My Â鶹´«Ã½ Story: Investigating a career in wastewater modelling with Meghan Burn
July 24, 2024
Meghan, a graduate wastewater network modeller, shares what attracted her to Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s Graduate Programme
In the My Â鶹´«Ã½ Story series, our designers, engineers, marketers, project managers, and leaders come together to share how their career journeys at Â鶹´«Ã½ have shaped their lives and moved them closer to their goals.
Tell us about your role¡
I am a graduate wastewater network modeller, and my day-to-day role involves investigating the modelling of drainage systems with a focus on gravity sewers and developing sewerage network models. I use a range of software to assist with model updates and solution development. I focus on storm overflow investigations and sewer flooding studies, which involves understanding the local sewer system and its effects on a specific area.
What attracted you to a career at Â鶹´«Ã½?
I was attracted to Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s Graduate Programme due to the range of projects I would have the opportunity to work on and frameworks I could get involved in. There is endless opportunity to grow in my career surrounded by my peers who have a wealth of knowledge in this industry. And I¡¯m able to attend site visits and meet clients, which has been a vital aspect of development in my early career.
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What do you enjoy most about your role?
The one thing I enjoy the most about my role is being able to work on exciting, innovative projects that I know are making a real difference to my local community. I also really enjoy working in multidisciplinary teams with colleagues who are based around the UK. It¡¯s a great way to build my network as well as my skillset.
How has your personal and professional development been supported at Â鶹´«Ã½?
Through the Graduate Programme, monthly graduate meetings have supported my personal and professional development. During these, we get the chance to explore how to improve leadership and organisational skills as well as communication skills through group activities. My professional development has been enhanced through opportunities to attend conferences such as the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) Urban Drainage Group Annual Conference 2023. At this conference, I was shortlisted as an Adam Dean Award finalist and was given the opportunity to present a poster to a judging panel. This was a great opportunity to grow my network and improve my presentation skills.
What has been the standout project for you during your time at Â鶹´«Ã½?
A standout project that I¡¯m currently working on is the Northumbria Integrated Drainage Partnership scheme. I¡¯m working on an area in Annfield Plain, County Durham, which has been affected by incapacity within the sewer system, causing properties to be at risk of flooding. A real highlight of this project is being the lead urban drainage modeller and putting my skills to the test. I¡¯m responsible for updating the hydraulic model, putting together survey task orders, and testing potential solutions. It¡¯s been a great opportunity to work with clients and other colleagues at Â鶹´«Ã½, as well as learning more about drainage systems.
What are your ambitions for your future at Â鶹´«Ã½?
My main ambition at Â鶹´«Ã½ is to learn as much as I can from my colleagues, bettering my engineering background. I hope to keep working on innovative projects that make a real difference.
What are your passions outside of work?
My main passion outside of work is travelling and seeing as much of the world as possible during my time off. I enjoy spending my weekends at the beach, going on long walks, and socialising with friends.
Why should others join the Â鶹´«Ã½ team?
I can¡¯t recommend Â鶹´«Ã½ enough. The opportunities we get have been great, and the skills we gain from working on innovative projects make working here really exciting! The support from colleagues has been great, enabling me to develop my skills in the short amount of time I have been here. At Â鶹´«Ã½, you always feel listened to and encouraged to try new things, which I feel is an important trait to have at a company.
At Â鶹´«Ã½, we put people first. For Meghan, that means seeing her work make a difference in her local community.?