Zachary Danzig

The course taught me how to effectively tackle problems as an engineer. It taught me how to break down a high-level project brief into smaller, modular components that could be designed, coded and tested independently before bringing everything together. By combining that approach with hands-on work in Python, C++, ROS, robot kinematics, and embedded control, the course gave me the tools I need for industry. Instead of just learning the theory, I learned how to actually bridge abstract software with physical hardware, which gave me a solid understanding of modern robotics, machine vision, and control architectures. Beyond just the technical knowledge, getting more familiar with industry-standard tools and project lifecycles means I actually feel ready to jump into complex engineering environments and tackle open-ended problems.
 
Alongside meeting new people and making friends for life, I particularly enjoyed the collaborative group projects. I find that large, practical projects provide the best opportunities for me to learn and develop my skills. The effort required to bring all the components of a project together isn’t easy but when it finally works after weeks of hard work and you have a functional solution, it’s the best feeling!
 
One of the most valuable things I've learnt is that things rarely go exactly to plan. Whether it's managing a stressful, last-minute save from a serious fault during a final-year project or getting up to speed quickly on a challenging real-world industrial placement, the moments where things go wrong teach you the most. Navigating those rocky patches in a supportive environment and pushing through to a working solution gave me the confidence to tackle whatever complex engineering problem comes next!

At Loughborough, I have had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of rewarding experiences, both through my course and wider university activities. Beyond the coursework, I wanted to make the most of everything Loughborough has to offer. That led to some wild adventures with Loughborough RAG, like the LOST challenge, where I hitchhiked 100 miles back to campus to raise money for Centrepoint, and DASH to Dubrovnik, a charity road trip from the UK to Dubrovnik for Amnesty International!
 
In my second year, I completed a micro-internship as a Research Software Engineer within the University's Physics Department, gaining valuable industry-relevant experience alongside my studies. Professionally, the micro-internship was my first real software engineering role and a massive eye-opener - having an open-ended brief and total free rein forced me to take ownership of the project and define the scope.
 
I also took part in the Collaborate Sprint innovation challenge at Loughborough University London, where I worked with a multidisciplinary team to tackle real-world problems in a hackathon environment. It was fast-paced, high-pressure, and a great way to connect with new people while trying to solve genuine issues.

In my final year, I designed and worked on my own individual project in collaboration with the team at the Thousand Brains Project. Getting the opportunity to play a role in an open-source project that I’m incredibly enthusiastic about was amazing! There’s a great deal of flexibility in designing the aim and scope of your project and I highly recommend giving some prior thought to what you might want to tackle.
 
I was also lucky enough to attend a UK-Taiwan international relations trip, organised by the UK Government, the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), and SEMI Taiwan. Being selected to head out there as a student representative was an absolute privilege! The trip gave me an amazing insight into Taiwan's world-leading semiconductor industry and an understanding of the importance of international collaboration in this sector.
 
Alongside my academic work, I joined Loughborough's Archery Club in my 2nd year, which gave me the incredible opportunity to train alongside some of the University's most talented archers. It also provided a fun way to reset and step away from my studies.