2015/16

Jen Crunden jencrunden

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

Project Manager // PR Team

I’m originally from Twickenham with family now settled in the rolling hills of Surrey, but I have been happily residing in Southampton for the past 3 years. I chose to study Aeronautical Engineering as a teenage girl obsessed with fast F1 cars and even faster military planes. That passion has continued and I plan to be a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force when I finish University. My BEng Individual Project was both computationally and experimentally investigating wingsuits – it’s safe to say I’m utterly hooked on learning about these fascinating flying garments! I love the Icarus Project as wingsuit aerodynamics are so unusual and pretty un-researched which means we get the chance to push some boundaries.

 

Rob Markwell robmarkwell

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

CFD Lead

I’m Rob, the Aerodynamic/CFD Lead for the Icarus Project. I went to school in London, taking my A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and PE. To follow on to this, I decided to study Aeronautics at the University of Southampton so that I could apply my strengths in Maths and Physics to some more practical uses. The Icarus Project gives me a chance to use what I’ve learnt on something different and unconventional. It’s a challenge, but it’s really enjoyable working on this project and hopefully at the end of it we’ll have a really cool wingsuit design to show from it!

 

Jenna Tiwana jennatiwana

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

Documentary Lead

Hi, I’m Jenna from Burnham (no one knows where that is so let’s go with I’m from Windsor). I chose to study engineering as I’ve always had a knack for Maths and Science, so decided to go into engineering as it had great prospects and looked like a lot of fun. When I’m older, to be honest I have no idea what I want to do yet, but I love working as part of a team and with clients so hopefully something incorporating those. I’m quite creative and enjoy problem-solving so I’m thinking along the lines of Consulting. My hobbies are salsa, linguistics and skydiving, so naturally this Wingsuit project is fantastic as I get to fuse together my degree and one of my hobbies. I absolutely love the Icarus Project as it has so many different parts and is completely new. From working on branding colour themes to computer modelling, every week is totally different, exciting and I’m learning so much. Our team is top-notch and I’m really looking forward to the coming year.

 

Hayley Jones hayley-jones

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

Manufacture Lead // PR Team

I have always had a love of maths and how we can apply it to the world around us so that natural progression for me was a degree in Engineering. Watching motorsport on a Sunday is a tradition in my family and this has manifested itself into specialising in Aerodynamics with a hope to return to my previous place of work within the Williams F1 team. Thanks to my work placements I have developed a love of software and programming which has led to me running our website. The Icarus Project is truly exciting and it is allowing me to combine my hobby of skydiving with my university work. While I am nowhere near experienced enough to wingsuit, it is inspiring to see the excitement and enthusiasm this project has sparked in the wider skydiving community.

 

Hassan Akhtar hassanakhtar

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

Treasurer // CFD Analyst

I was raised in Cardiff fascinated by the world around me. My parents allowed me the freedom to dismantle many objects around the house, even though they never worked quite the same again! The decision to become an engineer was due to a desire to understand how things work, big or small. However, I chose aeronautics engineering because what is cooler than making things fly! When I’m older I would like to be taller, and also work on prototype gas-turbine engines. I love the Icarus Project because it is on the cutting edge of the field. We have a chance to create something that had never been done before and maybe leave a legacy that could shape the design of wingsuits for years to come! A final thought, “Any idiot can build a bridge that stands, but it takes an engineer to build a bridge that barely stands” – Unknown.

 

Jiri Pluhar jiripluhar

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

Testing Lead // CFD Analyst

I come from the Czech Republic, but have chosen to study in the UK at the University of Southampton due to its reputation in engineering. I have always found science and technology fascinating, but simultaneously challenging in its content. I love to be challenged and engineering was a natural choice of degree for me. When I’m older, and this will sound like a child’s dream, I want to be a wingsuit skydiver. I am currently working towards my skydiving qualification, but there is still a way to go for wingsuit flight. In the meantime, I have the Icarus project to get involved in! I was instantly captivated when I heard about this project as an IP for third year students and when I discovered that it would be a GDP for 4th year students I knew I wanted to be involved. We have an ambitious team and supervisor and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve during the year.

 

Tom Cannon tomcannon

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

CFD Analyst

It became apparent during my first year of college – at a small sixth form on the east coast of Essex – that I was reasonably competent at maths and physics. However, I decided to learn something slightly more practical and so my Engineering journey began in the fall of 2012. When I graduate I’m most likely to end up in the armed forces, maybe as a pilot, more likely as an officer somewhere, perhaps re-joining the Royal Marines or heading off to Sandhurst. Icarus is such an innovative and endearing project that should gain recognition across the world (if we are successful) and it’s fantastic to be a part of.

 

Chris Boyles chrisboyles

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

CFD Analyst

I was born in London but at the age of 11 my family and I moved to the Dorset countryside. My Dad is a maths teacher and his passion for the subject was definitely passed onto me. I enjoyed school subjects that involved numerical practice and problem solving skills so when deciding upon a degree course I thought that Engineering was the perfect choice. This course allows me to solve problems, establish how things work and make improvements upon them. I haven’t decided exactly what career path I want to go down yet, but I do know that I want to be relatively close to the beach so that I can surf in any free time that I might have. Out of all of my modules, Aerodynamics is definitely my favourite and the Icarus Project allows me to continue with research into my favourite part of engineering as well as exploring a new and cutting edge field of study.

 

Giorgio Muscat giorgiomuscat

MEng Aero & Astro Engineering

CFD Analyst

Born on the sunny island of Malta, I moved to the United Kingdom when I was 10 and have had an interest in STEM originating from my time at a technology college. My interest in STEM as well as a desire to become a pilot lead me into choosing a degree related to both. My career aspirations have changed significantly as I’ve grown older, coupled with my bad eyes, my piloting dreams are over. I’m currently seeking a career as an aerodynamicist, preferably in the defence or motorsport industry. Icarus is a project that will allow me to develop my skills as a young aerodynamicist while also working towards a tangible product to compete with the current market leaders.