Hannah Langridge

Automotive Engineering BEng Part C

Hannah Langridge Automotive Engineering student

As Vice Chair of Loughborough's Women in Engineering Society, Hannah is in a great position to promote engineering programmes and extra-curricular activities to students.

"I chose Loughborough University because I wanted to combine my enjoyment of Physics and Maths with my love of Formula One. I realised that Automotive Engineering was a great route of study for myself. I have always enjoyed the sciences and maths at school due to their use of logic and reason. Being able to study a subject that incorporates those principles along with the creative side of designing and making products was an exciting prospect.

During my placement I worked at the British luxury car maker, Aston Martin Lagonda. I worked in the Advanced Manufacturing Department, which meant that I not only got involved with the design process to build the vehicles, but also the practical element of helping to resolve any issues on the physical factory line. I really enjoyed getting a chance to see both sides of the engineering discipline.

Outside of my degree I am the Vice Chair for the Loughborough University WES this year and I am looking forward to working with all the new members of the society. I’m also excited to help plan industrial visits for us all to enjoy and hopefully they will kick-start interest in different industries for those attending. I was also lucky enough to win the 'Undergraduate Female Engineer of the Year 2019' organised by Loughborough WES because of the work I have done during my course and placement, as well as the volunteering work I have done to promote engineering.

I think every engineer has faced challenges. Engineering can be a demanding degree. I personally found coding hard as it was something I had never done prior to university, but realising it was important for my industry, I worked hard to learn it. I used my tutor and my peer's support as well as extra online tutorials and now I have a good understanding of the basics and can use these to advance my skills further this year. My ambitions are to continue working in the car and transport industry; working with Electric Vehicles on my placement has inspired me to want to work to help provide solutions to the environmental and efficiency concerns within the industry.

My advice for future engineers is to go for it - engineering is an incredibly rewarding sector with the majority of your work making a difference to someone, no matter how small."