Oral history; Interview with Melanie Ogden, 2016
Main details
| Reference number | 2016/1711 |
|---|---|
| Description | Melanie Ogden speak about her career as an engineer at TfL, and on projects such as the Hammersmith flyover bridge and Crossrail 2. |
| Interviewee | Melanie Ogden |
| Dates | 15/01/2016 |
| Collection | |
| Object type |
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| Topics | |
| Completeness | 63% |
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Physical description
Item content Attribute Value Object title Oral history interview with Melanie Ogden, 2016 -
Interview summary
Talks about her early life, schooling and early interest in engineering [00:00:38]. MO mentions that early in her life she had noticed a lack of women in the engineering profession but admits this did not deter her ambition to follow an engineering career [00:02:40]. MO talks about her civil engineering degree at Leeds University and a transport module she studied [00:03:36]. MO recounts her first job at TfL in 2011 which involved working on infrastructure needed for the Olympic Games [00:05:08]. Comments on destruction caused by one of the Olympic projects involving a bridge, known as Hammersmith Flyover [00:06:33]. MO provides an anecdote on the experience of finishing the bridge project and the significance of the project for the Olympic Games [00:09:02]. MO mentions that there were a lot of graduates on the project and applauds TfL for allowing graduates to work on significant projects [00:10:55]. MO mentions her time working for London Buses [00:11:33]. MO Talks about becoming a Team Leader Travel Ambassador during the Olympics that involved helping people travel around London [00:13:36]. MO begins to talk about working for the Underground network and designing bridges for Earls Court station [00:15:00]. MO how she became involved with Cross Rail [00:16:28]. MO remarks that she became a commercial manager after Cross Rail and did not enjoy it [00:20:39]. MO describes the career progression of a civil engineer and that the graduate scheme she was on rotated every 6 months to allow her to build up a broad range of skills and become chartered, which she achieved in 2015 [00:22:00]. MO discusses the importance of big projects like Cross Rail in inspiring and recruiting young engineers [00:23:14]. MO talks about Crossrail 2 and the planning process for infrastructure in the UK [00:24:02]. MO talks about being a Project Manager for Tunnels for the Northern Line extension [00:27:11]. MO talks about the challenges of the Northern line extension in regard to closures and minimising disruption for passengers [00:28:48]. MO talks about being a woman in a male dominated industry [00:31:07]. MO remarks that engineering sites are well equipped for men in regard to toilet and shower facilities but piecemeal for women [00:32:08]. MO discusses the image of engineering and promotes the diverse range of jobs in the sector [00:33:48]. MO discusses her future career plans [00:35:00]. MO discusses future transport project she would like to see happen and the regeneration of the South bank of London [00:36:44]. MO makes comparison between London underground network and other cities in other countries such as Singapore [00:39:00]. -
People involved
Role Person(s) involved Interviewer Keith Penfold, 15/01/2016Interviewee Melanie Ogden