Sophie Smith is a graduate civil engineer, who works for Hyder Consulting in the rail sector.
Who do you work for and what is your role? I work for Hyder Consulting who are a multi-national advisory and design consultancy. They have been in operation for over 150 years, working on some of the world's most iconic landmarks and infrastructure including Burj Khalifa, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Tower Bridge in London and the Taiwan High Speed Railway. They employ around 4,200 people and apply global expertise coupled with local knowledge to create award winning solutions for the property, transport, utilities and environmental sectors.
I have been with Hyder for 2 ½ years working as a graduate civil engineer in the rail sector. I am also Chair of the Hyder Graduate Board and Chair of the ICE North West Graduates & Students committee.
What is a typical day for you? A typical day for me involves working on option and detailed designs for Network Rail projects. This ranges from footbridge and platform extension design to track and building drainage design. Day to day, I write design reports, and produce detail drawings along with various calculations.
Why did you become a civil engineer? I have always been interested in how cities have developed over time and I was especially interested in the civil aspect. To create a network of amenities to service the population requires vision and hard work! After taking maths and physics at A level, I felt civil engineering was something I wanted to be involved with and was the only path for me.
What is your greatest achievement to date? Working as part of a bid team for the £200 million upgrade at Crossness Sewage Treatment Works in east London. The improvements will enable the site to treat 44 per cent more sewage than it does now, significantly reducing the amount of storm sewage that overflows into the River Thames during heavy rainfall when the site becomes overloaded.
The project includes the installation of a wind turbine - the first ever to power a British sewage works - that will help generate up to half the energy needed to power the site. The upgrade will also see new odour controlled treatment processes and environmental enhancements.
After working with Hyder for 6 months, I was seconded to Cardiff to assist with the bid work. It included 3 months of long days and furious design. It was particularly challenging for me as I had never been involved with sewage treatment works design before.
Outside of my day to day job, I was very proud to be chosen as an apprentice the NW Chairman Chris Davies, Chair of the NW G&S committee and Chair of the Hyder Graduate Board. Highlights include making two speeches at the ICE NW dinner and meeting two ICE presidents.
Are you actively involved with the ICE? I am actively involved with the ICE through the G&S committee. I chair monthly meetings and help with the organisation of activities such as the President's Visit, Written Assignment Groups, Papers and Communications competitions and technical meetings. In the 2010-2011 session I will be Chair of the Manchester Branch of ICE.
What do you feel being a member of the ICE has given you? The ICE keeps me up to date with current issues in Civil Engineering and it is great participating in technical meetings. The ICE has helped me prepare for my professional review and has given me the tools to develop as a professional engineer.
Would you say that your ICE membership has helped you in the development of your career? My ICE membership pushes me to constantly review my Development Objectives and strive to achieve a professional qualification. It encourages me to become a well rounded, professional engineer.
What are your aspirations for the future? In the short term, I hope to continue working with the ICE, develop my technical skills and achieve a professional qualification. My future goals include working as a project manager on large scale projects. I am looking forward to building as an engineer and challenging myself further through the opportunities I am now enjoying at Hyder.