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Here, in our series on the latest EW BrightSparks of 2023, we highlight Lucy Down, who was a Technical Marketing Engineer at Future Facilities when nominated (it has since been acquired by Cadence).
Achievements
Lucy is a civil engineering graduate from Swansea University – and an Arkwright Engineering Scholar, one of the most esteemed scholarship of its type in the UK – and was the youngest engineer and employee at Future Facilities 6SigmaET.
At the company, Lucy worked on client projects involving computational fluid dynamics for thermal analysis – from data centre right down to server level. Beyond this core role she made time to share her enthusiasm for engineering with the next generation of young talent.
We learned that she worked across departments to communicate technical information back to the marketing team. For example, she worked with product development to create software demos, and her technical insight was used to create electronics models from scratch. This included representing the cooling of many different electronics such as PCB boards, lasers, and lithium batteries.
One project with a client, we learned, included the creation of a walkthrough from data center to IT level to PCB and its components, with animations of airflow and temperature throughout. This was done to show the future of integration of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) tools in their omniverse platform (digital twin).
She is, her manager told us, is a rare quality of engineer:
“She is an exceptional young engineer with the intelligence, skill, passion, and charisma to achieve great things in our industry”.
“She knows her subject inside and out. She’s a creative problem solver. She actively encourages diverse and inclusive thinking to help create solutions and solve problem. She is a gifted communicator with that rare ability to enthuse about every aspect of engineering. She is able to translate technical ideas into language that is accessible to all.”
“As the youngest engineer at 6SigmaET, Lucy Down is a compelling example for young engineers everywhere. From advocating for young people with SheCanEngineer, to designing workshops for the Institution of Mechanics, Lucy leads budding young engineers by example – and then empowers them to join the industry themselves.”
“Above all, Lucy brings engineering to life. Her passion for the subject is already enthusing the next generation of engineers, particularly among young women from diverse backgrounds.”
Lucy herself explained her perspective:
“As an engineer, you have to look beyond your computer screen and see the bigger picture. That’s why I enjoy working in teams so much – it introduces you to a whole new level of creative and diverse thinking. The way someone solves a problem can be very different to how another person tackles it, even if the task is the same. Being part of that creative process is really exciting and can put you on a creative path that has the potential to lead you to a whole new level of innovation.
“But it’s not just about problem solving and creativity. You then have to be able to communicate with others and present to colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders. That means explaining it to someone who may not understand how your system or technology works. You may even need to translate it from engineering jargon into language that someone with a non-engineering background would understand. That’s what I do. That’s what I love to do.”
“So, not only am I inspired to be an engineer, I also want to share my enthusiasm and excitement with others.
Finally, what higher praise can there be than what Lucy’s manager told us? “To us, Lucy is the future of engineering.”
Electronics Industry ViewpointAsh Madni, MD of Madni Technologies, also shared his viewpoint on Lucy’s entry.
“Lucy is clearly a very talented engineer,” Ash told us. “She embodies the type of engineers we need going forward in Britain. Her technical ability is clearly exceptional.”
“I was very impressed with her soft skills, deployed in teamwork and dissemination of knowledge, particularly with school children. They are our future. Well done Lucy and keep up the fantastic work!”
Community
In terms of community work, Lucy has been busy. By visiting schools and engaging with young people, especially young girls and those from a broad range of backgrounds, she has been passing on her passion for engineering, and helping the industry to attract new talent.
For example, for her work as part of the SheCanEngineer initiative she has already received accolades, we learned, from teachers who’ve said how Lucy has “tapped into students’ natural curiosity sparking an off-the-chart interest in STEM subjects”. She has also been actively involved in the social media team, using her marketing skills for external promotions for the initiative.
Lucy was also the lead workshop designer for a STEM event, creating a fun and inspiring workshop to help around 80 students in Year 7-9 learn about the diversity of roles in engineering.
Additionally, she was the lead workshop designer for Future Facilities’ STEM event, creating a fun and inspiring workshop for Year 7 to Year 9 to learn the diversity of roles in engineering.
Finally, her nominator explained that this work is important not only because it promotes diversity in engineering, but also inspires a range of different and diverse thinking to increase creative solutions to problems.
See also: Elektra Awards 2023 – The Winners
