2012

Does university teach you to be an engineer? - December 13, 2012

So I studied for my MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering for 5 years (for free) in Scotland. During this time I must have completed over 50 modules which came under this degree title. With such a varied selection, I always wondered how this would work when I entered a job and began some real [...]

“It’s pronounced Nu-queue-la” - November 15, 2012

I always understood that there was a benefit to moving about organisations and sites in order to understand each stakeholders differing pressures and priorities, but, to be honest, I don’t think I fully appreciated the impact of this…..until now. I am being sponsored through the scheme by Rolls-Royce submarines and to date I have had [...]

Breaking my (dose) virginity - November 5, 2012

So I’ve got my first dose, 21 μSv. So what does that mean? Well let’s put that in perspective; I have now acquired 0.1% of my legal annual dose as a radiation worker (20 mSv). I have spent just under 4 days flying at over 10 km altitude (2.2 mSv/year, Wikipedia) I could have spent just over [...]

Life Plan!! - September 20, 2012

Sometimes in life, an event happens to you that makes you think about your life. One of those events in mine is known as ‘Derek Browne’, but that was just because he told me too! Derek Browne is a successful business man and entrepreneur and during one of our nucleargraduates meet-ups we had a few [...]

Time for a Brew - September 19, 2012

I am currently in my second placement as a nucleargraduate. My first was in a shiny new building, with flat screen TV’s, meeting pods, windows that automatically open when it’s hot inside and all the latest manufacturing machinery. The building is so new that we would regularly have visitors keen to see what this new [...]

Footprints or Cycle tracks? - September 16, 2012

As part of my final secondment on the nucleargraduates scheme, footprints has taken me on to two wheels – working with the sustainable transport charity – Sustrans Sustrans work across the UK to create innovative and practical solutions to the transport problem – resulting in travel choices that are better for both people and the [...]

Almost Done :-( - September 9, 2012

Well nucleargraduates is almost over for me and the rest of Cohort 4, sad times! In recognition of this I thought I’d tell you how I’m feeling on the lead up to the ‘end’. It’s quite strange to think that after Sept 27th Cohort 4 will have no reason to meet in one place at one [...]

Opps…. - August 29, 2012

Well my two years as a nucleargraduate are nearly up and so far I’ve only published one blog…oops! Honestly, I have been writing them during my secondments, I just never got around to putting them up! Why the sudden rush to publish them? Well I’ve only four weeks left to do it and more importantly, [...]

End of the Secondment (Finally) - August 28, 2012

So the 11 month mark is approaching and I may finally be leaving my host company! The past couple months in Rolls have been interesting to say the least! There has been ups, for example getting to be in contact with several companies, hopefully in the right way! And also not so great times the [...]

Friends Never Say Goodbye - August 23, 2012

In a few weeks I will leave the nucleargraduate scheme with many memories, 7 new grey hairs that I pull out on a regular basis and ………………………………..