"It all started when I was in high school and read an article about liquid metal batteries written by a Professor of Metallurgy. He was basically explaining the importance of energy storage for our future because, whilst there are lots of possible ways to get renewable energy in the future, the new problem is; how can you store it in large amounts?
"You also have lots of societies here and lots of good teachers. Generally, there’s just a lot of support – you can always talk to someone about any problems you might have"
Academically, it was quite scary for me at the start. Some of lectures were very different to how I was taught in high school. So now, after my lectures, I usually go to the library, look at the lecture slides again and read about the subject which really helps me fill in the gaps.
Subjects-wise, my favorite part so far is probably Crystallography because the lecturer explained it to me really clearly. I think I will end up doing Nuclear Engineering because there is a big possibility of me going back to my country and right now, in Indonesia, they’re considering opening a nuclear power station. So, thinking ahead, I think if I focus on Nuclear whilst here at Imperial, it might help my job prospects when I return home to Indonesia. After I leave Imperial, I plan to take a Masters in Management or Business because I think there are greater opportunities for me if I understand both the business and the science side. I did take a business class last term and this term; I’m doing Professional Skills for employability - both of which have really opened my mind.
I actually told a junior in my old high school that she should apply to Imperial if she hadn’t already – and she did! I told her that at Imperial, you give yourself some really big chances. Even if you look at Horizon program, which is available to all Imperial students - you’re in the Department of Materials but you can also learn business or the culture of science alongside your degree.
"You also have lots of societies here and lots of good teachers. Generally, there’s just a lot of support – you can always talk to someone about any problems you might have.
Now that I graduated, I just started my new job. I'm Body in White Forward Planning Engineer for the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Department at Jaguar Land Rover.
"I graduated now and I just started my new job. I'm Body in White Forward Planning Engineer for the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Department at Jaguar Land Rover. "
Day to day, I work together with the Body Engineering and Design Department to make sure that the future car bodies are designed for manufacture. Once I get information about the car design, material list and joining techniques, I design the bodyshop.
To design the bodyshop, first I have to design and optimize the manufacturing process, decide what type of robot are going to be installed in the bodyshop, how many of them are required and workout how many associates are going to be placed in that bodyshop. All of these tasks require a strong collaboration with other departments within Jaguar Land Rover and the end result has to meet the Basic Minute Value, Capital Expenditure, Operational Expenditure, Environmental and a few other targets set by the company.
Overall, I think my degree in Materials at Imperial prepared me well to be a problem solver and gave me a strong technical background. From the group projects with my classmates, I learned how to be a team player, which is a very important skill to have in big organisation.
