Hi Maria, thank you very much for joining me today this is part of the INWED
2020 celebrations and we're here to talk about your fantastic achievements here
at UCL Engineering so perhaps we could start by learning a little bit about
your background and what you study. So I'm now finishing my Master's Engineering (MEng)
degree in computer science, a subject that focuses on problem-solving and is widely
applicable in many current topics. It does not only include learning how to
code or solving computing problems and designing new software but also it's
about developing new ways to use technology. It can be applied to a
variety of domains like data analysis, graphics or robotics but also to every
other domain such as education or medicine. So who or what inspired you to
want to study engineering? While at school there were a lot of girls in my
science classes, I noticed that there was a greater imbalance at the more
professional level. I knew relatively few women who studied engineering or were
already professional engineers. As my family and teachers have always been
supportive of my decisions I pursued computer science with a
personal aspiration of using it to give back to the community in any way
possible. My parents and brother are actually engineers and encouraged me a
lot, and my Mum in particular has been a great example that women can thrive in
engineering. My sister, who is a passionate researcher in statistics and
artificial intelligence has also been a huge source of motivation throughout my
life especially during my studies. Sounds like you've got some great role models
there! What's your favourite part about studying engineering?
I love developing new technology which can then be applied to almost anything.
I'm especially intrigued by the application with a social aspect, such as
those in health care. Also I enjoy studying imaging statistics and AI which
combined with computer science can help devise safe and transparent algorithms
that are good for all of us, for society. Similarly to advancement in computer
science having changed modern communication, emerging technology in CS
can be applied to medicine and can revolutionise diagnosis, improve the
health system and contribute towards personalised treatments. What's the most
valuable lesson you've learned in your studies so far? I realised the level of impact that any
new tool or technology can have on the world. Our problem-solving skills and
analytical thinking can be applied to anything we want but it is wonderful
when this is used to make the world better. At the same time this brings a
lot of responsibility because of the high impact that these technologies have
on a societal and real world level. Another very important lesson I've
learned is how important it is to invest in the future generations. This past year I
have been leading and organising engineering workshops to schools all
around London as part of the Engineers Without Borders Society here at UCL.
We have already seen the difference that it makes to students who have not
considered this career path. We are very proud of engaging over 800 students this
year alone in our workshops it is wonderful to see that a different
approach can motivate the students to be more creative and open to all subjects
after an hour-long interactive workshop with the students they get so much new
knowledge and fresh excitement for STEM subjects. For us it is also beautiful to
see how many young students choose to deal with global challenges in these
workshops and use their creativity to solve problems that affect not only them
but everyone in the world regardless of their origin or background. Can you
describe a typical day in the life of an engineering student, perhaps pre- lockdown?
For the past four years I have been a student at UCL, a large part of my day is
spent on campus either at lectures, lab sessions or at the library.
Apart from these I have weekly meetings with my supervisor and the committee of
Engineers Without Borders society I always spend my lunch break with friends
and then continue with other university commitments such as group projects. In
the evening I usually do paperwork as part of
organising the outreach activities. My personal favourite days are those with an
outreach activity at a school. This includes travelling to school with the
rest of the volunteers and all the materials needed to deliver a fun
workshop to students aged 8 to 16. So how has the current Covid-19 situation
affected your work-life balance? The Covid outbreak affected us towards the
end of Term 2, which is a time when all students are working on their
assignments. The uncertainty that accompanies this situation was
overwhelming to me as a final year student, but I continued to work on my
dissertation and other assessments in order to keep a more normal schedule.
Even though it took a while to get accustomed to the new normal,
I consider myself to be lucky, as all my work can be done with a laptop and an
internet connection. On a more positive note this outbreak has strengthened my
desire to apply computer science in the health sector because the academic and
industrial community can use the situation and the technological
advancements to help the general public. For example we can sequence the genome
of Covid, analyse patient information to understand the impact of Covid on
physical and mental health, we can study the spread of the virus through network
theory or create an app to volunteers in the neighborhood to help
those in need. And finally what advice would you give a younger person or even
your younger self, who wanted to study or work in a STEM-related field? It is
important to understand that our journey in school, university and life in general
will come with many obstacles but we should remember that each stage is a
unique learning opportunity let's all be persistent and motivated in working
towards our goals because hard work combined with a true passion will
definitely result in beautiful outcomes. That's great, that's great advice, thank
you very much for joining me today Maria. Thank you.