Success for SELA's second cohort

Fourteen first year engineering students have been chosen to be part of the 2015 SELA cohort, the second since the leadership programme launched last year.

The candidates won their places on the prestigious programme through a rigorous selection process, involving a detailed application and interview.

The fourteen chosen are studying a wide range of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, structural, automatic control and systems engineering and materials science and engineering.

Mechanical engineering student and keen sportsman, Sam Barnes, was drawn to the subject through his love of cars and bikes, having spent most of his teenage years mending and maintaining his bicycles at home.  He hopes one day to run his own engineering business and says of the SELA programme: “I’m looking forward to learning how best to combine the knowledge gained from my degree with the management and leadership skills that SELA offers, to become a successful engineer.”

Beth Fenna became interested in engineering following volunteer work abroad, which made her keen to learn how engineering knowledge can be used to solve global issues. She is studying Structural Engineering and Architecture and is interested in how collaborations work between the two disciplines. “I’m looking forward to gaining valuable insight from the industry’s leaders through SELA, as well as working alongside and learning from other members of the programme,” she says.

Ben Quickfall hopes SELA will help him to develop into a well-rounded engineer, by improving his interpersonal and leadership skills. His degree – in Mechatronics and Robotics – already combines aspects of several of the traditional engineering  disciplines, including control, mechanical and electrical engineering. “It’s quite a niche subject, but very diverse, which was what attracted me to it,” he says. “Combining the technical knowledge I gain from my studies with the skills gained through SELA will be beneficial. I’m particularly looking forward to working on the programme’s long-term project with the rest of the cohort.”

From space to semiconductors, nerve guides to Network Rail

The 2014 SELA cohort are preparing for their first summer placements – a key element in the SELA programme – which are due to start next month.

 

Several students have secured 8-10 week placements with major engineering firms. These include:

• ARM, a leading designer and supplier of semiconductor technology
• Alan Wood & Partners, civil and structural engineering consultants
• Cambridge Consultants,  product development engineering and technology consultants
• Network Rail
• Caterva, which designs solar energy storage systems

 

Some of the cohort have decided to carry out their first placement in research. The projects they will be working on with the University’s Faculty of Engineering include:

• Additive manufacturing (3D printing) of metallic materials for aerospace
• Space engineering in the low earth orbit
• Nuclear waste disposal
• Implants to enable nerve repair
• Self-healing composite materials
• Battery technology, including 3D printing batteries

Extolling the value of leadership programmes

SELA Director, Professor Neil Hopkinson, was featured recently in The Engineer, writing in support of the importance of undergraduate leadership programmes like SELA. Professor Hopkinson says: “There are now plenty of excellent initiatives to get school children interested in science and engineering, and these are feeding through to increasing applications at degree level. Targeting more specific leadership programmes at undergraduate level is now needed. Those that walk through the door of our universities, signed up to a four-year Masters in engineering, are all high quality candidates, destined for a great career. But also among them are some exceptional individuals who have what it takes to play a leadership role in the sector.”

Read more: www.theengineer.co.uk/students/looking-for-tomorrows-engineering-leaders/1020328.article#ixzz3bFz53PNg