EYE Contact - March 2014

EYE has been bringing together youngengineers from across Europe since 1994.How has Europe changed since our firstconference?// page 4

EYE@SarajevoCome and celebrate our 20th year withus in Sarajevo. Not convinced? You willbe when you read about our last con-ference in Antwerp!// page 8

Exploring, sharing andgrowing since 1994

20 Years of EYE

Increasing the number ofwomen in engineeringSpecial report from France on how theyare increasing the proportion of femaleengineers// page 11

March 2014

eye-contact March 2014

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Welcome

Welcome,

2014 is an exciting year for us: we are officially 20 years old (older than some of ourmembers!). EYE was established in 1994 by young engineers from Belgium andGermany. Today EYE has 22 member associations in 15 different countries!

Our last conference was hosted by two of our earliest members, KVIV and VIK, inAntwerp in September 2013. This was an impressive introduction to Belgiumengineering, culture and hospitality. Thank you to all the volunteers who made ithappen!

To start the celebrations for 2014 our next conference will be held in Bosnia-Herzegovina a first for EYE! EYE@Sarajevo, hosted by STELEKS, will be heldfrom the 31st May 1st June 2014 following the theme Common Purpose. Moreinformation can be found on the conference website www.eyesarajevo2014.com

EYE was recently invited to speak at a conference on Employability of EngineeringGraduates: A Vision for the Future in Brussels, Belgium. We shared our expertise onvolunteering and global skills development with the participants. With highunemployment levels for young people across Europe, a wide stretching professionalnetwork to improve mobility has never been more important. If you havent attendedan EYE Conference yet, please make this the year that you do! You wont be sorry.

As the world becomes smaller, we have reached out to young engineers in Asia byattending the annual conference of the ASEAN young engineers last November. Thishas opened up opportunities for EYE to share knowledge and experience with youngengineers from Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippinesand Japan!

I hope that you enjoy reading this issue!

Siobhn McGrath, Member of Engineers IrelandSecretary General of EYE


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Contents

eye-catcher // page 4

careers // page 16

eye conferences // page 8

engineering society // page 11

inside eye // page 21

The EYE network turns 20 this year the first delegates of ourconference certainly lived in a different world! Read about howEurope has changed in the past two decades (with an engineeringspin!)

Learn how E.ON is tackling the challenge of storing surplusenergy, and how Femme Ingnieurs are tackling the genderdisparity in French Engineering.

We look back at our last conference in Antwerp and look forwardto EYE@Sarajevo at the end of May.

We talk to two EYE members about moving from their home coun-tries to work and study abroad.The yearly Hannover Messe is fast approaching the place to beif you want to work in Germany!

What has EYE been up to since the last conference? News of ourrecent contact with young Asian engineers and interaction withinternational engineering groups.

eye-catcher eye-contact March 2014

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Twenty years of EYE

Its been twenty years since EYE began with a conference in Strasbourg. Despite therecords of EYEs early days being lost to the sands of time, 1994 is still a recentmemory for some, while some of our youngest members werent yet around! We lookback at the state of Europe and of engineering in those days and consider how luckywe are to have the conveniences of the 21st century.

What did Europe Look Like?

Even Europe was a fundamentallydifferent place 20 years ago. InJanuary 1994 under the presidencyof Greece the European EconomicArea (EEA) was brought intoexistence, followed by applicationsfor membership from Hungary andPoland. Referendums were alsoheld in Austria, Finland and Norway;with two out of three resulting inpositive responses the total numberof EU countries rose to fifteen.

Of course in 1994 there was nosingle currency; previous to theEuropean Monetary Union thereexisted eighteen differentcurrencies within the EU. InNovember 1994 the European Monetary Institute council met for the first time inFrankfurt, paving the way towards the European Central Bank and the singlecurrency. In addition to this a number of cooperation agreements and free tradearrangements between the EEC and neighbouring nations were in place, meaningmoney flowing around Europe was in even more currencies!

Getting around Europe in 1994

1994 marked the opening of the Channel Tunnel, (affectionately known as theChunnel on the English-speaking side) creating a land link between England andFrance. Eurostar services between London Waterloo, Paris Gare du Nord andBrussels South began in November. The Channel Tunnel is the second largest railtunnel in the world, and still holds the record for the longest undersea section of anytunnel; constructing the tunnel from both sides of the channel was a significant feat of

// European Union Member States in 1994 (blue) includ-ing soon-to-be members (lighter blue), present-day

members in grey.


