#we are international
#WeAreInternational
Ahmed Elsawaf Year in Industry
“One thing that really stood out about University of Sheffield was its industrial links with companies like Rolls-Royce and Siemens.”
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is truly international with students and staff from all over the world! So when you join us, you’ll be part of an exciting international community!
Chineze Agbu Year in Industry
“There are a large variety of modules to choose from, and this gives you the opportunity to really discover what aspects of the course you like the most.”
Gloria Lin International Ambassador
Hiba Khalida Scholarship winner
“I wouldn’t have been able to come to this university, let alone leave my country without this scholarship. I’m so grateful to be given this wonderful opportunity ”
“I received a phone call from a student ambassador at UoS. This University cared about me as a person so I decided to join this family-like society at UoS ”
Jia Kam Mechanical Engineering Society
“The thing that stood out for me about Sheffield was the wide range of module choices. I also love the way the campus is laid out and it has a great Students Union!”
Dilan Paranavithan Graduate
“My degree has enabled me to build up a logical thinking process that helps me in my current role of introducing and exploiting new technology.”
Welcome
Welcome to Sheffield Weijiang Lin is an international student studying Mechanical Engineering at The University of Sheffield (UoS). I was born and raised in China and joining the University of Sheffield was the first choice made by myself. Before deciding which offer to accept at UCAS, I received a phone call from a student ambassador at UoS who provided me with information about the University and offered me great support - in my mother language. I was given the feeling that this University cared about me as a person so decided to join this family-like society at UoS, and my experience so far proves that I have made a good choice. The thing I like the most about my course, apart from my interest in engineering, is that the lecturers care about the feedback from the students and are constantly improving their teaching method according to our responses. We can provide feedback through various channels including the Student Representatives, the endof-semester module evaluation survey and simply a show of hands during classes. In addition to coursework, I am involved in the International Engineering Ambassador (IEA) scheme as my extra-curricular activity. Being a student ambassador, I am given the opportunities to meet and communicate to a wide range of people who are interested in engineering in general. This is done through helping out at University Open Days, leading campus tours and writing blog posts to share my experience. There are other opportunities available in the University to help the students improve their employability. I was involved in two placement schemes provided by the University. First, the term-time OnCampUS Placement gave me the chance to work with the Faculty of Engineering in
delivering a UK-China collaboration programme. The second opportunity I had was a research placement with the Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine, in which I participated in one of the research projects in the University. For those who are new to Sheffield, my advice would be to plan the time wisely and always try to meet new people. Conversation is a good way to relax especially when having a tight schedule, and it is more likely to come up with fresh ideas when conversing with someone for the first time. I would recommend the Give it a Go events provided by the Student Union and the Global Campus activities designed for international students, since both provide a broad range of different activities which will then help the students to build their own network and become part of the wider UoS society.
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All in all, I wish everyone to enjoy their time in Sheffield, since it will certainly become one of the most unforgettable experiences in your life. Weijiang visiting Sheffield Cathedral.
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Mechanical Engineering Society
Get involved! Jia Ling Kam is from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and is in her 4th year of Mechanical Engineering here at Sheffield. I chose Sheffield for Engineering due to its amazing reputation and high satisfaction rate from students. The thing that stood out for me about Sheffield was the wide range of module choices. I also love the way the campus is laid out and it has a great Students Union! For me, the best thing about the course was meeting like minded individuals who I can now call my friends for life. I also thoroughly enjoyed how practical and hands on a lot of the modules were. My first year involved making a basketball launcher from wood and string which was so interesting. The city of Sheffield in itself is amazing, everyone is friendly, it’s so easy to get around and there is so much to do especially with the Peak District just a bus ride away. I love visiting Sheffield’s many independent coffee shops with friends.
but had never heard of Futsal before. Four years down the line, I am now club captain and it has been a great experience. As part of the club I’ve met people from Denmark, Australia and Brazil to name a few. If you want to make the most of your experience here get out there and try something new! I put myself out of my comfort zone in many situations and the return has been great. Try a new sport, join a society which sounds intriguing. There is a great programme here called Give-It-A-Go which allows you to try something new and if you don’t like it then that’s fine! The University of Sheffield has a great international community and there are so many events and opportunities to meet people from all across the globe. Get talking to as many people as you can, is my advice.
