TfNSW L&D - Engineering & Digital Programs have partnered with University of Sydney and the Digital Systems Program to host 5 Engineering Leadership Scholars between 2019 to 2021.
The aim of the engagement is to shape future industry leaders by fostering the students passion and motivation, and providing them with hands-on experience as well as technical skills highly valued within Transport for NSW.
This week see's the end of their first placement with Transport for NSW L&D, the Engineering Scholars will be back in July 2019.
Engineering Leadership Scholars: (Left to Right - Top): Sophia Kurianski, Matthew D'Souza, Avanish Shrestha (Left to Right - Front): Jessica Fang, Rebecca Egan
Scholar Reflections: Jessica Fang
Hi!
My name is Jessica and I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney. When the university first told me that I would be at Transport for NSW for placement, I imagined that my work would consist of shadowing station masters and transport officers. I was pleasantly surprised to find a beautifully air-conditioned office, an amazing ‘in progress’ train-model and opportunities to visit the ROC, ICON and Edgecliff Sub-Station.
I feel very fortunate to have been placed in the Learning & Development team, where I was given the opportunity to engage with both my engineering and legal backgrounds – something I never expected from an engineering placement!
For example, I was able to familiarise myself with the Electricity Supply Act 1995 (NSW) through research on units of competence and contacting RTOs that provide such training. I was also able to quickly immerse myself with electrical terminology and equipment through summarising the EJ22 course for its potential redevelopment onto an E-Learning platform. It is clear that there is so much more to the transport industry than just technical work and what is presented to the customer.
I’m excited to be back with TfNSW for 4 weeks during July, and for another 12 weeks over the next Christmas Break. It’s been so fun working with people who share my love for food, music and other random things in life :) See you soon!
Scholar Reflections: Rebecca Egan
Hi everyone! My name is Bec Egan and I am a third year Mechatronics Engineering student from the Central Coast who has been lucky enough to have spent 6 weeks here with the L&D team at Transport for NSW. Prior to commencement, I had very little understanding of the technical side of Transport.
I honestly arrived with thoughts of sitting at a computer coding customer data all day or being out on the platforms blowing whistles. In reality, after 6 weeks as active participants in many projects it is clear that this organisation is an extremely complex one with exciting innovation and opportunity for problem solving that we, as engineers, absolutely love. With the support of the L&D team we were given responsibility for important tasks and presentations that challenged our current knowledge and gave us a valuable insight into the real workings of such a large, vital organisation.
Some of the highlights for me were completing the model train set for the PO training, visiting the ROC facility and generally being involved in projects with such forward thinking, motivated people. As we return to University on Monday, we will be sad to leave both the people and projects that have made this experience so valuable. It will be extremely interesting to see how projects have progressed in our time away and I hope to be just as actively involved in some future projects when we return for a short time in July and then November. Thank you very much to everyone who has made our time here so incredible, in particular the amazing L&D team.
Scholar Reflections: Matthew D'Souza
My name is Matthew. I’m studying Mechatronic (Space) Engineering and Physics at the University of Sydney.
I like the concept of transport, in that I build rockets and fly aeroplanes in my spare time. I also worked on an HO scale model railway with Dad when I was much, much younger…
This proved to be valuable knowledge, when I found myself placed with the L&D team, tasked with assembling a train set for training Protection Officers. I didn’t know what to expect coming into the placement, but it certainly wasn’t 3D printing trees or soldering signals.
It was also exciting to tour world-class facilities such as the ROC, and learn about upcoming projects including the new Digital Systems facility at Chullora.
The members of the L&D team, and indeed everyone at TfNSW, have been extraordinarily supportive and an absolute pleasure to work with. I expect to return in July of this year for another four weeks. It will be interesting to see how the train set has been put to use and how other projects have progressed.
Scholar Reflections: Avanish Shrestha
Hello — my name is Avanish. I study aeronautical engineering, with a major in Space Engineering — currently in year three. I have Nepalese heritage.
Truth be told, I still design and build Lego models in my spare time — one of my models was actually featured on a blog —
https://thelegocarblog.com/2018/02/03/electric-dreams/ — it was a little strange seeing my work on this blog, which I have browsing for inspiration since childhood.
I also enjoy playing guitar, and am particularly inspired by John Mayer’s finesse on the instrument.
Given the content of my degree, My interest in architecture and industrial design often takes people by surprise — I would love to be able to work at the intersection of arts and engineering in the future. Sir James Dyson is a particular inspirational figure — having gone to both art and engineering school.
I wanted to note that the public transport network back home in Perth was never really a source of excitement for me. However, the rail network was one of the first things that impressed me about Sydney — I had never seen such scale, complexity, or sophistication.
In fact, I believe that my time at Transport has re-ignited a childhood love of trains. I remember building Lego models of the Eurostar and TGV — the idea of building a train fills me with a new excitement now.
Some of the resources that Pak shared with us were also incredibly interesting — specifically regarding the ETCS and DMI systems. The integration of these system in the Sydney rail network was again something that impressed me — it was probably the better option to adopt these fantastic European technologies anyway, as opposed to developing proprietary systems in-house.
It may be safe to say that my experiences would not be dissimilar to someone else coming into Transport for the first time — in that one would be able to really appreciate how much work occurs outside of the public eye. Actually, I was initially unsure as to what work was done here at Petersham — it had failed to cross my mind that the crew, and specifically the training of personnel, is an essential part of operating the network. With the somewhat limited knowledge of how the network is maintained, there may also be opportunities to practice empathy — for example when various issues cause delays on the network. The thought of teams of people working to help resolve these issues deepens this appreciation for the rail network.
Pak and Rowan had some really interesting projects for us to work on. Specifically, building the train set was incredibly enjoyable, as were creating the technical diagrams of the track. Bonding with the rest of the scholars has also been extremely enjoyable.
The winter break, which falls in June and July, is when I want to be back at Transport. I’ve enjoyed crafting a few prototypes of Rowan’s ’TrackSafe’ application — this may be something to continue when we are back. Engaging with other Transport initiatives, perhaps at an even deeper or higher level, would also be something to look forward to next time — perhaps we could even come up with our own projects to work on?
Scholar Reflections: Sophia Kurianski
Hello everyone, my name is Sophia Kurianski and I’m an Engineering Scholar from the University of Sydney. I study a double degree in Mechatronics and Computer Science. As part of my degree I get to do exciting things like build electronics, as well as develop programs that make people’s lives easier. In my spare time I like to engage my creative side. I often draw and attend a weekly figure drawing art class.
When I found out that I will be doing my summer placement at Transport NSW, I had no idea about the sorts of tasks I would be required to do. My expectations ranged anywhere from handling a wrench to fix trains, all the way to fetching coffee. I was pleasantly surprised when we got to be part of exciting projects and got the opportunity to improve our technical knowledge and people skills.
One of the projects I worked on was an automated dashboard to save time for the Learning and Development team. I learned about working with clients and the challenges associated with translating their requirements into a final deliverable. I also made a prototype for a TrackSafe App concept. Here I got the chance to use my creative app design skills.
After completing my placement, I realize the Transport NSW has many different departments and projects with different roles available. I am very excited to come back next holidays to help all of you out and work on more exciting projects.
The launch of the Engineering Occupation Specific Capability Set on Tuesday 22 May 2018 was a huge success. This has been a major collaboration with all TfNSW cluster agencies.
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