Essay: Studying engineering

Engineering is essential to all designs and by furthering my education in this subject I hope to understand more about the complex theories and ideas behind some of today’s most iconic pieces of engineering. I first became inspired to study Mechanical Engineering when I saw the Concorde at Manchester airport, I was taken back by the impressive design and how they engineered the nose cone to move in order to alter the aerodynamics of the plane and it is now seen to many as an engineering marvel.

 

I grew up in a family with a background of engineering so I began to develop an interest in engineering from an early age. My first real experience of engineering was at the age of 11 when I attend a gifted and talented course in the subject maths, I was chosen to take part in the course due to my high ability in school and I felt as if this course was able to further my knowledge in the subject. During the course I was introduced to some of the greatest mathematical phenomenon such as the golden ratio and Fibonacci’s sequence and I continue to be fascinated by how much the golden ratio appears in architecture, nature and even the human body. As I progressed through High School my interest of engineering grew massively, I started to learn in more depth about the world and the decisions about design and engineering that have to be made that may affect the world in more ways than we can possibly understand. An example of this is the space shuttle challenger in January 1986, just 78 seconds after it took off the shuttle exploded killing all its crew members. Once investigated the cause was found to be that the primary and secondary O rings failed resulting in hot gasses and flames meeting causing the previously mentioned explosion. The problem of the O rings was previously known about but a decision was made and the problem was ignored instead they added a secondary O ring which turned out to be incapable of fixing the problem. In this situation 7 lives could have been saved if the problem was taken seriously and ultimately that was a design flaw in the shuttle and it should never have been allowed to take off.

As my grandparents were engineers I began to question them about some of the projects they worked on and some of the problems that they subsequently faced, this gave me a special insight into what it took to become an engineer. A moment that sticks vividly in my mind is when my grandfather taught me about how he helped build part of the world famous Pepsi max rollercoaster. He told me about all of the problems he faced. Arguably problem solving is the most important skill that an engineer could possess, the problem solving aspect of engineering is what I enjoy most and I relish any chance I am given in order to test my skills, an example of this would be when my computer failed to turn on approximately 3 years ago. After many hours of trying to diagnose the problem I eventually discovered that the cause was a faulty motherboard so I quickly ordered a new part and now to this day the computer is still functioning perfectly.

My love of engineering played a significant role in the choice of my subjects. I currently study Mathematics, Physics and IT and I continue to be fascinated by how much Maths and Physics can be used in everyday situations to solve complex problems. These subjects ultimately allowed me further not only my skills in Physics and Maths but also to improve and develop my transferable skills such as organisation and time management. While learning more about the subject I have chosen I started to find areas in which I particular interesting for example I enjoyed the topic of mechanics in physics this is made of (……….)(why do I like physics)

Recently I have completed a work experience placement for the Product Planning Department at Brothers European Office. Throughout my time at Brother I developed many transferable skills which could be applied to any situation in order to make me an ideal candidate. These skills range from time management and organisation to using my initiative to find out solutions to problems, for example at the start of the two week period I was given a list of tasks specifically targeted to give me the best possible experience. I had to be organised and manage my time well in order to meet the deadline. One of these task consisted of me reviewing a competitor product and then presenting a review back to the department in which I gave my honest opinion about the product and listed ways in which it could be improved. The members of the department then began to quiz me about the product I had been using, my review was then stored on the system for further use by brother. This particular task gave me critical thinking skills which are essential for a career in engineering.

I like to challenge myself both mentally and physically as much as possible to ensure that I am prepared for anything. One of my many achievements include a 100k bike ride in which I showed great will power and determination, I have also achieved various sporting awards including managers and players player For Dukinfield Youth FC and I was recently chosen to represent Stalybridge district in a charity match vs Macclesfield. By playing sport I get to improve many of my skills in teamwork, leadership and communication. To challenge myself mentally I solve puzzles on a daily basis ranging from Sudoku’s to the Rubik’s cube and I have also taken part in UKMT maths challenge in which I achieved a bronze award at the age of 14.