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// The views not great, but Le Shuttle does allow you to drive yourcar from England to France

engineering. Like all modern tunnels, tunnel boring machines (TBMs), over a hun-hundred metres long and weighing over 1000 tons, were used to carve the tunnelfrom either end. In total eleven TBMs were used; six from the UK and six fromFrance. The French TBMs lived very different lives from the English; given names(Brigitte, Europa, Catherine, Virginie, Pascaline, Severine) while the English weresimply referred to by their alphanumeric identification numbers. Once the tunnel wascomplete Frances TBMs were dismantled to reuse parts, while the majority of theEnglish machines weresteered under the tunnel tobe buried forever. One ofthese still sees use today asa convenient earth rod forthe electrical distributionnetwork inside the tunnel!

The Schengen Agreementwhich allows us hassle-freetravel across borders withinthe EU was still a fledglingidea, signed in 1985between Belgium, France,Luxembourg, TheNetherlands and WestGermany and further augmented in 1990. However it was not until 1995 that freemovement and the abolition of border controls between the signatory countries wasimplemented. It is now possible to travel all over Europe without ever getting a markin your passport (if you even need one)!

Communications

The younger EYEs may not recall atime before cellular phones andmobile internet were common, butthe delegates at Strasbourg mighthave been some of the initialdesigners of the GSM standard wetake for granted today! In 1994 thejury was still out over which cellularstandard would claim marketdominance, and the notion of beingable to roam across borders (even inEurope) was still a distant dream.

Even at home you wouldnt dream ofloading up your browser for a quick

// UK-based EYEs always have to be a little moreprepared before coming to the continent!


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YouTube or Netflix session - average dial-up connection speeds peaked at 28.8 kbps(thats kilobits per second, meaning a 2-minute MP3 took 10 minutes to download!),where the likes of CompuServe and World-NET could connect you to the CBsimulator (an early chatroom) or GIF-laden sites hand-coded in HTML that alwaysseemed to be under construction. Of course this new way to communicate withfriends came at a price, 0.024 a minute in addition to a monthly fee as well as theinconvenience of tying up the telephone line for the rest of the night!

What lies in the future for EYE?

The Task Force and Council are working hard to ensure that EYE offers the most itcan to delegates and members who continue to interact with the organisationthroughout the year. We want to facilitate your careers and studies by helping youmake contacts from across the continent and help you overcome the challengesposed by working of studying abroad.

EYE is striving to expand and welcomes new member organisations, particularly fromcountries which dont currently have any representation within EYE. The formulationof a long-term strategy is a key goal of the current Task Force, and we take veryseriously the responsibility and duty of care we have to the network that has built upover the past two decades.

Well never say youre too old to come to a conference, but for those whose time hascome to move on we plan to develop an EYE Alumni Network that allows past EYEsto keep in touch and enjoy the benefits of being a forward-thinking, outward-lookingEuropean citizen. Well continue to work for you during this anniversary year and wehope youre as excited as we are about EYEs future!

Chris Waters, Member of YRP, UKEYE Task Force Member

// The EYE Task Force meeting in Paris, January 2014

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NAOGRADY

Graduate Civil EngineerBord Gis Networks

IRELAND

ENGINEERS IRELAND

What type of engineer are you?I work for Bord Gis Networks, the national gas transmissionand distribution company in Ireland. Im a qualified civilengineer, but the work I do is a variety of business andengineering disciplines. Im currently on rotation in theSafety Department, where I work to continue the safeoperation of Irelands natural gas network.

What is a typical day at an EYE Conference for you?My first conference was EYE@Dublin 2013, so a typicalday is difficult to describe. However, from that experience, Ithink EYE conferences consist of a balance of opportunitiesto learn such as the industrial visits, talks and workshopsand the opportunity to socialise with peers throughout theconference.

Why are you involved with EYE?I really enjoyed my first conference and I think its atestament to EYE conferences that so many people returnyear on year. I particularly liked discussing how engineeringhappens across Europe with my European counterparts. Inow look forward to seeing how engineering happens acrossEurope at the upcoming EYE conferences. The fact that theconference locations are dotted throughout Europe is anadded bonus.

