Alumnus Gareth Williams returns to show prospective Engineering students the Harper Advantage.

A Harper Adams alumnus has returned to the University – bringing ten of his Advanced Technical Extended Diploma students with him. 

Gareth Williams graduated from Harper Adams Engineering department with a degree in Agricultural Engineering, joining Llysfasi college, part of the wider Coleg Cambria network, near Ruthin in North Wales as a lecturer after graduating. 

Senior lecturer in Engineering, Tom Underhill, explains more:  

"A  number of Gareth’s final year students started to ask about progressing in the Engineering sector - and applying to study at Harper Adams.  

"We were delighted to welcome them, and I started the day by giving a shortened version of my open day course talk which emphasises the career opportunities our students can follow and explains ‘why bother with University’. 

“Next was a tour of Harper’s engineering facilities, and a visit to see final-year student Matt Torok assemble parts for the for TomCat, the SU rally team car, and to explain the origins of the rally team and its relationship with the motorsport club. 

“The next stop: The department’s all-terrain vehicle the TomCar. 

After explaining that the TomCat was being repaired after a crash at the borders rally event, I was able to emphasise Harper’s ‘learning by doing’ ethos by demonstrating the strain gauged front hub on the TomCar, and how it is used to teach vehicle durability analysis to final year students.   

“Our visitors then explored the soil hall where they were told about research conducted to determine the power needed to fill an excavator bucket during digging under various conditions. 

“Students were also shown the original Hands-Free Hectare autonomous Sampo plot combine and told how the CAT 908M articulated loading shovel had been fitted with pressure sensors on fan, hydrostatic and main hydraulic pumps to allow our current students to calculate the power flow and propose improvements. 

“The tour then headed back to the AEIC and students split into smaller groups where they got a more intimate view as to what an Engineering degree at Harper Adams entails, including our drone display and autonomous rage buggy project.  

“The groups also got to see how we prepare our students for life in the workplace by visiting our boardroom and seeing how students learn to manage client meetings during their final year.”