Harriet Lea-Banks MEng Acoustical Engineering
For me it’s the sound that you can’t hear that’s the most interesting! This year I have had the opportunity to work at Southampton General Hospital using Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound to look inside brains…
As cheesy as it sounds; all I have ever wanted to do is make a difference. Applying maths, physics and creative problem solving not just makes a difference, but saves lives. During the summer before starting my degree I had the privilege of working in the MD Anderson Cancer Care Centre, Texas. I saw first-hand the way in which Acoustical Engineering enabled cutting edge diagnoses and treatments.
Growing up near Southampton, the reputation of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) was hard to ignore! Exploring the labs and seeing the test facilities and current research projects on open days really captured my imagination, so I decided to apply to the University of Southampton.
When I first told friends that I would be spending the next four years studying Acoustical Engineering, most thought I was running off down a very narrow path in a very dark, very specific wood! But I am astonished each and every day to discover just how far-reaching this degree is. Aircraft noise, dolphins, 3D sound systems, violin design, foetal scans, bubbles and much more...
It was not until my third year that I appreciated the true merit of having world-leading specialists as supervisors and tutors. Fresh from cutting-edge research, lecturers teach with passion and an innovative style, frequently using examples from their own work and teaching theorems they have developed!
Small classes provide an intimate and top-class learning experience. Teaching quality is continually being reviewed and improved at the University of Southampton. To help achieve this, I have taken on the role of Academic President, a position that aims to bridge the student body and the academic staff, voicing student opinions in an honest and constructive way.
I really found a home in the Chaplaincy this year - lovely people, comfy sofas and free tea! A real home away from home.
As I am keen to explore a career in research, I was offered a research internship at the ISVR, writing MATLAB programs and studying data to analyse blood flow in the brain. The knowledge and experience I gained has secured me a paid summer internship at Oxford University, working to develop a virtual heart model.
Supervised both by ISVR and Southampton General Hospital, my eyes were opened to the importance of multidisciplinary research. I was responsible for analysing real patient data and developed programs later implemented by PhD students from Holland!
Apart from it being compulsory for all Engineering students, internships are fundamental in understanding what it really means to be an engineer.
Not only has my first placement enabled my second placement at Oxford University, it has fuelled and motivated me in my studies beyond all expectation! At the end of the day, your degree is only one line on your CV. Showing initiative in finding placements, internships and positions of responsibility is crucial to develop your whole character and form a complete university experience.