About Me
I'm a final year Software Engineering student at The University of Technology Sydney. My interest in technology started back in early high school when I got my first laptop (The White MacBook). I enjoyed playing video games then, as do most 12-year-old boys. I was able to host my own dedicated server using the schools Wi-Fi and play with my friends ... until the technology staff discovered what we were doing.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve been able to pursue my interests in technology and engineering through university. I’ve applied what I’ve learnt to real-word scenarios such as large-scale network testing and control system integration. These experiences were gained through my internships at large, multi-industry organisations and smaller emerging companies.
I am looking for opportunities in software development where I can grow as a young engineer working with like-minded people who enjoy problem solving.
Here are a few technologes I've been working with recently:
- JavaScript (ES6+)
- React
- Node.js
- React-Bootstrap, Material UI
- CSS, SASS
- Python (Pandas, Numpy)
- AWS (EC2, MQTT)
Academic Experiences and Projects
At university we take multiple studio classes for software engineering which focuses on web development. I’ve enjoyed these classes as it allowed me to grow my technical skills and use technologies commonly used by major companies. Aside from the technical growth I also experienced the software development life cycle from receiving the requirements from the client, planning, and analysing to implementing and maintaining the product.
I also learnt how to work in an agile framework using scrum to develop and deliver the highest value product to the client. I have received two high distinctions and one distinction so far for these subjects.
Some examples of the websites I built are shown to the side:
I was fortunate enough to be included on the 2021 Dean’s List which recognises outstanding academic achievement in undergraduate courses in Engineering and Information Technology. To be included on the Dean’s List, I had to achieve a minimum score of 85% across all subjects studied in the previous academic year.
Click here for my Dean's List Certificate.
Professional Experiences and Projects
01. Siemens Energy
Most of my internship at Siemens Energy was spent at a power station where I was a part of the commissioning team. The team was responsible for testing signals for the newly upgraded distributed control system. My primary role was desk technician where I made sure that signals, alarms, and faults on the HMI (human-machine interface) displayed correctly when triggered by a field technician. I also helped the network engineering team set-up and test the multiple servers and clients to allow the control system to receive field data. I moved into the return to service team when the commissioning team completed all signal tests. This is where I communicated regularly with the customer and participated in multiple meetings to get the plant running with the new control system.
When I wasn’t on site, I was building an energy output dashboard for the Siemens Energy Sydney office. The premise of the dashboard was to display the energy output of Asia-Pacific power stations that use the Siemens Energy distributed control system. The technology I used included Python, specifically pandas and NumPy libraries for web scraping and data manipulation. I also used JavaScript, CSS and an open-source JavaScript library called Leaflet to display an interactive map.
The internship allowed me to demonstrate and develop multiple engineering competency standards set by Engineers Australia. This is proven through the indicators of attainment shown below:
- Identified, assessed and managed risks during my time at the power station by engaging in daily safety briefings through ‘Take 5’ forms where we assess the immediate danger to ourselves and discuss ways to mitigate and eliminate these dangers. I also applied and implemented the workplace health and safety requirements by adhering to the Lock Out Tag Out guidelines when working on any part of the plant.
- Built and maintained collaborative relationships with the customer, sub-contractors and team members and collaborated effectively within multi-disciplinary teams which included multiple trades, engineers, commercial and management.
01. OneWiFi
When I started my internship at OneWiFi they were emerging into the Smart City space, providing IOT (internet of things) solutions to councils and cities using different types of connected sensors and applications to collect data to manage assets and resources efficiently. During the six months I did a variety of different work including tendering, onsite and remote troubleshooting, business development, service operations, project management and scheduling activities.
A key development phase during my internship was tendering and winning The Broken Hill City Council Smart Lighting project. The project was to implement Smart Renewable light poles and CCTV throughout the specific sites in Broken Hill. The project allowed me to develop on my Engineers Australia elements of competence specifically identifying the economic, social and environmental impacts of engineering activities. I did this by presenting the customer with an off-grid solution that would replace the existing lighting with a wind and solar powered light solution. I understood the outright economic cost of a renewable solution like this but pushed it forward as I believed it would be beneficial to the local economy, environment and community in the future.
Teamwork
University
Teamwork is a key element of my university studies. Most of my subjects involve groupwork, such as major projects or class discussions. For example, the subject; ‘Engineering Project Management’, required groups of 6 to produce an engineering report on delivering a weather recording station in rural NSW. This task helped me learn how to deal with disagreements and different opinions, by allowing for constructive criticism. I also learnt how to communicate correctly to express my concerns and ideas. I received a high distinction mark of 90 for the subject.
The subject; ‘Software Studio 2A’, required groups to create an automatic study group arrangement web application. I learnt how to work in an agile environment using the scrum framework. I worked with other team members with sprint planning and completing tasks for each sprint. I also contributed to weekly standups, product backlog and sprint reviews. I received a high distinction mark of 92 for the subject.
Work
I experienced teamwork in multiple projects across multidisciplinary teams during my internships. The key skills I learnt include:
- Communication - meetings, client interaction and project work
- Time management – prioritising tasks and delivering on deadlines
- Listening – open mind during group work and utilising constructive criticism
- Collaboration – sharing different perspectives and experiences
Research
Engineering Thesis
I am currently in the research and planning stage of my thesis, as I will be completing it in the first half of 2022. My thesis will be focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain. My aim is to research alternative technologies to solve the ‘blockchain trilemma’, which describes that the three fundamentals of cryptocurrency; scalability, security and decentralisation can’t coexist without the sacrifice of one.
Key research topic areas include:
- Blockchain scalability issues using Proof-of-Work consensus
- Current blockchain trilemma solutions such as Proof-of-Stake, off-chain transactions and sharding
- Alternative technologies, specifically Hashgraph consensus as a replacement for blockchain
For more information click here for my problem analysis brief.