Welcome back to the second part of our interview with Heba.
We hope you enjoyed the first part? If you did you’re in for a bumper ride as this concluding part promises to be full of insights. Let’s get right into it.
What are your plans after getting the first class and graduating?
I intend to further my studies, majoring in the field of Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology, because I see prospects in that field. Considering that in developing countries like Nigeria, there’s a need to innovate medical solutions.
What Career Options do you have as a Biomedical Engineer?
With my degree as a Biomedical Engineer, I can go into different fields. For instance, we have clinical engineering, genetics engineering, biomechanics and we have medical imaging. Although we have other fields, these are the ones I can recall off-hand.
As a Biomedical Engineer, where can you say Help or Innovations are Needed?
Urgent need for innovation is needed in all aspects, but for me, I would say rehabilitation engineering.
Most times, people with disabilities are kept at home and segregated. In most developed countries, most of these people with disabilities live and move about wherever and whenever they like, living normal lives.
What are your Long Term and Short Term Goals?
My long term and short term goal is to have a foundation that caters for people living with disabilities. Looking forward to providing a solution that caters for the needs of people living with disabilities, any form of disability.
Earlier you said you did some Volunteer Work, what was the Nature of the Work?
It was a general charity. I organised a general outreach in collaboration with the Association of Engineers of Nigeria’s Unilorin chapter. We went to a girls-only secondary school in Ilorin.
We went there to give them sanitary pads. Shared over 500 sanitary pads. My association also did another outreach where we gave out learning kits and donated a few items to the school. Also did some other volunteering activities.
As a Lady, How were you able to navigate through the impression that Engineering is a male-dominated field?
When I wanted to choose this course, my parent opposed it, they were like, ladies mostly go for medicine, nursing and similar fields.
When I got into the university, at the faculty, the ladies were barely 10% of the total population of the faculty. Those were the things that actually motivated me to be the best and to stand out.
There were times when I felt someone’s attitude towards me was because I’m a lady. There were many scenarios, I can’t remember what led to those cases. Before we graduated, from our 300 Level, the narrative was already changing. People no longer look down on ladies studying engineering.
Tell us About the Competition that Got your Work Recognised Nationally
It was a competition organised by the Deans of the Faculty of Engineering in Nigerian Universities. The competition’s first stage is always hosted by each geopolitical zone in Nigeria.
The southwestern geographical zone is divided into two because they have many universities in this region. So, from each region, there will be a winner in the group stage and the single category.
The single category means that only one person can present a project. In the group category, you can have many from two to five numbers of persons come to present.
The first stage of the competition happens at Kwara State University in the North Central zone. I was a student of the University of Ilorin and our school falls under this zone.
We presented, and also there were many representatives of the manufacturing sectors, and engineers there to judge the project. To know if it’s sustainable, feasible, and if it’s affordable. From there, we came first, and a later date was announced for the finals.
We went to Abuja, for the finals. In Abuja, we met people from other universities and geopolitical zones, we competed in the group stage with other universities and came third.
Would you Like to Share your Innovation with us?
Like I said, it was also my undergraduate project we took to the place and the redesign of the traditional mobility aid.
Seeing how Recognised your Project was, do you have any plans to Expand it?
Currently, I already applied for a grant at the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize award. Hopefully, it turns out well. I’m also looking forward to meeting senators to help people living with disabilities in their senatorial district.
Were There Challenges While Preparing for the Competition?
A day before our departure for the finals, our device wasn’t working as it should. Thanks to our supervisor, we didn’t sleep the night before, we were working on the device to discover where the problem was coming from.
All thanks to God, we found a solution. Though, some of our components got burnt but we were able to find a solution.
Do you think AI can be Incorporated into this Field you Studied?
Virtually everything in the world right now, you need to scale up. In Biomedical Engineering we have to make our tools smart and adding AI makes them smarter.
For example, the mobility aid, if AI is added to the mobility aid, it can send messages to the person’s family whenever he/she is in danger, it can alert them. AI can help to easily detect an abnormal organ for instance.
Where do you think AI will be a Disadvantage?
One of the disadvantages is the reduction in human resources, most of the expected work meant for people will now be done by AI.
For instance, in the medical field, a radiologist is the one to check if there’s an issue in the organ or tissue, but AI will do that through machines making those people unemployed.
What do you think of the School of Thought, School is a Scam
To me school is not a scam, I feel the type of people you associate with, and the type of environment you expose yourself to influences the way you view things.
For me, I’m always optimistic about everything. I’ve seen my seniors in this department get to different heights just because they achieved academic excellence. School opens doors.
What is your Advice for Anyone in our Audience who wants to go into Biomedical Engineering?
My advice to anyone who wants to go into biomedical engineering is to be passionate about it because passion is what keeps you going even if there are challenges.
Such a person should have a roadmap of goals and objectives they would want to achieve because good grades alone won’t get you to where you want to get to.
Also, from the very day you get into the system, you should be focused, know what you want, and have a field in biomedical engineering that interests you. That’s the summary of what I would like to advise.
What are your Last Words for our Audience?
I would like to advise everyone not to give up on their dreams. Nothing is impossible and you can achieve whatever it is you want if you set your mind to it.
Read also: “How I Got 4.91/5.00 CGPA In Biomedical Engineering” – Interview With Heba Hamzat (Part 1)
