The UNSW students have now been in London for almost 3 weeks, hitting the ground running. During their time they have been exploring London and its exciting engineering and design achievements. They have also been looking into areas to assist them with their projects. Bisi Olulode, Communications Officer asked the students about their highlights so far and what have been the challenges of adjusting to life in London.
You’ve been in London now for almost 3 weeks. What has been the highlight of your time in the UK from an engineering and design perspective?
Xavier: Having the opportunity to attend the St Thomas’ Hospital MedTech Hub with my peers. We gained an insight into the advancements being made in the medical space around King’s. All the projects were exciting, but I was particularly interested in the robotics surgery techniques. Lots of progress has been made in this field and will enable faster and more accurate surgeries to take place.
MedTech innovations showcased during London Tech week
Hamza: One of the highlights so far has been visiting expositions including the Kings 20 Innovation Showcase. We were grateful to listen to entrepreneur’s pitch about innovative engineering designs making a difference within society. Being able to converse and interact with several profound professionals who are so passionate within STEM has given an amazing opportunity to network and learn ground-breaking concepts.
Nick: Visiting the Design Museum (pictured above) in Kensington has been a highlight of exploring the UK so far at least from an engineering and design perspective. The UK seems to have a well-established culture surrounding impactful design and innovation.
Laurence: A highlight of my time in my UK so far was visiting the Design Museum. It was instructive to see how a conflict of design and engineering resulted in product failures, but when design and engineering are in harmony, the resulting products are beautiful and functional.
Have you investigated anything that will assist with the projects that you have been given?
Hamza: Nick and I are working on a Modular Buildings project assisting in designing the new campus to be launched in 2021. Visiting several state-of-the-art prefabricated/modular buildings has been an amazing learning experience gaining a valuable insight into technology integration and fundamental considerations & capacities.
Laurence: Since I started working on the ‘Embedded System’ learning node, I have found myself investigating any example of an embedded system I run into during my everyday activities.
What excited you about what you have seen?
Xavier: The new Canada Water site has got me excited for the future of the new school. It will be a highly collaborative space with forward thinking design. Right now, it’s in the construction phase but the vision can be seen. Can’t wait to begin my project in the space.
Hamza: Being in the heart of London and gaining a global perspective of education and principles related to engineering has really broadened my thinking from both a technological and social perspective.
Laurence: It was exciting to see a strong appreciation and enthusiasm for architecture and design amongst a diverse range of people.
What have been the challenges of adjusting to life in London?
Hamza: The climate! From an Australian’s perspective the summer weather now in London is currently the same as the Sydney winter!
Regular updates on the Summer School and other initiatives will be posted over the summer. For weekly updates please contact Bisi Olulode – Olabisi.olulode@kcl.ac.uk
