Our students
MEng/BEng Mechanical Engineering with a year in industry
a
ant year so far
Richard Mills and Hugh Williams are both on their placement year in industry at Triumph Motorcycles in Hinckley. They have been working as
design engineers and have written to us to let us know about their experience so far; from the application process to projects they have been getting stuck into.
Richard One of the things that immediately impressed me about Triumph was the efficiency and professional manner in which they recruit students: their initial application process consists of sending a CV and covering letter; there are too many companies that require you to spend hours and hours filling in forms only to be rejected by a computer before an actual human being knows you have applied. Every application to Triumph is assessed personally and thus ensures the individual is appropriate for the position and is what Triumph are looking for. Upon completion of the application stage I was asked to complete online aptitude tests and as a result was invited to an assessment centre at the factory. The assessment was an excellent day that included some group work, further testing and a tour of the factory. I was then invited to an interview with two of the team leaders from the design department. It was a few weeks after this I was offered a placement that would start in the summer.
I was very excited to start my placement and gain some real experience of engineering in industry: my first couple of weeks were filled with inductions from various sections of the business. I spent a day on the assembly line in order to appreciate what went into building a motorcycle and how efficient Triumph were at doing this. This was a real eye-opener as the pace was very fast and any issues caused the whole line to be stopped – I would still say that was the most exhausting day I have had so far. In addition to this I attended an invaluable CAD course which gave me the knowledge required to work as an engineer in the department and to be given genuine tasks from the outset. Although Triumph really do treat you as any other employee support is always available “I would recommend a placement if required, here to all students considering a however, I career in engineering� immediately felt I was making a difference and was not just there to be a menial worker for a year. I have carried out a range of different tasks since I arrived but one of the bigger responsibilities I was given was the design of a revised shaped catalyst and sump for a future model. I began with scheming some possibilities in CAD to get an idea of how it could all fit together and after this I refined the design. I modelled the sump from scratch and carried out modal analysis to ensure the part would not behave as a noise source at
Hugh The day before my interview, Richard and I were studying in St George’s computer room when he received a phone call from Triumph: he had gotten the job. If the thought of an interview was not nerve-wracking enough, this had certainly made it worse! Richard (left), and Hugh (right)
certain engine frequencies. I used existing data to compare the costs of catalysts to recommend a solution that would offer improved performance as well as reducing cost. I have also been lucky enough to be involved in some practical testing and was given the opportunity to visit MIRA which is an automotive proving ground (as seen on Top Gear!) to carry out noise testing and do some cooling work in the climatic wind tunnel. I have also worked on numerous other parts of the engine including header, lubrication, cooling and intake systems as well as designing some apparatus that could be used on the test rigs during the testing of new engines. I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Triumph and would recommend a placement here to all students considering a career in engineering. Whilst university provides you with the required engineering theory, I have developed skills at Triumph that cannot be taught in a lecture theatre and I am positive this will benefit me massively upon my return to university and later in my future as an engineer.
Two tense weeks later I was also offered a placement in the Accessories Design department to start in July. Luckily for us both we had been good friends since early in first year so we started to look for a house together. The move to Hinckley was relatively stress-free but I was not looking forward to leaving Sheffield having grown up and gone to University there. My first few weeks were very like Richard’s and I was placed on the same induction program to learn about the different departments as well as general training to get us up and running. Accessories for Triumph motorcycles range from the soft or hard luggage strategies to cosmetic and performance bodywork. I have been given the opportunity to work on several products intended for production on future models such as a radiator guard and a set of pannier frames. This work has included communicating with product planning in order to achieve the correct styling, as well as large amounts of FEA analysis to check that components will survive fatigue loading using data from testing on similar or previous models. Overall, I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Triumph and would recommend any student at Sheffield to apply who is looking for the best experience of the engineering sector. If you are like me and enjoy both technical engineering and the aesthetics of products, the Accessory Design department at Triumph could well be for you.
MEng Mechanical Engineering with a year abroad
Time Out Jess Batty is a third year MEng Student on the Mechanical Engineering with a year in North America programme. Jess chose McGill University in Montreal, Canada for her year abroad and has written in to tell us all about her experience so far. We’re kind of jealous. My first semester on exchange has almost ended, with midterms drawing to an end and finals looming, but I cannot believe how fast it has gone. Any doubts that I had before arriving in Montreal have been quashed; I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else at the minute (but that doesn’t mean to say I won’t be excited to return to Sheffield!!)
