Author Archives: Rachel

Working Through Imposter Syndrome

Students working on a weld. Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash.

No matter who or where you are, it’s possible to be feeling imposter syndrome. For me, it was brought out by my intimidating perception of university, engineering, and MECH. In this post, we’ll learn more about what imposter syndrome is, what it feels like, how you can work through it, and my personal experiences with it.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Author and poet Austin Kleon defines imposter syndrome as “the inability to internalize one’s abilities and accomplishments”. So what does that feel like? It could look like any of these traits identified in a medically reviewed article on VeryWell Mind:

An inability to realistically assess your competence and skills
Attributing your success to external factors
Berating your performance
Fear that you won’t live up to expectations
Overachieving
Sabotaging your own success
Self-doubt
Setting very challenging goals and feeling disappointed when you fall short

My personal experience

Even entering UBC during Covid, there were the expected changes from transitioning to being university student. From being at the top of my class in high school, I became more or less the average student at UBC. After working so hard always chasing that 100% mark, it’s hard to slow down and be okay with something much lower. Suddenly being surrounded by so many talented students can easily cause you to rethink your own abilities that were previously celebrated.

On top of that, I felt the most pressure, or the most “imposter syndrome” when starting MECH 2 in person. Like many high school students, I had little exposure to what engineering was and what a career in it looked like. More importantly, I didn’t have the experience working on the family car or woodworking in the backyard that many people, mainly the men, in my class grew up with. When I started to meet my classmates in MECH, it seemed like everyone already had it figured out, like they were already far ahead of me in knowledge and expertise. Especially in this current time with LinkedIn, it’s hard to see so many of our peers celebrating their successes without feeling insufficient.

What did that feel like for me? I felt a sense of hopelessness and otherness; I felt like I was inferior to my peers, that I didn’t belong in this community. Although I had a lot to be proud of, I couldn’t help but compare myself to others’ accomplishments.

I’m not someone who “lives and breathes” engineering. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy what I study and what I do for work. But I’m a person outside that, with interests and passions that go beyond it. In university, you are going to meet many people that devote every part of their life to their career; and that can make you feel like you aren’t doing enough to keep up. It was a process for me to see value in what I did outside of school and work. Those are things that I love to do, and it doesn’t make it me any less successful as a person. In my opinion, being successful is living happily and without regrets, which for me means following however many interests that I have.

Even after gaining much more confidence in my skills and abilities over the first couple years of my degree, the journey still doesn’t end; I still battle with imposter syndrome and work on getting through it to this day. As a woman of colour in an industry where straight, white men are the norm, there will honestly always be microaggressions and unintended actions that feed a feeling of inferiority, no matter how qualified I am. That’s just a reality of where we are currently as a society and as engineers, despite pushes for more diversity in recent years.

What can I do about it?

There are many different strategies that may or may not work for you. Personally, other than finding a company with a positive work environment that works toward inclusion, here are some things I learned and still use to work through my imposter syndrome:

Detach my worth from my career

As I talked about earlier, I find meaning in multiple areas in my life and don’t depend on my career to find pride in myself. My success as an engineer is just one aspect of my success as a person. One part of this strategy for me was finding hobbies that I enjoy! Especially now in my final year where I have a few less classes (thanks exchange credits!), I’ve been devoting more time to exploring old and new interests. In particular, I’ve been working on growing my creativity, activity, and mind:

Two hand made ceramic flower pots sit on the window sill. The taller, donut shaped pot holds baby's breath flowers, while the shorter vase shape holds peonies.

Current creative: pottery – I made the two vases.

Players playing ringette on the ice. The white team is about to score a goal on the blue goalie in the top corner.

Current activity: ringette – me scoring a goal!

Book cover for "Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman

Current read: apt for this blog post! Image from Amazon.

Work towards your own goals, uninfluenced by other opinions

It’s a lot easier said than done, but working hard towards what you deem as valuable really worked for me. Everyone has a different definition of success – to be able to motivate yourself from within and celebrate your own wins is a skill that will help you in every aspect of life.

