Praveen Rajan is the School of Engineering’s Research Lead (Technical Support), and an MEng graduate.
What drew you to the MEng program at the UBC Okanagan campus?
I was particularly interested in some of the research work at the School of Engineering -UBC Okanagan and thus the courses associated with that. Apart from regular class-based courses, this encouraged me to pick certain research based and mini project courses that were available as a part of the M.Eng program.
What was the experience like?
The overall journey was truly rewarding. I worked in the industrial sector for 7 years after completing my Bachelor’s degree. Transitioning back to being a student was challenging in the beginning, but after couple months I was able to be on track.
What are your fondest memories of your MEng?
I enjoyed working with the supervisors and on their course-based research projects. Even though these were one or two term based projects, they gave me hands on experimental experience. I also liked doing project presentations. The preparation for presentations involved a lot of homework and research, which made me do a lot of independent study.
What did you do when you weren’t studying?
I did not have much free time as I was also working full time. But I enjoy pencil sketching and riding my motorcycle whenever I can.
How have you benefited from completing your MEng?
MEng program helped me pick courses that I was really interested in, without any rigidity. My interests ranged from Advanced Alloys, Composite Materials to Project and Construction Management. MEng made it possible to bring all these under one umbrella, thus advance my knowledge and skills in the above engineering fields.
How did the MEng program prepare you for your current role?
As I work in the field of engineering research support, MEng helped me make better technical decisions, implement project management and sustainability principles, and overall an interdisciplinary approach to research support.