What is your favourite impression of EYE?It was great to meet all of the dedicated engineers that volunteer for the Young EngineersSociety (YES) in Ireland and helped to run EYE@Dublin 2013. The effort that is put into or-ganising and running an EYE conference is immense. Its inspirational to think that this effortis made by groups of young engineers across Europe on an ongoing basis!

// na and the EYE@Dublin Organising Committee

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Conference Preview: EYE@SarajevoCommon Purpose: Together, Stronger, Into the Future, 31st May - 1st June2014

The 20th anniversary year for EYE begins in Bosnia-Herzegovina! From the 30th of May to the 1st of June 2014 thestudent organisation STELEKS will host the EYE conference inSarajevo. Under the theme of Common Purpose we willexperience interesting presentations, workshops and get to knowthe regional industry during company visits. Apart from justinformation and discussions about subjects for and fromengineers, it is a matter of course that in such a historicallysignificant town, the history and culture of the region is also a subject.

As usual, there are also excursions, a gala dinner and all the other great activitiesthat you can expect at an EYE conference!

The total cost for this conference is 160 per delegate which will include two nights'accommodation, food, public transport, experienced guides, support in the case ofstaying on for tourism, your choice of industrial visits and the gala dinner.

Places are limited, so please register as soon as possible throughwww.eyesarajevo2014.com

// Join us in Sarajevo! Learn about Bosnia-Herzegovina from local young engineers

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Conference Review: EYE@AntwerpMove. Transport. Transcend. 6th - 8th September, 2013

For the organisers of EYE@Antwerp, atwo year preparation period culminatedon September 6th of last year with thearrival of our first guests at the hotel inthe morning. From the original idea tohighlight Antwerp as a transport hub ofgoods and services, we tried developinga programme that united this goal withimmersing participants in Antwerps richcultural history and the epicureanlifestyle of its inhabitants (which

included many of us).

Companies started buying into our idea, supplying us with not only sponsorship, butalso possibilities to show our participants nuclear power plants, the new AntwerpHarbor extension, and guestlectures surrounding our mainconference theme. City Collegesupported us in allowing us theuse of some of the nicest venuesin town, such as the historicalcity hall for our openingreception, and the newlyrenovated city archives for theclosing ceremony. Volunteersstarted pouring in fromeverywhere, providing asometimes much neededhelping hand in the last weeksleading up to the conference.

We were ready. At least, that's what we thought. Because there was one thing thatwe hadn't considered yet: our participants. We hadn't anticipated their enthusiasm onthe company tours, their openness towards the experiences we offered them andmost notably their willingness to party! And it is exactly that which made theconference a success well beyond our imagination. Thanks to everyone, and we willhopefully see many of you again (and many new people) in Sarajevo!

Jeroen Janse, member of KVIV, Belgium

// Antwerp City Hall

// The conference concluded with a cruise down theScheldt


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TABEAWILK

Materials ScienceEngineerBAM

GERMANY

VDI

What type of engineer are you?Im a materials science engineer. Belonging to the kind ofengineers who are crazy about alloys, wood, ceramics, plas-tics or shape memory alloys.

What is a typical day at an EYE Conference for you?It starts with a black tea or coffee to get back to life. Afterthat some workshops about topics which are reallyinteresting, for example on stress management. This isfollowed by a nice lunch and a bit of time to talk with thepeople who you havent seen for a while or who are new.Then a trip to a company, other workshops or somethingelse. Finally the day ends with a nice dinner and socialising,with dancing and talking and having a lot of fun.

Why are you involved with EYE?EYE events are special events: they are not like a normalconference where you just get scientific information. EYEconferences are about science and the people. You willlearn a lot but you also can make good friends at theseconferences. One more thing is that you can travel a lot andsee different European countries through the eyes of youngengineers living there. Local volunteers organise theconference and show you a lot of special things about theircountry, which you wont see as tourist.

What is your favourite impression of EYE?That is not an easy question because every EYE conference I visited had its own favoriteimpression! My favorite memory of EYE@Dublin is the Jameson Distillery. We got yummydrinks, a tour through the exhibition, nice food and a lot of Irish dancing which was a lot offun. All I have to say about EYE Conferences is come and visit one and make your own de-cision!

