21-year-old First class masters holder: I’d like to be a military engineer
How does it feel, graduating with First Class result in a competitive environment like University of Sussex?It feels rewarding and reassures me that hard work leads to success. A British pound is nearly 290 Naira now, my results made my parents very happy in investing so much in my education and I would like to […]
How does it feel, graduating with First Class result in a competitive environment like University of Sussex?
It feels rewarding and reassures me that hard work leads to success. A British pound is nearly 290 Naira now, my results made my parents very happy in investing so much in my education and I would like to thank them for their support and prayers.
I would also like to thank the Chancellors International Scholarship Initiative for granting me a part scholarship throughout my study at the University of Sussex. The scholarship was granted on perceived potential for academic excellence and was sustained on getting good results yearly.
Has this feat led you to break any record in the department, faculty or the school at large?
No, it hasn’t. Well, I can say I graduated with an MEng First Class result at the age of 21 which is not very common, but I did not break any record. Hopefully in the future, I might.
Does it ever cross your mind that you will be graduating with great result when you first gained admission to the school?
Yes. My father told me that the essence of going into university is to graduate with the best possible result. He was a little bit like those Nigerian parents that always claimed he was always the top of his Class. He could not make that claim because I know one of his friends is a genius and I doubt my dad did better than him at school. Anyway, he always said ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing well’. Also, Mr Babatimehin James, one of my teachers from my secondary school, Pacific Comprehensive Collge, Shahsa, Akowonjo, Lagos also made me promise him I would graduate with a First Class.
Casting your mind back, can you recollect those things you did which might have actually enhanced your study performances?
It was a bit difficult at first coming to a different country to live but Sussex University had a lot of setup in place to help international students feel at home immediately. My housemates in my first year at university were all English which I was not happy with at first as I hoped I would have housemates who were international students who would go through the same change I was going through.
Looking back, I am glad my housemates were all English as they helped me acclimatise to the British culture quickly.
Luckily for me I had a few friends I did a foundation year with at Adesoye College at Offa, Kwara State and I did not have to desperately make new friends.
How did you programme your study time?
My study time was from 9a.m.-5p.m. on weekdays and 11a.m.-2p.m. on Saturdays. I took my studies as if it were a job I was getting paid to do.
Issues of bias against foreign students, intimidation, among others are some of the challenges international students have experienced at one time or the other. Did you experience any of these and how were you able to surmount it?
My university is home to a lot of international students and is a multicultural place. I had no experience of anything you mentioned.
Everyone, or at least every one I came in contact with, respected the differences in nationalities, race and sexuality. Even if they did not understand your culture they still treated you with dignity and respect.
How will you describe the contributions of your peers to your success?
Two of my friends I graduated with also got a First Class and they were the ones I always studied with. We knew we had the same goals and worked as a team. In my 4th MEng year, we had to undertake a group project and we decided to be in the same team and we all did very well. Even though one of them, Egbeyemi Abbas was an Electrical Engineering student and the other, Erinle Michael did my course, Mechanical Engineering, we took some collective modules and found a way to support and motivate each other.
And the contributions of your lecturers and guardians if you have any?
My lecturers were very supportive; they were always happy to help and took pride in knowing that we understood what they taught us. I cannot mention all their names but Mr Phillip Neller, Dr Helen Prance, Dr Christopher Long, Mr Dick Atkins, and Dr Hao Xia were particularly helpful and you could tell they loved teaching. My parents were helpful all the way through and we took my university as a team work, it was like we were all involved. My mother did most of the praying and motivation, my father ensured I remained focus and I did the studying and writing the exam bit. Team work all the way!
What was your social life like while in University of Sussex?
I would like to think I had a very interesting social life. I had friends I played football with and played the EA Sports FIFA series with. We also went to some parties together. I was part of the Kickboxing Society in my 1st and 2nd years.
Any form of relationship with the opposite sex while studying? If yes, how did it enhance or affect your study?
Yes I did. I have a few female friends and a girlfriend. In my course, there were very few girls and unfortunately, I wasn’t friends with any of them. I would like to think it is only natural for a young man to be attracted to girls and if not properly attended to could be distracting and ultimately lead to a lot of regrettable or unwanted things.
One of my female friends, Seyi Otegbeye, taught me how to cook some meals and she always had interesting stories to tell. Having a girlfriend helped a lot. She is a student and she is hardworking. I would say she ensured I ate healthily and most importantly she helped me grow as a person. One of the ways she helped me grow is my view on feminists. Since I met her I became a feminist as well. Standing up for equal rights and opportunities of men and women in a society.
What was your research project all about?
My degree is called the MEng Mechanical Engineering Programme. It comprises of a BEng or BSc + MSC programme. Instead of spending three years and graduating, you spend four years and graduate with as a Master of Engineering. In my 3rd year, I undertook an individual project that found ways of reducing jet noise which is a very imperative engineering problem, because of the noise pollution it causes to people that live close to airports, health reasons and also for military purposes in stealth operations.
The main objective of the project was to ‘parallelise’ a programme that calculates a classic acoustic analogy based on Ffowcs Williams Hawkings method for noise computation. The results obtained from the code were applied Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings surface integral method to flow data obtained from hybrid Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of varying resolution, with the aim of determining the overall Sound Pressure Level (SPL). It was then used to find the far field sound Power Spectral Density (PSD) at different observer points. This is important in finding better ways in reducing jet noise.
My 4th year project was a group project. The objective of our project was to design, manufacture and test a low speed automotive wind tunnel. A wind tunnel is an engineering tool that measures the aerodynamic properties of a body, in our case a vehicle, when air is moving past it. The wind tunnel we built simulated a car moving on a road.
My university partakes in a Fromula student competition where students from universities from around the world design and manufacture a Formula 1 car and compete at the Silverstone racing complex in England annually. The long term aim of our project was to ensure that future students tested models of the F1 cars on a wind tunnel to help them perform better at the competition.
We were seven students and I had the privilege of being the project manager for the group. My team mates were fantastic and together we designed and manufactured a wonderful wind tunnel.
How can some of your findings as well as recommendation benefit Nigeria?
The most important knowledge I gained from my projects that could help Nigeria is effective team work. For Nigeria to improve we need to see each other if not as brothers and sisters because of our ethnic and religious differences, at least as a team. Since we all have the same goal, which is to ensure Nigeria is the best possible place we can make it to call a home for ourselves, and future generation.
Do you dream of coming back and use your potentials for the country? If yes, which area will you like to assist your country?
I love Nigeria and I would like to use the skills and knowledge I have gained to help improve Nigeria. Two areas I am interested in is joining the military as an engineer and hopefully I am part of engineering projects that can better help the soldiers do their jobs properly or become a lecturer and help create future Nigerian engineers.
It is said that Nigerian students do excel academically outside the shore of the country because of certain factors that enhance their learning better. Are you in consonant with that notion?
No I am not. Hard work and commitment ensures excellence regardless of where you are. With that said, a few other factors such as uninterrupted all year learning helps, I’m talking about ASUU strikes, access to journals and reports and internet also help.