Find likeminded people

It was extremely reassuring to meet people who had the same struggles and thoughts that I had regarding this topic. By talking with people who understand how I felt, it helped me acknowledge where these feelings come from and discover strategies that other people might have learned.

Look into counselling

Oftentimes imposter syndrome can be coupled with other feelings like anxiety or depression. The tools that I listen above are what help me, but everyone has a different experience and there may be other strategies that would work better for you. I believe that seeing a counsellor can help anyone whether they think they are struggling or not!

Finally, I’d just like to mention an article that I thought was really thought provoking titled “Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome”. I won’t break it down in this post, but I highly recommend reading it in addition to these strategies mentioned.

If any of this post resonated with you, you’re not alone! Although starting university and beginning this next chapter is challenging, it comes with a great amount of learning that ultimately helps you in the long run.

MECH Options: Flex

An EEG device similar to one used in MECH 465, used to record brain waves. Photo by Mindfield Biosystems on Unsplash.

You might have heard about the various options that MECH offers for students to specialize for their 3rd and 4th year. These are the options:

Flex – maintain a broad focus of MECH, with more freedom for choosing courses
Aerospace – anything to do with flight, such as aircraft and spaceflight
Biomechanics and Medial Devices – motion within the human body and designing devices to improve human health
Energy & Environment – energy, sustainability, transportation
Mechatronics – combining MECH with computer, electrical, and controls engineering
Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering – marine transportation to offshore wind farms

For more information about the MECH options and selection process, visit the UBC MECH website.

Today I’ll be talking about my experience with the Flex option. I’ll describe why I chose this option and what it looks like in comparison to the others.

Why I chose the Flex Option

Although I knew I was interested in mechanical engineering, I wasn’t sure exactly what field interested me most. Since mechanical engineering is such a broad field, there are numerous industries that we can work in. The Flex Option includes 22 credits of technical electives that students can choose from. This opportunity to continue exploring different interests and customize my degree seemed like the right fit for me. Additionally, I think that a good engineer is one that is well-rounded. All options and MECH have an aspect of this, where we have a standard set of mandatory classes in things from heat transfer to controls. The Flex Option has the most support for this well-rounded approach, since students can choose so many of their electives. Mechanical engineering interfaces with multiple areas. When designing any system, being able to see it from multiple sides – from electronics, software, energy, thermodynamics, manufacturing, and more – that is what allows us to create successful designs.

Elective options

In this section I’ll discuss some of the electives I chose, and what others in Flex have also enjoyed. Some of my electives were taken abroad on my exchange at DTU (read more here), but I was still able to have a lot of choices at UBC.

I took:

MECH 380, Fluid Dynamics: Focuses on external and compressible flow for applications to planes, automobiles, pipelines, etc. I took this class to open doors if I decided to learn more about aerospace.
MECH 327 , Thermodynamics II: Air cycles, gas mixtures, and reacting systems, among other topics. It was interesting to learn more about how engines work – I felt that this was important knowledge to have as mechanical engineers.
MANU 465, AI and Machine Learning Applications in Manufacturing: AI and machine/deep learning in Python with applications to manufacturing processes. With all the new advancements in technology these days, I wanted to gain some basic knowledge to stay current! Our final project was to use an EEG device and interpret the data using machine learning principles. My group did ours on measuring the change in brain activity while listening to different genres of music.
MECH 496, Engineering Management: Organization and management structures, finance, project management, and other business topics. I was always interested in business before I chose engineering, and have thought about doing an MBA. This was a good overview of what that might look like. As engineers we usually either go into the technical side or management side of a company.
MECH 436, Fundamentals of Injury Biomechanics: anatomy, impact experiments, test devices. As someone who grew up playing sports, I’m excited to learn about how sports equipment is developed and why injuries occur! I’m interested in getting some breadth, testing out if I’m interested in a more biomedical focused field.

