"An engineering degree is versatile, which will hopefully allow me to pursue whatever I see fit in the near future."
Tomme Ashton
- Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science
- Campus: Vancouver
Why did you want to study engineering?
Growing up, I was always interested in math and physics, so engineering felt like a natural choice. I also did some labour market research, which shows that there are always lots of engineering jobs across many different industries.
An engineering degree is versatile, which will hopefully allow me to pursue whatever I see fit in the near future.
You’ve just finished first year! What are your reflections looking back on the last eight months?
I really like the community here at UBC and I’ve already found a good group of friends. It’s a great environment for all sorts of different people, and everyone is very friendly.
The first year’s a lot of work. It’s like an academic boot camp where you’re doing homework constantly for 13 different courses. The courses are also a lot harder than what you experience in high school, so that was something of an adjustment. Although you get a lot of content thrown at you in a short period of time, they’re actually really engaging.
I enjoyed the hands-on projects the most, because you must be creative and apply yourself. For example, in an engineering design course we had to design and build a robotic claw to lift various objects with only a servo motor.
What skills have you developed so far?
Time management, for sure, and a more consistent work ethic. I’m able to stay on track and do what I need to do, even if there are other things I’d rather be doing. Obviously, my engineering mindset has developed, and I’m much more confident in my overall problem-solving ability.
You worked at ICORD last summer and again this summer. Tell us about your experience?
ICORD runs a summer research program for Indigenous students called seed2STEM. Last summer I was a student and worked with Leah Keshet to model cell movement using computer software. This summer I am helping a co-op student in Dr. Peter Cripton’s lab to develop a biofidelic omnidirectional cervical spine surrogate for various modes of biomechanical testing.
We are currently developing this model by researching and prototyping different designs to replicate the intricate components of the cervical spine.
This work has increased my interest in pursuing applications in biomedical engineering and it’s been great to get hands-on work experience prior to starting future co-op terms.
ICORD seed2STEM Dr. Peter Cripton
