Rebecca Waldram

"My personality types came back as co-ordinator, influencer and manager. I feel I fit these types fairly well.As a Co-ordinator, I spend time organising events and people to participate in them. I deliver sessions based on the curriculum and to fit in with themes or topics of events and support others and bring materials together for events. I have to meet deadlines for preparing materials and lectures for events, and budget to ensure equipment and consumables can be purchased.As an Influencer, I explain complex scientific concepts to a non-scientific audience, and run events individually and as part of a team. My role involves organising others to be at events and motivating them to deliver fun and interesting sessions.I also have some attributes of a Manager, things can go wrong, materials don't arrive or are unavailable at a location, so sometimes I have to come up with ideas on the spot to still deliver a session of good quality. I also discuss career options with young people and try to link their interests to potential careers in science and engineering. "

"My main responsibilities involve organising sessions to run with school groups and planning activities suitable for different age groups. I enjoy linking the work and research carried out at Swansea University to the curriculum and demonstrating the real-world applications of lessons taught in schools. It's great to hear how our sessions introduce people to an area of engineering the may not have been aware of before."

"I always enjoyed taking objects apart to find out how they worked, but only really thought of engineering as a mechanic or technician. My Product Design teacher at A level introduced me to a wide range of different types of engineering, and without his influence I may not have ended up studying Materials Engineering. I hope to keep inspiring and informing people about Materials Science, and try to develop lectures and practical session that can be taught in schools by subject teachers."

"Outside work I enjoy being outside, going for walks with the dog, gardening and visiting wildlife centres. I like playing video games and watching sports on TV, as well as reading books. I have an interest in Interior Design and enjoy re-painting and decorating my house."

"My day normally starts with responding to emails, before checking my events calendar. From here, I generally make a to-do list for the day, which can include anything from testing, fixing and buying equipment for events, developing new and exciting activities, booking rooms or transport, meeting with event organisers or going to careers fair and exhibitions."

"At GCSE I studied triple science, product design, IT, French and German, as well as maths, English literature and English language. Moving on to AS-level, I selected maths, physics, computing and product design, and chose to continue with maths, physics and computing at A2. I initially was interested in studying Mechanical Engineering at University, but my A-level grades were lower than expected, and I was offered a course in Sports Materials Engineering at Swansea University through clearing. I achieved a 2.1 in my undergraduate degree, and went on to completed a fully funded MRes in Steel Technology, in part sponsored by The Royal Mint. On completion of this, I was offered a fully funded EngD project, again partly sponsored by the same company. I am currently preparing to submit my thesis, and have just taken up a role in Swansea University as the Materials Public Engagement Officer. In this role I hope to interact with large numbers of young people to inform them about Materials Engineering and what career options are available in this discipline. "