University and the faculty, whereas Frosh allowed us to socialise with our peers. As part of the faculty of Engineering, I took part in “Frosher Heroes”, where we had a range of activities planned, including a hard hat challenge, where we earned our own hats! There was also a secret location party, a bar crawl, beach day and finale concert.
My first experiences of McGill University were Discover McGill, Rez Fest and Frosh (very similar to Fresher’s week but here we were split into faculties). Discover McGill introduced us to the
During my first semester I have immersed myself in a range of activities. As a member of Sheffield Formula Racing (SFR) back home, one of the reasons I wanted to go on exchange at McGill was
because they have an FSAE design team (McGill Racing Team) and I have been fortunate enough to join the team here. I am currently working on the mid-region aerodynamics of the car as part of a group design class, and I am also looking into the manufacture of the full car aerodynamics. Additionally, as part of McGill International Student’s Network (MISN) I have taken up weekly French classes, which are taught by another international student. Furthermore, I recently helped out at McGill’s ‘Open House’, volunteering with International Students in the Faculty of Engineering, to promote study abroad as part of a degree to prospective students. I also gave a short presentation during International Education week at McGill, on my exchange experience and promoted the University of Sheffield to students in the Faculty of Engineering.
In a typical week I have 9.5 hours of lectures, 2 hours of tutorials, and 2 hours of labs, as well as group meetings for a group design class, MRT team and sub team meetings and an hour of French class. During the week days in between lectures, labs and tutorials, much of my time is spent in the Shulich Science and Engineering library on campus where I complete any assignments and lab reports, as well as revising for my upcoming midterm exams (and finals that aren’t so far away!!). On Tuesday evenings MRT has a full team meeting with all members to give out progress updates and weekly tasks, and on Thursday evenings I have my French class. With MRT, Progress Design Reviews are held at certain intervals throughout the semester, where each sub team presents the work that has been carried out to date and their next steps. This ensures that we are on time with our deadlines and that we make good progress. After this and a busy week of studying, there is no better place to relax than Blue’s Pub, which is held in the common room of the Engineering building, and serves beer and grilled cheese (cheese toasties). On weekends (once studying is out of the way!) I have been trying to explore the different areas of Montreal. So far I have climbed Mount Royal to see the breathtaking views of the city; I have been to Atwater market and along the Lachine Canal, I went to watch my first Canadian Football game, I visited the Montreal Botanical Gardens which hosts the Gardens of Light exhibition, and Ile Sainte-Helene, on which there is; Parc JeanDrapeau, the Biodome and the Circuit GillesVilleneuve (the Grand Prix track).
Living back in residence feels a bit strange after living in a shared house for a year, but it has been the best decision! I have made so many new friends in Rez, that I would have never had chance to meet, and there are lots of residence events on offer throughout the semester, including a Halloween party, pumpkin carving, movie nights and a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner, that have ensured I don’t have time to feel homesick.
Becoming a chartered engineer
Ishani Naik:
On becoming chartered Ishani Naik, did her Masters’ Degree with us and graduated with MSc (Research) in Aerodynamics and Aerostructures as an international student in 2014. She is currently working with Fluor, an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) company as a piping stress engineer. “With all the fascinating degrees in the world of aircrafts, I am now working for a completely different industry. This definitely makes my work a lot more interesting and challenging. At first glance, it may sound as if I am not doing anything relevant to what I studied at university but in contrast, I am doing exactly what engineers are supposed to do, application of knowledge and skills. “After completing my bachelors’ of engineering in aeronautics from India, I came to the UK in July 2012. Starting from day one in Sheffield University, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience in and outside of the Mappin Building. The resources, knowledge and expertise that I had an opportunity to gain were priceless. As I’m sure most students do, I always had doubts about the choices I was making. Starting from selecting the modules and research topic, nothing was straight forward. Throughout engineering I was always inclined towards the stress and structure side of aeronautics. After choosing my modules and applying for research topics, I started to work on my CV. With invaluable support of the Careers
Service at university, I got my CV rolling for part time jobs. In my experience any type of work brings a lot of value for graduate jobs, especially if you lack in industry experience. I found an extremely flexible job for catering services, where I could decide the shifts I wanted to work. In the meantime, I started to apply for full time graduate jobs as most of the companies have extremely early deadlines. I was registered on every online job searching portal that I got to know about. I was practically applying for every profile that I was eligible for. I had no intentions of restricting my opportunities and at the same time I wasn’t looking for a job but a career. After innumerable rejections and an endless process of applications, I was called for an interview at Fluor for the position of Stress Engineer. Assessment day at Fluor was my second Interview. It consisted of an hour each of technical and personal interviews. I was made an offer a couple of weeks later, right before my final exams at university. The flexibility that application of engineering provides you is limitless! “I joined Fluor with anxiety and excitement in September 2013. Three weeks were planned as an orientation programme for all the graduates. This gave me an opportunity to learn about how Fluor operates across the globe and various business lines and what was expected from me. After three weeks, I started to work on a world scale chemical project which was on the verge of completion. My first role was less technical and more administrative. This gave me enough time to learn about Fluor procedures and the way different departments integrate. After about six months, I moved to my next project. Throughout the journey, I have gained lots of soft skills and