If you’re like me and are unsure about what industry you want to work in, or want to keep your options open, or just want to try multiple things before graduating, the Flex Option might be a good choice for you!

My Exchange Experience in Denmark – Part 2

The iconic double-decker bus drives past the Palace of Westminster in London. Photo by Aron Van de Pol on Unsplash.

Welcome back to Part 2 of my exchange in Denmark! I’ll be continuing on with the next two topics to introduce you to what your international experience could look like:

travelling and exploring
my professional and personal growth from this experience

Travelling

Growing up in Canada, travel is somewhat inaccessible. With how large the country is, there are fewer options for easy travel to any place significantly different than home. When I came to Europe, I was shocked with how simple and cheap it was to visit such diverse places. I’ve always prioritized experiences over things – I believe that they provide the most meaning in my life! Additionally, I’d like to live and work outside of Canada post-grad, but I’m still unsure of where I want to go. I was hoping that through travel I would find some clarity in what I’m looking for in a future home. In this section, I’ll recommend some tips for travelling on a budget and also some of my favourite spots I visited on exchange!

Travel tips for the budget student:

Set a central home base – Denmark wasn’t the best choice for this due to its geography, but somewhere like France has many train and bus routes alongside air travel for more options.
Have flexible expectations – It’s good to know where you already want to go, but you might have the opportunity for somewhere you didn’t expect! I chose my destinations depending on price and timing, so I ended up going to unexpected places that happened to be cheap.
Understand your standards – Don’t get too cheap! Know what your boundaries are: for mine safety was number one. Oftentimes cheap prices align with sketchy areas – do your research!
Do your research – It saves money to be prepared! You might get deals on attractions or know the best local restaurants. Depending on the location, we would cook meals instead of going out to save money (the food is not always the main attraction).

Some Favourite Destinations

I learned through visiting multiple countries that there is a difference between wanting to live somewhere and enjoying travel there. These were my favourite cities that I visited in Europe:

To live (and work):

A group of people sit and lie under the sky, which is filled with views of the green and purple Northern Lights. The field they lie in is empty, and the trees lining the horizon can be barely made out in the darkness.

Northern lights in Copenhagen.

Another view of the Palace of Westminster on a typical London cloudy day. The streets are calm and winding.

Palace of Westminster, London.

Copenhagen, Denmark: The vibes and energy of the city, especially in the summer, were amazing. The only things are, it’s very expensive, and I wish there was more diversity in the food and people living there.

London, UK: I loved how lively the city was, a big change compared to living in Vancouver. It was very diverse, and the Chinatown was great. But the pound made things very expensive, and although I got lucky with the weather on my visit, I hear that it’s cold and wet almost all year.

To travel:

The Budapest parliament building lights up the night, seen from a boat riding down the Danube canal. The waters are calm and peaceful.

View from a boat ride down the canal in Budapest.

Colourful buildings rise in rows up a hillside in the town of Cinque Terre, Italy. Ocean waves crash against a dock at the bottom of a road lined with small boats.

Colourful town in Cinque Terre.

A hidden cove in Mallorca lined with bushes and trees. The water is clear and blue, and many people wade out in the shallow water.

One of the secluded coves in Mallorca.

Budapest, Hungary: Such a lively and youthful city, and the canals are beautiful especially at night. Everything was so affordable so it’s a great spot for budget travelers.
Cinque Terre, Italy: Going in the off-season, the weather was colder but the towns were so serene and quiet. The colourful buildings were beautiful and the food was amazing (especially tiramisu)!
Mallorca, Spain: The coves and beaches are gorgeous and feel so different than beaches in Vancouver. Every spot feels like a hidden gem, and the water was incredibly clear and blue.

Growth

Through my exchange experience, I definitely feel that I’ve grown as an engineer and also as a person. Meeting and learning more about so many people from all over the world broadened my perspectives on the world and helped me better understand different points of view – which I believe is vital for engineers designing solutions for others. I was also able to learn more about the industry in a another country, how they approach the working life, and discover what elements I look for in a future workplace or home country.