// Traditional Irish music in the Jameson distillery

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Report from France: Increasing thenumber of women in Engineering

What do numbers tell us?

Even though girls represent almost half the students in science, technology,engineering and maths (STEM) related classes in French high schools, and gethigher grades than boys [1] in their national final high school exams, they onlyrepresent a quarter of students studying engineering and only 17% of workingengineers. This difference becomes even greater for some specialties; womenrepresent less than 10% of the workforce in Electronic, Civil and MechanicalEngineering [2]. What is the reason for this very poor and stagnant representation ofgirls in French engineering studies in the last 10 years?

Whats at stake?

Due to young peoples lack of interest in careers in science, France is lacking inengineers and scientists. While 50% of clients are women, businesses are slow toadopt gender diversity in their workforce and are therefore deprived of intelligencethat would allow business to adapt to the reality of our society. Firms that understandthat a mixture of men and women in their teams can foster creativity and efficiency,sometimes find they cannot satisfy their need to recruit female engineers andscientists.

What are the impediments?

Reasons that hinder women to moving towards engineering studies are complex andmultifaceted. They are based in part on stereotypes. Sciences are usually seen asmasculine, which leads girls to censor themselves and doubt their abilities, parents tobe afraid of this orientation for their daughters, teachers to unconsciously push boysmore to science than they push girls. Even though some businesses do show theirwillingness to hire women, they have their share of responsibility as the averagesalary of female engineers is 27% below that of men, with a visible differenceimmediately upon hire, which increases over the years. The vast majority of womenwho study STEM degrees are flourishing, love their careers and are successful!

What can we do?

At a time when STEM sectors are less attractive to young people, in order to avoid aglobal shortage of engineers and scientists, France must increase its proportion of


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female engineers. One of EYEs Member Associations, Femme Ingnieurs (inEnglish, Women Engineers) is committed to ensuring that French governments,schools, businesses and professionals are mobilised to change things by working ontwo components:

1. Upstream

To promote girls' access to scientific careers, particularly Engineering studies. Forexample, we propose:

Mandatory education of school teachers to the issues and stereotypesthat impede girls in the choice of studying technology and science [3]

Mandatory presentation of scientific studies for all students, withawareness of girls

2. Downstream

To promote the personal and professional development of qualified engineers, wepropose to:

Promote and encourage the development of women's networks withincompanies

Promote female role-models, based on highlighting the careers of youngwomen who have chosen to study sciences

Exempt from income tax the hours given by volunteers working topromote scientific and technological professions during their workinghours

European economy and society have everything to gain by encouraging more femaleengineers. Femme Ingnieurs wish is that all engineers, men and women, commitso that every girl interested in science is encouraged to follow a career in STEM, andhas the opportunity to excel in a career in Engineering.

[1] Information from the French Ministry of Education (July 2010) about the results of the 2010 Baccalaurat with91% girls achievements and 87% for boys.

[2] Annual survey of the CNISF (2009).

[3] See our analysis and research summarized in the publication "Beyond ideas", carried out jointly by theassociations Femmes et Sciences, Femmes et Mathmatiques and Femmes Ingniuers.

Aline AubertinPresident, Femmes Ingnieurs

What is the engineering organisation that represents you doing to (1) encourage girlsto study engineering and (2) to keep qualified females working in engineering? Jointhe conversation on LinkedIn!


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Solving the energy storage challenge:technology and innovation at E.ONOne of the key challenges of the transition from traditional to more sustainableenergy sources is the lack of storage opportunities for renewable energy. Innovativeconcepts in this field are the so called power-to-gas and power-to-heattechnologies, as well as various battery technologies, which can be used to storeexcess renewable energy and use it when demand arises. Gerbert van der Weijde,Technology & Innovation Manager at E.ONs Innovation Center for Energy Storage,in Germany, is very familiar with these technologies and describes how he is part ofthis journey.

What is your area of expertise?

I currently work as Technology & Innovation Manager at E.ONsInnovation Center Energy Storage. Over the past five years Ihave been working on understanding the role new technologiesplay in our industry, subsequently demonstrating the mostpromising innovations in concrete projects and developing thecapabilities E.ON needs to make good use of these concepts inits businesses.

