As the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Malta gears up to host two open days to the public today and tomorrow (June 22 and 23), giving its students a platform to showcase their final year engineering projects, this year’s promotional material features the journey of two young female engineers, Semira and Zachea, both of whom are nearing the culmination of their university experience.
Semira Galea is a fourth-year Electrical & Electronics Engineering student, whereas Zachea Scicluna is a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student. Both are in the final stages of completing their degree – in their fourth year, engineering students are required to work on a hands-on thesis, to display what they’ve learnt throughout the course, and then present that work to external examiners in a viva.
The Faculty of Engineering Exhibition then serves as an added opportunity for them to present all they have been striving for the last four years to the general public. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster – you look forward to having others see what you’ve been working on, but at the same time, you’re a bit sad because the past few years just flew by!”, said Zachea in one of the promotional teasers.
The exhibits will include a wide selection of topical areas related to the biomedical field, renewable energy and the environment, electronic products, robotics, transportation, manufacturing, new materials and surface treatments.
“It’s heartening to see Semira’s and Zachea’s stories, not just because we want to inspire other female engineers to keep driving change in STEM fields, but also to show that there are different pathways into our engineering course that we want to help nurture. Because we believe diversity helps us build a better future for the industry through the enrichment of human capital”, said Prof. Ing. Andrew Sammut, Dean of the University’s Faculty of Engineering.
Marking the 60th anniversary since UM first offered an educational programme in Engineering, the Faculty of Engineering has recently launched the Engineering Research & Innovation Laboratories (ERIL), as part of a large-scale infrastructural project, named the Transdisciplinary Research & Knowledge Exchange Project (TRAKE). These state-of-art facilities are envisaged to be used by 350+ students at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate levels, cultivating fertile ground for the inception of more inventive projects.
Follow Semira’s and Zachea’s respective journeys on the Faculty’s Facebook Page.
