Practical experience meets academic expertise at the Unmanned & Intelligent Systems Society
13/02/2019

Natalia is a master’s student enrolled in the Autonomous Vehicles Dynamics and Control programme at Cranfield University and an active member of the Unmanned & Intelligent Systems Society. We talked with her about her work and experiences in our society:
– Why did you join the Unmanned & Intelligent Systems Society?
I was a member of a similar society during my bachelor’s. It was not only lots of fun but also a great opportunity to get practical experience before even having a first industry experience. That’s why I decided to join a society here, in Cranfield, as well. This experience differs greatly from learning for exams or doing assignments. We gain a lot of engineering knowledge as we build our own aircraft from scratch and moreover, we make it fly autonomously. We also learn how to work in a multidisciplinary group with people from many different backgrounds, all having diverse personalities, etc. I joined UIS without a moment of hesitation.
– What are your roles inside of the Society?
I am a systems engineer, which means that I integrate the work of all the sub-teams to make sure that the separate components come together to create a working system. I hope to support my colleagues working on the software platform later on in the project as well.
– What have you learnt through the society that you didn’t expect to learn?
Although I have previous experience in student projects like this, I have never worked with a group of people having such a diverse background before. They often look at the engineering challenges from a completely different angle than me. I am amazed by how much knowledge I can gain from them that I could not get during my studies in any other way. I definitely didn’t expect that, but in the UIS Society, I have learnt how to think out of the box and tackle a problem from many different perspectives.
– How would you describe the Society to your friends?
This is the society that allows Cranfield students to put the theory learnt in University courses into practice. It is also the place to test your ideas, learn skills you otherwise wouldn’t learn in your courses and expand your professional network. Spending time with people who have similar interests and a common goal (to win the competition) is a great opportunity to make friends too.
– Do you think the Society is helpful for your future career?
Of course. As I mentioned before, being a Society member gives you a unique chance for networking. We work alongside bright people, who are now our colleagues but soon will be professional engineers working in the industry. Besides the projects, we meet with industry representatives in talks organised by the Society. We also gain invaluable experience which can be very helpful during job interviews to convince the employer that we are the best candidates. Extracurricular activities like that are particularly valued by employers if they want to recruit a person who is at the beginning of their career as it shows that they have practical experience in addition to a strong academic background.
Sound like something you would like to do? Click here to learn more about Natalia’s course.
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
The rain falls on everyone, but drought hits the most marginalised worst
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently reported that we will experience an increased frequency of climate-induced disasters such as famines and droughts and humanitarian crises like displacements, with Africa being singled out ...
Amazing experience flying onboard the NFLC Saab 340B
The Flight Experience module is one of the most awaited events by Aerospace Vehicle Design MSc students. A cold and cloudy Tuesday in January was the day when we had the opportunity to board ...
Library resource trial: Debrette’s Etiquette
We have organised trial access to Debrette’s Etiquette until 31 July. Debrett’s Etiquette is an unrivalled guide to protocol and modern manners, offering advice about: addressing royalty, people with titles and members of the professions ...
Unlocking the secrets of ancient technology with science: the new Cranfield Archaeomaterials MSc
We are a society that is very much intertwined with our ‘things’ – they mediate all our relationships. But why do people adopt certain technologies, and reject others? What motivates societies to choose new ...
A flying visit from Diamondo Earthrounding promoting sustainable aviation
As the world works to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through various initiatives such as the introduction of grants and commissions for research advancement toward the further use of sustainable aviation fuel, Diamondo Earthrounding ...
1,000th Cranfield Defence and Security staff publication added to CERES!
We are very excited and proud to announce that the 1,000th Cranfield Defence and Security (CDS) staff publication has been uploaded to CERES, our institutional repository. Dicken L, Knock C, Carr D, Beckett S. (2022) ...