Huiyuan is in her third year of the Bachelor of Engineering (Research & Development) (Honours) degree at ANU, thanks to a partnership with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT).

Huiyuan applied to complete her degree at ANU for a change of study environment.

“Here the environment is enjoyable, both academically and socially.”

The elite R&D engineering degree gives students access to an innovative structure, where students are able to get involved in engineering research projects and advanced courses. The R&D element of Huiyuan’s degree has been the highlight of her study experience so far, where she has been undertaking research on beam forming in ultrasound machines.

“It is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to undertake research, which has been both enjoyable and painful! I’ve become a quick learner and problem solver, which I think will be useful in industry, as well as having the chance to improve my communication skills.”

As part of her degree, Huiyuan also had an opportunity to apply her skills to design a transformer.

“As part of the Power Electronics course, I was able to design a transformer. It took a long time to complete, but I feel good that I was able to apply the knowledge I had learnt throughout the course to build something practical, and learn how this knowledge can be applied in real life.”

Moving to Canberra to study at ANU was made a smooth process with the support of other international students.

“Canberra is really different from Beijing. It took me some time to adjust, but the classmates that came to ANU with me as well as the senior students from BIT that arrived at ANU a year earlier provided support.

People here are always kind, finding help is not difficult at all. Last semester I lived in Fenner Hall Residence, which is quite far from campus. There was security bus running late into the night, which meant that I could study in the library into the evening. It really helped me a lot, especially in the final exam period.”

After she completes her degree, Huiyuan is considering finding a job in Australia, and thinks that the specific technical experience and problem solving skills gained through the R&D program will make her an attractive employee.