Please describe some of the projects you are currently working

My colleagues and I are responsible for setting up and coordinating E.ONs activitiesrelated to energy storage. This includes batteries from household scale (refrigeratorsize) to grid scale (container size), power-to-gas and power-to-heat / heat storage.My focus is on providing the commercial perspective on these activities:understanding how we can best generate revenues with the various technologies;identifying and evaluating concrete business opportunities; setting up projects withpartners within and external to our organisation.

// Power-to-gas unit in Falkenhagen


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My work is very diverse. It varies from speaking with a large technology supplierabout the characteristics of its technology and the role it could play for the companyto sharing our knowledge with E.ONs other units and developing projects to supporttheir business. It also includes meeting with potential customers and drafting thesales contracts for the WindGas we produce in Falkenhagen a unit that uses windpower to run electrolysis equipment that transforms water into hydrogen, which isthen injected into the regional gas transmission system.

Why are these technologies innovative and how could they be implemented inthe market?

With an increasing share of renewables feeding into the energy system, it becomesmore and more important to be able to provide additional flexibility, to keep thesystem in balance. Without energy storage, this will not be possible. Right now, mostenergy storage projects have a pre-commercial, demonstration character. Exactlywhen the large breakthrough of energy storage will take place is hard to predict, butwe are working hard to make it a reality.

How did you end up working in the energy industry?

I studied Applied Physics and have a masters degree in Management ofTechnology. While writing my master thesis in 2008, I learnt about the fascinatingchallenge the energy industry and society as a whole are facing: ensuring a reliable,affordable and sustainable supply of energy. Finding the right balance between allthree factors is extremely important, but also very complex. I decided that I wanted tocontribute in finding solutions and therefore pursue a career in the energy industry. Ijoined E.ON in 2009 through the Graduate Program as I wanted to work in a globalcompany that could offer interesting opportunities for my personal and professionalgrowth.

What advice would you give to young engineers in Europe who are consideringa career in the energy market?

The energy industry is currently going through a phase of rapid change. There areplenty of interesting topics to work on and many opportunities for young, ambitiousengineers to make a difference. Determine what you would like to achieve in yourworking life, be informed about current happenings in the energy market and talk topeople who are already working in the industry. If you feel you would like to join us atE.ON, check our website for job opportunities at www.eon.com/careers.


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COLINKEOGH

Research Engineer andEnergy Consultant

IRELAND

ENGINEERS IRELAND

What type of engineer are you?Im currently working as a Research Engineer in the area ofbiomass, solar and alternative energy technologies. I workon numerous development projects with a view to optimiseand develop new energy generation technologies in additionto making more effective use of both current and newenergy sources.

Why are you involved with EYE?My first EYE Conference was Dublin 2013, which I helped toorganise with Engineers Ireland. My main aim for attendingthe conference was to interact with fellow Europeanengineers and learn more about the intricacies of multi-cultural interactions. Meeting so many engineers from allover Europe helped develop a strong network of friends andcolleagues in many different countries, which I hopefuly canwork with in the future.

What is your favourite impression of EYE?I really enjoyed working with other engineers from aroundEurope, which also allowed me to use the lessons learnedduring the presentation on Cultural Awareness asCompetitive Business Advantage. I learned a great dealabout the regional business quirks exhibited by othercultures and the workshops showed some of these quirksfirst hand.

// Colin taking the Formula Student car for a spin

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European young engineers on the moveGetting involved with EYE opens up many opportunities! Attending an EYEconference allows you to meet engineers from all over the world, and find out howthey found opportunities to develop their global career. Youll also have opportunitiesto meet guest speakers, sponsors and hosts from global companies or internationalresearch organisations. Two young engineers who have attended EYE Conferencesdiscuss how involvement in EYE led them to global opportunities!

Jamie Shirra, UK

Jamie earned a much-coveted summer Internship withCERN in Geneva, Switzerland following a visit to them withEYE, during the World Engineers Congress (WEC) in 2011.Jamie now works for 3M.

What was the main reason you decided to seek aninternship abroad?

It has always been an aim to get some experience of working abroad. During mythird academic year of university, there was an opportunity to gain some researchexperience in another university, company or institution. I saw this as a greatopportunity to meet my aim!

Was attending an EYE conference helpful in finding your work abroad?

