Growing up, Rachel Hogan realised that she wanted to leave a positive impact on the world. A visit to the solar dish at ANU set her on the road to an exciting degree and career.

Rachel graduated from ANU in 2013 with a major in Renewable Energy Systems and Mechanics and Material Systems.  “I pursued the systems engineering path and even wrote my final year thesis on the paraboloidal dish solar concentrator cycle technology… I learnt early on in my degree that to work on a system like that, knowledge of how chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering all go together was needed. That’s why I chose systems engineering.”

Combining this passion for the environment and renewable energy, Rachel was also an active member of the ACT Engineers Without Borders (EWB) team, “I joined the High School Outreach program that involved visiting local schools or presenting workshops at the University about sustainable engineering in developing countries.”

“One of the great things about ANU is that it’s quite small, but is still world renowned. The networks developed with professors and other students meant that if you wanted something, there was probably a good chance you could get it set up – from research papers, to exchange, to job opportunities.”

 “Systems engineering has made me adaptable. Every project benefits from a systemic process and the formula can be applied many times over… ANU helped me to develop and network within the engineering industry and with life skills as well. For the moment, the best part is that it’s given me the ability to go forward and try new things, networks, and opportunities.”

Rachel is currently based in Finland working for ABB in an 18 month rotation based graduate program. Rachel was recently nominated as a finalist in the “Rising Star” category for the Australian Women in Industry awards. The nomination for the award was based on some highlights such as developing new projects for the EWB ACT team, co-authoring a paper on solar thermal tracking that was published at a conference in the US, and being an active member of her company from the start, through both projects and assisting to develop a positive company culture. 

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