Hands On Engineering

Should you study engineering in an academic environment then apply it in a job, or gain experience then study a subject in an academic environment. 

Many companies want universities to provide training, but are universities their to just provide education?

I spent the weekend at a hands on bridging and structures weekend. Friday night was spent mixing concrete - exciting I know!

On Saturday, the task of constructing a suspension bridge using only basic materials, and without reaching the other side was proposed. An important learning for me from this was that their was, like many engineering problems, no correct solution or design. An optimum design put the skills of the design and build group to maximum use.

A 12th scale model of a Bailey Bridge was constructed - a fantastic design. The model was useful to see where problems could be avoided when constructing the real thing.

A timber framed structure, was like a giant set of knex - it demonstrated the importance of bracing, and structural design to maximise structure strength. 

Sunday looked at timber connection types, and different materials in a simple a-frame shelter.

It is easy for chemical engineers to say that understanding bridges and structures is not important for their job. After all, that's a civil engineers responsibility, right? 

I believe skills and knowledge of other engineering areas is essential. This is because it provides a holistic view of engineering, and allows different disciplines to communicate well with one-another. This is especially important in humanitarian and development engineering as the number of engineers in developing countries is so low.

Kidnapped!

On Thursday I held the role of an engineer visiting two internally displaced person (IDP) camps, in the North of the fictional country of Clarintina. Our aim was to visit the IDP camps and carry out needs assessments of the local population.

'Our NGO vehicle trundled slowly towards the IDP camp. A guard, armed with an AK47 stood beside the road. He ordered us to stop and get out of the vehicle. Upon failing to produce required documentation, we went to speak to the boss. I could feel myself shake as we were questioned about the purpose of our visit, what we were doing, and where we could help.BANG, BANG! Our group all dropped for cover. Shooting and explosions from the other end of the camp drew the boss away from us. We were then accused of drawing in combatants to the IDP camp. We were chased out of the camp, and sped away in our vehicle.'

Our next task was to visit a regional leader, but on the way we discovered another NGO vehicle crashed beside the road. Our training taught us to drive on, but after establishing it was a safe area, we put our first aid training into practice. An assortment of prosthethic wounds were used in the simulation to make it really realistic. Chaos ensued. Too many cooks spoil the broth - In this situation too many first aiders with little direction caused time wasting, and the two casualties 

"At the scene, two staff from save the children were discovered with an assortment of injuries. Blood was gushing from head and arm wounds, and the driver had a broken leg. The team responded and issued first aid to the victims. It became difficult to make the casualties stable with only a limited first aid kit. Improvisation when so far from medical assistance was necessary. Finally help arrived from a nearby MSF team in the area, and we handed over the situation to them."

Our 3rd task was to visit a second IDP camp. After passing a UN checkpoint, we drove unexpectedly into a minefield. What would you do if you found yourself in a minefield? We waited for UN help to arrive, and were evacuated from the situation. We were escorted back to the UN checkpoint, but soon after became caught in crossfire, hearing shooting from an unknown location. Only the direction the UN official was pointing his gun gave away the direction of the oncoming fire. We escaped, using the bullet proof UN vehicle as shielding. The simulation ended by a being car-jacked.Armed men wearing balaclavas approached our vehicle, ordered us out and pressed guns against our foreheads. We were asked to place bags over our head so we couldn't see, and driven at speed to a drop off point. The situation was out of our control. There were many learnings from the simulation. I felt the most significant was to trust the team, and to know your story!

I believe situational based learning simulations have many uses for many other sectors. It presents a real opportunity to develop leadership skills, and get out of the office.One particular learning for me was the significance of saying 'I am an engineer' to the IDP camp boss. Very few people understand what it means in the UK, yet alone abroad. 

Day 4
What should you do if a grenade lands at your feet? 
What can you expect if you are kidnapped?
What should you keep in a grab bag?

Friday's discussions broke down the dilemma's we faced on the simulation, and explored our possible actions to ensure our personal safety. We discussed things that we had come to realise for ourself during the siumlation. Our last exercise covered grab bag essentials. In groups we put together lists of essentials for a grab bag - items which would be essential to include if faced with a security risk. What would you put in yours?The whole week has been a fun, exhuasting and education experiance. I would like to thank Clarity Security Training, and everyone else on the course for making it such an enjoyable experience. 

What first aid knowledge is essential for overseas work?

There are first aid courses, and then there are first aid courses. Yesterdays aim was to become an expert in the first aid basics, so as to be able to do simple things in extraordinary circumstances. In the last year, I completed a first aid course with St. John's Ambulance, but this clearly did not prepare me for the scenarios I faced yesterday.The morning started off covering the essentials... vital signs, the primary survey, and keeping people alive. Two mistakes I made repeatedly... failing to call for help at appropriate moments, and failing to protect myself from the casualty by wearing gloves.The afternoon covered more specifics of using first aid to tackle life threatening injuries, such as heart attacks, strokes, chocking, bleeding and shock.

One scenario involved approaching an unconscious casualty also gushing blood from the knee. This was preceded by a session on identifying and treating for shock. "Their are two things people rarely ignore... blood and crying babies." Crying babies aside, the exercise showed how distractions such as blood, and external factors such as people around you saying to treat for shock can distract from the real issue... keeping the casualty breathing.An important aspect of the sessions was not only course content, but also course delivery. Sessions and exercises were most effective when feedback from others was used to assess competence. In carrying out scenarios relevant to context, today has taught me to ALWAYS follow the  first aid primary survey system. 

A great way to learn first aid is to teach other people. I think this is an important aspect of being a first aider, especially in development and humanitarian relief contexts where small amounts of first aid knowledge transferred to others can save lives... a great example of massive small change.

How can you stay safe when working aboard?

This week, I am taking part in a 4 day training course with Clarity Security Training. The aim of the training is to prepare humanitarian workers for the Safety and Security situations they may experience when working overseas.The purpose of this blog is to communicate some of the key lessons from the training to all members of EWB-UK. I hope the course will be useful for my own future overseas travel opportunities, and also be of benefit to EWB-UK members through better future security training opportunities.Yesterday, the course covered analysed and assessed threats of working in a fictious country. After an Icebreaker we broke of into groups, and assumed the role of an NGO wanting to carry out needs assessments in country. Exercises got us mapping out security threats in the country, identifying principal actors in the country, and assessing significant threats to security using a risk matrix. One session yesterday afternoon came as a surprise; a session on sexual violence and assult of humanitarian workers. Talk about submissive, passive and active responses to sexual assault sparked a lively debate within the group.  From other sessions, I now understand what to look out for regarding vehicle safety and security, and good practice tips for radio communications.My greatest learning from today is the importance of understanding country cultures, and understanding contexts of situations before working and implementing projects. These factors can have a dramatic effect on your personal security on the ground.Today focuses on first aid. I hope this will be taught in context!