March 4 is Global Day of the Engineer, a day jointly sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (W.F.E.O.). Today is designed to acknowledge the achievements of engineers and to encourage and inspire future generations.
Meet two of our engineers at Chemring Energetic Devices (CED), Maryna, Mechanical Engineer and Ken, Senior Project Manager. Here Maryna and Ken share what inspired them into a career in engineering.
Maryna
“Since childhood, I’ve always been fascinated with space and had a burning desire to be an astronaut. All through high school I took part in various engineering competitions which further solidified my passion for space, and later my desire to become an aerospace engineer.
“I went on to study aerospace engineering at university and during my studies, I learned the technical side of designing spacecraft, aircraft, and propulsion systems. Today at CED, I get to work with teams from NASA, Blue Origin, as well as SpaceX, which further propels my excitement about the aerospace industry.
“I completed my undergraduate degree in 2022, and I’m now working towards my graduate master's degree in aerospace engineering, specialising in aerodynamics. As a new graduating engineer, I'm still learning all the time, but at Chemring, I've never felt nervous when asking for help. Everybody is very welcoming, and I have learned a lot from those around me.
“My most memorable moment to date was my first business trip to Houston, Texas, where I saw cryogenic testing at the Johnson Space Centre. We got to meet the NASA pyrotechnic team and get a tour of the facilities and the museum. I even got to touch SpaceX’s Falcon booster! It was very exciting to get to talk to professionals in the field and ask questions about testing and development.”
Ken
Says Ken, “I’ve always liked a challenge and engineering isn't something simple. It takes drive and passion. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve migrated into an engineering project management role. As a project manager, you face a lot of challenges and you’re always learning and moving forward.
“Working in the aerospace industry is really rewarding too. It’s great being part of something bigger. It’s kind of amazing to be able to say that we make parts that go on parts that go on bigger parts and to say, “see that Rover on Mars, we put 15 pieces on that thing”.
“My proudest career moment was the first time I launched a part. You go from a concept to then, five years down the road, you see that part being used out in field solving a problem. That’s pretty great.
“My advice to any newcoming engineer or anyone who wants to get into the field of engineering, is that you don’t have to be the best or most talented. Hard work beats talent. If you want it, go, and get it and have that drive to move forward. You will fail sometimes but that's what engineering is. We fail repeatedly until we get it right, but what you do need is the drive to get there. So, I would say to anybody who wants to be an engineer, anybody who wants to be a program manager, anybody who wants to be in any type of technical field, it just takes heart.”