Huda Fatima studied BEng (Hons) Electrical Engineering at University of Staffordshire, following in the footsteps of her father who was an electrical engineer.
“It's such a warm, welcoming environment the minute you step into the University on your of first day and you're welcomed with a lot of extracurricular activities,” said Huda, 22, who is originally from India.
“But as you start your course, you realise there's a lot of potential for you to get in touch with industry and your supervisors as well.”
Huda had chance to work on various projects during her degree, and played a key role in restoring an OPAL-RT simulator. She worked with a small team of academics and students to successfully re-establish the lost connections of the simulator, enabling it to run complex simulations and give students first-hand experience of real world scenarios.
“My experience working on the OPAL-RT was incredibly rewarding, as I witnessed the theoretical concepts come to life in the real world. Our teams’ mission to revive the dormant simulator sharpened our creativity and problem solving abilities with every challenge.”
During her studies, Huda also had the opportunity to complete a placement year with energy component manufacturer GE Vernova, gaining hands on industry experience.
“Electrical engineering was something that I was passionate about from the very beginning. But I think the fact that this university brings a lot of connectivity to the industry was one of the main reasons that I was very, very keen to join University of Staffordshire.
“When you step into the industry, there's obviously a big, overwhelming environment, but also you're able to see a lot of your concepts come into play all around you. You’re able to connect the dots just by what you've studied and what you've taken from what a professor was taught you.
GE Vernova also supported Huda with her final year project on the theoretical analysis of VSI converters. This was awarded 1st place prize at University of Staffordshire’s graduate exhibition GradEX and will soon be published in a research journal.
Having gained a first class degree, Huda is returning to the Stafford-based company after securing a competitive graduate position.
“Projects, placement opportunities, and mentoring by my supervisors have really grown me as an academic and as a professional. So that definitely makes me ready to be able to go and work in the industry.
“It feels transformational. I feel like a different person and it's all thanks to University of Staffordshire.”
Huda now hopes her experience will inspire other young women to consider a career in engineering.
“If it is something that you're been passionate about, if it is something that excites you – maths, physics, chemistry, all of that – then University of Staffordshire is an amazing place to experience it and to see exactly how it happens in the most interesting way.”
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