technical knowledge through training, literature and human interaction. I have always come across friendly and enthusiastic people, willing to answer every question! I have been involved in a number of corporate events organised on different themes; engineering week, construction week, HSE week and International week are a few to name. This helps in developing my skill sets that contribute to my career development. Still every day happens to be as exciting as day one. “I am an Associate Member of IMechE (Institute of Mechanical Engineering) progressing towards the status of Chartered Engineer. IMechE offers a variety of paths to get chartered. I believe the most efficient path as a graduate is through the Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS). Fluor is registered on MPDS which means they provide me with a mentor who makes sure I am progressing in the correct direction and guides me through as required. I am expected to write a quarterly annual report, review it with my mentor and submit it on the IMechE website. “At the end of the recommended four year cycle, I should have ticked offall the competencies to fulfil the IMechE criteria. Once my mentor agrees that I have gained all the required competencies at the competitive level, I can apply for an interview. Once I survive through the interview I can be called “Chartered Engineer”. My supervisor and mentor are extremely supportive and flexible, they actively get me involved in a variety of tasks that can contribute to my set of skills and add value to the project and company. At times I struggle to keep on top of my reports with the challenges at work and life.
“The journey of learning, which I called exciting at Sheffield University, is turning into a roller coaster! The more I learn every day, the more I realise how little I know! “I have ambitions in my career but not a highly structured plan! At the moment I want to focus all my energy on learning every possible thing, develop my skill set and contribute to the world of engineering in any way I can. All I know is, I am constantly looking for new opportunities to progress and not afraid to take any given chance.”
Enterprising students
design to empower freedom to be... Jonathan Charlesworth, Christopher Hughes, and Andrew Morgan graduated from The University of Sheffield’s Mechanical Engineering department in 2014. Influenced by involvement with Engineers without Borders, their final year projects, and Elena Rodriguez-Falcon’s fantastic business module (MEC414/MEC6414), they decided to start-up a business, exyo. Short for express yourself, exyo started with a core belief that if a person relies upon something for core function it should be accessible to them, and it should be a joy to use. Helped greatly by Samantha Deakin and Janet Grant from USE (if you’re starting a business in Sheffield and you don’t know them, then you should), they have been growing their network, testing out their assumptions and refining their plans. Their aim is to sustainably design and implement an all-terrain posterior walker for children. The complete lack of posterior walking aids suited to uneven terrain in the UK and developing countries means that accessibility to un-paved areas is severely limited. In the UK this would unlock the countryside and enhance quality of life. In many developing countries, because of the lack of infrastructure; this would unlock the opportunity to walk anywhere independently. They intend to encourage a co-design culture within their user-base. Working with physios, product designers, and patients, they are developing a frame. exyo’s community of users will adapt their frame to meet their needs and share innovations for others to follow.
The Assistive Equipment Director for CPA (Cerebral Palsy Africa) explicitly identified a need for off-road walkers at Montfort College in Malawi, saying of their special needs teachers; “They are making an effort to get children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities to school”. CPA train and provide therapy in low-resourced settings, and want to work with exyo! This is just one of a number of mutually beneficial relationships that they are building, both in developing countries and in the UK. With a crowdfunding campaign in the pipeline, the semi-finals for a £50,000 grant reached, and a constantly refined vision they are excited about the future. Please visit exyo.co.uk to find out more and sign up to their mailing list to stay updated!
Scholarships
Supporting your learning Matt Dodgson, a first year Mechanical Engineering Student, received a one off scholarship in memory of Richard Pover, a student who passed away in June 2013 after contracting a rare form of testicular cancer. Matt is an enthusiastic student with a keen interest in music and sport. After graduation he hopes to start his own business.
Matt will receive £1000 each year for the next 3 years from a fund which has been re-allocated from Richard who had also been the recipient of a scholarship from the University, however, due to his illness he never claimed the funds. Those funds have now been re-allocated and joined with alumni funds to create this one off Richard Pover Scholarship.
