KOMAL USES NEW ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE FOR HER FAMILY’S BUSINESS IN INDIA

Civil Engineering graduate Komal Landge came to Derby to fulfil her passion of working in her family’s construction business. She graduated with the highest accolade and has returned to India to fulfil her dreams.

Make a difference around the world

Komal chose to study BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering at the University of Derby so that she could take valuable skills and knowledge back home to her family in India.

She says, “I have always aspired to join my family’s construction business. Civil engineering covers everything that’s built around us including roads, buildings and power supplies. It helps to shape where people live and plays an important part in our sustainable future.

“Doing this course helped me to gain a lot of practical and theoretical knowledge and understand how things work in the field. I gained insight into how things function in real life and was able to conduct field surveys. It increased my confidence in my abilities and ensured that I could continue to work in this profession in the years to come.”

Valuable work placement

Komal gained work experience during a summer internship at Tidyco, a Derby-based company, who specialise in hydraulic and pneumatic devices for the UK rail industry. 

“The University has tremendous connections in the industry and assisted me in finding my placement. It provided me with valuable job experience and helped me learn how an engineering company works.”

To further boost her CV she also worked at Open Days as a student ambassador, perfecting her communication and interpersonal skills to inform visitors about what it’s like being a Civil Engineering student at Derby.

From concrete moulds to virtual reality

Komal gained experience using a range of facilities in the University’s STEM Centre, including labs for conducting experiments, surveying equipment, larger labs for group assignments and computer labs to work on AutoCAD.

“The University’s facilities helped to make the learning process more practical and fascinating,” she says. “I loved all of the lab activities, such as making concrete moulds, conducting masonry work, building your own wall, completing surveying tasks, creating our own lifeboat station using AutoCAD and walking around it in VR (virtual reality). The hydraulics and fluids lab activities using the flume were really engaging and educational too.”

Enjoyable learning experience

Komal notes several aspects of the course that have contributed to an enjoyable four years at Derby.

“The course offered a wide range of application-based knowledge in almost every module I studied. All of the curriculum focused on real-life challenges, making it simpler to learn and use in industry.”

She appreciated how professional and supportive, yet friendly, the academic and technical staff were throughout her time at the University.

“The lecturers provided excellent help during assignments, tests and exams,” she says. “For modules such as AutoCAD, lecturers would stay in the laboratories with us to ensure we were comfortable with the software's features. They felt more like friends to us at times.”

Komal also enjoyed the site visits and field trips to a variety of places including bathymetric surveying at Darley Park.

“The excursions were an excellent way for me to get to know everyone on the course, take a break from the course topics and educate myself further.”

Advice to future civil engineers

Finally, we asked Komal what she would say to anyone thinking of joining the Civil Engineering course at the University of Derby.

“If you want to follow a civil engineering path, you'll need practical expertise, which you can receive at the University of Derby where they give excellent aid and advice throughout the programme. The smaller class size makes it easier to learn, and you receive personalised attention from the lecturer. Overall, it's an excellent place to earn your civil engineering degree.”