Students undertaking the Engineering Work Experience course presented their projects to industry guests at a special event in the Sir Duncan Rice Library.
Engineering Work Experience is a credit-bearing 2nd-year course designed by the School of Engineering in partnership with the University’s Careers Service to develop students’ work readiness. The course embeds career education in the academic curriculum and provides students with a work-related learning experience through employer-hosted consultancy-style projects.
This year, students undertook group consultancy projects with leading companies including Shell UK, Mott MacDonald and Micropack Fire and Gas.
Reflecting on the experience at Shell UK, Mechanical Engineering student Amy Park said: "The team and I worked on the dropped objects project that went into depth about the risks and consequences of when objects are dropped offshore. This can be anything from 20ft containers to wellhead trees and drill collars and how they affect the environment, personnel and revenue for companies when damage occurs. We also covered ways that these drops could be prevented such as better planning and procedures for maintenance and certification to protecting subsea infrastructure if objects are dropped".
Generel Engineering student Lucy Morrison undertook a placement at Mott Macdonald. She said: "We worked on the Lochaber Hospital project with Mott Macdonald. We had 4 main focal points - power, civil, structural and ventilation. It was great working hand in hand with a company. We got real-life hands-on experience and by having this course run over the full semester, it gave us a prolonged period of time to work in groups and build on communication and working through problems."
Kalyan Sai Nandan Kante who is studying Mechanical Engineering also undertook his placement at Shell UK. He explained:" The 'Dropped Objects' project revolved around various objects such as containers and drill collars falling and damaging structures such as risers and subsea pipelines. We had to calculate various parameters such as terminal velocity, impact energy and deformation in the pipeline. I found this subject interesting as I like dealing with mathematical relationships and solving physics problems."
Engineering Work Experience is designed to promote students' personal development and enhance their employability skills by learning first-hand about the engineering sector, and developing their project management skills.
In addition to this course, the School of Engineering offers regular industry engagement opportunities including guest lectures by industry experts, industry-based projects, site visits and other career and networking events.