Matt says, “This scholarship is a great opportunity for me. Receiving this scholarship allows me to be able to live without needing to sacrifice the time on the weekend to work. With this spare time I will be able to allow more time to work on my course, but also play a greater role in the societies I am part of. I play the trumpet in the music players society big band and I’m hoping to join more bands in the society next year. Also, I am looking forward to getting more involved in the mechanical engineering society and join a mechsoc football team.
Richard’s family have been working tirelessly to raise money for a lasting prize fund in Richard’s name and the first award will be given next academic year. Donations have flooded in from fellow engineers, friends and family all around the world. Richard’s Mum, Anne, says, “As a family we have been overwhelmed by the response to Richard’s scholarship so far and certainly didn’t expect to have raised so much in such a short time. There have been some generous donations from those that we would have least expected and I have often been reduced to tears by people’s kindness and willingness to support us.
“I received an email about the scholarship and decided it would be a great thing to apply for. I didn’t really think I had a chance of getting it but filled out an application form and money planner and sent it off.
“We would ideally like the award from the endowment to be £1000 per year, so we have a long way to go to reach that target and I will have plenty to keep me busy over the next few years!”
“I was very sad to hear about Richard Pover passing away. I hadn’t heard about him before I applied to the scholarship but feel very privileged to be able to receive the scholarship in his name.
To make a donation to Richard’s fund, please visit the dedicated JustGiving page.
“When I first read about the scholarship I was hesitant to apply for it as I didn’t think there was much chance of me getting it. So my advice to people thinking about it is to just go for it and apply, as it is a great opportunity to enhance your university experience.”
There are several scholarships available to undergraduate students and details can be found on our website, but students will also be notified by email as opportunities arise for one off or new scholarships, such as this one, so it’s important that students always keep an eye on their inbox.
www.justgiving.com/rememberingrichardpover
Extracurricular activities
Sheffield Formula Racing www.sheffieldformularacing.co.uk My name is Thomas Bloomfield and I am the Team Principal of Sheffield Formula Racing (SFR). SFR is the University's Formula Student team that designs builds and races a single seat formula style racing car. I have always had a passion for Motorsport and the automotive industry therefore when I joined the University one of the first things I did was get in contact with the formula student team. I have been a member of the formula student team for all 4 years I have been at university since the 1st year integration scheme that the team runs. SFR is a fantastic platform that enables you to apply what is learnt in lectures to a real life application. This helps to maintain a focus and gain an understanding of why we are learning the course content. It also helps to develop leadership skills and teaches about manufacturing considerations rather than just how to make things on a computer. Formula Student isn't just about designing the best car it’s also about student development. Therefore, when recruiting people onto the team we are not looking for current knowledge and understandings of motor vehicles. The team needs people who are committed to its success and have an ability to learn fast and excel in a high pressure environment. If you are keen and committed then the team will find your strengths and play you to them.
Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy www.sela-sheffield.org My name is Patrick, I am a mechanical engineering undergraduate and I am one of the 18 students on the inaugural SELA cohort. I heard about SELA during the global engineering challenge when my coordinator recommended that I apply. It took a few hours and a few cans of energy drink but I finished my application and was successfully accepted into one of the best extra-curricular activities I have ever been involved with. Often people in the education system talk of the importance of learning responsibility and nowhere in my university career have I learnt true responsibility more than with SELA. There is an air of trust and mutual respect between the cohort and the board and students are afforded the chance to think and act truly independently to handle actual money and speak with actual people to produce actual concrete results. SELA has given me the chance to independently explore my academic interests and I am conducting scientific research into the futures of 3D printing with SELA funding. Its chances like these that allow undergraduates to reach their full potential and why students from Sheffield are first choice for employers. But most of all SELA has allowed me to get to know a great group of 17 other undergraduates that I may never have met and through working together I have made some of my closest friends at university.
Human powered flight I am Ramon Fuentez, one of the co-founders of the project and have been involved since it was conceived in summer 2012. We decided to call it "the Volaticus project" since volaticus in latin means wind. These days I only supervise, do some PR and look for funding as my job and my phd keep me pretty busy! I've always been fascinated by flight, science, and also by making things more efficient and environmentally friendly. When it comes to that there is no bigger challenge than human powered flight, since the flying machine must be designed with the highest efficiency possible. I could definitely say that I have learnt to put engineering theory into practice through being invovled in the Volaticus project. It has also taught all of us a lot about working as and organising a team, which is incredible experience for all of us. Sheffield uni does not just have lots of extra-curricular things you can get involved in (like our project!), but they are incredibly supportive of new projects and new ideas and most people will go to great lengths to help you!