Tom Duncan

BSc Sports Technology student

'I chose my course as I felt it was the ideal fit to my skills prior to university and the content reflected my interests and ambitions.
 
'This year I'm working for Santa Cruz Bicycles as a Race Mechanic for Steve Peat. The job is quite varied and involves travelling the world and preparing the bikes at each race to give the rider the best chance of winning. Away from racing we do a lot of test sessions and product development work with the team sponsors.
 
'The course has helped me increase the theory to back up my practical skills. It has also allowed me to learn more about biomechanics and improving the fit of a product to a person. In general, going to university helped tie my practical and theoretical skills together to make me more employable.
 
'I enjoy visiting new places and although I worked on the circuit last year for a smaller team, this is my first year at the very top end of the sport. It brings with it huge challenges and pressures but I relish these.
 
'My future plans are to continue progressing personally and professionally working on the World Cup circuit and to become more involved in bicycle product development and sports engineering as a whole.
 
'The advice I would give to prospective students is to make sure the course is what you want to do. The course takes time to become sports specific as many sporting situations are very complex to analyse. Until you have the basic skills which you learn in first year, these are above your head!
 
'I have enjoyed all of my time at university but have enjoyed the final year the most. The first two years are focussed on building knowledge and skills and in the final year there is more freedom to apply this to your particular areas of interest.'

James Bunday

BSc (Honours) Sports Technology

'I am working for Grays Hockey/Gray-Nicolls Cricket/Gilbert Rugby, which all comes under the heading Grays International. Being a big fan of all these sports and a player of cricket and hockey, I knew it was where I wanted to go for my placement and I am really enjoying my work as a result.

'For me the process of finding a placement was simple. I had contacts from my previous summer work at the Grays warehouse, so I spoke to them about the possibility of a work placement in the main office and production areas. I was fortunate that I knew where I wanted to go and I managed to secure the chance to come to Grays for a year.

'The best thing about working at Grays is the fact that I am working in a field that I am passionate about. A lot of my time so far has been spent in the Sales office getting to grips with products and the way the company works. In many industries this would be a bit tedious after a while, but when the products are something that you are passionate about it makes the jobs so much more enjoyable!

'Also, being a player of hockey and cricket, my opinion is valued by the people that matter, for example, the product engineers. As a result of this, right from the word go, I have been included in discussions, been asked for ideas and been given hockey sticks and other products to go away and test in order to generate some meaningful feedback.

'After Christmas I will be starting on my own project for the company. The exact nature of this project is yet to be confirmed, though it is going to be centred on the hockey playing kit range and looking at ways to increase its popularity, within Sussex initially, and then further afield.

'A major bonus of working at Grays is that being a leading manufacturer in hockey and cricket, a lot of big players come into the office and so far I have met Ashley Jackson, European Hockey player of the Year, and Monty Panesar and Michael Yardy, both Sussex and England cricketers.

'For me, my placement so far has convinced me that Grays is a company that I would love to work for in the future. I am still not sure where within the company I would most like to be. The sales area has really suited me because, as a player I have an understanding of the products that most at the company don’t have and also, through doing the engineering modules at Sheffield Hallam, I understand the technology which means I can talk and feel comfortable having conversions about our products as a result.

'I know that this area is not where people on my course would expect to end up working, but the discussions about products, pitching products and other such parts of the University projects have been where I have performed best and it seems that this is the way to go in the future.'

Carolyn Webb

MSc Sports Engineering

'I chose to stay at Sheffield Hallam mainly because of the course. I really enjoyed my undergraduate course and got a lot out of it so I wanted to continue my relationship with them. The staff were all very approachable, and the University always gave off a very friendly vibe, so I didn't want to move and possibly lose this. I felt very comfortable in Sheffield too so I didn't want to move away from friends and start somewhere new.

