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The Panasonic Trust Fellowships
Amanda Anderson – MPhil Engineering for Sustainable
Development, University of Cambridge
The MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development has given me strong
business awareness within a practical industrial engineering context. I
currently work as an interior design engineer for Bombardier Transportation.
It is the last remaining train manufacturing site in the UK. During my
various projects, but especially Stonehenge, I learned the importance of
engaging with and taking into consideration the opinions of all the
stakeholder groups. This is important in the rail industry where the end
consumer i.e. the passenger is not the customer; it is the train operating
company.
Sustainable development is especially important within
the rail industry, as it must maintain its status as one of the most
environmentally friendly modes of public transport. The course helped me
understand all characteristics of sustainable development including the
importance of the environmental, social and economic aspects. I have been
able to apply this awareness to my work and influence others by sharing my
knowledge, ensuring the solution fits the public’s needs. The course taught
me that the needs of sustainable development must be addressed at every
stage of product design through planning, manufacture, use and disposal. The
use of whole life costing can enable sustainable development to be cost
effective in an industry where every penny counts.
A major aspect of the course was looking at managing
change within organisations. We explored many of the issues preventing
change from taking place in the work place along with ways of making change
happen. When I began work it was immediately clear how insightful the course
had been. It has equipped me to play a leadership role before gaining a
significant managerial position. The course also gave me the opportunity to
interact and work with a wide range of experienced people from varied
backgrounds and the broad range of project work ensured I was well prepared
for working with changing projects within my job.
Overall the most useful and enduring characteristic of
the course that has benefited me in my job was the emphasis on real-life
case studies and practical experience in every subject. I gained an improved
awareness of the commercial and management issues and the techniques
necessary to enable me to deliver sustainable practices within the rail
industry.
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