Hi, I'm Sharon!
I’m a Bachelors of Engineering (Honours) / Economics – Chemical Engineering and Quantitative Analysis student. I joined the Women in Engineering Student Leaders to give advice about chemical engineering and support future students.
What or who inspired you to choose engineering?
I really enjoyed math and science in high school and especially the application aspects of the subjects.
Both my Math teacher and my Chemistry teacher graduated from engineering degrees, and they educated me on what engineering is: a problem-solving tool that makes people’s life more convenient and the world better.
I am also passionate about protecting the environment and UQ offers environmental engineering under chemical engineering.
Although this is not the major I ended up with as I later found there are sustainability and environmental factors involved in many other fields.
All these combined have led me to choose engineering, knowing that this degree would fulfill my interest and passion, and later on contribute to the society.
Why did you choose the discipline you are studying?
I knew straight from my first year that I wanted to go into chemical engineering.
It was first because this is the only discipline that offers environmental engineering, which is something I am very passionate about.
And during my first year, I got a taste of what different engineering disciplines are like and among the courses I took, I particularly enjoyed ENGG1500: Thermodynamics.
I find chemical engineering fascinating because I love the systematic approach to problems and the fact that you get an overview of the process and then break it down to smaller units for more specific optimisation problems.
What is one thing about university or engineering that you wished you knew earlier?
University does not only teach you academic knowledge, but also so many important soft skills including communication, teamwork, networking and so many others.
When I first started engineering, I thought being a high-achieving engineering student means obtaining high grades and being excellent in technical knowledge.
However, this is only one part.
People skills, teamwork, empathy, leadership… There are so much more to it!
What made you pick engineering at the University of Queensland over other universities?
I was deciding between a few universities, and I went to different university information sessions and UQ stood out the most for me.
It offers a variety of dual degree programs, which provides you with a lot of opportunities to explore different areas of studying.
For me, UQ has a very well-structured chemical engineering program, and it offers a dual degree program of engineering with economics, which are the two degrees I am interested in pursuing.
Also, I really like the student representatives who shared their university experience during the information sessions.
I can see their passion with the study they are pursuing and the colourful campus life they have, as UQ has more than 220 clubs and societies.
Their energy and experience appealed to my decision in studying at UQ.
Give us your best tip for first-year engineering students?
Be proactive, think ahead, value your friendship and learn from your peers!
Set clear goals and actions to achieve them.
Getting these set earlier and making changes along the way can help you to get the most out of your university experience and help you to get your dream job!
Value your friendships and learn from each other by getting involved in various university societies and events.
Engaging in these activities will help you meet new people and gather meaningful connections.
Tell us your favourite example of amazing engineering?
Pyrometallurgy, a field in metallurgy that uses high-temperature treatment to extract the desired metal product from other impurities.
This is one of my favourite examples of engineering as there are a lot of complicated fundamental science and knowledge involved in it.
Because it required high-temperature conditions, it is energy intensive, and a lot of research has been put into it to obtain precise phase diagrams.
And pyrometallurgy creates a lot of more options for metal processing and opportunities to improve process efficiency and contributes to a circular economy.
What's your dream engineering job when you graduate?
My dream engineering job is a FIFO (Fly-In-Fly-Out) on-site process engineer or metallurgical engineer.
I love the opportunity of being on-site and see all the processes in front of me, and work on engineering designs to optimise process efficiency.
What do you hope to achieve as a WE student leader?
I hope to reach out to as many future engineering students as possible to help and lead them by sharing my experience and knowledge.
As a WE student leader, I want to encourage and inspire young girls who are interested in STEM subjects to consider doing engineering.
I want to let people know what engineering is and solve their concerns and questions with the best of my ability!
