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    Day in the life of an Automotive Engineering student

    17 July 2026

    At Harper Adams University, our engineering students tackle issues head-on, developing solutions that make a real difference. Our students learn to think critically, meet industry needs and develop technologies that solve the toughest of problems!

    BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering student Lottie Thomas gave us a taste of life on the engineering pathway, telling us about a group project that she has been working on as part of her studies.

    She said: "We were tasked with creating a landing platform for drones to land on autonomously in the field without human interaction.

    "We had to redesign the drivetrain and the platform so it could go over all terrains and weathers"

    You can watch Lottie's full interview here: 

     
     
     
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     "It is so rewarding when for us, we've managed to actually design something that the university want to use.

    "So just be prepared for some late nights, lots of time in the library, a few arguments with your group, but we managed to get through it alright. You're doing it for a reason and you will learn so much more from it than you think."

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    Senior Lecturer and Programme Manager for Engineering James Croxford posted about the project on LinkedIn:

     

    Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan reposted Lottie's interview on Linkedln, saying:

    "Love this! Our engineering students learn how to design and build drones in their first year and move on to solve system challenges across all future years.

    "They don’t just learn about solutions, they create them. That is why our institutional values are: Practical hands, curious heads, courageous hearts, growing together.

    "All of them are embedded in our Harper Forward curriculum!"

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