They are very supportive of international students here. Currently as a fourth year, I am in the process of looking for a job here in the UK and the careers service has been so helpful. They’ve In my first year, I joined MechSoc. It was £10 for the given me advice on which companies do hire entire time you’re a student here which is a great international students and how I can tailor my deal! As part of the society, you have access to any CV to make my international experiences an talks from industrial partners they organise and attractive selling point. social events such as the end of year ball. I found it a great way of meeting other people on the course, Jia (second from right) with members of Mech Soc. especially those from the year above. Having been part of the society, I then applied to be social secretary and then president in my second and third year which was a great experience. I would highly recommend this as it allowed me to build on various skills and I had a great team to work with. I was keen to meet many people and broaden my horizons. To achieve that, I joined the Malaysian and Singaporean society here at the university to meet people from my home country of Malaysia. It was really nice as they held several social events in a year. I also joined the Futsal Club as I love sport
Year in industry
Knowledge into practice Ahmed Elsawaf is studying Mechanical Engineering with a year in industry. He is originally from Egypt. I chose Sheffield because of its strong industrial links with renowned world class companies such as Rolls-Royce and Siemens as well as its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing. Another selling point for me was the cutting-edge research in the department in fields including Additive Manufacturing, Power Generation and Sustainability, and Biomedical Engineering. The course also allows students to get involved with the latest research opportunities within the department. The staff are very flexible and helpful with things like tuition fees and visa applications/extensions which I found extremely helpful. The university generally puts great care into its international community and provides a variety of services to help international students adjust to the country. I have found that people in Sheffield are some of the friendliest and warmest across the country, since everyone is genuinely nice and helpful. One of my favourite aspects about Sheffield is the student community in the city and how it makes studying there an enjoyable experience. When I first started the course, I liked how it was simultaneously challenging and manageable. The content is intensive and requires a lot of independent learning but this has allowed me to learn even more and get used to learning independently. What I really love about the course is that it doesn’t confine its students in a certain field (manufacturing, maintenance, automotive, etc.). It gives the student the flexibility to pursue their interests. On my placement, I am working as a Design Engineer in a company that manufactures various
products for the marine and offshore industry such as cathodic protection systems and water desalination units. My tasks include redesigning and adjusting various company products to suit the requirements and specifications of different customers as well as designing new products for the company and undertaking longer term development projects to new and existing designs. I have gained a lot of technical skills that compliment the knowledge I gained from university, as well as incorporating design tools such as CFD and FEA. Gaining design experience in the UK is a strong asset, since design is not a popular field of work, thus giving me an advantage in the job market back home. When I first started university, I joined the Department’s Railway Challenge Team to work on designing a fully functioning locomotive. Apart from the technical skills I have gained, this experience also made it easier to settle into Sheffield. I have also joined and taken part in the Arab Society from my first year, which offered a warm cultural hub for me. My advice to students coming to Sheffield would be not to limit yourself to your comfort zone and your university work. University is much more than studying and getting a degree, and if you don’t try new and different things then you are missing out on the experience of a lifetime.
Ahmed (centre) with members of the Arab Society.
Volunteering
Volunteering your time Chineze Agbu is studying Mechanical Engineering with a year in industry. She is from Nigeria. The thing I love most about living in Sheffield is that it is a very student-friendly city. It has a good balance in the sense that it is still metropolitan enough to have all the major shops and restaurants one would like to have access to, as well as still being relatively uncrowded and a generally affordable city to live in. I really like studying Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield because it is very stimulating. There are a large variety of modules to choose from, and this gives you the opportunity to really discover what aspects of the course you like the most. The module content completely engages the student and definitely pushes you to strive to achieve more, whilst instilling a spirit of industriousness and self-discipline. I receive an Engineering International Scholarship, a Sibling Reward Scholarship and a Centenary Scholarship from the university each year. I got the opportunity to complete a year-long work placement at Total Lindsey Oil Refinery as part of their Mechanical Maintenance Engineering Team. Undertaking the year in industry, away from the formal limitations of my academic degree served to consolidate a great deal of the knowledge I had already learnt during my first three years at university. I got the opportunity to practically apply both old and new mechanical engineering techniques whilst acquiring an array of soft professional skills along the way. The placement experience greatly increased my commercial awareness, in a way which could only serve as an advantage for my future career prospects.