During the EYE@WEC event I got the opportunity to speak with some CERNemployees who helped me to understand more about the organisation and thepeople who work there. Meeting many inspirational and keen EYE members, manyof whom had experience working or studying abroad cemented my idea to goabroad.

How did you choose the internship you did? Were there funding issues to beaddressed?

CERN is completely synonymous with research it seemed an obvious choice for aresearch project! CERN have a fantastic and well established student programmewhich suited what I wanted to do. It was a bit of a whim applying as a chemicalengineer to a particle research establishment, but it was worth a try! The programmeI applied for and got was the Technical Student Programme

In terms of funding, CERN provide a very ample living allowance to all the studentswho join the programme this provided more than enough for food, accommodationand a good social life!


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How did you organise the trip before departure?

It was all very last minute for me I had several exams in the week before I departedwhich stopped me from organising much at all! CERN has a hostel (more like a hotelthan a hostel though!) which can be booked before you arrive. Connecting fromGeneva airport to the campus is really simple, so that allowed me to havesomewhere to stay for the first month or so. If Id have been more organised, I wouldhave booked two months in the hotel up front, then cancelled once Id foundaccommodation, as the booking can be cancelled with 24 hours notice.

Did you get to apply what you had learned at university while working? Whatkind of skills did your internship teach you?

I learned quite a lot about computer modelling of processes and problem solving.Another skill which I didnt appreciate until my final year design project was the abilityto work independently for long periods of time on open ended projects. All theseskills were applied to my design project, an open ended problem which as a smallteam we attempted to solve. Computer modelling and problem solving were bigparts of this process, and the independent working allowed me to complete myindividual tasks effectively.

Did this experience increase your employability?

I would like to think so! As it happened, I was offered a position with anothercompany who I completed an internship with, but without achieving this placementand other extracurricular engineering activities I suspect I wouldnt have been asappealing!

What did you enjoy the most about your time at CERN? What did you enjoy theleast?

CERN and Geneva are amazing places meeting incredible and inspiring people(student interns, through to Nobel Prize winners and astronauts!) both inside CERNand in Geneva itself! There are loads of interns (from CERN, the UN and hundredsof other organisations), and the UN organised an interns drinks evening everyThursday. This was a great way to meet lots of people from different backgroundsand with different experiences. Being at CERN for seven months was much longerthan most of the interns so there would always be fresh faces and different people tomeet!

The flip side of Geneva is the incredible demand for accommodation. There are notenough apartments, so the prices are very inflated. I ended up having to live in twoapartments, and doing two stints in the CERN hotel in seven months, which wasntideal!


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What advice can you offer to a student in the same situation, is there anythingyou would have done differently?

Just to jump at the opportunity! Mixing with loads of people from so many differentcultures was a great experience, one which I havent had the pleasure of repeatingyet! There are loads of ways of funding yourself abroad so do some research andget the experience!

What is your fondest memory of your time there?

I was at CERN on the day they announced the Higgs results myself and a friendarrived at CERN at around 7 am to try and get a place in the auditorium (people whoarrived at 5:30 am didnt get in so we had no chance!), but watched theannouncement from a satellite room filled with physicists and engineers, many ofwhom will have had a direct input to the results. When the data was announced, theroom was electric! That was an amazing experience, and one which Ill be able tosay I was there to in the future!

Michaela Spiteri, University Engineering Students Association Malta (UESA)Michaela moved to the UK to study for her MSc inBiomedical Engineering at Brunel University, and is now atthe University of Surrey studying for a PhD in Medical ImageProcessing.

What was the main reason you decided to study abroad?

At the time when I applied for an MSc in BiomedicalEngineering and PhD in medical image processing neither

course was available in Malta. Studying abroad allowed me to use equipment andlearn things that I could not have otherwise used/learnt in my home country. I enjoymeeting new people from different cultures and travelling, studying abroad is a win-win situation in that aspect, because you get to improve your education whilst being atourist for the whole duration of the course!

Was attending an EYE conference helpful in finding your work abroad?

It did not directly contribute, however it did give me the confidence to reach out andsearch for courses in countries other than my home country.

How did you choose the university you did? Were there funding issues to beaddressed?

