Ignas Bingelis is a second-year student working towards his BEng Mechanical Engineering at the University of Greenwich, Medway Campus.
He first became interested in mechanical engineering at high school, drawn to the problem-solving aspect.
"l had to choose who I was going to become in the future and what my profession was going to be," he says.
"I was looking for something that had mathematics, physics, and chemistry. I enjoy finding solutions to fix a problem. While looking for a course to study I came across mechanical engineering."
Having settled on this subject, he had to decide on where to study. The University of Greenwich quickly became his first choice.
"Greenwich stood out mainly because it has a specialist campus at Medway for engineering and science students," he says.
"That made me want to study there, because I felt that I wanted to go somewhere where teaching was focused on these subjects.
"My advisor told me that for engineering students, they use the latest technology and have lots of resources for students to work with."
International students highly valued at Greenwich
Groupwork is at the core of Ignas's studies in mechanical engineering at the University of Greenwich.
“My degree is mainly focused on getting students to work on projects together." he explains.
"The projects can vary from creating a new design or product and writing a group report on it, to improving existing products, making them better. Practical work is mostly completing experiments, using everything we learned from lectures and tutorials, also working in groups."
Ignas himself is originally from Lithuania. He speaks highly of the social and cultural aspect of his degree, getting to know fellow students from a hugely diverse range of backgrounds.
"I really love interacting and speaking with people from the university because we have such a diverse group of international students, from all over the world," he says.
"I also work as a student ambassador, so I get the chance to meet a lot of new people and spend time with them while representing the university at the same time.
"What makes Greenwich special is how they treat their students, especially making an effort to help international students to feel like they are really valued at Greenwich."
The possibilities of mechanical engineering: from product design to space travel
Ignas got into mechanical engineering because he loved solving problems, and got to fulfil his love of maths and physics. What, then, is he planning to do with his degree in the future?
"People who study mechanical engineering can get into a wide range of careers, from product designer to building and designing space rockets," he says.
"They develop innovations and create new technology to lessen the effects of pollution and global warming, creating new ways of generating eco-friendly energy.
"In our day and age, new technologies play a big role in people’s lives. Everywhere you look, new machines are being produced: electric cars, hydrogen planes, you name it. I believe engineers are playing a leading role in improving our quality of life."
Those are huge ambitions, but for now, Ignas is focused on getting qualified, and pursuing further study at Greenwich.
"I'd love to keep on learning even after I finish my degree," he says.
"Becoming a Chartered Engineer is first on my list after I finish university. After that I would be happy working for companies on more serious projects, while exploring postgraduate options at the University of Greenwich."
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