LAE Student Blog one – (Pilot) Summary of First year
Hello, my name is Harry. I am a student and council member of the Leeds Association of Engineers. To improve student engagement within the association I am starting this blog which will hopefully provide some insight into the life of an engineering student. This will come in instalments. In this first edition I will be providing a summary of my first year of university, what I have learned, and what I would have done differently. I hope you enjoy !
Week one of university saw lots of rushing around campus, learning where buildings and rooms are, getting lost and making friends. Lectures in the first week were of little interest as they mostly contained introductions to lecturers and technicians, and seeing an overview of the module structure. Towards the end of the week, we were able to begin covering the first sections of content. I study Robotics Engineering, and with this being the humble beginnings of first year most of the content was simple revision of my college course (BTEC National Extended Diploma in Engineering).
The following weeks were much the same. Lots of rushing around, attending lectures for maths, circuit analysis, mechanical analysis, computer electronics, and control systems. All the while going into labs and learning the fundamental of practical electronics… (Mostly fancy ways to make LED’s flash).
As we approached the halfway point in the semester we embarked upon our first project. A group research project in a field of our choosing. I worked with a team of three other engineers to research new technologies in the field of exploration robotics. We each took a sub-category (communication, power transmission, power storage, and energy efficiency), I took the lead on researching energy efficiency in electronic circuits. Together we wrote a 20-page report on our findings and presented these findings in a video to our lecturer. My findings showed the main electronic device taking up power is the embedded computer – so finding methods to reduce its power consumption was important. I researched different algorithms for pathfinding, microprocessor frequency control, and voltage control.
The second semester saw much the same as the first. Lots of lectures, labs, exams but best of all a larger group project. In a circuit design module, we were tasked with designing a motor control board for a small remote-control rover. The project was done in a group of five where we each took a different engineering role – Electronic Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Communications Engineer, Software Engineer and Project Manager. While a large portion of the project was the electronic design and manufacture. We also had to produce a shell for the buggy with the aim to be ‘Humorous’ as 10% of the report grade went to style points. I took on the role of Electronic Engineer with a lead in design a dual H-Bridge circuit to drive the motors and having a hand in all other wiring matters for our additional features.
This last year has been a blast for me and I can’t wait to dig my teeth in to this year of content.
Harry Soutar – September 2024.
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