Civil Engineering

Angela Gu
Graduate Civil Engineer at Rio Tinto 

The hands-on aspects and teamwork involved in studying STEM made me realise I enjoyed working with different groups of people and coming together to find solutions.

In high school I enjoyed the problem-solving aspects of maths and science. The hands-on aspects and teamwork involved in studying STEM made me realise I enjoyed working with different groups of people and coming together to find solutions. I studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in Engineering and Finance at UWA, this was my undergraduate degree where I did vacation programs with BHP and PwC. Through this I was not only able to apply my engineering skills in the mining industry, but I was also able to experience working for a Global Professional Services firm which allowed me to further develop my business acumen and networking skills.

I then studied a Master of Civil Engineering as part of my postgraduate degree, and this was where I started my journey with Rio Tinto. Through obtaining a Rio Tinto sponsored Emerging Leaders Scholarship, I was offered the opportunity to be a part of the vacation program. After the program I was offered to work part time as a Project Engineer whilst finishing my studies and finally after graduating, I joined Rio full time as a Graduate Civil Engineer. I currently work in a Water Strategy team where we manage and ensure sustainable water withdrawal and use within our Iron Ore Operations. I also get opportunities to coach new vacation students and graduates as well as attend and volunteer at events like the ones held by GiE.

 

Mechanical Engineer

Katelyn Martin
Graduate Maintenance Mechanical Engineer at Newmont

...engineering... had the practical problem-solving I liked so much

In high school, I had always been interested in science and maths and decided to pursue physics in university as it was my favourite ATAR subject. I had received early entry for engineering (as this did not exist for physics in 2017) so I added physics as my other major, but intended to switch to physics only by the end of my first year. I quickly realised that university physics involved much more theoretical problem-solving compared to the practical problems I had enjoyed in ATAR physics, and instead engineering (a subject I didn’t know anything about previously) had the practical problem-solving I liked so much. I had to choose my specialisation in third year and decided that as mechanical was the broadest and contained the subjects I had enjoyed most so far, I would choose that.

In my penultimate year, I applied for a summer vacation position at Newmont, a gold mining company. I received an offer to work with the project engineering team at Newmont’s Boddington (open-pit) Gold Mine. This program completely changed my perspective on mining. I loved every minute of my summer job, working a 5:2/4:3 DIDO (drive-in drive-out) roster. I shadowed many engineers on the projects team, working on commissioning a new lime plant and building a dam, amongst other things. I was also given five of my own projects to investigate and propose solutions for.

Fast forward to 2023, I received a graduate position as a maintenance engineer with Newmont. I am currently completing the first of my four rotations, with the Boddington Mobile Maintenance team, maintaining GIANT haul trucks and shovels. My next rotation will be in Newmont’s Tanami Desert underground Gold Mine.

 

Field Engineer

Stephanie Cabrera Saldana
Field Engineer at SLB (United Kingdom Team)

Engineering has always been interesting to me as it combines maths and science (my favourite school subjects) to solve real life problems and improve people’s living standards.

Engineering has always been interesting to me as it combines maths and science (my favourite school subjects) to solve real life problems and improve people’s living standards. Meeting engineers at various career expos enabled me to listen to their experiences and know how they promote sustainability in their workplace. From these conversations I also learnt that engineers work in both office and field as they collaborate with different stakeholders. This resonated with me as I wanted to study a degree that would allow me to work on site. My UWA journey started back in 2018 when I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and economics. These studies were then followed by my chemical engineering master’s which I completed in 2022.

During my time at UWA, I completed three internships and participated in a few volunteering organizations. My first internship was at a consulting company in Perth. My responsibilities included reviewing, interpreting, and analysing client data sources to brainstorm innovative decisions that would achieve client’s needs. My second and third internships were with a mining company, working at the remote centre as well as on site! Being a process engineering intern gave me the opportunity to work on quality control projects, understand Australian and international safety standards and further develop my analytical skills.

Alongside these work experiences, I volunteered with UWA Girls in Engineering, UWA Women in Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, UWA Engineers Without Borders and Teach, Learn and Grow (Australian non-for-profit organization that aims to bridge the educational gap between rural and metropolitan students). Being part of these organizations strongly supported my STEM studies as it allowed me to network with industry professionals, talk and encourage Western Australian high school girls to pursue or think about a career in STEM, meet and collaborate with other UWA students, and give back to the community through STEM mentoring. I would say my internships and volunteering experiences made my university journey more enjoyable as well as rewarding.

Currently I am working for SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation for a balanced planet, as Field Engineer in their United Kingdom team (Offshore – North Sea). The part of the business I am involved in uses electrical cables that lowers toolstrings in the well to transmit wellbore data to the surface This data is essential to make informed productivity and maintenance decisions about the well. My responsibilities as a Field Engineer include job planning, logging, operational reporting as well as offshore equipment maintenance. Performing offshore operations and operating equipment means that I am accountable for my team’s wellsite performance. I enjoy being a Field Engineer because I get to deliver a variety of services, such as well integrity, production logging and perforation, in a safe and effective manner.