks software and FEM modelling have been useful. The internship has also equipped me with a better understanding of wind turbines and their efficiency. 

What did you enjoy most about the opportunity?

The professors were always kind and available to help. I was also in contact with the PhD student who was supervised by the same professor and they helped me a lot with my work. I started enjoying the work after understanding more about the software and when I started to see some results. 

What was your internship about and how did you find it?

I participated in an internship exploring the fracture mechanics of 3D printed polymers. In this, I performed a tensile and four-point bending test on 3D printed plastics, to determine the material properties and examine the fracture details in order to predict the fracture patterns of the material. 

Participating in this internship gave me the opportunity to work on original research under the supervision of a university academic. This has benefitted me in that I have been able to demonstrate critical thinking and analytical skills as well as being the first major collaborative project that I have worked on. 

Would you recommend partaking in an internship to other students?

This internship really gives you the chance to use your problem solving and analytical skills. Since it is original research, any correlations or patterns that you can observe you know that you have found yourself, which gives you a sense of accomplishment when you discover something. Guidance from a university academic can help you see problems in a way that may be different to how you would have thought about it, which you can apply to other situations to see them from a different perspective.

Nozomu came to UEA from Japan and graduated in 2020 with an MSc in Energy Engineering.

Read Nozomu's story.

Andy moved to Norwich from Sierra Leone to study MSc Energy Engineering with Environmental Management here at UEA. Hear his story: