Engineering Change - Meet the Engineers
Hi Louise! Can you tell us what do you do as a job?
I am a Graduate Civil Engineer at Mott MacDonald.
How does your job affect us?
I help design buildings, roads and tunnels you see all around you. From sewer tunnels under the Thames, to railway tunnels which carry the Tube, my job is to make sure that existing structures are maintained and checked regularly, and that new structures are designed safely and sustainably.
How does what you or your organisation do affect the planet?
My job involves working with the construction industry, which uses lots of energy and materials to build new structures and maintain old ones. There is a lot of energy required to produce new materials like concrete and steel, which produces emissions and is bad for the environment.
By using recycled steel and low carbon concrete, I can help to reduce the effect of my designs on the planet, but at the same time, by repairing or building something new, I am helping the local community with travel, wellbeing or job opportunities.
Can you show us some pictures of what you do?
Here are pictures from October 2021 when I was on a weekend site visit to a tunnel in London which required some investigation works. It was quite cold and very dark in the tunnel!
Hi Sophie! Can you tell us what do you do as a job?
I am the Head of DLR Operations – I’ve only just started, so I am still learning! I work with our operator, Keolis Amey Docklands (KAD) to make sure the service runs as we expect it to, and to discuss upcoming track closures and ensure they fit in well with other TfL planned work.
We are going to be buying a new set of trains, so at the moment we are working on how we will do that and how we can work together to bring them in successfully!
How does your job affect us?
Depends where you live! But, without my role, we wouldn’t be able to integrate DLR services properly with the TfL network. An example would be making sure we don’t close the railways at the same time as all other lines that side of London, or making sure that when we do close them, we put bus replacement services in place.
We make sure you have a reliable, safe and effective railway to use, the aim is for the service to be seamless!
How does what you or your organisation do affect the planet?
A lot! We have an environment and sustainability team, and we constantly look at ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We have some pretty tight goals, for example to make our Bus Fleet zero emission by 2034.
Can you show me some pictures of what you do?
Here are pictures of a DLR train undergoing some very intensive repair work!
Huge thanks to Louise and Sophie for giving us insights into their jobs and how engineering affects our everyday life and our environment. Teachers and school children can learn more during our Engineering Change themed week, from 8-12 November 2021 and by joining us on 12 November for an interactive 30 minute live stream as part of Kids in Museums Digital Takeover Day.
Our Engineering Change themed week and Kids in Museum Takeover Day are delivered thanks to our Climate Crossroads sponsors: Mott MacDonald, Cubic Transportation Systems and Sopra Steria.