During my first year at university, I took part in the “Global Engineering Challenge” (GEC), which was a week-long project where all first year students in the Engineering faculty were split up into teams and asked to provide solutions to real life design problems from a global perspective. It was also designed to foster inter-disciplinary relations between students from the various engineering departments. It was a really enjoyable experience. At the end of the week, my team won the award for the Best Overall Solution and was selected to represent the university at the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) UK National Finals. We placed Top 20 and I got the chance to present my solution to a large audience which greatly improved my confidence. I also established some solid friendships from that week; I met my current housemate during GEC (4 years ago)! When I am not studying, I love to get involved in activities and volunteering opportunities in Sheffield. In my third year here, I participated in an Outreach Programme where University of Sheffield students visited local schools weekly to support Year 9 – 11 students, helping them with their school work and working to raise their aspirations to come to university. I also volunteered to decorate an old people’s home in Sheffield a few years ago during the Christmas festive season.
University of Sheffield in Schools Mentors outreach programme.
External activities
Speak out for Engineering The Speak out for Engineering competition is organised annually by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ local volunteer groups. This year’s South Yorkshire organiser was Raman Maiti, a Research Associate in the Department. The competition was originally established in 1964 to challenge young engineers to prove they could “communicate effectively”, which is still an important area in developing engineers today. The competition provides young engineers with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and develop their verbal and visual presentation skills and competence in public speaking. Competitors must give an oral presentation on a subject relating to mechanical engineering, with 90% of the total marks being awarded for presentation skills and 10% for technical content. Area heats were judged by a panel of professionals chosen by the local committee and a winner and runner-up from each heat was awarded a place in the Yorkshire Region Final in April. The Department of Mechanical Engineering had not one, but two finalists in this year’s competition. Rasan Chandra, a fourth year MEng and Diyana Tasron a PhD student, both from Malaysia, were put through to the final at the Yorkshire Regional Dinner, where the winners were announced. Rasan was named the overall winner with his talk on abradables in jet engines. Rasan breaks it down: “An abradable is a material which is sprayed along the circumference of the inner casing of an aero engine. During a flight, the compressor and turbine blades tend to expand in diameter which could strike the casing and cause damage to the blades. The abradable acts as a sacrificial layer so that when the compressor or turbine blade strikes it, the blades do not wear out. Instead,
this material wears out and it is much cheaper to replace compared to replacing blades. The material also acts as a seal which reduces air flow around the blades hence reducing engine fuel consumption. Using a scaled test rig, I’m investigating how this material actually wears out by taking images of the debris ejecting from the surface of the material as the blade strikes it.”
L-R: Peter Ingham, IMechE Yorkshire Regional Chairman; Richard Folkson, IMechE President; Rasan Chandra; John Bohan, Senior Director of Elevation Recruitment
The competition is open to any Affiliate or Associate members of the IMechE, who have been professionally registered for less than 10 years. So Rasan and Diyana were not only up against other students, but people with years of industry experience as well, which makes this an even greater achievement. Rasan says, “When I saw the email sent out by the Department on behalf of the South Yorkshire IMechE it drew my interest as it was a public speaking competition about anything engineering related so I saw this as an opportunity to talk about my final year project. “When I was announced the winner, I was surprised and delighted at the same time. This has given me a boost of confidence to present my upcoming viva and I will use it to pursue public speaking at higher levels.”
