Fast-paced placements
Rachel Cruz, an undergraduate student on the Aeronautics & Astronautics course at Southampton, worked for a year at the Williams Formula One team on placement in their Aerodynamics Department.
The School of Engineering Sciences is established as world-leading in racing car aerodynamics, from undergraduate courses, through research, wind tunnel capability and consultancy.
What did you do while on placement?
I worked on two different aero teams, one which designs the front wing of the car and another which designs the mid section, although towards the end of the year they started development on the FW32 2010 car as well.
What was the best part about your placement?
The amount I was allowed to do. After I'd been there about a month I was being left on my own doing wind tunnel cover and was expected to make decisions about whether parts were any good or what to do if there were problems. I was also encouraged to come up with my own ideas for parts; I felt like I was treated more like a graduate than a student.
How did your studies at Southampton prepare you for working at Williams F1?
From the feedback from HR I think at Southampton you get a better grounding in aerodynamics rather than just engineering in general compared to other universities.
What are the best things about studying at Southampton?
I most enjoy the work-life balance I think. I find my course hard work but I still have time to be active in the windsurfing club and go out regularly. I also like that a lot of the project work we are set has real value, we aren't just doing exercises for the sake of it.
What advice can you give to people thinking about a career in engineering?
I'd say try and do some kind of placement, whether it's a year out or just over summer. It's difficult to know what engineering's going to be like as a career just from school or even university. There's also such a huge range of different jobs that you can do and I'd definitely recommend finding out as much as you can so you end up doing something you'll really enjoy.
What are you going to do next?
I have the final year of my degree next year but I should be going back to Williams over summer and ideally I'd like to work for them when I graduate. I want to work in Formula One though so that will be my main goal even if it's with a different team.