• Question: what type of engineering do you do?

    Asked by sparkleunicorn2008 on 9 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Rachel Bennett

      Rachel Bennett answered on 9 Nov 2017:


      I work in the rail sector within Civil Engineering. My main work looks around station access, platform extensions, resignalling work and track renewals.

    • Photo: Emma Grayshon

      Emma Grayshon answered on 9 Nov 2017:


      I am in another branch of engineering, highways and transport. I used to design new roads and motorway junctions and now I mostly look at the planning of those or improvements to existing roads as well as planning how to deal with the impact of traffic generated by new developments such as hotels, office parks, housing developments etc. That involves perhaps planning how to encourage people using that development to use their cars less.

    • Photo: Olivia Stodieck

      Olivia Stodieck answered on 9 Nov 2017:


      I am an aerospace engineer. In the last 10 years, I have mostly worked on the design of large passenger aircraft wings. Right now, I am a researcher at the University of Bristol, looking a better ways of designing wings in the future. I spend a lot of time programming and analysing computer models, but I’ve also been involved in building some actual wing test specimens. We use composite materials to make the wings lighter and more efficient. Then we test them in a wind tunnel, to see if they behave as we would expect. Our projects are usually sponsored by big aerospace companies, that want to investigate new technologies, but don’t necessarily have the skills, tools or time to do it themselves. So the work we do in research is very varied and that is something I’m enjoying a lot.

    • Photo: Miriam Ricci

      Miriam Ricci answered on 9 Nov 2017:


      I didn’t 😉 I studied Physics but I work as a social scientist now, engaging the public in debates on science, technology and innovation

    • Photo: Andy Woods

      Andy Woods answered on 10 Nov 2017:


      I look at how we may apply new technologies to railway control. At the minute I’m looking at how we can combine data from multiple sources such as the trackside, power system and train to predict failures so they can be fixed before they happen.

      I’m also looking at how we can plan trains and find the best ways to route around failures when they do happen so that we minimise the impact on passengers.

      I also look at simulation and how we can train people in more realistic environments using data captured from the real railway.

      I like looking at how we can take data and turn it into information which is useful for people to make decisions better to reduce wasted time, money and energy.

    • Photo: Craig Allison

      Craig Allison answered on 10 Nov 2017:


      I work in human factors. I consider how people interact with technology and work systems to try and make them more efficient, safe and understandable.
      I this way I don’t build anything, but evaluate what others have built to ensure it meets peoples needs and is fit for purpose

    • Photo: Omar Mustufvi

      Omar Mustufvi answered on 11 Nov 2017:


      I’m an automotive engineer, developing electric and hybrid powertrains of future vehicles. This involves thinking about what the customer wants (e.g. acceleration, fuel economy) and how we can design a system with the right specifications to deliver those attributes.

    • Photo: Kayleigh Messer

      Kayleigh Messer answered on 13 Nov 2017:


      I’m a motorsport engineer. I perform simulations in computer programs, and analyse the data from the simulations and data from the car on track.

    • Photo: Eleanor Sherwen

      Eleanor Sherwen answered on 13 Nov 2017:


      I’m a Mechanical Design Engineer. “Mechanical” = I work on mechanisms and physical strength, function, how comfortable things are to use, and sometimes also on the appearance. “Design” = the first half of my hybrid field. I do creative work imagining/sketching/modelling new ideas and new products, understanding and accommodating what the user needs from a product. “Engineer” = the other half of the hybrid, a mathematical and technical skill-set and methodical approaches to breaking down and solving problems.

      I’ve applied these skills to folding bicycles for about 4 years now, but they can be applied to lots of products. I’ve also worked on laser scanners for mines and on dental equipment.

      More recently my project has required me to do a lot of software development, so actually at the moment I’m doing more of that than my mechanical work. But the logic and user understanding transfers quite well between both.

    • Photo: Rhys Phillips

      Rhys Phillips answered on 15 Nov 2017:


      I’m a research engineer trying to understand more about static electricity in aircraft – for example lightning strikes and also static inside fuel systems – to help design future aircraft.

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