'I chose sports engineering because it seemed like the natural next step up from sport technology. I’ve always wanted to be an engineer so this seemed like the perfect course to reach that status. The content of the course also looked very relevant to what I had already learnt but more difficult – which was a challenge I looked forward to.

'Postgraduate study is a large step up in terms of independence. There's an expectation to do much more independent reading. But this was something I expected and I've learned to adapt. For me the content is also much harder, but I'm enjoying learning completely new things.

'I'm really enjoying the amount of practical work because it will translate more to the working world. Knowing where this course can take me in the future is very exciting and it gives me a lot of confidence for when I finish. The other positive thing about the course is the number of links to industry and the fact we can work with these companies for our projects and build up relationships for the future.

'I think as long as you're willing to work hard, a postgraduate course is a very good idea because it gives you something extra over other people who could be applying for the same job. But make sure you know what the course involves before applying. I would definitely encourage and recommend people to do a postgraduate course because it will give you more confidence and further knowledge of the subject that you enjoy.'

Rhodri Evans

BSc Sports Technology graduate

'The sports technology course is a blend between sport science and engineering. Throughout the course I always enjoyed the engineering and design side, so once I'd finished, I looked at how I could move into mechanical engineering and engineering design as a whole. Because I had a BSc and this was a requirement of the MSc, I was successful in getting onto it.

'I'm a graduate mechanical engineer at Siemens. I applied for a job as a mid-level design engineer through a recruitment agency at the company. I went for that interview and was unsuccessful, but they invited me back for a graduate interview.

'This is the sort of role I wanted to get. I'm doing a two year graduateship with Siemens, within which I rotate round various departments within my section of the industry. This provides me with an understanding of how the whole business works. At the end of the two years I will enter back into the engineering department and work with current projects. I also attend training courses throughout the UK over the two years at the other Siemens sites based around professional development. I get to meet and interact with the other Siemens graduates who are not only engineers but from many disciplines including business, finance and IT.

'The company take on graduates with engineering-based degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level. But I imagine having a postgraduate degree may have helped put me at the top of the list. The MSc enabled me to move into the engineering industry and get a great job.'

Myles O Meally

BSc (Honours) Sports Technology

'Finding a placement was pretty hard but I got a placement at Labosport in Heanor, Derbyshire. I tested artificial and natural sport surfaces such as football pitches, rugby pitches, hockey pitches, tennis courts, athletic tracks and sport halls in the UK and abroad.

'The best thing about the placement was the countries and great sporting venues I travelled to and tested and the lads who I worked with. It has made me more certain that I want to work in the sport testing and design sector. However I don’t see myself working in the sport surfaces area long term, I want to get in the kit and equipment side of testing and designing. It has also made more confident and made me seriously consider doing a sport engineering Masters at Sheffield Hallam.'

Dr Andy Young

Principal lecturer

On leaving school I became a craft apprentice in a defence company manufacturing naval artillery, where I was trained as a precision miller-turner-fitter. In 1989 I was awarded a Whitworth Scholarship from the IMechE to encourage practical engineers to seek higher education, which led to my enrolment on a Manufacturing Systems Engineering degree at The University of Leeds.

In my first year I transferred onto mechanical engineering to get a more general education, and by the third year I developed an interest in computer modelling of how fluids behave. I was awarded prizes from the IMechE and Sun Microcomputers for project work, a Parkinson scholarship for continued study from the University, and sponsorship from International Paper to embark on a PhD research degree into thin film generation for the printing industry.

I was then employed as a Research Fellow in the Industrial Coating Research Group, where I focused on the transference of academic research to industrial problems, working with companies such as Kodak, 3M, and Ilford.

I moved to a leading industrial consultancy company called Fluent in 1998, and became focused on thermo-fluids and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). I worked in materials processing industries, helping manufacturers apply technology to understand how to make better glass, polymer, and metals products.

In 2005 I began teaching engineering fundamentals and their industrial applications to students. I joined engineering at Sheffield Hallam leading the teaching for thermo-fluids and CFD, and supervising PhD students.

