Lady engineer

> Stephanie Teow works on projects involving acoustics

STEPHANIE TEOW is a rare rose among the first cohort of engineering graduates of the University of Southampton Malaysia Campus. The 27-year-old design engineer already had two years of work experience as a visual mapping specialist in Singapore before joining the university some four years ago.

‘‘It was tough initially,’’ admits Stephanie. ‘‘However, I was glad that I returned to university.’’ Stephanie already had a diploma in audio visual technology but decided a MEng programme was necessary to jumpstart her career in engineering.

‘‘Having good peers and supportive lecturers helped soften the blow which eventually made the transition flawless.’’ The Malaysia campus, characterised by its high staff to student ratio, enables students like Stephanie to work with their peers and learn from their academics’ experiences closely.

In the summer of 2016, Stephanie along with her batch mates graduated at the University’s Highfield campus in the UK. She graduated with a MEng in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Acoustical Engineering. She spent the first two years of the MEng degree at the Malaysia Campus and the final two years on the Highfield campus in Southampton.

‘‘Television, entertainment specifically, inspired me to take up engineering as I was very curious on how things are put together to make a spectacle, such as a concert, happen. Surely, there was some engineering involved! I recall spending nights watching time-lapse concert videos ‘cause I was very interested about the behind-the-scenes activities,’’ recalls Stephanie.

Making sound decisions After graduation, she joined CCW Associates, a consultancy firm in Singapore that specialises in acoustics, noise and vibration control, audio visual systems, telecom infrastructure, stage and lighting systems, and theatre design systems. Since joining the company, Stephanie has been involved in a lot of projects including hospitals, hotels and condominiums.

‘‘I’m currently focusing on projects that involve acoustics. As usual, building planning involves many stages which also include the typical DBT (design, build and test). During the design phase, I work with architects to analyse their design and check whether the building material is sufficient for noise privacy and noise intrusion. Moreover, I check whether the materials comply with ISO standards requirement or not. This is the stage where a lot of planning and decisions are being made,’’ she explains.

The build stage appears to be one of the exciting parts as Stephanie has to be meticulous and detailed when assessing a mock-up room that used the materials prescribed initially in the plan.

‘‘I visit sites and meet the contractors to conduct noise surveys, review calculations, produce reports about my findings, and if it complies with Singapore regulation and design criteria.’’

‘‘If it passes the survey, the contractors can carry out the work to other units/rooms in the building with the same materials used. However, that is not the end of it,’’ adds Stephanie.

She says that the last stage is the most critical since most of the work cannot be undone. ‘‘A lot of meetings happen during this phase because most of the reports are being reviewed and submitted to the government agencies for approval.’’

A pulsating career in engineering For Stephanie, engineering is not an industry to be feared by women. She shares that her years of studying and doing team projects at Southampton made her completely prepared for the next chapter of her life. ‘‘Being a lady engineer is not at all difficult. What I have done at university is exactly what I am doing right now – you do endless calculations, simulations and predictions, and you need to work with many people. I think the only stark difference between university and work is that I no longer focus on marks, I’m now concerned on how my decisions impact the lives people.’’ Despite her busy work schedule, the globe-trotting lady engineer knows when to relax and have fun. ‘‘I have plans to catch the Southern Aurora Australis next September in New Zealand. The good thing about Southampton is that I have friends all over the world! And that’s a very good reason to travel and to catch up with them.’’