Kia ora, Talofa, Malo e lelei and warm Pacific Greetings

On June 24th, Edie Annan (13GR), Tegan Coyle (12AX), Daniel Lipsam (13DD), Micah Nebete (12IN), Anush Narayan (13GR), Emma Ngau (12AX), Lorenzo Pearce (13CA), Tiana Poliko (13TL), Vainiaku Tupou (13GR) and myself (Charlie Isaacs-Adshead 13DD) visited various engineering departments at the University of Auckland (UofA). Six of us are 3rd year participants in the ‘Tika Māori and Pasifika’ (TMAP) engineering internship, aimed at fostering Māori and Pacific Islander students' interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer, Math's). Our first stop was the Formula Society of Automotive (SAE) workshop, where we explored their current and past projects. The Formula SAE team annually competes in Australia, showcasing their carbon fibre frame manufacturing and advanced equipment for creating top-tier vehicles.

After morning tea we met with Patrick Lawton, a Researcher at the Power Electronic Lab, showing us inductive charging technology displays through different experiments they had set up. This included wirelessly powered light bulbs and a model car through the use of inductive charging. Following this we were introduced to Roy Davies, a Professor at the Smart Digital Lab who showed us an Optical Tracking Setup, LiDar Cameras (light radar), and how Drones are used to map out dangerous environments to aid in rescue missions and repairs.

In our last segment of the day, we joined Thor Besier at the Bioengineering Department. This is where we were introduced to all the amazing parts of bioengineering that UOA is leading the world in. We were shown brain implants that measure pressure within the skull to help people who have hydrocephalus. As well as told about needle free injections that were developed by UOA students and staff. All in all, the University of Auckland showed us how they’ve helped people around the world from right here in NZ. This experience gave us a clear view of the Engineering department's offerings, facilities, and career paths available. We're truly grateful for this amazing opportunity we were given to explore these options available to us and widen our perspectives on university as a whole.

We would like to thank Mr Talamaivao and Dr Michael O’Sullivan (UofA) for organizing us with transport and food for the day.

Whakawhetai Koe (thank you)

by Charlie Isaacs-Adshead 13DD