Personally, living in Denmark has taught me to truly live in the present and appreciate the beauty of where you are, wherever you are. Moving to another place and leaving so quickly reminded me how fleeting experiences are, and how we should treasure every moment. I’m beyond grateful to have been able to experience this and would recommend it to any student considering going on exchange or working abroad. If you are interested in exchange or CIE and looking to learn more, visit website here. We also have several other posts about CIE on the MECH Ambassadors site: this one would be a great start for learning about CIE!

MECH Project Courses

A 3D printer creating a new part. Photo by Osman Talha Dikyar on Unsplash.

One of my favourite parts of the MECH program is the design project courses we have every year. It feels like these are what all of the theoretical studying in lectures are meant for. They encourage critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving skills, and are very transferrable to what work might look like after graduating. This post is about each of the project courses and my experiences through each one.

MECH 220 – Technical Skills Practicum

Student-made magnetic levitation device that levitates a miniature version of the UBC Engineering Cairn. The circuit board and magnetic coil is visible.

Complete MagLev device

This course is the first thing you’ll take as a new MECH student! It’s structured as four one-week modules that cover machining, engineering drawings, computer aided design, and electronics. As a result, you will create a magnetic levitation (MagLev) that showcases your learning over the entire month. To this day, this is still one of my favourite courses in MECH. The machining module was my favourite, where we got to use the mill, lathe, press, and various hand tools. It felt like we were real engineers, not just students studying equations. I was also able to bond with my classmates during this time, as we would see each other every day, all day, working together.

MECH 223 – Mechanical Design

Race track meant for hovercrafts roped off and surrounded by MECH students.

Competition day.

Our creatively decorated hovercraft.

At the end of MECH 2, we form teams and design something together. Our task was to design a hovercraft for racing competitions against other teams. The hovercraft needed to travel quickly, stop accurately, and maintain specific speeds using an RC transmitter. Using our knowledge of fluid dynamics and material properties, we designed an air cushion for reducing sliding friction on the track. Our design uses two propellers connected to DC motors, a foam/cardboard base, plastic skirt, and 3D printed mounts. It was a great end of year project to recap all our learning in MECH 2.

MECH 328 – Mechanical Engineering Design Project

A large search and rescue boat sits by the dock in the marina. The boat has a soft hull and an observation area for crew.

SAR boat we toured during a site visit!

Inside the search and rescue boat observation area, the control dashboard is lit up with navigation and many controls.

Learning about the control interface.

For the third year project course, we were given an open ended problem and had freedom to choose what design to theoretically create. The prompt was to remove combustion engines from a product, and replace the energy source with something more sustainable. My group chose to electrify search and rescue (SAR) boats. Since this project has more of a focus on stakeholder consultation, we were able to meet with and tour a SAR boat thanks to Royal Canadian Marine SAR volunteers. It was interesting to explore something I didn’t know much about, but I wish that there was a build component to the project.

MECH 45X – Capstone

A current solution – which we’d like to make higher tech! Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash

It’s currently my final year, and I’m just starting to ramp up my Capstone project. In this course, you are able to choose or rank what prompt you are interested in, and have more freedom with choosing your team members. The projects all interface with real clients, and typically you would build a working prototype by the end of the year. For my capstone, my team is working on designing a better wildlife hair snag to collect DNA samples for biological research! It’s still early on in the process, but I’m looking forward to building something that will be used in the real world.

If you like solving design problems and thinking of novel solutions, you will enjoy the project courses in MECH! From participating in these projects I feel better equipped and more confident about my knowledge and experiences going into the industry. I would encourage anyone to make the most of this time, where we can explore our interests and have design control over our work, which is not always the case post-grad.

My Exchange Experience in Denmark – Part 1

Nyhavn, a popular canal street in Copenhagen. Photo by Max Böhme on Unsplash.