In 2009 I recognised an opportunity to start-up a new venture in the University called Hallam Energy which works directly with industry to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions by the application of technology.

Dr Qinling Li

Senior lecturer in thermo-fluids

I am a senior lecturer in thermo-fluids. I am interested in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology and applications. Before moving to Sheffield Hallam, I was a research associate in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), University of Cambridge.

I also spent part time in the CFD Lab, which is part of the Acoustics, Fluid Mechanics, Turbomachinery and Thermodynamics Division, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge.

From 2003-2006, I worked as a research associate in the Aeronautical and Automatics Engineering Department, Loughborough University.

I studied for a PhD degree in the Aerodynamic Flight Mechanics Research Group, Southampton University, in 2003. And I obtained my first and master degrees, and used to be a lecture at Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.

Research interests
• fundamentals of turbulence
• direct numerical simulation (DNS) of compressibility effects in wall-bounded channel flow
• large eddy simulation (LES) of fan/outlet guide vane (OGV) broadband noise prediction
• les for short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL)
• turbine blade cooling
• biomechanical
• fluid-structure interaction (FSI)

Dr Mark Thompson

Principal lecturer

I gained an upper second degree in BEng Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from Humberside University in1994.

I then studied for a PhD at York University, applying artificial intelligence techniques to the control of antenna systems, resulting in the development of a software package and the publication of a number of international papers.

After gaining my doctorate in 1997, I worked as a research associate for a number of years, first at Hull University, developing fault monitoring and diagnosis systems. I then worked at the University of Sheffield developing an artificial intelligent control system for a chemical processing plant. In 2000 I became a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam.

I am currently head of undergraduate admissions for engineering and have designed courses for a number employers including Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Kimberly-Clark in collaboration with Derby College, Rotherham College of Arts and Technology and North Lindsey College. This has helped to ensure that our courses are relevant to the needs of industry.

Chris Short

Principal lecturer

I trained as an apprentice engineer in the hand tools industry, during which time I completed a degree in mechanical and production engineering.

After graduating I worked in the design departments of a number of companies designing special purpose machine tools before beginning a postgraduate teaching qualification. I subsequently taught a range of engineering subjects in the further education sector for eight years before joining Sheffield Hallam in 1990.

My role is a Portfolio Director with responsibility for all the BSc technology degrees, and I teach on several design modules at all years of the courses.

I am a chartered mechanical engineer and a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

My areas of interest and research are design, design management, the implementation of new technology and engineering education. I have completed a range of research and consultancy work with companies implementing new technology or developing new products and have written around 30 publications.

The most recent development in my portfolio has been the addition of an aerospace technology degree and this has proved very exciting for me.

David Legge

Senior lecturer, engineering and mathematics

I am a senior lecturer in the engineering design subject group. I am a time served engineer with professional experience in design, manufacturing, logistics and organisational development.

I teach on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, with a bias towards design and manufacture. I am particularly keen on developing the formal and informal formative experiences of undergraduate engineers; especially within the aerospace degrees, which are a relatively new group of degrees at Sheffield Hallam. I feel well placed to do this as I am a qualified gliding instructor and own my own glider.

My education was in manufacturing systems engineering. I also have a postgraduate degree (Technical Licentiate) from Lulea University of Technology, Sweden. This was for research into off-line programming of coordinate measuring machines (CMM's) and standards for data transfer between CMM's and computer aided design (CAD) software.

My previous academic role was as a senior lecturer in the Department of Manufacturing Development at Lulea University of Technology (LTU). For the last few years I have been a freelance consultant in logistics and LEAN. I divide my time between Sweden, where I have lived for the past 20 years, and the UK.

I have some 20 research publications to my name. Areas in which I have carried out research or have particular skills include CAD/CAM, CNC machining, metal cutting, metrology, robotics, organisational development, LEAN, workspace design and pedagogy.