I chose the institutions depending on location (I still wanted to be close to an airportto be able to travel back home) as well as for the ranking. Both Brunel University andUniversity of Surrey rank highly in engineering. I obtained a scholarship from my own


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home country to study at Brunel and I am currently sponsored by the University ofSurrey for my PhD.

How did you organise the trip before departure?

My mother flew up to the UK with me for the first week of my MSc. I also spent hoursresearching how to get around the area months before leaving. England, specificallythe London area, is very well organised in terms of transport, therefore it is very easyto get around. Most UK universities also have ambassadors which help internationalstudents understand the culture and help them use the local public transport.

Did you get to apply what you had learned at university while working? Whatkind of skills did your placement teach you?

Following my MSc, I carried out a placement at the NHS (the UKs National HealthService). It was a shadowing placement, throughout which I followed various medicsaround and was shown how biomedical equipment is used in the medical industry. Iwas not allowed to touch anything because of the nature of the internship; however Imade many contacts and developed a new awareness of how biomedical equipmentis used. It also taught me to look at engineering from a clinical aspect.

Did this experience increase your employability?

Yes it did. I believe it helped me in obtaining my spot as a PhD candidate at theUniversity of Surrey.

What did you enjoy the most about the placement? What did you enjoy theleast?

I enjoyed meeting new people and learning about the adverse range of jobs I couldundertake in the future. The thing I enjoyed least was the paper work and the lengthyapplication process!

What advice can you offer to a student in the same situation, is there anythingyou would have done differently?

Try your best to land an internship before graduating! It really increases youremployability and helps you grow as a person!

What is your fondest memory of your time there?

I'm still here! Good times still rolling! On a serious note, I have really opened up myhorizons in terms of opportunities. This is mostly through the different people I havemet and things these different people have taught me.


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Young Engineers Day at the HannoverMesseEYE members have been invited to attend the Hannover Messe, theworld's biggest industrial fair, by German young engineers. Every yeararound 6,500 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors descend on the fairgroundin Hanover for this event.

On Monday 7th April 2014 the VDI will host 80 students from Denmark at the fair andhave invited EYEs to join a special program for the group. You will have theopportunity to listen to English presentations, take part in a company visit or talk torecruiters from global companies like Audi, DB or Schunk. After that there is enoughtime to visit the fair on your own and its definitely worth it! There are limited placesfree for EYE members. If you are interested in joining us at this event please contactus through [email protected]

// Hannover Messe is a great place to meet companies look for jobs

inside eye eye-contact March 2014

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EYE Meets Young Asian EngineersEYE was kindly invited to AFEOs(ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nations) Federation ofEngineering Organisations)annual meeting, held in Jakarta,Indonesia, last November. Thetheme of the conference wasImplementation of GreenInfrastructure in ASEANCountries, which focused on thechallenge of sustainabledevelopment of infrastructure to

support these nations economicgrowth. The young engineers met

to give updates on the activities that they were doing to support their organisationsyoung engineers. This included social activities like volunteering to improve the localenvironment, and organising internships between each others countries.

2015 will see the formation of shared economiccommunity among the ASEAN countries(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Myanmar,Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam),similar to the idea of the European Union. Thisagreement will include improved mobility ofworkers between countries and mutualrecognition of professional degrees.

Thank you to all the young AFEO engineers fortheir hospitality, especially the local hosts,Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia (PII)!

// Siobhn and some of the Indonesian Young Engineers

// EYEs seat at the conference table


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Click here...

...then here ...

Want to work or study in Germany?The EYE Embassies project is designed to keep young engineers connected outsideof EYE Conferences. If you are thinking of moving to Germany then join the EYEEmbassy of Germany and ask local young engineers about where to live, study, eat,shop, pay taxes, or party! Youll also meet other young engineers who have moved toGermany to study or work. Find the EYE Embassies through our Facebook page.

.....and discover Germany!


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EYE invited to share its knowledge onglobal skills for employabilityEYE was invited to speak at a conference on the employability of engineeringgraduates, hosted by SEII (The European Society for Engineers and Industrialists)and CLAIU-EU (Council of Associations of long cycle Engineers from a University ora Higher School of Engineering of the European Union) in Brussels, Belgium. Therewere views from students, industry and academia on how the needs of thesestakeholders, and society, could be met through engineering education.