Last term, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go on exchange through CIE (Coordinated International Experience), which is the APSC customized exchange program at UBC that connects students with partner universities. I spent one 5 month term abroad at the Technical University of Denmark, one of UBC CIE’s partner institutions. By going abroad through CIE, I was able to take advantage of premapped courses for transfer credits and use the term as a co-op work term.

This was something I had always wanted to do even prior to starting university, I was super excited to gain experience living away from home in a new place! This is Part 1 of 2 where I’ll be sharing what my life on exchange looked like, in this post I will be covering the first two points:

Danish culture
learning at DTU (Technical University of Denmark)
travelling and exploring
my professional and personal growth from this experience

I hope through this series you can learn more about international opportunities for study through UBC!

Danish Culture

Other than considering the university, it’s important to think about the city where you will be living for the next couple months. Experiencing a different culture was a priority for me, and definitely helped me grow even more as a person.

The concept of hygge is at the core of the Danish soul. Hygge is described as “cozy, content, and warm” – but it’s a feeling that can’t be put in exact words. Hygge for me was hosting brunch in my dorm in the early morning, having a warm kanelsnegle (cinnamon bun) in a funky cafe, or laying in the sun when the weather is just warm enough. Walking around the city, I had never seen so many cute cafes, restaurants, and even just nooks and crannies in the streets.

The Danish essential.

Spring in Copenhagen.

Cute cafes are a must.

Both the city and community felt grounded. With the focus on organic and seasonal food, and biking or walking normalized, I felt like my healthiest self while living there. During my term, I got to witness the change of seasons, and with it the change in energy of the community. The winter was cold, windy, and dark. Days were spent bundled up drinking hot drinks and indoors, and the streets were quiet. When the weather shifted to even the slightest bit warmer and sunnier, it was like the city came to life. People were outside at all times, sitting on patios and on the grass lining the canals in the middle of the day. I was shocked, wondering where all these people came from! With most of the year being cold, you could tell that the people here appreciated the nice weather so much, reminding me of summers in Vancouver.

At the beginning of my term, I regretted coming to Copenhagen in the winter. But seeing both sides of the city was so valuable – I would recommend anyone to experience Danish hygge any time of the year.

Learning at DTU

During my four month term, I took 4 classes, with one being an online course:

At the top of the wind turbine!

Introduction to Wind Energy
Since Denmark is one of the world leaders in this technology, I was excited to take this course. It provides a base understanding of how wind turbines work, what calculations go into designing one, and its role in Danish energy supply and economy. This was my most involved course, where we went on field trips and built our own turbine blade. My favourite part was the opportunity to climb up a ~200m turbine, a worthwhile challenge for someone afraid of heights.

Robot Autonomy
This course teaches the analysis, design, and evaluation of robotic/automated systems using ROS2! It was definitely my mostly challenging course since it was at the Master’s level. As a general MECH student, I was happy to try something exploring the MECHA and software side of things.

Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers
After learning about what PLCs were in my co-ops, I wanted to explore building and using these systems in this course. Although it was online, every assignment was a lab requiring coding and testing programs with industrial PLCs. In this course, I investigated different PLC programs and was able to create, test, and troubleshoot these automation tasks.

Economics for Engineers
This was a credit for MECH 431 and has very similar content. We analyzed financial accounts, developed business cases, and did a case study presentation for our final project. It was interesting to learn about economics at DTU since we were able to learn more about Danish/European companies and listen to guest speakers from these companies.

In general, the learning style at DTU was quite different compared to UBC. Each class is once a week for four hours, which makes it easy to plan travel and studying. The Danes also have a culture of flat hierarchy in the workplace, meaning that coworkers view each other as equals regardless of position or job title. This reflects to university as well, where students are encouraged to address their professors casually by first name and prioritize independence in learning. Since the way courses are taught have similar principles to how the workplace environment will be, I really enjoyed learning differently than at home, and working towards discovering what kind of workplace is ideal for me.

This is the end of Part 1 of my experience, please stick around for Part 2 where I discuss travelling and my learning through this experience!