On National Engineering Day, Heriot-Watt University highlights the work of two its students

Engineers of the future

Uriel Rivera was determined to pursue her interest in engineering. The doubt she encountered from others only motivated her further, to prove that she could do it. “Engineering has traditionally been a male-dominated field. When deciding which career path to pursue, I was discouraged due to whether or not I could handle the challenges of the field.

"It can feel daunting to walk into a classroom where the vast majority are guys. However, these experiences represent only a small part of my journey.”

She’s now in the third year of her undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering. “I chose aerospace engineering because it’s the coolest. You get to work with rockets and satellites.

"Over the summer, as an individual project, I built a compact drone, which sparked my interest in aerial systems. I also enjoy the aerodynamics and product design aspects of it.”

Uriel grew up in Wales, in the town of Merthyr Tydfil. She says coming to Heriot-Watt has given her the chance to meet many different people and to explore further afield. She’s already spent a semester at the Dubai campus: “I didn’t believe how many opportunities that opened.

"It gave me the courage to look at different avenues, not just in the UK. I have the confidence now to go for it, to apply for that job in a different country and not to be scared to move.”

The possibility of working on global projects was one of the reasons Uriel chose to study engineering. Another was the way engineers work, both independently and as part of a team. For Uriel, working with others, especially those with different skill sets, has been one of the best parts of studying at Heriot-Watt. “It’s something companies are looking for, and you can definitely do that here.

"There’s so much diversity, so much respect, and so much talent.”

The university has supported and encouraged her throughout her course. “There’s always someone to help”, she says.

Uriel’s enthusiasm for her subject is clear: “Engineering is so many different things! It can be theory, it can be technical, it can be practical.

"But the best part of engineering is engineering itself. We're at the forefront of new technologies and there's more to explore!”

Sandy Dakers is studying Electrical Engineering. He’s in his second year at Heriot-Watt, a mature student, and took a less direct route into engineering.

After leaving school, Sandy followed his creative interests and completed a photography course. He later realised that wasn’t the path for him, and, after working for a while, he started an Electrical Engineering HNC. He was hooked. Electrical Engineering tapped into his creativity and many of his hobbies – particularly electronic music production and synthesisers:

“Engineering ties all of that together really well. I was discovering how all these things I’m interested in actually work.

"The more I found out, the more interesting it became. Plus, the more difficult it became, the more determined I was to figure it out.”

Sandy describes the past few years as ‘a snowball’. He spent this summer designing hardware that will be sent into Space – radio frequency PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). A launch is planned for July 2026, with the mission funded by the European Space Agency. The aim is to test a novel antenna design. “A PCB for that purpose and those topics in particular interest me quite a lot," he says.

"All this together and the chance to put something into space. There were various other projects that I could have worked on over the summer, but as soon as that was offered to me, all bets were off and I had to go for it.”

The radio frequency work is “something of an art form”, according to Sandy.

“You can calculate everything, you make sure all the numbers look good, but at the end of the day, there is an art to it and figuring that out is is a lot of fun.

"And then implementing it as well. You have your PCB at the end of it and every electrical engineer would tell you how satisfying that is.”

Sandy hopes to pursue more work on satellite communications – something he would never have dreamt of working on, he says, or the other opportunities that have come his way at Heriot Watt.

For him, electrical engineering is endlessly interesting: “It’s a bottomless pit – an endless stream of curiosities.

"You’ll never know everything. There’s always something more to learn!”

Professor Igor Guz, Executive Dean, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, says: “At Heriot-Watt University, engineering is at the heart of everything we do, from pioneering sustainable energy solutions to advancing robotics, materials science, and digital innovation.

"Our researchers, students, and industry partners continue to push boundaries. On National Engineering Day, we celebrate the creativity and vision that drive progress for generations to come.”

More information on the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, can be found on the website.