I want to inspire more girls to join STEM

IET Member Junling Wan always enjoyed and did well at STEM at school, and this led her to a degree in mechatronics engineering. She is now working a Software Engineer at IET Partner Tevva Hydrogen Electric Trucks, and inspiring the next generation of women in STEM!

What inspired you to become an engineer?

Can you describe your career in engineering so far?

I am enjoying my engineering career, which has been mostly in the automotive field so far. I have been involved in lots of different projects and areas to get a deep understanding of how automotive engineering works.

Here at Tevva Electric Trucks I am currently working in the software team, taking on more responsibilities for important coding jobs within vehicle control units, a core part of electric vehicles. I’ve also assisted in completing detailed truck fleet data analysis, which has been used to improve the durability test. Meanwhile, I have opted to take a short secondment to join the manufacturing area to assemble batteries and get a close understanding of MP&L.

All these experiences are helping me get a complete view of the electric vehicle industry, which will help me better understand engineering opportunities in the future.

What has been your biggest success in your career?

Every small progress in my work, I regard as a success. However, the biggest success in my career so far, I would say, is having the opportunity to present Tevva’s products and technology at a local primary school. Tevva is active in our local community, and we instigated STEM outreach to a local school. We drove our electric truck to the school, engaged with the science students and answered all their questions. It really was rewarding to inspire the next generations to get involved in STEM!

I am glad opportunities are opening up for more women in tech roles and to study STEM subjects at university. I was the only girl in my class at university, but the situation is changing. There are more and more women joining STEM now. I want to inspire more girls to join STEM without doubting themselves.

What has been the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge in my career so far, I would say, was the responsibility I had to manage the end-to-end project around the data analysis of the Tevva electric truck fleet data.

I learned a new tool and new script language to process large amounts of data. During the process, there was a specific problem I couldn’t solve at first, and I had to persevere, trying lots of different methods, and involving my colleagues for suggestions. Finally, I found the issue and solved the problem, which was an incredibly happy moment and gave me a big feeling of achievement.

Are you working on any exciting projects currently?

I am developing the Diagnostic Trouble Codes for the Tevva 7.5t battery-electric truck.

I get the chance to track deep into the fault codes and find out the beginning input source of the signals. This work is a combination of programming and electronics. At the same time, every time I develop a DTC code, I must evaluate it on the truck to make sure everything works correctly.

This is exciting work, as I can see immediately how my code works in the truck. If problems do arise in the vehicle, my work can help people immediately identify the cause.

How has your IET Membership helped?

I love the magazine each month sent by IET. They are good for me especially when I want to run away from some electronic equipment! The magazines keep me updated on news from technology and give me the clues to learn more interesting stuff in engineering.

What does the future look like and what are your goals?

I enjoy my current role and I look forward to being a senior embedded software engineer.

I would be happy to broaden my experience into engineering areas within automotive. As a software engineer in automotive, it is always good to know something from other areas.

I will also keep tracking my experience and projects until the day I am ready to go through the process of achieving a chartership with the IET.

Do you have any advice for those looking for their first role in engineering and technology?

Engineering is an exciting area, and there is so much knowledge to keep up to date with. I like Steve Jobs’s words, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish.” Always be eager to learn new things, and don’t give up when you are facing challenges