Mechanical Engineering MEng/BEng(Hons): What our students say

"Working on the bike took up most of my life from January onwards. Although the design work went towards my coursework the practical build was mostly extra-curricular time. It didn't matter, though, because working on the bike was a really special project. If I wasn't actually in a lecture or had an immediate deadline you could guarantee you'd find me in the lab working on the bike.

Going over to the Isle of Man for the TT was probably the best two weeks of my life!  At the event itself we were right up against the pit lane. I'm mad on motorcycles and was thrilled when I was asked to go along but even I hadn't realised what a big deal it was until I was there. My Dad had an idea though – he told me 'You're going to biking mecca!' Winning third place was fantastic but watching George come in faster than anyone else in the race was just out of this world."

What made you choose to study your course at Kingston?

"I decided to study my degree at Kingston University as it is recognised internationally as well as the University having a strong presence in Sri Lanka."

Apart from receiving your IET prize for outstanding academic achievement, were there any other defining moments?

"I especially enjoyed working on my group project work; involving the design, fabrication and testing of a concentrating parabolic solar collector; the entire experience was a big step in my transition from student to engineer."

Utilising the resources available

"I was impressed with the availability of comprehensive libraries, online resources and knowledgeable and accommodating lecturers and staff. I often spent entire days and many late nights in the silent study areas of the libraries which was the ideal environment for me.

The advice I would give to new students would be to make learning and skills development your top priority, be positive about the entire experience and you'll get more value from it than you thought possible."

What are your future plans and aspirations?

"I am currently working as a researcher in thermodynamics and material science and plan to further build on my knowledge of thermal applications and eventually get into research in power generation methods. My ultimate aspiration is to discover a power generation method which is economical, safe and beneficial to society as a whole – somewhat similar to Michael Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction, a simple technique that changed the world for the better."