Meet the students

Student diaries

Want to know what a fresher's social life is really like or how tough final year coursework can be? How about what it's like to be an international or female student engineer? Each term our IET student bloggers write up a diary entry of their experiences that semester. Read on for a glimpse into their lives.

Nesma Al-Shaikhly, University of Leeds electronics and nanotechnology MEng student

A passion for physics led Nesma to this MEng, where she’s designed an iPhone app, written breathaliser code and worked in cleanrooms. Accepted on the Study Abroad program, she now plans to spend a year studying in California.

 

Rosie Lowther, University of Cambridge, MEng engineering student

A Headstart course introduced Rosie to engineering as a career option, and now she’s undertaking an MEng to further her skills. She hopes future work experience will help her choose a sector to focus on.


 

Rebecca Macindoe, Glasgow University electronics with music BEng student

A lover of both music and engineering, Rebecca has followed her passions in her education. She’s gained sponsorship and experience with Texas Instruments and is planning an industrial placement that will lead to an MEng.

 

Matthew Douthwaite, Imperial College London electrical and electronic engineering MEng student

Matthew Douthwaite has already gained some great experience, having taken part in an Engineering Education Scheme project during his A levels, then a Year in Industry placement with DSTL. He’s now studying at Imperial College.

 

Leonardo Impett, University of Cambridge MEng engineering student

Awarded a 2011 National Electronics Council Scholarship, Impett is working towards a possible career within aerospace. Here he shares his thoughts on student life and how it is important to maintain a variety of interests.

 

Joe Kinrade, University of Bath PhD student

Joe Kinrade's PhD research saw him spend six weeks camping in the wilds of Antarctica last winter, gathering data from isolated GPS receiver arrays. He spent Christmas at the South Pole, explored alien landscapes and even got friendly with the local elephant seals.

 

Judy Black, electrical and electronic engineering MEng student

Judy Black is an active student engineer and IET member. As part of her Power Academy education she recently completed a year in industry with NIE, where she was part of a working team developing dynamic line ratings for overhead electricity lines. She is undertaking her degree at Queen's University Belfast and aims for a career in power engineering in the province.

 

Phillipp Thies, marine renewable energy PhD student

Phillipp Thies  is currently working towards a PhD at the University of Exeter after completing  a degree as Diplom Wirtschafts-Ingenieur (Dipl.-Wi.-Ing.) in energy and environmental engineering at the University of Flensburg, Germany. This compares closely to a UK MSc in industrial engineering, with a focus on renewable energy technologies.

 

Becky Dawes, engineering science MEng student

IET Jubilee Scholarship winner Dawes completed A levels in maths, further maths, physics, chemistry and Latin in order to gain a place on Oxford University's Engineering Science MEng course. She is already planning her internships, ready for an international career in software engineering.

 

Alex Lee, University of Cambridge engineering undergraduate

Alex Lee has just completed the first year of his BA/MEng level engineering course at the University of Cambridge. A general engineering course, it  allows the students to study a wide range of topics from structures and thermofluid mechanics through to electronics and computing, giving them the chance to gain experience across a number of sectors, allowing Lee to make a more informed decision about the path his career will take.

 

Haider Butt, electrical engineering PhD student

Haider Butt is currently undertaking an electrical engineering PhD at the University of Cambridge, researching nanophotonics and metamaterials. An international student, he came to Cambridge to continue his studies with an MPhil in electrical engineering after completing a BEng in telecommunication engineering at the National University of Computing and Emerging Sciences in Islamabad.