Why Study Electrical and Sports Engineering? : Irena Kathleen Chamdani

Irena Kathleen Chamdani1 (1)

Given the opportunity to study, which engineering subject would I pursue? This question led me to an eye-opening discovery about the world of engineering. Having explored the bachelor degrees offered by Victoria University, I was instantly drawn to delve deeper into one of the various options, namely Electrical and Sports Engineering. This subtle revelation has inspired me to elaborate further on why Electrical and Sports Engineering would be a brilliant subject for me to study.

Initially, my uncle introduced me to the unique combination of engineering and sports through his invention. Along with a group of other inventors, he founded a company called TuringSense, where they work together in developing a wearable technology that involves motion artificial intelligence. With his team of engineers and athletes, he launched a product line known as PIVOT. By utilizing sensors and the company’s software, PIVOT enables us to tell how people are moving, how they should be moving, and where to improve. I have thus learned from him that such inventions open up an array of new possibilities in the growing electrical and sports sector. Through extensive research, my uncle finally managed to integrate engineering and sports, which my entire family has been passionate about. The impact my uncle left on me is inevitable, and better yet, it exhorted me to hopefully invent something useful in the future as well. I am optimistic about this proposition, as the athletic world continuously requires advancements in safety, efficiency, and sustainability. There was a preconceived notion that practice makes perfect, however, athletes and coaches nowadays would rather say that perfect practice makes perfect. For this reason, electrical and sports engineering is entirely fundamental in the process of creating and training professional athletes.

As briefly mentioned before, competitive sports have had a tremendous role in my life – from dancing and swimming to athletics and tennis, my family and I have spent years

competing and learning through the troughs and crests in the world of sports. In light of this, I would like to point out an analogy between sports and electrical engineering. Attributes commonly associated with sports, such as mental toughness, persistence, competitiveness, teamwork, and creativity spark innovative and revolutionary ideas that could advance technology. Moreover, given my father’s background in industrial engineering, I have witnessed his problem-solving methods and interpersonal skills, both of which have convinced me about the fruits of studying engineering in general. With this in mind, I believe that by being committed and having persistent exposure to work experiences, I, too, can acquire cross-disciplinary skills that would strengthen my professional ethics and accountability and become a better-rounded engineer.

Finally, I am interested in the rapidly growing market of wearable devices that has arguably gained momentum since 2014. Nowadays, not only professional athletes have taken interest in improving their performance. The medical field and the general population have equally adopted a lifestyle further oriented towards fitness, health, and wellness. Hence, prevention methods and non-invasive healing, such as physical therapy, have become increasingly popular. That being said, a data analytics firm, the Business Insider Intelligence, estimated a projected growth of the wearable technology market. There will be around 50 million units of wearable technology sold more in 2020 than in 2018. Obviously, there are countless other innovations produced through the basis of electrical and sports engineering. Wearable devices are merely one of them. It is an enthralling prospect to be a part of such a pioneering field, which encompasses multiple facets. Technology will progressively become more effective and less obtrusive, as it will be a part of our clothing or even part of the human being. Even though such revolutionary advances often come with numerous challenges, I conversely conceive that this could motivate many electrical and sports engineers, and those who work with them, towards constant improvement. The idea of integrating theoretical knowledge in mathematics, physics, computer and information sciences with electrical and sports engineering entices me. I had come to value both the conceptual understanding of subjects, as well as the practical implementation.

In conclusion, there are much more to learn from this captivating field of study. More engineers will inspire each other and more innovations will come along the journey. It is known that the conception of women engaging in STEM fields today, particularly

engineering, has ameliorated in my country and in various parts of the world. I aspire to empower even more people from diverse backgrounds to enter the field and strive to sustainably improve technology and cater the demand of engineers worldwide. Having been raised in the world of sports and inspired to set a legacy through innovation, I believe that electrical and sports engineering would be a fascinating subject for me to embark on.