Siobhn McGrath, the Secretary General of EYE, spoke about employability skillsdeveloped by young engineers through volunteering. She spoke about howvolunteering for EYE gives a unique opportunity for young engineers to bring theirskills to the next level, by practicing them in an international environment. Teamwork, communication and leadership are all made harder when everyone in thegroup has different first languages, culture, and experience. Siobhn argued thatyoung engineers can take responsibility for their own employability and professionaldevelopment. She told how being involved with EYE demonstrates to employers thatthe candidate has a wide professional network, knowledge of the latest engineeringissues across Europe, that they know how to conduct them self in a professionalenvironment and are interested in engineering beyond what they learn in university.

Get involved! Call for new memberorganisationsEYE offers free membership to European engineering organisations with youngmembers (typically under 35 years old). By joining EYE, your students and youngprofessional members become EYE members. This entitles them to attend EYEConferences and enjoy all other the benefits that come with being a member of EYE.

Does your organisation want to offer its young members extra membership benefitsincluding two international conferences a year and twice yearly issues of the EYEContact? Do you want to offer your young members the chance to build aprofessional network across Europe, and let them gain a competitive advantage inemployment?

If you are a young engineer who wants your organisation to get involved, let them,and us, know! We can be contacted by emailing [email protected]


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Imprint

Editor

European Young Engineers (EYE)c/o Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V.

VDI Platz 140002 DsseldorfGermany

T +49 (0) 211 62 14 455F +49 (0) 211 62 14 148

[email protected]

Image References

Thanks to:

Cornelia Fleischer (VDI) for cover picture and pictures of EYE@AntwerpChris Waters (YRP) for picture of EuropeVDI - The Association of German Engineers for pictures of Hannover MesseEngineers Ireland for picture of EYE@Dublin organising committeeE.ON for pictures of power-to-gas plantsEYE@Sarajevo Organisers for picture of Sarajevo

The following images are used with permission of the originators under the CC-BY license:

Christopher Elison (flickr: Chris-Elison) Picture of UK Passport and EurosRich (flickr: rakh1) Picture of interior of Le Shuttle

Details of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY) are available at:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


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EYE Member Associations

Belgium // AntwerpKVIV - Royal Flemish Society ofEngineerswww.kviv.be

Ireland // DublinEngineers Irelandwww.engineersireland.ie

Belgium // AntwerpVIK - Flemish Chamber of Engineerswww.vik.be

Italy // SalernoGIOIN - Association of Young Engineersof the Province of Salerno

Bosnia-Herzegovina // SarajevoSteleks - Student Association ofElectrotechnics of the University ofSarajevowww.steleks.ba

Italy // SalernoEYE Italia (eyeIT)

Bulgaria // SofiaFNTS - Federation of the Scientificengineering Unionswww.fnts.bg

Malta // VallettaUESA - University Engineering StudentsAssociationwww.uesa-mt.com

Denmark // CopenhagenIDA - The Danish Society ofEngineerswww.ida.dk

Netherlands // The HagueKIVI - Royal Institute of Engineers in theNetherlandswww.kivi.nl

Luxembourg // LuxembourgANEIL - Association Nationale desEtudiants Ingnieurswww.aneil.lu

Netherlands // WageningenKLV - Royal Agricultural Societywww.klv.nl

Finland // HelsinkiUIL - Union of Professional Engineersin Finlandwww.uil.fi

Norway // OsloNITO - Norwegian Society of Engineersand Technologistswww.nito.no

France // ParisBNEI - National Bureau ofEngineering Studentswww.bnei.org

United Kingdom // LondonACE Association for Consulting andEngineeringwww.acenet.co.uk

France // ParisFI - French Association of FemaleEngineerswww.femmes-ingenieurs.org

United Kingdom // LondonIoM3 - Institute of Materials, Minerals andMiningwww.iom3.org

Germany // DsseldorfVDI - The Association of GermanEngineerswww.vdi.de

United Kingdom // LondonIMarEST - Institute of Marine Engineering,Science and Technologywww.imarest.org

Hungary // BudapestMTESZ - Federation of Technical andScientific Societieswww.mtesz.hu

United Kingdom // LondonYRP - Young Railway Professionalswww.youngrailwayprofessionals.org

EYE Contact - March 2014

Documents

Transcript of EYE Contact - March 2014