Development as an Engineer – Brighton Graduate Attributes in Action Through Solving Real World Problems

The STEP Lab is our in-house training ground for future engineers, to problem-solve energy challenges in collaborative research and development settings. In this article, Idlin Belony, our Mechanical Engineering student, who started his course at foundation year, undertook an internship at the Lab in his second year, performed his final year works on sustainable cooling, and is now moving on to masters with the Lab, reflects on his experience in the context of the Brighton Graduate Attributes. These are set of qualities and characteristics, that students develop and build on, through the knowledge, skills and experience gained at the Lab. These include, critical thinking, global citizenship, solution focused, confident communicator, inclusive collaborator, confident user of technologies and resilience.

Idlin with the newly commissioned test-bench for evaluating sustainable cooling options using nano-particles

Idlin says, it was around the beginning of my second year in university that I join the STEP Lab. I wanted to do something experimental, adding value to my growth in becoming a well-rounded engineer. I did a summer placement with the Lab before my Final Year Project. This placement was so engaging that I continued with this technical domain for my final year project as part of the Lab. The environment I found myself in was one in which the day-to-day tasks reflected what would be expected for work in industry. This included managing projects, having regular technical meetings, develop and interpret P&ID’s, diagnostics and risk assessments, commissioning of bespoke systems, familiarisation of sensitive equipment, while working individually and in multidisciplinary teams having varying skill sets.

I can still remember the first week I joined the Lab. I went through an introductory phase, shadowing then afterwards taking on responsibilities in the Lab. I was surrounded by amazing individuals that when they spoke about engineering solutions, I could barely keep up with what they said. This is what the Lab offered, which lectures in a class setting struggle to, and that is application of knowledge, development as an engineer through solving real world problems. In my mind I was thinking “I want to be at their level someday”. Fast-forward to now, I would say that I’m not there yet, but I am certainly on my way.

While in the Lab, I have developed my critical thinking for example, I had to actively engage in learning, doing research on the sort of equipment that I intended to use, and formulate methodologies for future students on how to use the equipment. Furthermore, analyse data collected from data acquisition software such as LabVIEW and infer what the data was saying, then communicate my findings during technical review meetings.

I am becoming an engaged global citizen and an inclusive collaborator, who respects and values diversity. For instance, working with various engineering discipline groups, regardless of their year study allowed a sense of mentorship between senior and junior members. As many other projects were also being run in the Lab, this allowed members to promote collaboration, build professional relationships and interchange technical knowledge.

I have become a more solution focused engineer now. One thing I’ve learned working in the STEP Lab is learning how to approach a problem. That is to identify the problem, what tools are necessary to solve the problem, finding out the shortest path to resolving, knowing whether the acquired results add value, and closing the loop. It is something that I now try to implement in my day-to-day life when faced with challenges and have found to be very useful.

I have developed a better appreciation and understanding of current digital tools and software’s used in industry such as LabVIEW. Which I use for data acquisition from various pressure sensors, thermocouple and flow meters. ANSYS to perform transient thermal analysis for a reactor vessel case study, SOLIDWORKS to model bespoke parts which needed to be laser cut or machined.

If someone were to ask me five years down the line, “What was your most memorable experience in university?”. I would say, “Spending my time in the STEP Lab because I wouldn’t be where I am now if not for STEP Lab and the people I met there”, all while also thinking of the fond memories I’ve had and the close bonds that I’ve developed while there. It is an unforgettable experience I will always be grateful for as I pass through my engineering career later in life.