Krishan Meetoo
I am just about to embark on my final year at Aston University, studying Design Engineering. I have been lucky enough to work on some amazing projects over the years including graphic design for BBC 1xtra, interior design on London night club 10 Room and I have just spent the last year on placement with the BLOODHOUND project.
What technology are you working on right now, and what excites you most about it?
One of my last projects on BLOODHOUND was to take components of the car, such as the Falcon project's Hybrid Rocket, and redesign it for use in HigherEducation and at schools. I used Siemens PLM software NX6 to create the CAD models. It’s a brilliant bit of kit that not only gives you the power to design a component but also to develop the project management side of the project. Fundamentally, a large amount of engineering projects need to run on tight deadlines and budgets, and it is software like NX6 that really allows you to maximise your productivity. The software allowed me to save time with planning and developing the project and I also used it to inspect the assemblies. It is definitely something that I will look to use in the future and may even use NX for my final year project. The most exciting bit was was seeing the looks on groups of children's faces as they got to have a play and manipulate them on our interactive boards at the Farnborough International Airshow.
What is it like to work as a student at Bloodhound?
BLOODHOUND is simply like no other project. The freedom you get working in flat structure is brilliant - it really does help you develop as you get exposed to things that you normally wouldn't working within a corporate environment. However above all else the best thing was that it is a once in a life time opportunity, to not only work on a project that is at the absolute cutting edge of Engineering and Science but also work with such a talented and eclectic group of people.
What are key challenges you are helping to solve right now?
The key challenge that the industry faces at the moment is a shortage of engineers, scientists, technologists and mathematicians, which is something that the BLOODHOUND project is looking to address, by creating the world’s first 1000mph car!
One of my roles on the project was to help develop the Ambassador programme where we provide the opportunity for anyone from industry professionals to people just wanting to do some outreach to get certified and go into schools as well as events. It was great to help them develop their skills and watch them grow in confidence in presenting the project and doing activities.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in becoming an engineer?
My personal take on engineering is that it is all about finding those all important solutions to our everyday problems. So go out there and see what inspires you! I have always had a habit of working on external projects while at school and university. I think it really helped me develop my skills and also find what aspect of Engineering I wanted to pursue. Having already designed a chassis for the IMechE’s Formula Student in my second year, this now allows me to work on another amazing challenge.
In fact it’s something Google have adopted as part of their work structure, as all the engineers in the company have one day a week to work on their own projects. It’s pretty cool when you consider that Google Earth started life as one of those projects.
Which developing technology do you see helping the world in 5-10 years time?
At the moment it’s all about “mash-ups” - mixing and bringing together various technologies to provide us with additional products and functionality, you will find that your smart phone is good example of this. However, it will be more of a case where sustainable products and processes come to the forefront. In 5 – 10 years we won’t have the solution to global warming but I believe that we will be ever striding toward solutions where we will have more diversity energy production but also more efficient ways of using it.
It’s not necessarily a particular technology I see developing in the next generation, but more our approach and execution.