Scholarships
Supporting your learning Rajath Rajanandam is from India and studies MEng Mechanical Engineering with a year in industry. I chose Sheffield not only because it is one of the highest ranked universities in the UK including being part of the Russell group, it is also very international compared to other universities I looked at and it has great chances to obtain scholarships. What I like most about the course is that it is very hands on and there is a lot of practical/project work including getting the opportunity to work with and experience various types of complicated machinery. The city of Sheffield itself is a great place to be with lot’s of different opportunities in areas such as food, night life, sport, music and great sights to visit such as the Peak District. In addition to the city, the people here are extremely nice and it has personally changed me for the better. The process of applying for a scholarship was through a form which was accessed by a link sent to me by the university. I obtained the India Merit Undergraduate Scholarship and it was quite challenging to write up a statement as it had to be different from my UCAS personal statement. I did a lot of research on the university’s website before sending my scholarship application as I had read somewhere that it is important that apart from making you stand out, the application should be very much catered to the university itself. I’ve joined many sports clubs during my time here as I am very passionate and play a range of sports. I also joined the Indian Society which was great to make friends and get to know people early on in the year. My advice to people coming to study here would
be to try and experience as many things as possible. Even if you’re interested in attending something but have no one to go with, just go solo because there are so many interesting things hosted by the university and also outside the university as well around the city. I would also say that make friends as quickly as possible as in a week or so, groups may already be formed and spending too much time alone doesn’t help the fact that you’re far away from home. As someone who was unable to make it to orientation week due to visa issues, make sure you do attend it because missing it is one thing I regret about my time at Sheffield. The staff are extremely helpful in every department and area of the university, and especially being an international student, they have really made me feel very comfortable studying here. When I’m not studying, I like to hang out with my friends by going for dinner to a new restaurant, watching a movie or experiencing something new that’s happening in Sheffield.
Extracurricular activities
Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy Igor Gawron is studying Mechanical Engineering with Nuclear Technology and moved to Sheffield from Poland. My decision to study at Sheffield was influenced by several factors. First of all I really liked the welcoming atmosphere and general attitude of university staff towards students, it simply felt nice and welcoming. Furthermore, the focus on practical teaching and experience combined with the perspective of working in the brand new ‘Diamond’ helped me make that decision. The fact that Sheffield has a great Student’s Union and multiple sport teams were another important asset of the University of Sheffield. I wanted to become a member of SELA (the Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy - selasheffield.org) as soon as I heard of it. I have always been interested in the topics of leadership and communication, and have been involved in several projects like organising TEDx or MUN conferences prior to coming to university. Getting involved with SELA came as a perfect opportunity to further develop my non- technical skills.
This year I decided to fully commit to training triathlon. Being an active member of a sport team is something I would recommend to every student who comes to Sheffield. On one hand, sport is a great way of staying in shape and keeping a healthy lifestyle. On the other, it is probably the best way to make great friends and feel like part of a bigger community. My advice to anyone coming to Sheffield from another country would be to make sure you join teams and societies! That’s the best way to make friends and will always look good on your CV. Also don’t forget to go to socials organised by your departmental committee, to get to know your coursemates. And remember that staff members are always willing to help and can always provide you with support when you need it. There are three things I particularly enjoy doing in my free time. I spend most of it training triathlon together with the team but I also love going on walks in the astonishing peak district and going to brilliant classical concerts organised by the University of Sheffield Concerts.
Not only does SELA give training in crucial leadership skills, but also inspires, helps develop and fulfil a personal vision. It also allows driven individuals to meet and work together, creating a unique community. Since my first day in Sheffield I have been an active member of several societies. I trained both with the boxing and triathlon teams. Additionally, in my first year, I was a competing member of the debating society. Doing debating gave me an opportunity to visit several other British universities and get to know the country better.
Igor (right) discussing strategy with SELA colleagues.
Our graduates
Where are they now? During my penultimate year of university I attended a friend’s graduation project presentation at Rolls-Royce, Derby. Inspired, I successfully applied for Rolls-Royce’s engineering graduate scheme, after which I pursued several short placements in the company for 18 months. In my current permanent role I develop composites manufacturing capabilities in the external supply chain to enable delivery of new engine projects. Working at the cutting edge of manufacturing technology, understanding the complexities of a jet engine and influencing its future design with some of the best professionals in the country makes it a challenging and enjoyable role. In 2011 I secured a secondment to a brand new Rolls-Royce facility in Virginia, USA, where I spent six months validating the manufacturing processes for a critical engine component. Living and working there gave me experience of important technical skills involved with site transition, as well as the opportunity to travel in America. Dilan Paranavithan moved from Sri Lanka to Sheffield to study Mechanical Engineering with Industrial Management. He now works for Rolls-Royce as a Composites Manufacturing Engineer.
My degree in Mechanical Engineering has enabled me to build up a logical thinking process that helps me day to day in my current role of introducing and exploiting new technology. My job requires key skills such as problem solving, applying engineering judgement and communicating with a number of internal and external stakeholders, all of which I developed through the varied project work in my degree.
find out more: Visit : www.sheffield.ac.uk/mecheng Contact: admit.mech@sheffield.ac.uk