Hi, I'm Diane!
I'm in my Fourth Year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Dual and a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science specialisation in Biomedical Engineering). I caught up with the Women in Engineering team to chat all things engineering and offer my advice to new engineering students.
What or who inspired you to choose engineering?
I have always been interested in engineering ever since I was a child. Growing up I always saw engineering and problem-solving around me. My father is a handyman and would show me many different ways to make an idea or design happen. I didn’t have many engineers around me bought seeing the work of engineers I knew it was something I wanted to do. I did have one teacher in high school who was an engineer, he taught design and graphics. That subject inspired me to do engineering, going through the design process completely and knowing what is needed to be able to make this a real product, knowing that is something engineers did. I knew it was what I wanted to do.
Why did you choose the discipline you are studying?
I knew I always wanted to go into the healthcare field in engineering but wasn’t sure where. As UQ had just brought in biomedical engineering for mechanical and chemical engineering in addition to electrical engineering which was already established, I had my choice cut out for me. Before I came to university I wanted to major in mechatronics engineering and hoped to take some healthcare classes so I could bring it into a healthcare setting. However, when I got to university I found out that biomedical engineering was a specialisation and you could do it under electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and, chemical engineering. Originally I wanted to do mechanical engineering with a major in biomedical engineering. But I decided to go through the flexible first year and fell in love with the production side of engineering and loved the opportunities for chemical engineering and biomedical engineering and hence I chose my discipline.
What is one thing about university or engineering that you wished you knew earlier?
It’s ok to feel like nothing is going ok. The transition to university is difficult especially if you don’t know many if anyone going to university. Yes, a lot of people know each other from high school and that is ok. You are not behind. Your story at university is never going to be the same as someone else’s. During high school, you see each other 5 days a week for 8 hours a day or even more. At university it’s different and that is ok.
Engineering is really understanding the world around us. Yes, you take classes like maths and programming but they are just tools to help us understand what is happening. They give us the how to be able to solve our problems. Everything around is engineering from the furniture to even your food, engineering is so much more than just electrical systems and mechanics. Engineering is the ultimate problem-solving job.
What made you pick engineering at the University of Queensland over other universities?
When I was in year 11 I was fortunate enough to attend the UQ Young Scholars Program and that inspired me to want to attend UQ. I made so many friends and met lecturers I couldn’t wait to attend. On that camp, we stayed at one of the colleges and got to do so many activities on the campus and every day I was learning something new and having fun with it. The campus is also gorgeous and especially the springtime when all of the jacarandas are in bloom.
Give us your best tip for first-year engineering students?
Make friends! These people are the ones you’re going to be spending the most amount of time with. There’s so much to do with them on campus, grab a coffee, have lunch, and procrastinate studying. Or on the more productive side, you can help each other (in engineering you’re really going to need that) and make study groups.
I found doing some alone study time and then studying with friends and just talking about the content was the best way to absorb information, you can see if you’ve missed anything and you can test yourself to make sure you really know the content that you’re talking about.
Tell us your favourite example of amazing engineering?
Tissue engineering! It’s amazing to see rejuvenation in medicine and be able to develop techniques to develop better treatments in healthcare. Saving people’s lives and helping them gain back health and confidence.
Cells are the basic units for function in the body. Groups of cells make and secrete their own support structures called the extra-cellular matrix. This relays information to the signalling molecules in the body. The signalling molecules relay information back to the group of cells to do their function or even signal when they are hurt. This is where tissue engineering comes in. We can manipulate these processes to be able to tell the cells to build themselves if it is in the right environment and in the right conditions.
It is still an emerging technique but so far, the FDA has approved the use of artificial skin and cartilage.
What’s your dream engineering job when you graduate?
My dream engineering job when I graduate would be manufacturing new techniques in medicine, I love how medicine works and want to be a part of the next generation of healthcare from an engineering perspective.
I want to be able to change lives using what I know and learn from an engineering and medical perspective.
What do you hope to achieve as a WE student leader?
As a WE student leader, I want to inspire young girls that they can do engineering. I was discouraged from doing engineering because of the challenges I would face. But engineering is worth it. Being that one person to inspire someone to do engineering is all worth it. Giving opportunities to girls like me who don’t have the chance to learn about engineering and why it is awesome!
