What is your background?
I am completing a double degree in mechanical engineering and environmental science at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. I love camping and all outdoor activities and am currently learning to sail. Otherwise, in my spare time, I love to volunteer and give back to the community.
What was your Vacation Placement like with Anglo American?
I have completed two vacation programs with Anglo American and they have both been as incredible as the other.
My first placement was at Dawson CHPP, in Moura. I learnt so much during this time and made some amazing friends. I was involved with the reliability engineering works which mainly included failure analysis of a range of mechanical systems including conveyor belts, pumps, and electric motors. I was also involved in project management tasks where I worked directly with contractors to help plan and execute different maintenance tasks. There were 10 vacation students in total, and we spent weekends doing a range of things. These included camping trips, trips to the coast, or spending the weekend in town relaxing and getting to know the locals.
My second placement was at Brisbane Corporate Office. I was able to learn how the business operates from another perspective and learn from professionals with mountains of experience up their sleeve. This gave me the opportunity to meet and connect with senior professionals throughout the business. I completed this placement in conjunction with my thesis where I learnt all about condition monitoring and vibration analysis. The result of my project has the potential to be applied across each of the mine sites. I also completed a site visit which helped me gain exposure to and appreciation of the underground mining process. As I was still at home, I was able to spend time with friends and family and participate in activities I would usually participate in.
One or two highlights of your Vacation program placement with Anglo American
From my first placement, my highlight was being able to go on a dragline during an outage and being able to walk up the boom. You never appreciate the size or the engineering behind a dragline until you see it in person.
In the second placement, the highlight was going to the site and going underground for the first time.
1 or 2 pieces of advice to other university students